Chapter 2 DESCENT INTO THE ABYSS

DESCENT INTO THE ABYSS

SERAPHINE’S POV

The stone hallway stretched endlessly before us, so dark and suffocating that I almost couldn't breathe. My bare feet were scraping against the cold, uneven floor as the guards dragged me with so much force like they were waiting for this day all along.

But worse than the physical torment was the gnawing terror inside me. My heart pounded, a frantic drum of panic and disbelief, while my mind struggled to comprehend how I had gone from the hopeful Luna-to-be to a prisoner facing unimaginable horror.

I couldn’t believe this was real. I tried, desperately, to tell myself it was another nightmare, that I would wake and still have a chance to prevent this. But the cold stone under my knees, the iron grip on my arms, and the fear that clawed at my chest told me otherwise. This was no dream. I was truly the Moon Goddess’s plaything, and my torment was for amusement.

The cell door slammed open before I could gather my thoughts. Rough hands seized me, shoving me violently inside. I stumbled, scraping my knees against the stone. Pain lanced up my legs, but panic burned hotter. My chest constricted, breath catching in my throat. How did it come to this? How did a day I had dreamed of since childhood turned into this nightmare?

Before I could even rise, the guards shoved the others inside with the same brutal force. My mother, father, and siblings crashed to the floor beside me. Their bodies were battered, bruised, and bloodied, trembling violently. My stomach knotted at the sight. My siblings’ tiny forms quivered like leaves in a storm, too weak to even cry out. Their breaths were shallow, as though even air itself had been stolen from them.

I dropped to my knees beside them, arms wrapping around my little siblings instantly. I pressed them close, feeling every shiver, every ragged inhale, as though their pain were grafted onto my own body. My heart felt like it was being crushed in a vice. I tore off the top of my nightshirt and pressed it gently to their skin, wiping away the blood and dirt, tears mingling with sweat on my hands. I whispered their names over and over, each syllable trembling with a grief I could not contain.

“Mama… Papa… is this true?” I asked, my voice cracking, barely a whisper. “Are they saying these things about you… about us?”

My mother adjusted her bloodied body and I could feel her pain even though she tried to stay strong. “Seraphine… it is not true. We have been framed. Someone… Someone wants to destroy us. They twisted the truth, turned the pack against us. Theyre telling lies, but their lies… they made the pack believe them.”

I pressed my face into her shoulder, tasting the bitter tang of blood and sweat, feeling her trembling against me. “I… I should have protected you… I should have…”

“I could not,” she whispered, voice breaking. “I could not save you. I failed all of you. I am so sorry, Seraphine. I am so, so sorry.”

My father pulled my mother into his arms as she sobbed uncontrollably. He was definitely struggling because I could see the thick molds of blood clots rolling out of his nostrils at intervals. “Our lineage…” he muttered through a dragged breath. We were supposed to be the Alpha Kings. I discovered that the Draydens overthrew my lineage in the past, killing almost everyone who knew about it at the time just to cover the truth. I tried to confront the king and next, he had to do this. He planned with his cohorts and they deceived the entire pack into thinking we are traitors, and as easy as he believed it would be, the pack members believed them, including Alpha prince Ezekiel. Now… They want to erase us. Our bloodline will end and their secrets will be covered for life.”

My fingers clutched theirs, desperate for some tether in this maelstrom of terror. “So Alpha Drayden is behind all these? How could he be so cruel?”

Her hand came to my cheek, trembling. “Dont worry my baby, I'm sure the moon goddess has reasons for everything, maybe this was how our end was expected to come.”

“No!!! It can't be, we can't end like this!!!!” I cried out, waiting uncontrollably. " How could the moon goddess give us life and allow it to be snatched like we never mattered? Why did she even create us if we were a mere pawn in her cruel games of amusement, this is sick father and we must not allow it,” I cried out, pain stabbing through my chest as I spoke.

" We can't fight them Sera… only the moongoddes can, and we will leave this to her," he said calmly.

I was still trying to digest the whole situation when I heard an echo of boots against stone that snapped me from the fragile stillness. Guards burst in, rough hands seizing each of us and dragging us upright. My mother stumbled, my father groaned, my siblings flailed weakly. I clutched them desperately, but we were powerless against the iron force holding us.

We were led into the night, torches lining the path to the execution grounds. Flames snapped and hissed as if savoring what was to come. Smoke rose, curling like serpents, carrying the smell of oil, soot, and impending death.

And there he was. Alpha Prince Ezekiel, standing at his father’s side. His jaw was set, posture rigid, but I caught the flicker of conflict in his green eyes whenever they strayed to me. He avoided my gaze at intervals, yet every few seconds, he stole a glance before looking away. Each look was like a knife twisting in my chest.

We were shoved to our knees before the raised platform. My mother trembled beside me, my father’s shoulders forced down. Alpha Drayden lifted his hand, and the execution began without a word.

Two guards stepped behind my little brother and sister. I screamed, but the sound caught in my throat, strangled by grief. My mother’s shriek pierced the night. “No! My babies! Stop!”

The wooden tub was dragged forward, filled to the brim with dark, rippling water. My siblings were too weak to resist. They were lifted, their little arms dangling limp, as the guards plunged them in. I reached for them, my hands trembling. “Take me instead! Please! Take me!”

Their legs kicked weakly, fading with every second. Hands flailed in small, desperate movements, until they stilled. Bubbles rose, then nothing. The guards dumped their lifeless bodies onto the stones. The thuds of impact were deafening, a terrible punctuation to their suffering.

My mother collapsed over them, wailing their names. My father gripped her, his own cries raw and hollow. I clutched both of them, feeling the unbearable weight of grief pressing into my chest.

Then the guards seized my mother. She fought, nails clawing, feet kicking, but they dragged her to the stake. A pile of dry wood surrounded her. My heart fractured. “No! Please! Not her! Not her!”

Flames roared as torches were set to the wood. Her scream tore through the night, raw, agonizing, pleading for mercy. My father lunged, only to be pushed down. My hands scraped the stones in futile desperation. The fire consumed her quickly, skin and cloth melting, her cries echoing in the darkness until all that remained was silence.

Next, my father was dragged forward. I clawed at the ground, sobs wracking me. “Papa! Don’t leave me! Please!”

He knelt, meeting my eyes. “My brave girl… survive. Live. Remember who you are.” The sword fell. His head rolled toward me, lifeless eyes frozen in silent pleading.

I screamed until nothing remained in my voice. Trembling, my vision blurred, I was dragged to the altar of Drakar. My legs shook, my body burning with pain, heart a shattered thing.

The pit yawned below, smoke curling like a living beast. I stumbled, feet slipping on jagged stone, and then I fell.

Air tore at my skin, smoke stung my eyes. Pain shot through me as I hit the bottom, breath stolen. My body throbbed, every bone aching, heart splintered. I curled, crying violently.

“Moon Goddess… if you can hear me… give me strength… give me a chance… I will destroy them. I will destroy Alpha Drayden. I will destroy Ezekiel. Hear me!” My voice grew with each word, echoing into the darkness.

The ground trembled beneath me. A deep, vibrating growl rolled through the cavern. Smoke thickened. Something enormous shifted in the shadows. A blast of hot wind hit me. Then came the roar: ancient, terrifying, a sound that shook stone and soul alike.

I froze. Terror wrapped around me. Something had come. Something older than time itself.

And it had just found me.