AURELIA
Elara stood motionless within the Sacred Circle, her smile radiating confidence, as I seethed with barely contained rage.
My gaze flickered to Selene and Caelum, positioned among the crowd, not far from where the Alpha sat, his sharp eyes scanning the scene.
When I shifted my focus back to him, I noticed his attention had shifted to the left, where Selene was subtly gesturing to him. He nodded in response, a small flicker of understanding passing between them.
Then Seraphina, the revered sage of our pack, spoke, her voice carrying a weight of authority. “Look into the Sacred Mirror.”
Elara’s grin widened as her gaze locked onto the mirror. A sudden burst of light erupted from the mirror, blinding in its brilliance.
The crowd’s cheers were deafening. Elara had been confirmed to be the Alpha’s Luna.
The sharp pain in my head hit without warning, a searing ache that made my fingers press to my temple in a desperate attempt to quell it.
But the pain only deepened, and then, in flashes, images rushed through my mind.
Two werewolves locked in battle, claws slashing, fury blazing. One was fierce, unyielding, but it was the other wolf — beautiful yet deadly — that held my attention. She was a force, and in the final, brutal moment, she tore the other wolf apart, casting his broken form aside.
“Alpha Damien, in this battle of who will be your Luna, I won. I am your Luna.”
The realization hit me like a thunderclap.
Alpha Damien, the one who had been my husband in a past life, the one who had betrayed and destroyed me. He was the one who had ended my life.
I moved toward the Sacred Circle with purpose, my steps deliberate. When I reached Elara, I spun her around to face me, a cruel smile tugging at my lips. “You haven’t won. I’m still here.”
Whispers rippled through the crowd, but Elara didn’t flinch, didn’t even flinch. “Can she really not recognize me?” I wondered bitterly.
Turning my gaze to Alpha Thorne, I spoke with unshakable resolve. “I want to take part in the Luna test. I want to be your Luna.”
His eyes flared with fury as he rose from his seat, but I stood my ground, meeting his gaze unwaveringly. “Who are you to interfere in the Luna test?” His voice was thunderous, his green eyes flashing dangerously.
“Because I will be the best Luna you’ve ever had,” I replied with a smile that could cut glass.
“And what makes you think you can do that?”
“What if I show you?” I asked, my confidence absolute.
Seraphina’s voice broke through the tension. “Alpha Thorne, let her take the test. It doesn’t matter; she will fail.”
But her eyes, those knowing eyes, stayed locked on me. It was as if she understood something deeper, something I hadn’t yet realized. Without hesitation, I stepped into the Sacred Circle, my heart pounding with anticipation.
Seraphina positioned the Sacred Mirror before me, and as I stared into its depths, I noticed I had a new appearance — Just like the werewolf in the flashes I had a while ago — before my silver-gray eyes shifted to pure white. The mirror shattered into a thousand fragments, and the wolves howled in triumphant chorus.
Elara stood frozen, her face drained of color. Her claws unsheathed, she rushed at me, fury in her eyes, but before she could reach me, I caught her by the neck and threw her at Alpha Thorne’s feet.
He stepped over her body without a second glance, his eyes never leaving mine. As he reached me, pulling my arms toward him, the memories of that night — his betrayal — came rushing back.
The pain, the humiliation, the destruction of everything I had once been. My face hardened into something cold, calculating. I could tear him apart, but I wouldn’t. Not yet. I would ruin him from the inside, piece by piece.
Before I could act, Selene appeared, kneeling at Thorne’s feet, tears streaming down her face. “Alpha Thorne, you promised! You promised my daughter would be your Luna if I helped you break your curse!”
The truth hit me like a slap in the face.
Thorne hadn’t simply chosen Elara; he needed her to break his curse. My blood had been a sacrifice, an offering, to bring him power. In exchange, Elara would be his Luna. But that was not what had been promised. Not in my world.
“I never said that,” Thorne growled, his voice low and menacing. “You chose to do it for power.”
Without hesitation, I kicked Selene, sending her sprawling to the floor. I crouched down, cupping her chin in my hand with an icy, triumphant smile. “An eye for an eye,” I whispered coldly.
Thorne’s voice rumbled, a dark thrill in his tone. “I love your viciousness. You will be the best Luna this kingdom has ever had.”
Yes. I would be his Luna, and I would make him suffer. Every step of the way.
“Cast them into the dark dungeons,” Thorne ordered, and Selene, Caelum, and Elara were dragged away, their fates sealed.
But mine was just beginning.
