On the day of her discharge, Elara expected to return home quietly. But instead of heading toward their villa, the stablehand stopped outside a brightly lit Lunar Fairground.
“Luna, Alpha Ashveil is waiting for you.” Elara froze. The bright colors, the laughter of strangers, all of it felt jarring to her still-weak body. She shook her head. “No. Just take me home.”
Before the steward could answer, Xander’s tall figure appeared by the carriage. He opened the door himself, his hand gripping her wrist with quiet force.
“Don’t make a scene. Come with me.” he said, his tone brooking no refusal.
“My scribe mentioned that you booked this entire fair for the pups’ birthday revels. Since Ravenna happens to share the same date, I thought it better to celebrate together. It’s livelier that way.”
Elara’s skin burned with fury the moment she heard those words.
Five years ago she had begged Xander to let the pups stay nine moons in her womb but he had cut her off.
“Seven moons is enough. Deliver them now.”
For the sake of the pups, she had bitten her tongue, believing there must be some medicinal reason and nearly died, her body torn. It was only now she realised that it wasn’t an accident.
It was all so that the triplets shared their birth-night with Ravenna.
Absolutely shameless!
Xander took her inside and gestured toward a side corridor. “Wait for me in the private booth. I will bring the pups after they finish their ride.”
At first Elara had a strong urge to walk away but she stopped herself. She needed irrefutable proof that could give her solid grounds to secure her separation swiftly.
Reluctantly, she stepped forward.
But just as her hand touched the carved door, muffled sounds reached her ears — low gasps, the rustle of fabric.
She froze.
For a moment, she thought she had taken the wrong turn. But through the crack, she saw Ravenna with two strange men, their shirts torn open amidst rough breathing filling the air.
Ravenna leaned lazily against them, her lips red, her throat marked with fresh bites as if she hadn’t even bothered to hide them.
Elara’s chest tightened.
Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
She turned on her heel to leave but a hand shot out from inside, dragging her violently in.
The next second, the door burst open. Xander strode in with the children. They saw Ravenna collapsed to the floor, shaking at Elara’s feet. Her garments were all torn, exposing more than she intended.
“Luna Ashveil, I was wrong! I will never dare touch what belongs to you.”
Elara’s heart stopped. She wanted to speak, to explain, to shove the world’s cruelty away but Xander’s icy gaze pinned her like a bird in a snare.
“Luna. Ashveil please take me to the Healers, the pills you forced into my mouth to make me surely bear…after all the men are done abusing me… I… I can’t let them…! I will rather die!”
Elara opened her mouth, but the words didn’t come. Her throat felt as if it had been sealed shut as tears streamed down Ravenna’s face; her voice was barely a whisper as she rushed to Xander and collapsed in his arms trembling.
“Xander, I only came back because my ex-mate abused me… please don’t let these men take advantage of me.”
In between the sobs Elara saw the small smile forming on Ravenna’s lips and her entire reasoning snapped.
“I took advantage of you??” Elara asked, her voice low.
“You even ordered them to film it and post it upon the moonlink… I was wrong to post pictures with Xander.”
Xander’s jaw tightened. His gaze shifted from the tiny crystal camera whirring in the corner to Elara, disbelief hardening into icy fury.
“Shut up!” Elara raged. “It was Xander who told me that you would accompany us when we reached here! How could I know it beforehand unless I am some seer!”
Unexpectedly before she could speak anymore, the triplets pointed at Elara, their childish voices unusually firm.
“Mother, you’re so mean!”
“Yes! Mother, aren’t you the one who said that there would be a great show today! How could we have known she would hurt Aunt Ravenna? It was… it was your all doings, Mother!”
The men in the room froze and then, almost simultaneously, they bowed deeply.
“Alpha Ashveil, it was her indeed! If we had known Ravenna was your woman, we wouldn’t dare touch her even if we had a hundred guts!”
One of them fumbled, then produced a small recording crystal. A chilling voice played through the speaker in Elara’s unmistakable tone, calm and commanding, “Make sure she suffers. Don’t let her walk away. Record everything.”
Elara’s eyes widened as she looked at the trap which was so intricately planned to ruin her before a small miserable smile covered her features.
“All this effort to ruin me… just for a title? What a serpent you are—”
Smack!
The slap landed with a shattering crack, the sound ripping through the booth like thunder.
Elara hit the floor hard, the taste of iron spreading in her mouth.
Ravenna, who had been crying, suddenly fell quiet and gave a cruel smile as Xander stood over Elara, staring at her fiercely.
When Elara turned toward him, blood trickled from her lip and her eyes were empty, as if she had been emptied by terror. Xander froze, his hand still raised, a strange guilt clouding him.
“So in the end you believe her? If anyone saw, they’d think she’s your true Luna and I’m the mistress!”
Xander’s look turned cold and steady. “Is this how low you’ll go?”
His voice was calm, but each word cut like a blade.
He made a sharp gesture. The two men in the booth were hauled away, their protests lost under his order.
Xander moved closer until Elara couldn’t step back. “Did you strip Ravenna… did you enjoy putting her down?” he asked softly, hard.
“Now it’s your turn.”
Elara’s chest tightened. She shook her head, voice breaking, “No, please stop!”
Suddenly Xander grabbed her roughly. The sound of tearing fabric filled the booth.
Elara convulsed, her heart racing as the same hands that once touched her gently now forced her, rough and angry, leaving red marks on her skin.
Hot tears ran down her face as she gasped and sobbed.
“Xander… what are you doing? Please, don’t—” Her cries were ignored; she felt herself being torn apart inside.
His eyes did not soften. “You wanted to ruin her honor… now you will live that shame. Every moment. Every shred.”
A crystal camera in the corner whirred on, recording everything—her fear, her shame, her collapse.
“You wanted a show, right? Today I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.”
