The Moon Goddess had always been cruel to me. I had no proof, but the way things always seemed to go wrong in my life made me believe that she had cursed me from the start.
Tonight, that was supposed to change.
My mate, Alpha Owen had promised me this would be the night our lives would finally begin.
Tonight was the retirement ceremony of Alpha Owen's father, the current leader of our pack. It marked a new chapter for the pack, one that would see Owen take his place as the new Alpha. And soon, I would be Luna. But beneath the excitement, I knew that the joy of this night might come with a price.
I was born into shame. My father, the once-respected Alpha of the Iron fang Pack had been overthrown by his own Beta, a man he had trusted. It was said that my father had committed a grave sin, something unforgivable that had caused the pack to turn against him. Some said he had consorted with rogues, others whispered of a darker crime, one that had marked my family forever.
Whatever it was, the punishment was harsh. My parents were exiled. And I, a child still in my mother’s womb was left to face the consequences. I was only a baby and yet they insisted I stay to "pay for their sins." Therefore, I grew up alone and isolated.
I had no wolf when I turned sixteen unlike any other Alpha blood and the pack shunned me, calling me an Omega, a curse from the Moon Goddess herself. But on my eighteenth birthday, something changed.
I shifted.
I can’t explain the elation that had flooded through me. It was as if the years of isolation, the stares, all melted away in that single moment. I had my wolf. I was no longer the cursed girl, the one without power, the one whose existence was a mistake. But I knew better than to let the pack know. I hid my wolf, masked it, pretending to still be the same powerless Omega they believed me to be.
Only one person knew the truth, Owen, my mate.
Tonight, he promised me everything I had longed for. Tonight, we would be together and he would mark me as his Luna. Finally, I would be accepted. Finally, my wolf would be recognized. For the first time in my life, I felt like I had a future and a purpose.
I pushed those thoughts aside as I made my way to Owen’s room. The ceremony had ended and the pack was still celebrating. Owen had promised me that once the festivities died down, we would have our moment. But as I approached his door, my heart began to race. This was the moment I had been waiting for.
I opened the door to a sight I would never forget.
Mara, a she-wolf from the pack lay in a pool of blood on the floor. Owen stood above her, holding a knife in his hand. “What... what happened?” I stuttered.
“It’s not what it looks like,” His eyes were wide with shock as he turned around.
“What did you do?” I whispered as I stepped into the room fully. My legs was suddenly feeling like they were made of stone.
“She came to me,” he said quickly, his words tumbling over each other. “She tried to... throw herself at me. I told her no, but she wouldn’t stop. There was a struggle, and... I didn’t mean to. You have to believe me.”
I tried to process what I was seeing. My mate, standing over a dead body. The bloodied Knife in his hand was an evidence he had really done this.
“I didn’t want this to happen,” Owen continued. “But if anyone finds out… if the pack knows… they’ll exile me. They’ll never accept me as their Alpha. You know how they value loyalty above all else.”
His eyes locked onto mine as he continued pleading. "Please... you have to help me. You have to take the blame."
"What exactly are you asking me to do?" My voice was steady despite the scene before me.
"They won't believe me," he pressed on. "But if you say it was you, they'll never suspect me."
"A murder confession." I stared at the knife in his hands understanding what this meant.
"Please, Ariana. You're the only one who can save me. When I become Alpha in five days, I'll release you. You'll be my Luna and we'll have our happy ending."
I couldn’t process the emotions crashing over me. The man I loved, the man I trusted was standing here asking me to lie for him to take the fall for something he had done.
“If I do this…” I whispered. “You promise you'll come for me?”
He nodded quickly. “I promise, just five days.”
I couldn’t bring myself to condemn him. I knew how badly he wanted to be Alpha. I knew how much he had worked for this moment. If the pack found out the truth, everything he had worked for would be destroyed. I understood that and I couldn’t bear to see him lose it all.
The door burst open before I could say more. His Beta Caleb and a group of warriors stormed in. Their eyes widened as they took in the scene.
“What happened here?” Caleb’s gaze landed on Owen before it met mine.
I opened my mouth immediately without hesitation. “It was me. I killed her.”
The looks on their faces were unreadable, but I could see the disbelief in their eyes. But it didn’t matter, I had made my choice.
“Take her to the cells.”
I was dragged away and soon enough, my only friend, Cynthia ran after me. “Ariana!” she cried out, grabbing my arm. “Tell them you’re not the one who did it. Tell them the truth.”
Tears filled my eyes, but I couldn’t speak. All I wanted now was to protect Owen. I was finally dragged to the cell and it got slammed shut behind me. I was alone in the darkness, with nothing but my thoughts.
The Moon Goddess had always been cruel to me.
And tonight, she had been crueler than ever.
