The full moon hung heavy in the night sky, its silver light streaming through the grand windows of the pack's ceremonial hall. Under normal circumstances, I would have stood proudly beside Marcus, my Alpha King and mate, as we celebrated the monthly ritual that bound our pack together. Tonight, however, I stood alone at the edge of the crowd, my neck still raw and bleeding where his mark had been torn away.
The pack members parted as Marcus strode into the hall, his powerful frame commanding attention. Diana clung to his arm, her face glowing with triumph as she wore a gown of midnight blue—the traditional color of the Luna Queen. My color.
"Brothers and sisters of the Silver Moon Pack," Marcus's voice boomed across the hall, silencing the murmurs instantly. "Tonight, under the blessed light of the full moon, I have an announcement that will shape the future of our kind."
His amber eyes found mine in the crowd, cold and cruel. I felt a chill run down my spine as he continued.
"The Moon Goddess has shown me my true path." His grip tightened on Diana's waist. "My former Luna, Elena, has proven unworthy of the sacred bond we shared."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Even those who had heard rumors seemed shocked by the public declaration.
"Diana," Marcus announced, pulling her forward, "is my chosen Luna now. She understands power. She knows her place."
The silence that followed was deafening. I felt hundreds of eyes turn to me, some pitying, others gleeful at my downfall.
"Elena," Marcus called, his voice carrying easily through the hall. "Step forward."
My legs trembled as I moved through the crowd. Each step sent fresh waves of pain through my neck where the mate mark was still tearing itself from my skin.
"Kneel," he commanded when I reached them.
I hesitated, looking up at him. This man had been my everything—my mate, my Alpha, my future. How could he do this?
"I said kneel," he growled, his eyes flashing with rage.
Slowly, I lowered myself to my knees before them.
Marcus reached down, his claws extending from his fingertips. "It's time to remove the last symbol of your failed reign."
Before I could react, his claws slashed across my neck, tearing through flesh and muscle. I screamed as he ripped away the remnants of his mark, leaving bloody gouges in its place.
"Your rank is hereby stripped," he declared, blood dripping from his claws onto my face. "You are no longer Luna Queen. You are Omega—the lowest of our pack."
Diana smirked down at me, her eyes gleaming with malice. "We have one more thing to take care of, sister."
Marcus nodded to a Beta who approached with a silver cushion. On it rested my Luna crown—a delicate circlet of silver embedded with moonstones that had been passed down through generations of Lunas.
"Remove it," Diana commanded.
I reached up to my head with trembling fingers and unclasped the crown that had sat there for five years. Blood from my neck smeared across the silver as I lifted it from my hair.
"Now place it on your new Luna's head," Marcus ordered.
With every eye in the pack watching, I rose on shaking legs and stood before Diana. She tilted her head back, her expression one of pure triumph as I placed the crown upon her brow.
"Perfect fit," she purred. "Almost as if it was made for me all along."
The pack erupted in cheers as Marcus led Diana to the twin thrones at the head of the hall. They sat together, his arm possessively around her shoulders as he addressed the pack again.
"Tonight we celebrate! And what better way than with a toast?"
Servants appeared with wine glasses on silver trays. Diana's eyes found mine across the room.
"Elena," she called, her voice sweet with false kindness. "Be a dear and serve us some wine."
I stood frozen, unable to process her command.
"Did you hear me?" she snapped. "Your new position requires you to serve your Alpha King and Luna."
A guard pushed me forward, and I stumbled toward the thrones. Taking a tray of wine glasses, I approached them on unsteady legs.
"Kneel when you serve," Marcus reminded me coldly.
I dropped to my knees before them, holding the tray up with hands that wouldn't stop shaking.
Diana took a glass, her fingers deliberately brushing against mine. "Thank you, servant."
As I offered the tray to Marcus, Diana leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Their kiss was passionate and deliberate, meant for my benefit. When they broke apart, both looked down at me with identical cruel smiles.
"You may pour," Diana said.
I reached for the wine bottle with trembling hands and began to pour their drinks, kneeling before them as they kissed above me once more.
Throughout the night, pack members approached me one by one. Some spat in my face. Others dumped food on my hair and clothes. Words like "worthless," "pathetic," and "rejected" were hurled at me from all sides.
And through it all, Marcus and Diana watched from their thrones, laughing and encouraging the abuse.
As the celebration reached its peak, I caught a glimpse of myself in one of the hall's mirrors—blood-stained, tear-streaked, humiliated beyond measure.
But beneath the surface of that broken reflection, something ancient stirred within me—something powerful and unforgiving that whispered of vengeance and rebirth under the blood moon that was three days away.
