The Rejected Luna
Otiyemi
There was no triumph, no rage, and his face was unreadable.
Nothing but silence. Luna wanted to despise him, but instead she experienced a glimmer of pain that wasn't her own, which was worse. His gaze lifted toward the balcony as he turned. They looked at each other. Neither moved for a second. She thought he would yell and call his guards, but he didn't. Almost imperceptibly, his expression changed, and they exchanged an unspoken message. Then he walked away, disappearing into the dim hallways. Luna's knuckles turned white as she held on to the railing. The image of that woman, singing as she burnt, etched into her mind even though the revolt had been put down in a matter of minutes. The price of disobedience was this. It was evidence of something more, though. The Alpha was not impervious to attack. The yard was deserted hours later. Rain was falling heavily, and the smell of smoke was vanishing into the ground. As her eyes scanned the ground, Luna slipped silently among the ashes, feigning to sweep rubbish. The runes on the collars were dull and had cooled. She touched the metal while kneeling next to one.