Chapter 6 – Sasha’s Fury

Sasha Pov

The heavy oak doors of the council chamber creaked open, spilling light and murmurs into the dim corridor. Sasha lingered in the shadows, her spine pressed against the cold stone wall, her ears straining to hear every word spoken. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, at least, that’s what she told to convince herself but when she saw Cole storm in after his father’s summons and hovering protectively around Ella was her father Marcus, she knew instantly that something monumental was about to happen.

Her breath came shallow as Victor’s voice thundered within: “Speak out, Cole. There is no need trying to evade the question. Who is she in relations to you?”

Sasha’s skin prickled but the silence that followed. She pressed a hand against the wall for support, willing herself closer, feeling desperate to get answers. And then Cole’s voice rang out, it was as sharp as a broken glass.

“She’s my mate.”

With the force of a blow, those words slammed into Sasha’s chest. Her mouth instantly went dry, her vision blurring and for just a moment, she thought she might actually faint, right there in the corridor. No, it just couldn’t be, she refused to believe it.

Inside, Victor roared with approval, like a victory bell his laughter echoed. Sasha clutched onto her dress, her nails biting into her palms until blood welled beneath the surface. The Alpha’s voice rose again: “The Moon Goddess herself has blessed this union! My son has finally found his mate!”

Sasha’s head spun. Blessing? This was a curse. It was pure mockery. It’s a theft to everything she had been imagined and had been promised. For years now, she and Cole had always been inseparable, there were partners in mischief, companions in ambition. She had given him her time, her devotion, even her body. He had whispered words in the dark, words that always felt like vows, she was made to believe that she was his future, his equal, his Luna. And now… now fate had handed what she had thought as hers to Ella.

Ella.

The charity case. The wolf-less, human brat that Marcus had dragged in like a stray pup. The one Sasha always had to endure sharing her home with for the past eighteen years. The one who had snatched her father’s attention, who had smiled with that infuriating naïveté even while Sasha’s mother seethed. Ella, with her wildflowers and her sketches and her stupid eyes filled with hope.

Sasha’s lips curled back, coming up in a soundless snarl. No. She would not allow it to be.

The doors opened wider, and she darted back into the shadows as the occupants of the council chamber spilled out. Cole strode past first, his face was set in a scowl, every line of his body was rigid with fury. Victor and Mara followed, looking all radiant, the Alpha’s hand thrown around Marcus’s shoulder, they looked as though they had just secured the greatest prize of the decade. And in their midst, was Ella looking small and pale.

Her hair gleamed in the torchlight, her eyes looking downcast, her expression dazed as if she could not believe what was actually happening. She looked fragile, bewildered, an unworthy girl wrapped in the trappings of destiny. Marcus’s hand rested proudly on her shoulder, being steady as a rock.

Something inside Sasha broke.

She turned on her heel and fled the scene.

She slammed her bedroom door so hard that it rattled the frame. She stalked across the room, she ripped down the shawl that was draped over her mirror. Staring back at her, was her own reflection: she had flushed cheeks, her eyes were wide with rage, her lips trembled with unshed tears. Beautiful, yes. She was every bit the daughter of Lena, every bit the girl who is destined for power. But in this moment, beauty was nothing but a cruel joke.

With a strangled cry, she swept her jewelry box off the dresser. Pearls and silver Jewelries scattered across the wooden floor. She kicked all of them aside, her chest heaving, until another set of footsteps entered.

It was her mother, Lena.

Her mother leaned against the doorframe, with her arms crossed, her expression sharp with recognition. She’s familiar with tantrums like this. She had raised her daughter on disappointment, on bitterness, on the cold knowledge that life rarely gave women what they deserved.

“What going on?” Lena’s voice was calm, cool, but her eyes gleamed with suspicion.

Sasha spun, her hands balled into fists. “It’s all her fault. It’s Ella. She’s—” Her throat closed around the words. Saying them made them real. “She’s actually Cole’s mate.”

For the first time in years, Lena’s composure slipped. Her lips parted, her brow furrowed. “The human girl?”

Sasha nodded, tears spilling now, hot and unwanted. “He admitted it to Alpha Victor. He confessed it all in the presence of the council. And all they did was—” Her voice broke into a sob filled with fury. “They all celebrated it. They actually called it a blessing.”

Lena’s jaw tightened. She stepped into the room, while closing the door behind her, she shut them off from the rest of the pack. “Fate is a liar,” she said coldly. “The Moon Goddess is very cruel. But daughters like us, we don’t bens to fate. We actually break it, by creating ours.”

Sasha swallowed, her tears finally slowing down. Her mother’s words seeped into her like poison, it felt like comfort.

Lena cupped her daughter’s face, her nails grazing her cheeks. “Do you think a girl like Ella can truly become Luna? She has no wolf, no strength, no cunning abilities. A Luna is someone who is ruthless. Strategic. Chosen by more than just magic.” Her eyes narrowed. “Chosen by the pack. And you fit those criteria.”

Sasha clung to those words like a lifeline. Chosen. Yes. She had always been Cole’s choice and will always. Not Ella.

Her chest still burned, though, with the image of Ella walking beside Marcus, glowing under the Alpha’s approval. All she desired to do was to tear that image to shreds.

“I won’t let her take my dreams from me,” Sasha whispered. “I definitely won’t.”

Lena smiled, a cold, thin smile. “Then don’t.”

Over the pack lands, Night crept over, shadows stretched all across the porch as Sasha sat by her desk. Her hands shook, not from fear but from the fire that coursed all through her veins. She pulled out her phone, scrolling to a familiar contact: a number with no name, only a wolf’s paw as the icon.

Her thumb hovered, then tapped. A message appeared.

We need a new plan. Something more permanent.

She hesitated only for a heartbeat before finally hitting send.

The reply quickly came, almost too quickly.

The price goes up for permanent.

Her lip curled. She typed back: I’ll pay it. Whatever it takes. She just cannot stay.

Her phone buzzed again, but before she could read the response, a soft knock came at her door.

She scrambled to shove the phone beneath her pillow. The door cracked open, and there stood Ella.

Ella’s smile was small, uncertain, like it had always looked like. She held something in her hands—wildflowers, pale blue and white, their petals trembling in her grip. “I thought… maybe you’d need these. For your room.”

Sasha stared at the flowers, at the ridiculous offering, her rage burn hotter with every second that passed. This girl, this pathetic, clueless girl, thought they actually were sisters. She actually thought kindness could erase the truth of what had happened tonight.

“Get out,” Sasha said, voice flat.

Ella blinked, hurt flickering in her eyes. “Sasha, I—”

She slammed the door slammed in her face before she could finish her sentence.

Sasha leaned against the door, breathing hard, she listened to the hesitant footsteps as they retreated. She imagined Ella’s expression crumbling, imagined her clutching those stupid flowers like they actually were worth something.

Her lips curved into a smile—cold, sharp, dangerous.

She whispered into the empty room, “You’ll never be able to wear the crown of the Luna.”