2. The Fall of the Luna

|| Lilac's POV ||

"You witch!" I shouted, fury and pain boiling inside me. My wolf howled in grief, but Kael didn’t flinch. He stood firmly in front of Coco—the woman who had taken everything from me. She smirked, smug and victorious, as I stared at my parents’ lifeless bodies.

They were gone. Killed like criminals. And Kael had let it happen.

"Was she worth it?" I shouted. "Was Coco worth destroying the entire Royal Beta line?"

The throne room, once filled with memories, now felt like a tomb. Kael stood tall and silent, cold eyes giving nothing away.

"Answer me, Kael! Or can’t you even see the blood on your hands? My father, your Beta, who fought for your throne!"

Still, no answer. My voice trembled, but I forced myself to keep speaking.

"They fought for you. Day and night. They believed in you. I believed in you."

Coco stepped closer, mocking. "Oh dear, it looks like our Luna has lost her mind."

I remembered the first time she came to the palace. Scared. Quiet. Begging me for shelter. And I gave it. I gave her safety, a place to call home. I never imagined she’d become this.

Now, I knelt before her, the same woman I once pitied. She stood tall, holding the dagger that had killed my mother. My hands curled into fists as I fought the storm inside me.

"So you still remember I’m Luna," I said through gritted teeth.

"Are you?" Coco replied, tilting her head, that same cruel smile on her lips.

I turned to Kael. "Was I ever anything to you? Did any of it mean anything?"

His eyes flickered—guilt? Regret? I couldn’t tell. It didn’t matter. He let my parents die. That was the truth.

"Tell me," I said, voice raw. "Was it worth it?"

He didn’t answer. The silence said it all.

Coco moved even closer. "You should’ve left when you had the chance. Now you’re broken. Alone."

Alone.

That word echoed inside me.

But she was wrong. I still had breath. I still had rage. And I still had fight.

I met her eyes. "Enjoy this moment, Coco. Because one day, you’ll kneel before me. And I won’t forget what you did."

For a split second, her smirk faltered.

With a growl, I lunged. My wolf burst forward. My claws slashed, and I saw fear flash in her eyes. Kael tried to stop me, but I shoved him aside.

Coco hit the ground beneath me. I pinned her, my fury surging. My claws hovered at her throat.

Then Kael grabbed my leg and yanked me away. I slammed into the wall, shifting back to human from the force.

"I denounce you as my Luna," Kael said coldly. "And I reject you as my mate. Our bond is broken."

He turned his back on me. Lifted Coco into his arms like she was precious.

"What should we do with her, Alpha?" a warrior asked.

Kael didn’t look at me. "Do what you want. When you're done, get rid of her."

His words shattered me.

The warriors came closer. I crawled backward, trembling. My hand brushed something cold—a dagger.

I grabbed it.

Tears blurred my vision. I raised the blade to my stomach.

I clutched it tightly, the weight of it grounding me in the moment. My vision blurred with tears as I pressed the blade to my stomach.

“Moon Goddess,” I whispered, my voice breaking.

“Forgive me. I was not the Luna you expected of me. Forgive me, Mom, Dad. I have failed you too.”

A single tear rolled down my cheek as I closed my eyes, the dagger poised to end my suffering.

Then I pressed harder.

Agony. It tore through my gut like fire—blinding, unbearable. My body seized, breath caught in my throat. I was drowning in pain, in grief, in darkness.

Let it end.

I welcomed the void.

But just as my body began to slip, something flickered in the black.

A spark. Somewhere inside me, deeper than the pain, something ancient stirred. 

Goddess, if this is justice, then let it be the start of something new.

If I were to get another chance, I vowed silently, I would never walk this path again.

I would never trust so easily, love so blindly.

I fell into darkness.