Chapter 2: Beyond The Half-Moon

Mabel.

After uttering those words in unison, Lydia lunged at me, but I swiftly dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding her strike.

“You’ve become faster, Little Wolf,” she taunted with a wicked smile. “But you won’t evade the next attack.”

She was right. Before I could react, her claws tore into my flesh, slicing my thighs and drawing blood. With a yell of pain, I collapsed to the ground.

Above me, Lydia mounted, raining heavy punches down on my face. I tried to shield myself with my hands, but the pain of her blows was unbearable.

The forest echoed with their roars, celebrating my demise. Why wouldn’t they? I—an abomination was chosen by the Moon goddess as Trevor’s mate. The elders protested, saying an abomination wasn’t fit to be their Luna. According to our law, the Luna must be either the Alpha’s mate or attained through duel of honor—killing the Luna.

Alpha John had always prevented the duel of honor from taking place, saying it goes against the moon goddess wishes and it is only held between different packs. Trevor didn’t intervene. Perhaps the shame of having a weak mate had finally overcome him. Many of his friends ridiculed him, claiming he wasn’t strong enough, and that’s why the Moon goddess had chosen such a mate for him.

Summoning all my strength, I grabbed Lydia by the waist and flung her over. She tumbled, hissing as the ground scraped her skin.

“Is that all you got, little wolf?” Rising, she dusted her body. Her wounds disappearing like they never happened.

That was when I noticed I wasn’t healing. My wolf was weak, and I would heal much slower than a prodigy like Lydia, but I wasn’t healing at all. However, instead of healing, my wounds were festering with a familiar scent.

Lydia had coated her claws with poison, opting not for a swift death by tearing out my heart. She had chosen the forbidden land, where even a drop of blood could summon the attention of creatures with senses a hundred times stronger than normal wolves. She planned to let me bleed out, enticing the Nightingales to devour me. perhaps while I am still alive, ensuring a slow, agonizing death.

As realization dawned on me, I couldn't think of my honor anymore; I just wanted to flee and hide. But I was encircled. My gaze fell on Trevor, my only savior. If the moon goddess had forsaken me, my mate wouldn't. We were tied together.

Dashing towards him, I fell to my knees. Desperation clawed at me and I couldn’t care about the debris of sand nibbling at my knees. “Please save me. Lydia is going to kill me,” I pleaded. “End this, duel of honor.”

Booing and jeers filled the air, stinging my ears. I couldn't care anymore. To hell with honor; they weren’t even giving me an honorable death.

“My hands are tied,” Trevor replied, sounding remorseful.

“That’s not true,” I stated, my voice quivering as I shook my head. “Your father always prevented it.” I gripped his hands.

“I am not as powerful as my father.” He pulled out of my grip. “If I resist, they will challenge me to a duel of honor.”

I turned back and stared at the elders, their hateful gazes eating up my flesh, then looked at Lydia, who was waiting patiently to end me.

“If I die, you know what will happen to you?” I reminded him.

When a mate dies while still linked to the other, it's very hard to find another mate—and without a mate, the wolf endures emotional pain that can slowly lead to madness. And as they say, a wolf without a mate is like a moon without a sun—it cannot shine.

“That’s why we’re going to reject each other,” he replied.

My eyes widened at his words. The rejection hadn’t even happened yet, but my heart felt like it had been pierced by a thousand swords.

My heart thudded in my chest. “Finding a second mate is very hard; you might go mad,” I said, not knowing whether I was trying to convince him that he needed me or myself and that he wouldn’t be able to abandon me.

“If being with someone as weak as you would bring me peace, then I would rather roam the rest of my life mad.”

His words crushed my heart. “Then I will never reject you. I’ll die with your wolf still linked to mine,” I declared. “Since you want to be mad, I’ll let you taste it.”

“I promise to end this if you reject me,” Trevor leaned in. “If you are not the Luna, nobody will want you dead,” he added. “Tik, Tik, Mabel, time isn’t on your side.”

This was the man I loved with all my being ever since I first stepped into the Red Fangs at eleven. I would traverse the depths of hell to save him, yet he was going to simply reject me and abandon me to this cruel fate. I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. Since this is how he wants things to be, I couldn’t force him to protect me. I have to do it myself.

“I, Mabel Everly, reject you as my mate.” I braced myself for the impending, excruciating pain that comes with rejection and unlinking. If that is what will save my life, so be it.

“I, Trevor Adonis, reject you as my mate.”

Suddenly, the pain came, tearing through me. Not only my heart, but every part of my body felt like rats were trying to eat their way out of me. A guttural groan saw from my throat and for a few minutes, I tasted hell before the pain subsided.

My breath hitched as I felt a grip on my hair—it was Lydia.

I stared up at Trevor, still in obvious pain. “You promised to end this.”

“Promises are made to be broken.” A vile smile burn on his lips.

My eyes widened. This bastard had tricked me.

“Bloody liar. I hope you set with the sun, never to rise with it. And when you die, I hope heaven rejects your soul.” I cursed at him, kicking at the air as Lydia dragged me by the hair.

The cheers resumed as Lydia tossed me to the center of the circle. This wasn’t just about me being the the Luna, but more about me being an abomination.

I tilted my head, facing the sky, where darkness had spread its blanket. The half-moon hung in the dark emptiness.

“Is this what you wanted?” I screamed at the moon, hoping the moon goddess could hear me. “You’re just going to sit up there and do nothing?” Tears dribbled down my face. “Do you want to drink the blood of an abomination so bad ?” I whispered.

I’d probably taste bitter.

I turned to the elders and the pack members. “You’re all rejoicing. Will my death bring you so much happiness? Will my blood wash away your hate?” I demanded.

“Enough of your chatter,” Lydia snarled, clawing at my face.

Instantly, I cupped my face, screaming in pain. She clawed my back and then my arms. I fell, my back against the ground, intense pain coursing from my wounds to all parts of my body.

Lydia mounted me again, slashing my body until it grew numb, and all I could feel was the tearing of my flesh. They said that when you can no longer feel pain, death is near.

Lightning split the sky, illuminating the darkness, followed by thunder's rumble. Did the heavens rejoice at my death too?

My lifeblood dyed the earth red as the pack members began to leave, leaving only Trevor and Lydia behind.

“You’re truly merciless,” Trevor said, pulling Lydia into his arms.

“A powerful Alpha like you deserves a strong Luna,” she smiled. “How did you convince the elders not to protest against the duel of honor?” Lydia asked.

“It was easy. After all, we all hated her,” Trevor replied, chuckling. He glanced down at my dying body.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to get rid of her. Imagine having an abomination as a mate. The Moon Goddess must have despised me,” he scoffed.

It was all his idea. He had fooled me into believing he was powerless to stop it.

“Let’s get out of here. The Nightingale might show up any moment,” Lydia suggested.

The sky rumbled again, lightning revealing Trevor and Lydia entwined in a passionate kiss, their love on display over my broken body. I thought I was too numb to feel anything, but I was wrong. Anger—deep as the abyss—surged through me.

Drops of rain began to fall, washing my blood deeper into the forbidden land. I couldn’t help but wonder if the heavens were crying for me or merely cleansing the land of my abomination’s blood.

With half-closed eyes, I stared at the half-moon. I had always prayed for good things, and she never answered. Perhaps I should have prayed for evil, as I was one myself.

May I roam as a nightingale, devouring their flesh, and may the earth drink their blood as it did mine. Until Lydia and Trevor are nothing but carcasses, may heaven and hell reject my soul.

As my eyes began to close, I heard the howls of the nightingales. But I also heard something—a chant—and suddenly, a figure appeared, dressed in black.