THE LUNA WHO ROSE FROM THE ASHES

POV Seraphina

The mud felt cold and sticky as it seeped through the thin fabric of my dress, chilling my skin to the bone. My knees were planted firmly on the ground, bearing the weight of my body, but more importantly, bearing the weight of the crushing reality that was slowly suffocating me. Every inch of my body trembled violently, not out of fear for my own life, but because of the searing, agonizing pain that was tearing my heart into a million pieces.

It felt as though someone had driven a sharp dagger straight through my chest, twisting it mercilessly, ensuring that every breath I took was accompanied by a sharp, stinging ache.

I lifted my head slowly, my vision blurred by the tears that refused to stop falling. Through the veil of my grief, I looked up at the man standing tall and proud before me.

Alpha Kaelen.

My husband.

The man who had once sworn on his life, on his honor as an Alpha, and on the sacred bond of the Moon Goddess, that he would love me, protect me, and cherish me until his very last breath. He had promised to be my shield, my safe haven, and my entire world. I had given him eight years of my life, eight years of loyalty, obedience, and unconditional love. I had loved him more than I loved myself, more than I loved the air I breathed.

But looking at him now, I realized that all those promises were nothing but empty lies.

The man standing before me was not the loving husband I knew. His face was hard, carved out of stone and ice. His eyes, which once held warmth and affection, now burned with a fire of hatred and disgust that made my blood run cold. He looked at me not as a mate, not as a wife, but as if I were the most disgusting, vile piece of trash he had ever stepped on.

And standing right beside him, looking as radiant and victorious as a queen, was the woman who had destroyed everything I held dear.

Valeria.

She looked breathtakingly beautiful, or so it seemed. Her skin glowed with an unnatural radiance, her hair flowed like silk down her back, and she wore a gown of the finest silk and silver threads that sparkled under the moonlight. But what caught my attention the most, what made my stomach churn with nausea and rage, was her hand.

Her hand was resting possessively on her swollen belly.

That belly held the child that was the result of their adultery, the child that they valued more than my own flesh and blood. She looked down at me, her eyes filled with malice, arrogance, and a sickening sense of triumph. She knew she had won. She knew she had taken everything from me.

"You are truly shameless, Seraphina,"

Kaelen’s voice cut through the heavy silence like a whip. It was cold, sharp, and devoid of any emotion. It shattered whatever tiny sliver of hope was still lingering in my heart, turning it into dust.

"Do you think I am blind? Do you think I do not know the truth? The children you brought into this world... they are nothing but a curse. They are weak, pathetic creatures with no power, no wolf, and certainly no Alpha blood running through their veins. They are useless. They are burdens that bring shame to this pack, and they do not deserve to live."

His words were like poison, spreading through my veins, burning me from the inside out. How could he say that? How could a father speak about his own children with such cruelty?

Tears streamed down my cheeks, mixing with the rain that had started to fall heavily from the dark sky. I bit my lip until I tasted blood, trying to hold back the sobs that were threatening to escape my throat. I refused to break down completely in front of them. I refused to show them how weak and broken I was.

"They are your children too, Kaelen!" I cried out, my voice cracking, raw with emotion. "They are your flesh and blood! How can you be so heartless? How can you order the death of your own babies? They didn't do anything wrong! They are innocent!"

Valeria let out a soft, tinkling laugh. To anyone else, it might have sounded beautiful, but to my ears, it was the most hideous sound imaginable. It was the sound of a snake hissing, the sound of evil triumphing over good.

"Oh, stop it now, darling," she cooed, leaning her body against Kaelen’s side in a way that was meant to provoke me. She ran her fingers gently up and down his arm, looking up at him with fake adoration. "Why are you wasting your breath on someone like her? Didn't I tell you from the very beginning? She was never fit to be a Luna. Look at her now... soaking wet, hair messy, face pale and ugly. She has no presence, no dignity, and absolutely no power."

She paused, a wicked smile playing on her lips as she looked back at me with pure contempt.

"She is nothing but a shadow. Unlike me..." She patted her belly proudly, her eyes shining with greed. "...I am carrying your true heir. Our child will be strong, powerful, and perfect. We are the ones who deserve to rule this pack. We are the ones who deserve this happiness."

Kaelen looked at her, and for a moment, I saw the way his eyes softened. He looked at her as if she were his entire world, while I was nothing but dirt under his shoes. He had been completely bewitched by her, blinded by her illusions and her lies. He had been manipulated into thinking that she was his savior, and I was his downfall.

He turned his gaze back to me, and the love was completely gone. In its place was only loathing.

"Enough talking," Kaelen commanded, his voice booming like thunder. He gestured sharply to the guards standing behind me.

"Take her away! Get her out of my sight! Throw her into the Death Forest! Let the monsters and beasts that live there deal with her! Let them devour her worthless body and her pathetic soul! I never want to see her face ever again!"

"NOOOOOO!!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs, hysteria taking over me as the large, burly guards grabbed my arms roughly. Their grip was iron-tight, hurting me, but I didn't care about the pain. I thrashed and struggled, kicking my legs, trying to free myself, trying to reach him.

"KAELEN! PLEASE! DON'T DO THIS! I AM YOUR MATE! I AM YOUR DESTINY! THE MOON GODDESS CHOSE ME FOR YOU! YOU CAN'T THROW ME AWAY LIKE THIS! PLEASE, HAVE MERCY!"

I begged. I humiliated myself by begging, because the thought of dying, of leaving this world while he lived happily with that woman, was unbearable.

But he didn't care. He didn't even flinch.

Instead, he threw his head back and laughed. A cold, cynical, and cruel laugh that echoed in the night air.

"Destiny?" he spat the word out as if it tasted like ash. "Destiny made a huge mistake when it paired me with you! You are a mistake, Seraphina! A mistake that needed to be corrected! If I could turn back time, if I could choose again, I would never, ever have looked at a woman as weak and useless as you! You are nothing but a plague in my life!"

His words broke me. They broke the last remaining piece of my heart.

The guards began dragging me away. My feet scraped against the rough ground, my dress tearing, my body aching, but my eyes were fixed on him. I watched him turn his back on me. I watched him wrap his arm around Valeria’s waist, pulling her close, protecting her.

And then, just before the massive iron gates of the mansion closed with a deafening BANG, my eyes darted to the side.

In the corner of the garden, under the pouring rain, there were two small mounds of fresh earth.

Two tiny graves.

My babies. My Leo, my little girl. They were gone. Kaelen had taken their lives with his own hands, or ordered it done, just to please that witch standing beside him. He had killed them without a second thought. He had murdered his own legacy because he was too blind and too stupid to see the truth.

The rain fell harder, washing away the dirt on my skin, but it could never wash away the hatred that was now boiling inside me. The thunder roared above, matching the chaos in my soul.

I looked up at the dark sky, at the gates that had shut me out, and I screamed. Not out of sadness, but out of pure, unadulterated rage.

"I SWEAR IT, KAELEN!"

My voice was hoarse, broken, but filled with a promise that came from the depths of hell itself.

"I SWEAR BY MY LIFE, BY THE SOULS OF MY CHILDREN, AND BY THE BLOOD OF THE GODDESSES! ONE DAY, I WILL RETURN! I WILL COME BACK FROM THE DEPTHS OF WHATEVER HELL YOU SEND ME TO! AND WHEN I DO... I WILL NOT LEAVE A SINGLE THING STANDING! I WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU LOVE! I WILL MAKE YOU BEG FOR DEATH, BUT I WILL NOT GIVE IT TO YOU! YOU WILL REGRET THIS DAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR MISERABLE EXISTENCE!"

My eyes, usually a soft brown, began to change. The irises turned darker, shifting into a deep, ominous blood-red color, glowing faintly in the night.

That night, under the rain and the thunder, something inside me died.

The kind, loving, and gentle Seraphina died. She was buried along with her children. She was killed by the man she loved, and by the woman she trusted.

And from that death, from that pain, and from that darkness...

A new being was born.

A devil.

A monster.

A force of nature that would not stop until the entire world burned.

 

(To be continued...)