The Heart of the Queen: Legacy of The Moonborn

I could feel Selene’s gaze burning into me before she even made a move. As I stood in the open field, I felt out of place. Small, plain and useless. “Well come on Aria, fight me!” Selene yelled as the pack cheered. I could taste the bile rising in my throat as I stared at her. It was routine for everyone to train in the pack regardless of rank. It was a pain I had to endure every week as an Omega easily beaten by everyone else. This time, I was facing Selene. My arch nemesis. My husband's mistress."Do you know what I hate most, Aria?" Selene spoke. Her sweet yet venomous voice sent shivers down my spine. She liked to toy with me and humiliate me, like I was nothing more than a doll to be used and cast aside as she pleased. "People who don’t know their place"I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of seeing me react, but her words always stung more than anything she could physically do to me.It had been like this for years since she weasled her way into Lucien’s life, making m

Pain was no longer a sensation. It had become my reality.My wrists burned from the silver cuffs biting into my skin as my body hung limp from the chains above. My feet were barely brushing the cold stone floor of the dungeon. My back ached from the several lashes I'd received. Everything hurt.They hadn't even asked me anything yet. This was just the introduction. I heard the whip rise in the air just before it tore the skin of my back again. A scream lodged in my throat, all I could do was groan and grunt. The whip had been laced with wolfsbane so each lash seeped it deeper and deeper into my blood, weakening me. Suddenly, the door creaked open.Selene.I didn’t need to see her to know it was her. That smug, deliberate walk and the scent of roses.Behind her, heavier steps followed. Lucien.I raised my head, blinking through blood and sweat as the guards undid my bindings. My vision was blurry, but I saw him. The one person I thought might believe me. Hope flickered for the briefe

Five years later… 《》Aria's POV The mirror didn’t lie. I looked beautiful. But I didn’t feel like it, not tonight. Not while my heart pounded in my chest and the ache in my gut hadn’t gone away since sun set. I smoothed down my dress. The deep midnight blue silk hugging my curves like a second skin. The slit rose high enough to show the mark on my thigh. The same mark I used to be ashamed of. A faint moon-shaped birthmark humming with quiet power under the light. My hands trembled as I reached to wear my earrings. “You’re shaking” came a familiar voice from behind. I turned toward the door and found Ronan leaning casually against the frame. He was dressed in a sleek black tux which had been tailored to perfection. He looked absolutely breathtaking as always—maybe more. But it wasn’t how he looked that took my breath away, rather, it was the way he looked at me. Like I wasn’t a woman broken and rebuilt. He looked at me like I was whole. “I’m fine” I said, way too quickl

Ronan didn’t say a word as we walked through the halls. The moment we reached my wing, he paused. His hand lingered on the heavy door, eyes searching mine with that unreadable, calculated calm he always wore when he was trying to restrain himself from speaking. Lucien’s scent still clung to my skin like poison. Even with Ronan beside me, I could still feel Lucien’s body pressing against mine. Damn him. Damn me. “You let him get too close, Aria.” he finally said. I yanked my hand away from him, I knew he was right but my pride wouldn't let me admit it. “Don’t start, Ronan.” “He gets under your skin. You let him crawl into your head again, and you’re letting him control you from within” “I don’t need the lecture tonight.” My voice was lower and less firm than I'd wanted. “Not from you.” For a moment, there was silence. Then his voice softened, almost breaking me. He closed the space between us, his tone like velvet. “I’m trying to remind you of who the hell you are

The Citadel was a palace of whispers.Even in the daylight, the endless halls felt like crypts, the walls heavy with eyes I couldn’t see but could always feel, watching me. Ronan led me in silence, his presence was like a lingering shadow beside me. Every step I took echoed louder than the last, reminding me that I was walking deeper into the wolves’ den—Quite literally. And this time, I wasn't just prey, I was something different. I was an anomaly.At least that is if anything Ronan had told me was true. Could I really belong to a Celestial bloodline? After Ronan had hit me with that shocker, he proceeded to lead me to what he referred to as the High Council. We finally reached the Council chamber. Double doors made of pure obsidian opened magically, and the air inside hit me like a wall of cold authority. The Elders were sat high upon their silver thrones, each one draped in black and gold robes, with eyes gleaming like predators. I felt small underneath their stoic gazes, like