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Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE BANISHED LUNA: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

38 Kabanata

Shadows Before the Moon

**The Banished Luna****Chapter 1 — Shadows Before the Moon** The moonlight poured through the narrow window, silvering the dust that hung in the air. I tugged my worn cloak tighter around my shoulders as I stacked the last bundle of herbs on the healer’s table. My fingertips were raw from picking nettles all afternoon, but the sting was nothing compared to the constant ache of being invisible.Invisible — except when I was a problem.“Aria, you’re slow again.” The healer’s sharp voice snapped me from my thoughts. She didn’t look up from grinding roots in her mortar. “If you can’t keep up, I’ll tell Beta Rowan to find someone else.”I bit down on my reply. Being replaced would mean being sent back to the labor squads — and they worked people until their bones screamed. “Yes, ma’am,” I murmured, keeping my eyes on the floor.It was always the same. I wasn’t fast enough, strong enough, pretty enough. To them, I was a weak link in the Moonshadow Pack, tolerated only because my parents h

The pull of the Moon

**Chapter 2 — The Pull of the Moon** The night of the full moon always carried an unspoken weight in the Moonshadow Pack.Even the air felt different — sharper, sweeter, as if each breath was laced with something intoxicating. Wolves who were normally disciplined twitched with restless energy. Laughter rang louder, tempers flared quicker, and every eye seemed brighter under the silver light spilling from above.The entire pack had gathered in the open clearing, the ceremonial fire blazing at the center. The scent of roasted meat and spiced wine mingled with the wild, earthy perfume of the forest beyond the borders. Above us, the moon hung low and swollen, bathing everything in its ghostly glow.I stood at the edge of the grounds, clutching a tray of goblets filled with the elder’s spiced wine. My fingers itched with the urge to smooth my hair, but I didn’t dare draw attention to myself. Servants weren’t supposed to be noticed. We were shadows — silent, quick, forgettable.I told myse

The Alpha Verdict

*Chapter 3 — The Alpha’s Verdict**The ceremony dragged on like a cruel test of endurance. My hands kept busy refilling goblets, but my mind stayed locked on the pull in my chest — the mate bond, humming and sharp, demanding I look at him.I didn’t. Not again. Not after the way Damien’s gaze had burned through me in front of the entire pack.Every time I caught the edge of a whisper, I felt it like a slap.*"It can’t be real."**"The Alpha deserves better."**"She’s nothing but a servant’s orphan."*My wolf growled low in my mind, offended by their scorn. *“We are his mate. They will see.”*I wished I could share her certainty.When the last of the ceremonial vows had been recited, Damien stepped forward to address the pack. His voice carried easily over the crackle of the fire and the restless shuffle of bodies. “Tonight, under the blessing of the Moon Goddess, we honor our unity, our strength… and the bonds she forges among us.”My pulse spiked. He didn’t look at me, but I felt the

The Fractured Bond

Chapter 4 – The Fractured Bond**The world seemed to still in the moment after Damien’s words left his lips.Aria’s chest rose and fell sharply, the sting of his rejection not yet spoken but hanging in the air like the sword of Damocles. Her wolf whimpered, the sound reverberating in her mind, a raw, wounded cry that cut deeper than any physical wound.The crowd’s murmurs were a slow ripple at first, then an inevitable tide—hushed voices filled with disbelief, curiosity, and barely disguised anticipation. Some avoided her gaze. Others stared, eyes sharp and assessing, as though they were watching a slow execution.“Did you see that?” a voice whispered somewhere to the left.“He doesn’t even want her,” another murmured, almost gleeful.“She’s supposed to be Luna…” a woman’s voice trailed off, pity and scorn tangled together.Aria’s fingers curled into her palms until her nails dug crescents into her skin. The pain grounded her, but it also made the reality sharper.Damien’s golden eyes

The Breaking Point

**Chapter 5 – The Breaking Point**The moment Elder Kieran’s smirk deepened, I knew I’d already lost something—though I didn’t yet know how much.Damien didn’t move at first. He stood there, a wall of stillness in a storm, the weight of the council’s gaze heavy on his shoulders. Then, as if the decision had been made for him long before this night, he straightened.“Aria Vale,” he said. My name was neither tender nor cruel—just… official. Like a verdict.Every face turned toward me. The room went too still, the air pressing against my lungs until I had to remind myself to breathe.“You are my fated mate.”It was the truth. It was supposed to mean everything.A murmur broke through—sharp and immediate.*“The Alpha’s mate?”**“She’s not even—”*A hissed shush cut them off, but the damage was done. The whispers lodged under my skin like splinters.My wolf stirred, aching at the words. *Ours.*But then Damien’s voice shifted, colder than the stone beneath my feet.“And I reject you.”Sil

Breaking Point 2

**Chapter 6 – The cold clung to me when morning came. I had fallen asleep on the thin cot in the servants’ quarters, still in last night’s borrowed dress. The stiff embroidery pressed cruelly into my ribs, and my hair was a tangled mess, heavy with the faint scent of woodsmoke and spilled wine. For a moment, I almost believed it had been a dream. That I could rise, carry the laundry baskets, sweep the floors, and return to the quiet anonymity of my duties. But the ache in my chest reminded me—no, it had been real. The memory of his voice was sharp and unyielding. The way he had looked through me rather than at me. Around me, the other servants were already moving about, their voices low, their eyes sliding away whenever mine tried to meet them. No one asked how I slept. No one offered a word. It wasn’t kindness—it was the silence of those who didn’t want to be pulled into the wake of someone else’s ruin. When I stepped into the main hall to begin my duties, the atmosphere shift

First sight of Banishment

Chapter 7 The morning came not with sunlight, but with the grey, sluggish light of a world that had already decided her fate.Serena woke to the sound of water dripping in the washroom down the hall, each drop sharp as a hammer blow against her skull. Her body ached from where she had fallen asleep curled on the thin servant’s cot, her eyes swollen and raw.The events of the night before played in fragments—Damien’s unreadable face, the hush of the crowd, the weight of every stare pressing into her skin. She could almost still hear the way silence had swallowed the air after his rejection, as if the entire hall had agreed to remember her only in shame.When she stepped into the corridor, the air was different. Conversations stopped when she passed. No one dared meet her eyes for long—just enough for her to catch the glint of something sharp in their gaze. Some faces held pity, others satisfaction, but most… relief. Relief that it wasn’t them.By the time she reached the kitchens, the

chapter 8

Chapter 8The morning sun offered no warmth. The frost in the air clung to Aria Vale’s skin like the lingering whispers of the night before—whispers she couldn’t stop hearing even in the deepest corners of the servant’s quarters. Her hands trembled slightly as she tied her hair back, more to keep it from falling in her face than out of any real intent to look presentable. She hadn’t slept. Every blink brought back the moment in the Hall, Damien’s voice cold as a blade, slicing away her worth with a single rejection.And worse—he hadn’t faltered once.By now, the pack’s gossip had transformed from murmurs into a steady hum, like a swarm of wasps that would not die down. Even the other servants spoke in quieter tones when she walked past, and that was saying something. Her name was no longer simply Aria. It was “the servant mate.” “The rejected one.”A folded parchment had arrived that morning.No crest, no formal seal—just her name written in a sharp hand. She hadn’t opened it yet, but

The shadows in the tree

Chapter 9 – The forest swallowed her whole, the cold night air sharp against her skin. Every sound seemed magnified—the snap of a twig underfoot, the whisper of wind through the branches, the steady thud of her own heartbeat. Keep moving, Serena urged, her voice low and fierce. Don’t stop until the markers fade. Aria pulled her cloak tighter and forced her legs into a steady run, careful not to trip over hidden roots. The forest was familiar, yet in the dark, it became a stranger—full of places for eyes to watch from. A wolf’s distant howl split the night. Her chest clenched. That wasn’t random. That was a signal. They knew. She pressed harder, weaving between trees. The damp earth clung to her boots, the bag’s weight shifting against her back. Somewhere to her right, another howl answered—closer this time. Left! Serena snapped, and Aria obeyed without thinking, darting toward a narrow deer trail. Branches slapped at her face, tangling in her hair, but she kept going.

The Wolf with Silver Eyes

Chapter 10 – The Wolf with Silver EyesThe black wolf moved without sound, his paws pressing into the snow so lightly that he seemed to glide rather than step. Aria followed, her breath ragged in the frigid air, each exhale forming clouds that clung to her face before dispersing into the night.Her legs burned. Her ribs ached from the fall. But the silver-eyed stranger didn’t slow—not once.Serena growled low inside her mind, not in warning, but in a kind of reluctant awe. This one is dangerous… and yet I do not feel he means us harm.That was far from comforting.The trees closed around them, their branches interlacing like skeletal fingers, blotting out what little moonlight remained. It was darker here, heavier. Even the air felt thicker, as if the land itself resented intruders.She didn’t ask where they were going. She doubted he would answer. Still, questions clawed at her.Who was he?Why had he helped her?And why… why did those eyes feel so achingly familiar?When they finall

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