All Chapters of The Moon Temple’s Secret: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

I threw myself into Ash Callhan's path, right where it led to the Moon Temple, and grabbed hold of him with everything I had."Ash, you can't go in there."Deep in the Nightwood, silvery moonlight spilled over the altar inside the Moon Temple.Ash stopped in front of the temple and looked at me, gentle as ever."Willow, this is Obsidian Pack tradition. I have to pass the Moon Goddess's trial before I can marry you."My voice shook. I was almost begging him."Something's wrong here. Every man who's walked into that temple has come out a different person. You'd be the tenth, Ash. I can't lose you."Ash blinked, then took my hand."Maybe they just failed the Moon Goddess's trial. They wanted to leave you and couldn't admit it, so they made themselves hate you instead. But that won't happen to me. I know how I feel about you."Even if the Moon Goddess shows me something on that altar, it won't change a thing."I shook my head hard. He didn't understand what he was walking into.

Tearing pain in my flesh jolted me awake. I opened my eyes to find a pack of Rogues dragging me deeper into the Nightwood, far from home.I fought them off with everything I had left and stumbled back toward the pack, falling with nearly every step.I thought about leaving the pack before. But without my father's approval, I couldn't get the papers to release me.I tried running before too, but the Obsidian Pack mark made it easy for my father to track me down and drag me back for more punishment.I was like a bug caught in a spider's web with no way out, just waiting to die.By the time I got home, my father was already asleep. My stepsisters looked at me like I disgusted them and covered their noses."Just stay in your room and behave. Don't make Dad angry again."They took my phone too."It won't matter who you call. If you don't want another beating, stop wasting your time."I went back to my room without a word and tended to my own wounds alone.I'd given up fighting bac

The man stepped closer and leaned in to report quietly to Damian."Captain Hale, the two of them claim they're her father and grandfather. Their stories match up perfectly. Both of them say no one's touched her, that every wound on her body is self-inflicted."He paused, dropping his voice even lower."There's more. Her father specifically told us she's mentally unstable, that she hurts herself regularly."Damian's frown deepened at that.He let the questioning drop for now, picked up a cup of tea from the table, and walked over to press it gently into my hands.The cup held a faint warmth, but my hands stayed ice cold.He looked me straight in the eye, his voice softening as he asked again."Tell me honestly. Is someone threatening you, forcing you to hide the truth?"I gripped the cup tighter, my fingers trembling.I shook my head again."No. No one's threatening me. This is all on me."Seeing how firm I was, Damian realized he wasn't going to get the truth out of me anyt

Day after day passed, but strangely, no one ever came to put me on trial.The waiting slowly wore down what little patience I had left.I was just about to demand to see Damian when the door swung open from the outside.Damian walked in, his eyes settling quietly on me. His expression was complicated, thick with something like pity.He shook his head and let out a heavy sigh.I spoke first, my voice flat and without a trace of emotion."Captain Hale, you don't need to feel sorry for me. I deserve whatever's coming. I can take any punishment you decide."He reached out slowly and brushed a few loose strands of hair from my face, his voice gentle."You poor thing. I can't even imagine what you've been through all these years. We've found out the whole truth. You're free to go."I stared at him blankly, my mind a complete mess."Free? What truth? The record inside the Moon Temple was crystal clear. Wasn't everything already out in the open?"He looked at me, his eyes full of pa