On the Next Lunar Eclipse. I Swear Vengeance, Alpha!

Layla

[I accepted to become his rightful heir. Obey his every command— even if that meant bonding someone I didn’t choose.] My heart pounded as I typed my text.

Aiken Irwine—my father’s Beta—typed a message: [My old friend, Layla DawsonWatts, has finally returned to who she used to be.]

[Tell my father to give me nine days. I need to break the bond with Alpha Tristan. After that, I’ll claim access to Naomi’s treatment.]

Aiken typed again: [Request Accepted. I’ll do as you say.]

Each keystroke was a quiet surrender—one last show of duty before everything changed.

It happened during the ringed lunar eclipse—nine years since I was bonded to Alpha Tristan.

That night, I watched him throw Naomi into a pool of starving piranhas.

“Where did you hide your mother’s heart?” he barked. “You can’t even hear me, can you?”

His hand closed around my throat, cutting off my breath.

“You’re deaf, not mute, Layla. I’ll ask again—where the fuck is it?”

Warm blood slid down my neck. I wanted to scream, but what for?

He had already chosen Rovena. The witch who twisted his mind with illusions and lies.

She made him believe I’d cheated—edited a video of me visiting an old friend and his mate, Naomi’s heart donor.

It was all a lie. But he saw what she wanted him to see. He didn’t question it. Didn’t ask me. He just… turned cold.

Then came the chains to my body. I couldn’t fight back.

Alpha Tristan let out a satisfied laugh as he watched me struggle against the chains.

He forced me to gave them my mother’s heart—the one I created after to save Naomi—or watch her die.

I swore I wouldn’t give in. Not even my life.

But when I saw Naomi, crying, pale, tied up like an offering—my heart broke.

“I don’t need to protect a sickly brat who’s not even my blood,” Alpha Tristan spat, lowering the pulley.

The fish tore into Naomi’s leg.

And I screamed—louder than I ever had. Not from the chains. From helplessness.

He walked away—left Naomi screaming, left me bleeding inside, just to save that treacherous bitch he fucked behind my back.

Nine years of loyalty, paid back with two years of betrayal. And to add insult to agony, I was made to care for his bastard son—while mine bled.

In my heart, I swore—Alpha Tristan would pay for what he did. To me. To Naomi.

In nine days, I’d sever the bond that tied me to the devil in Alpha’s skin and walk away from the abyss he shoved me into.

And when I return under the next lunar eclipse, I’ll drown Alpha Tristan into a pool of blood—one he carved with his own sins.

"It's for Naomi. How could you be so cruel, Alpha?" My voice breaking with every word.

"I don’t give a damn if she dies—or you, for that matter. Now for the last bloody time, where’s the heart?!"

His claws were already digging into my chest.

Above Naomi, the pulley creaked as the rope holding Naomi began to lower further.

I gave in. My eyes stung, raw from the flood of tears that had long dried on my cheeks.

On my knees, I whispered, “The heart’s in my mum’s old lab.”

My heart sank, rage tangled up in helplessness.

Five bloody years of fighting—gone. All because Alpha Tristan took my mum’s heart… just to save another woman’s.

I remembered he used to be just a lone hewolf with no name and no past. No parents. He drifted into my world of elite heirs and gifted misfits.

He stood on the fringes, afraid to touch anything too bright—until I told him I didn’t give a damn about his bloodline, or the fact he was a hybrid. A taboo but I didn’t care.

That’s when he started believing in me. In us.

We stopped hiding. When my father—the Supreme Alpha—discovered our relationship, Alpha Tristan didn’t back down.

He challenged our strongest warrior. Ligaments torn. Shoulder shattered. He was hospitalised for weeks.

“I’m not giving up,” he’d whispered through gritted teeth. “This injury won’t stop me loving you, Layla.”

I’d cried that day. Pride and gratitude overflowing.

And when he built his pack from the ground up, I was right there with him—Naomi still growing inside me.

“I’ll give you the world, and our pup too, Luna Layla.”

At our Mating Ceremony, he’d vowed, “I, Alpha Tristan, mark you as my mate and Luna of Rage Willow Pack.”

I was swept away.

Back then, I thought no shewolf could be luckier—loved by an Alpha who would tear the world apart just to build a life with me.

But it all turned to ash. Jealousy, bitterness—something began to rot him from within.

And then she came. Rovena Everille.

With her cursed heart and twisted dark magic, she slithered into his life, all weakness and deception wrapped in soft words.

“She’s got a heart condition, Luna Layla,” Alpha Tristan had said. “She’s the last of the Sagittarius Covenmy Coven. She needs help.”

And I believed every damn word that left his mouth.

But the moment their pheromones mixed in the air—in our bed—I didn’t need proof anymore.

He lied. Over and over. Used our daughter as an excuse for his lust.

“You’re a mother too. You know what it feels like—helpless—when your child needs a donor, right, sweetheart? You always be in my heart. She will never replace you.”

I was numb. I buried my shattered heart beneath silence. Pretended everything was fine.

All for Naomi. She didn’t need to know what kind of monster her father had become. She deserved to believe he was still the hero she once adored.

“Mum...my, I’m scared.“ Her voice hoarse.

“Let Naomi go! Can’t you see she’s barely breathing?” I screamed, my voice echoing through the bitter night.

“She’s not mine,” he snapped. His eyes glowed bloodred.

He stepped closer—towering over our daughter as she gasped above the pool’s edge.

And he laughed.

Laughed like it was a game. A sick circus act testing how close she could get to death without falling in.

“She’s yours, Alpha Tristan! I swear on the Moon Goddess, she’s your daughter! Please… show mercy!”

I dropped to my knees, forehead pressed to his boots.

He didn’t blink.

Rovena had blinded his soul. She stole my mum’s heart—the one I’d fought to preserve so I could transplant it into Naomi.

“You pathetic bitch,” he growled. “You’ve already wasted enough of my time. When I return with Rovena, I want an apology—on your knees, mouth shut. Or with blood. Whichever gets the job done.”

Then he kicked me. Not like his kind. Like I was filth. Something to be scraped off his shoe.

My pelvis cracked against the steel pool edge. My elbow shattered. I couldn’t move my arm.

My head slammed down—And I lay there, crumpled. Useless. Broken.

“You should be thanking me,” he sneered. “For not ripping out your fucking heart, Luna.”

And with that, he left. A flick of his fingers—The pulley snapped. The rope dropped.

Naomi cried but couldn’t hear her voice.

Below her, piranhas churned the water. Their fins sliced through the surface, teeth gleaming as they swarmed beneath her dangling feet.

“Mummy. It hurts…” She shut her eyes. Still. Silent. So heartbreakingly small.

I screamed—until my throat felt like it was on fire.

Then… the moon shifted. The shadow moved.

And I felt it. My power surged back through me like a storm.

I tore through the chains, muscles burning as they snapped from my limbs.

I rose—feet off the ground, heart thundering.

I flew to Naomi. Caught her just as her tiny frame began to fall.

“Mummy’s here, love,” I whispered. “I’ve got you. Just hold on. We’re going to the hospital. You’re safe now.”

I rushed Naomi to the same hospital where my mother once received treatment.

Swallowing my pride, I called a number I hadn’t touched since the day I gave birth to Naomi.

“Hello, Beta Aiken. It’s me—Layla.”

“By the Moon Goddess,” he breathed. “Finally. I can bloody breathe again. This about the hybrid girl?” His voice curled with sarcasm at the end.

“Yeah. I need your help. Naomi’s in bad shape.”

“I understand,” Beta Aiken said. “I’ll make arrangements to bring you home. And I’ll submit Naomi’s case to the Elder Council for the best medical support available.”

I hung up the call with a steady heart. The nine years I’d spent bound to Alpha Tristan would be reduced to nine days, starting tonight.

Layla

I’d been waiting for over an hour, pacing restlessly outside the emergency wing, my whole body trembling.

I couldn’t sit still, couldn’t think straight.

My ears kept ringing, the pressure on my hearing getting worse by the second.

Then, the Moon Goddess granted me her blessing. I could hear the sound of Naomi’s heart monitor.

Then the door swung open and Dr Francis¬—my mum’s old friend stepped out. The moment he saw me, he pulled down his mask and gestured with a tilt of his head for me to follow him into his office.

“She’s lost a lot of blood,” he said, his voice serious. “If you’d arrived even a little later, she wouldn’t have made it.”

“Is Naomi going to survive?” I asked, barely breathing.

He paused, clearly reluctant to answer. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, thank the Moon Goddess. How's Naomi?" I asked him straight away.

“I’m sorry, Luna Layla. One of her legs is still functional—she might walk again. But her heart… she’s only got three months left, at best—and that’s with constant support from the hospital’s Healers.”

“Then do whatever it takes,” I said firmly. “I’ll get her heart stabiliser serum.”

He nodded, and without wasting another second, I drove straight back to the pack house.

As I sped down the road, my mind pulled me back—five years ago.

Naomi was born with a weak heart. The prognosis had been brutal: her inner wolf might never awaken. I nearly lost my mind… until Alpha Tristan pulled me back from the edge.

“I’ll do anything for our daughter,” he’d said. “She’s a gift from the Moon Goddess—the last girl born under the Sagittarius witch bloodline.”

Those words became my anchor through endless dark nights, as I searched desperately for a heart donor.

Failure after failure, but Tristan stood by me. He held me through every breakdown. Whispered that hope still existed.

And then—I found it. A perfect match. From someone in my own bloodline.

My mother. I was ready to give up my own heart, but she beat me to it.

Then came the explosion in my lab. The radiation leak.

I lost my hearing—something that shouldn’t even be possible for a werewolf.

But it happened. Silence wrapped around my world like a shroud.

Mum offered her heart without hesitation. “Finish your research,” she told me. “I believe in you.”

I returned to the pack house to collect Naomi’s blood samples, so I could run some proper tests and get accurate results.

But the moment I stepped through the front doors, a scent hit me—sharp and unmistakable.

Rovena’s pheromones… mixed with Alpha Tristan’s seed.

I crept towards the master bedroom, heart pounding—and through the tiny crack in the door, I saw them.

Naked. Twisted around each other on our bed, sweat clinging to the sheets I once called heaven.

My heart shattered. The betrayal hit me like a silver bullet. I blacked out.

The next morning, I woke to find Alpha Tristan beside me, carrying a tray of breakfast and a glass of water.

“Here, love,” he said, his hand movements in sign language. “Take your meds. You fainted last night. Doctor said you’re just overworked.”

His eyes looked the same, but the bond between us was dead. There was no spark left—just the cold ashes of a onceburning love.

“I came for Naomi’s blood samples. I’ll be on my way,” I said flatly.

“Need a warrior to escort you?” he asked, stroking my cheek like we were still lovers.

I turned away. I couldn’t bear the lies written all over his face.

I knew exactly what he wanted—to get me out of the house so he could go back to fucking her, undisturbed.

Fine. He could have her. I was done.

Love was dead. Trust, obliterated. All that remained was ice.

“I won’t be funding your research any longer, Luna,” Alpha Tristan snapped at the interpreter beside him.

He no longer spoke to me directly in sign language—he wouldn’t even look at me.

“I thought the pack’s finances were stable.”

“They are. You’re the problem. You broke my trust. You cheated—with your best friend.”

He slammed a photo down in front of me—me and my best friend outside a hotel.

“I went there to help him say goodbye to his dying mate!” I snapped.

But Alpha Tristan had already made up his mind. He waved a journal at me—one forged in handwriting like mine.

Pages filled with lies, saying I’d lusted after my best friend and regretted mating with Alpha Tristan.

I never wrote that bloody journal. But I knew who did.

From that day, he treated me like dirt.

He cheated first. Then painted me the villain.

As I stepped into the main hall of the pack house, Rovena’s dark aura slammed into me like a wall.

She stood there with arms folded, eyes dripping arrogance.

“No wonder you’d rather stay away from the pack,” her voice slipped into my mind with her magic, like poison.

“And no wonder you prefer crawling all over someone else’s mate,” I shot back. “Shouldn’t you be off turning frogs into coconuts or whatever it is halfbaked witches like you do? Mistress? Don’t make me laugh.”

Her face turned a deep shade of purple—but she caught herself, switching tactics.

“Your reign is over, Luna Layla,” she hissed.

“Not yet, Rovena. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

“Ooh, scary. But thanks, really. Knowing Tristan finally got that heart—it’s made me so excited to face you.”

She chipped away at my mental defences. My fists clenched. My claws pierced skin.

“I’m not just some mistress—I’ll be her Luna. The next Lady of this house. You and your brat can rot.”

I slapped her. Hard.

She needed to be reminded of her place.

But the damn witch was ready for it.

She snatched a candle off the shelf, burned her own face, and screamed bloody murder.

“I’m sorry, Luna! Why did you do this to me?!” she wailed at the top of her lungs.

Alpha Tristan stormed in, eyes glowing red, claws out. He didn’t even hesitate.

He grabbed me by the throat and lifted me clean off the floor.

“You dared lay a hand on Rovena?! Is this how a Luna behaves?”

I thrashed, shaking my head, trying to explain—but his grip silenced everything.

“My face—aaaah! It burns!” Rovena cried behind him, her voice a perfect blend of agony and deceit.

He threw me to the ground like garbage. My spine lit up in pain, but the betrayal cut deeper.

“Pray I find it in my heart to forgive you, Luna Layla,” he spat. Then barked with Alpha Tone, “Warrior, lock her in the dungeon.”

Two warriors appeared, each grabbing an arm.

“No! Naomi’s in the hospital—she needs me!” I shouted.

“You think I care?” Alpha Tristan sneered. “I’ll drag you through hell itself if you ever touch Rovena again.”

Then he carried her out, like some precious prize.

I caught one last look at Rovena’s face as they disappeared down the corridor.

She was smiling.

I crumpled to the floor. My head pounded. The room spun. I could smell the silver in the dungeon air.

And then—darkness.

I prayed to the Moon Goddess, hoping this wasn’t the end. I needed to get out before this hell completely burned my soul to ashes.

Layla

The moment I opened my eyes, the thick stench of damp stone and mildew hit me like a wall.

The cold bite of the underground cell, the water dripping from the ceiling, the iron bars—everything told me I was still here.

Alpha Tristan hadn’t even bothered to take me to a hospital.

I lay on a thin pile of straw that barely passed as a bed. My stomach ached like something inside me had been torn apart.

My vision was blurry, but I could make out a figure by my side—Doctor Carr, adjusting the IV in my arm.

He used to be gentle, kind. Now he looked like a man walking on shards of glass. Like I was a ticking time bomb.

“Ah, you’re awake, Luna,” he said, his voice low but laced with relief—and guilt.

“How long have I been unconscious?” I asked, barely managing a whisper.

Instead of answering, he handed me a folded medical report. Neatly printed, official letterhead and all—Pack Hospital’s seal stamped at the bottom.

I read it slowly. Every sentence sliced deeper than any blade.

Patient exposed to high levels of airborne silver particles... miscarriage confirmed approximately 2–3 hours after maximum exposure... foetus estimated at 3–4 weeks...

My hands shook. I didn’t even know I was pregnant.

I blinked rapidly, willing it all to be a nightmare. But it wasn’t. It was real.

The only night it could’ve happened—was during the last mating season.

Alpha Tristan had come to me drunk, reeking of wine, his eyes bloodshot. He wrapped his arms around me, slurred sweet words, dragged me into bed... and I let him.

I clenched my jaw. Now that memory made my skin crawl.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” I whispered. “And Naomi... why haven’t I been taken to see her? What’s going on?”

Dr Carr lowered his gaze. “I’ve... been instructed not to answer questions about that.”

I stared at him sharply, wanting to let my emotions out—but what’s the point? Dr Carr was just following someone else’s orders.

Before he could reply, footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor.

Rovena entered. She looked refreshed—almost radiant.

The burns on her face had all but healed, hidden under flawless makeup. That smug little smirk still sat perfectly on her lips.

“Out,” she ordered coldly. “We need a little girl talk.”

Dr. Carr hesitated, clearly torn, but left anyway.

“I want to see Naomi. Let me out,” I said, my voice trembling.

Rovena didn’t say a word. She just stared at me, her eyes glowing faintly.

Then, I heard her voice—inside my head.

“No need to raise your voice, darling. Words only cloud emotions. Let me show you the truth.”

She reached out and before I could recoil, her fingers brushed my temple.

A surge of magic rippled through the air. The world around me twisted and shifted.

I saw Rovena standing just outside Naomi’s hospital room.

“I’m here on behalf of Luna Layla. She’s currently handling matters with the Rage Willow Pack alongside Alpha Tristan,” she told one of the administrative nurses, who then guided her toward Dr. Francis.

Rovena handed over an official letter of authority, complete with Alpha Tristan’s signature.

“She won’t make it,” Dr. Francis’s voice echoed through the vision. “But we could keep Naomi alive for a few more weeks if—”

“No,” Rovena cut him off sharply. “Alpha Tristan and Luna Layla have instructed me to bring Naomi back to the Pack House.”

“No… NO!” My voice caught in my throat, strangled by dread.

The next image shattered what was left of my heart.

Naomi—my daughter—her tiny body laid out stiff and cold, wrapped in a white blanket.

Rovena stood over her lifeless form, a satisfied smile curling on her lips.

“You and your mother have always been in my way,” she sneered. “Soon enough, your mum will join you in hell.”

“NO, NAOMI!” I screamed. “DAMN YOU, ROVENA!”

"Go ahead and grieve all you want. One pebble out of the way. My child should be Tristan’s heir, not that crippled thing."

Owen. Their bastard child.

My body shook uncontrollably. Tears streamed down my cheeks. The world fell apart around me.

“Please...” I choked. “Let me out. Just tell me where her grave is... please.”

Rovena smiled, slow and predatory, like a lion savouring the last breath of a dying deer.

“You can leave... if you do exactly as I say.”

“Really?” I said quickly, defeated. “I’ll do anything.”

She leaned in close, her breath brushing my ear.

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll scrub the dishes. Muck out the animal stalls. And when Owen cries at night, you’ll be the one to rock him back to sleep. You’ll be his babysitter, Layla. Not the Luna.”

I stared at her, stunned.

She stood straight, smoothed out her designer dress, then headed for the door. Just before stepping out, she turned back with a devilish grin.

“Oh, and don’t forget... Owen’s birthday party is next week. Make sure you show up in your omega uniform, yeah? No acting high and mighty. You’ll be his nanny—in front of the entire pack.”

She gave a little giggle, then vanished beyond the bars.

I collapsed back onto the floor.

The world spun. My heart felt hollow. I hadn’t just lost Naomi.

I’d lost my dignity. My future. Even my identity as her mother.

All that remained... was pain.

But beneath the agony, something else stirred. A flame.

I would endure what I had to—until the day I made them pay.

Layla

I agreed to Rovena’s terms, just so I could know where they buried Naomi. But the storm inside me didn’t fade.

Meanwhile, she was painting her nails a blinding shade of pink, lounging comfortably in what used to be my room.

Used to be. She took it after tossing out all of my belongings.

When I found out she’d tossed away the photo of me, her, and Naomi together, I snapped.

“Who told you to touch my things?” I hissed, pointing straight at her smug, arrogant face.

“Trash belongs in the bin, not in a memory box,” she replied with a sneer.

I slapped her. Hard.

She could hold Naomi’s grave over my head, but throwing away the last pieces of her…

It was like robbing the bones of someone already stripped of flesh.

“We were never cruel to you. I never treated you like this. But you—you crawled your way in like a leech, feeding off our blood.”

“Oh, spare me the melodrama,” she said, laughing bitterly. “Alpha Tristan just needed someone to please him in bed—and an heir without any defects.”

I moved to slap her again, but she grabbed my wrist midair.

“One more slap,” she warned, her voice dropping low, “and I’ll bury your daughter’s grave so deep, no one will ever find it.”

“Rovena, love,”

Alpha Tristan’s voice called from the hallway.

He entered a moment later, expression unreadable as his gaze landed on me.

“Is she bothering you again?” he asked flatly.

“No,” Rovena purred. “She knows her place now. Did you need something?”

“I want you to pick the flowers for the hall decoration.”

“Roses. The ones from the garden,” she said sweetly. “And I want Luna Layla to pick them.”

“Fine. I’ll send someone to watch her,” he replied, not even sparing me a glance.

Then he turned to Rovena with a voice dripping in intentional cruelty. “I want you to please me now, Rovena.”

He said it loud enough—just to cut through me.

Rovena didn’t even blink. She walked up to him and kissed him—right in front of me.

If they thought this would break me, they were wrong.

There’s nothing left to shatter.

My heart died the day Naomi did—and with the pup I never got to hold.

I was trimming roses to decorate the great hall when it happened.

I didn’t see Owen sneak behind me and grab a stem I hadn’t dethorned yet.

His loud cry tore through the courtyard, drawing the attention of every omega nearby.

Then came Rovena—eyes wild, storming toward me.

“What did you do to my son, you cursed wolf?” she shrieked, slamming me into the muddy ground.

A wave of her hand, and the rose stem twisted alive, its thorns slithering around my body like venomous snakes.

“You trying to kill him like your own daughter, huh?”

The pain from the thorns was bearable—but the illusion she cast with her magic turned it into something unbearable. My skin burned, torn from the inside out.

“Please—I didn’t see him, I swear! This hurts, please!” I sobbed.

“Feel it,” Rovena spat, tightening the thorny binds. “One moment I let my guard down, and you’re at it again, Layla. What would Alpha Tristan say if he found out you hurt his heir?”

And right on cue, he arrived. Alpha Tristan. His eyes were ablaze, his claws already bared.

“Let go of her, love. I’ll punish her myself—for daring to harm my son,” he growled, his voice like thunder.

His foot slammed into my ribs before I could even catch my breath. I coughed, the taste of blood filling my mouth.

"You believe her? Again?" I croaked. "You always believe her. You never even asked what really happened."

His eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. So I went on.

"Do you know why I lost our baby? Because you left me bleeding after you caught the scent of silver on me. You thought I was cursed. You didn’t even look at me when you threw me in that cell. Naomi died because I was weak. Because you left me there to rot."

His fists clenched.

“And Rovena?” I pushed further, the fire inside me refusing to dim. “She took Naomi out of the hospital when she still needed treatment. She killed her. And you let her.”

His expression faltered for a split second, something flickering in his eyes. But it didn’t last.

Rovena stepped in again, casting another whisper of her spell.

“She’s lying, my love. Just like always.”

Rovena’s tone softened as she turned to Alpha Tristan. “Don’t punish her too harshly. Owen still needs a caretaker for his birthday party.”

Alpha Tristan nodded, brushing me off like dirt beneath his boot.

The next day, the grand hall of Rage Willow was transformed into a lavish wonderland for Owen’s birthday.

Glittering banners, enchanted balloons, a stage with performers—all for the perfect little prince.

I stood on the sidelines, invisible as ever, dressed in muted tones, holding a tray like one of the staff.

My heart feels empty. I used to feel proud when Alpha Tristan spoiled Naomi—on her third birthday. But now, that’s all just a memory.

Rovena made a show of laughing and whispering to the guests. Her words, always loud enough to sting.

“Poor Layla. Still clinging to the title of Luna, as if it means anything anymore.”

“She’s lucky Alpha Tristan even lets her live here.”

“What Alpha would want a deaf mate? She needs to take a good look at herself.”

They thought I couldn’t hear them. I growled low, letting my fangs show—a silent warning.

“She’s gone mad too,” one of them muttered as they walked off.

Let them talk. They can say whatever they like. Their words don’t carry the weight they used to.

But Elder Geoffrey saw. He saw everything.

When the cake was brought out, and everyone gathered to sing, he sent me message, [Layla, a word. In my office. Now.]

Layla

I followed Elder Geoffrey in silence.

Once we were alone, he unrolled a parchment.

“This was your bond scroll,” he said, speaking through the sign language interpreter. “The one sealing your union with Alpha Tristan. But it’s fading. The ink, the seal... all of it.”

I stared at it, numb.

“The bond fades as his loyalty wavers,” Elder Geoffrey continued. “And with what I’ve seen, he’s no longer bound to you—not truly.”

His words didn’t bring pain. They brought clarity.

I nodded slowly. “Then it’s time I stop clinging to a title that no longer exists.”

One light in the darkness—finally. The Moon Goddess and the balance of nature had begun unbinding our connection. Magic recognised what he refused to admit.

I texted Beta Aiken immediately.

[The bond is fading. His betrayal is undoing it.] But he hadn’t replied.

That night, as I was about to enter my room, Alpha Tristan found me—not in the room we once shared, but in a dusty old storage room.

He handed me a box.

“Wear this to the theatre tomorrow,” he said sharply. “As my Luna. You’ll stand beside me for the entire performance. We can’t afford to ruin our image. And bring the kid.”

I growled inwardly. He still didn’t know Naomi was gone.

His eyes lingered on me for a moment, as if waiting for a reaction. But before I could move, a chime echoed from my phone.

“Who’s that?” His eyes narrowed. “One of your lovers?”

I didn’t answer. I kept up the act, pretending not to hear.

He snatched my phone from my hands. “Give me the passcode.”

I said nothing.

“Bloody useless device—just like its owner.” He hurled it at the carpeted floor.

“Alpha?”

Rovena’s voice broke the moment. She stood there with little Owen in her arms, wearing that eversosympathetic expression.

“Your son wants a bedtime story, darling,” she cooed.

A smile curled at his lips. He turned his back to me without another word.

Good. Stay that way. Because I didn’t care anymore.

When the door shut, I picked up my phone and switched it back on. Relief filled my chest when the screen lit up—and so did a message from Aiken.

[Your father’s holding back his fury, Layla. One word from you, and we’ll come get you.]

I hit call.

“Aiken?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

“Layla.” His voice was tight. “What’s happening?”

“Plans have changed,” I said quickly. “Pick me up at the theatre tomorrow. I’ll send the address. I’m done pretending.”

“I know your hearing’s returned. Seer Rhiannon said so yesterday.” A pause. “Do you want a bit of a show?”

“Do what you must—as long as it gets me out of the claws of those two demons.”

The next morning, Rovena was in a frenzy over the gown Alpha Tristan had gifted her. She twirled in front of the mirror, then shoved it in my arms.

“Press it. Properly,” she demanded. “We can’t look like peasants at the theatre tonight.”

That was just the start.

Over the course of the day, she gave me the most ridiculous errands.

“I want my necklace threads colourmatched to the lining of this dress.”

“Steam the curtain tassels—they look at me funny.”

“Count all my hairpins. There should be seventy.”

By the fourth hour, I’d nearly ripped a velvet ribbon in half.

She shoved little Owen in my arms next. “Watch him while I get ready.”

He started crying almost immediately. I tried everything, but he wouldn’t stop.

“Ugh! Honestly, Luna Layla,” Rovena snapped when she returned. “You can’t even calm a baby. How on earth did you manage Naomi?”

I clenched my jaw. My hands shook with the urge to slap her into next week.

But I didn’t. Because she’d still not told me where Naomi was buried.

And then Alpha Tristan walked in.

He didn’t scold her. He didn’t defend me. He just... stood there, watching. Silent.

His eyes landed on me. “Where’s Naomi?”

I said nothing.

His gaze slid down to my collarbone—right where his mate mark used to burn bright.

Now it was barely a shadow. Fading like the bond we once had.

“What’s this?” he asked. “You think I cheated, and suddenly your body rejects me?”

I looked him in the eye for the first time in couple days.

As I turned to leave and prepare myself, something pulled at the edge of my mind.

I had to tell him the truth—even if, to Alpha Tristan, it would sound no different than one of my own delusions.

“Naomi’s dead. And I’m not your Luna anymore.” My voice was low, calm. The final nail in a coffin. “Even nature has rejected that title, Alpha.”

He laughed. “You still be my Luna until I reject you.”

A cold, dismissive, arrogant laugh. Like I was telling fairy tales.

He wouldn’t understand. But he would. Very soon.

Layla

The real show was about to begin any minute now. But today, it felt like my life was the one being performed—not just the drama on stage.

I walked beside Alpha Tristan, wrapped in a silk gown so expensive it practically dripped with pretension.

Around my neck hung an Alexandrite pendant he’d fastened on me himself—part of his little showpiece. Not out of affection, of course.

He didn’t dress me to honour me. He dressed me up like a trophy.

Trailing behind us was Rovena, face twisted in a sour scowl. She kept tugging at the hem of her gown, clearly struggling to keep up.

I stifled a laugh. A bit of comic relief before the humiliation began.

At least the scene made her remember her place.

But I should’ve known better. That small joy didn’t last long.

"Alpha, I can’t walk properly. My heel keeps getting caught in the hem of my dress," she whined in that sickly sweet tone, cocking her head. "I don’t want to embarrass you. Could Luna Layla link arms with me instead?"

I stopped, turning slowly.

"Are you hurt?" Alpha Tristan asked, leaning down to inspect her legs.

"My shoes are fine," she cooed. "But… I want to switch gowns with Luna Layla. And her lovely pendant too."

Every muscle in my body stiffened. Alpha Tristan straightened up and turned to me.

His eyes—ice cold, glacier sharp. Not a single word escaped him.

He didn’t need to speak. His glare said it all.

“She’s not your Luna,” I said firmly. “And I’m not your mistress.”

“Switch your gowns,” his Alpha Tone, voice like a blade, “or you’ll be leaving tonight with not a shred of fabric on your body.”

Rovena repeated Alpha Tristan’s orders to me.

My hands clenched into fists, but I lowered my gaze. “Fine. Enjoy it while it lasts, Rovena.”

We changed gowns in the washroom. I could practically see her gloating, eyes gleaming with that fake sense of victory.

But me? I didn’t walk out as an omega. I walked out as the final witness of a farce that was about to collapse.

The lights had dimmed in the exclusive balcony section.

Seats were filled with highranking werewolves from across Britain, all gathered for tonight’s grand performance: Les Misérables.

A classic. A tale of pain and redemption. I knew it well.

But something was off. Tucked beneath my chair was a slim leaflet. I opened it, frowning.

The title wasn’t Les Misérables anymore.

It read: The Fallen Luna.

Lead role: Layla.

My name, in bold. Like the world had decided I was the punchline to a cruel joke.

I gripped the leaflet tighter. What the hell was this?

I kept my expression blank. Pretended not to hear. My deafness—once a curse—was now my only shield.

But then Alpha Tristan leaned in, voice like poison.

"This play is for you, Luna Layla. A tribute to who you truly are."

My stomach dropped.

The curtains parted. Somber music filled the hall.

The lead actress stepped onto the stage, wearing a long black wig and a face sculpted into misery.

Her name? Layla.

In the play, she was a lowly prostitute who sold herself to feed her daughter—Naomi.

I trembled. I tried to stand, to flee—but the stage lights shifted and pinned me in their glare.

Alpha Tristan rose from his seat.

“I dedicate this performance,” he announced, voice ringing through the theatre, “to my mate—Luna Layla. Whose life mirrors this story in every foul and disgraceful way.”

Laughter erupted from the crowd.

“An Alpha, with her?”

“She’s a disgrace.”

“She’s a curse, not a Luna.”

Each word sliced into me like a whip.

Tears streamed down my face. My chest tightened.

I wanted to run. To scream. But my legs—my entire body—refused to obey.

A curse. Literally.

I looked at my wrists. Bound in magic. Rovena’s doing.

I turned my head and saw her—smiling. Content. Vicious.

I fought it. Fought hard. But the spell clung to me like chains.

Then the chaos began.

The ceiling trembled. A low rumble grew louder from beyond the theatre walls.

Panic swept the room. A burst of magic zipped through the air, sparking violently.

Dark silhouettes—werewolves—stormed through the main doors. Their shadows swallowed whole sections of the audience.

Screams. Chairs scraped. People fled.

Then a blast of energy hit my section of the balcony.

I was thrown to the floor, my body wracked with pain. Still bound. Still helpless.

All I could do was watch.

Rovena stood, casting a spell circle with frantic hands.

But each time she launched an attack, something—some unknown force—reflected it back, breaking her magic apart.

Alpha Tristan appeared in the midst of it all, eyes wide. But when he spotted the two of us, he didn’t hesitate.

He ran straight to Rovena then left me.

One of the reflected spells struck her. Her body convulsed, writhing with raw magical feedback.

But he still didn’t stop. He cradled her, shielding her with a protective spell.

“Alpha!” I screamed. “Free me—please!”

He looked back, only for a moment.

“I don’t care if you die, Layla,” he spat. “This… is justice.”

Then he turned his back on me.

Tears hit the cold stone floor beneath me.

This time, there was no hiding it. No shielding myself from the truth.

He never intended to protect me.

But then… footsteps. Heavy. Purposeful.

A figure stepped into view. A large wolf with deep silver fur—familiar.

“Aiken?” I croaked.

The wolf drew closer, lifting me into his arms with ease.

“Please,” I whispered, breath shallow. “I’m still under a binding spell. I can’t move…”

The ceiling groaned above us. The theatre was starting to collapse.

And then—his voice. Calm. Resonant. But not Aiken’s.

“I’m not him,” he said gently, when he shifted to human form. “Supreme Alpha Finley sent me. You’re safe now.”

My vision was blurred, but I could feel the warmth of his body as he cradled me, carrying me through the wreckage of the theatre roof.

Minutes passed, and I was already in the back seat of a car—leaving behind the hell Alpha Tristan had built for me.

And I swore, under my breath.

I would return on the next lunar eclipse to drag every last one of them—those who hurt Naomi, those who broke me— into the fire they once threw me into.