Moonlight retribution: The Alpha's regret

I feel the weight of every eye in the amphitheater as I step onto the marble dais. Moonlight washes over my shoulders, cold and unyielding, like the glare I know is waiting in the crowd. My name is Raina Adler, and tonight should have been the fulfillment of my destiny: my ascension as Luna at Silverpine University's full-moon ceremony. Instead, I'm nothing but prey under a hunter's gaze.

I clutch the silver chalice with trembling fingers, drawing control from its solid weight. Across from me stands Lucian Cross-Alpha heir, campus royalty, and the man I believed would claim me as his mate. His posture is impeccable: chin high, shoulders squared, expression carved in stone. But when he looks at me, I see only calculated indifference.

Elder Mortaine's voice booms through the amphitheater. "Luna Adler, drink."

Clack. The chalice meets marble as I place it down, forcing steadiness into my pulse. I lock my jaw and lift the cup again, bringing it to my lips. The liquid is icy gold on my tongue, an elixir charged with silver-light magic. I swallow, feeling my pulse merge with the moon's rhythm, a power I've cultivated for three years pulsing through every vein.

Lucian steps forward, as tradition demands, the silver sigil at his throat catching the light. He opens his mouth to speak, but the syllables die on his tongue. My heart leaps-he's hesitating. My pulse hammers in triumph. Tonight, everything changes.

"By moon and blood," Lucian finally intones, voice even, "I-"

He falters.

I do not.

A tremor ripples through the crowd. Betas clutch one another; elders' brows knit in confusion. Panic curls in my chest-until a fierce need replaces it: I will not be silenced, not again.

I step forward, talons of rage sharpening behind my calm façade. "I reject you," I say, voice clear as glass. The words echo, shattering centuries of tradition. The silver sigil slips from Lucian's hand, clattering like a gunshot against the marble.

A gasp rises, then a ripple of unbridled laughter. Lucian's face drains of color. His jaw twitches. His storm-gray eyes bore into me with a pain I never intended to inflict-yet I feel no remorse.

Elder Mortaine storms onto the dais. "Impossible! The bond-"

"It's broken," I interrupt, stepping back so his fury ricochets past me. "By choice. I will not be claimed by arrogance."

Shock warps into outrage. Council guards advance toward me, but I hold up a hand, letting my power shimmer around my form like a silver halo. They hesitate-Luna magic is not to be challenged.

Lucian's shoulders slump, and for a fleeting moment, vulnerability darkens his expression. Then he straightens, face a mask of controlled fury. He picks up the sigil with a trembling hand and holds it out to me, as if offering mercy.

But I want none of it. "Keep it," I tell him, voice cool. "I'll reclaim what was taken-on my own terms."

A rumble of dissent sweeps the amphitheater. Whispers of "traitor" and "witch" swirl around me. My ears burn, but I refuse to waver. The moonlight feels like a blade against my skin, and yet it empowers me.

Lucian's gaze flicks to the Council, then back to me. His throat works as he tries to speak. But I turn on my heel, ignoring the protests that rise behind me. One step, then another, until I'm at the edge of the stone circle.

Branches snap under my boots as I descend the hillside. The forest air is sweet with pine and moss; the chanting voices behind me fade into distant echoes. My chest heaves, not from exhaustion, but from the raw adrenaline of triumph and the cold sting of betrayal.

I come to a halt beside a gnarled oak, the same tree where I first tasted my power as a fledgling Luna. Moonlight filters through its twisted branches, casting shifting patterns on the forest floor. I close my eyes and draw a ragged breath, letting the tension drain from my shoulders.

He rejected me. Not fate, not magic, but Lucian Cross-my supposed mate, my partner by ancient pact-cast me aside like a broken chalice. And yes, it hurts. My heart pulses with a dull ache, but beneath that ache, something fiercer grows: a vow of retribution.

I let the moon's energy wash over me, filling every hollow of doubt with silver-cold resolve. I will not beg for what's mine. I will not kneel before hollow titles. If Lucian wants to taste regret, I will serve it cold, sharper than any fang.

A rustle in the underbrush snaps me out of my reverie. My ears twitch, alert, as a figure steps into the clearing. It's Damian Reed-Lucian's beta enforcer, loyal as a dog who doesn't question the leash. His sandy-brown hair is plastered to his forehead with sweat; his light-green eyes are bright with confusion.

"You're alive," he breathes, relief thick in his tone. "Everyone thought you'd been driven off-for good."

I offer a thin smile, adjusting my hood. "I'm more alive than ever."

He hesitates, shifting awkwardly. "I-I heard what he did. Lucian...he-"

"Rejected me," I finish for him, watching the way his jaw clenches. "He rejected me."

Damian's gaze flickers between my face and the sigil peeking from my coat pocket. "You have that?"

I nod. "He left it behind. It's a reminder of how far I've fallen-and how far I'll rise."

He swallows. "If you need an ally..." His voice catches. "I'm with you."

For a moment, I study him in silence. Trust is a commodity rarer than blood diamonds in this pack. But I saw the doubt in his eyes when he carried out Lucian's orders. I felt the hesitation when he detained me. There's more loyalty in his heart than he admits.

"Agreed," I say softly, securing the sigil in my pocket. "But know this: I'm not your Luna. Not yet. And I won't be until Lucian admits his fault."

Damian nods, determination igniting in his stance. "Then let's begin."

I turn back toward the path leading to campus, the forest closing behind me like a curtain. Tonight is only the beginning. The pack believes they've seen my lowest fall-but they have no idea what's to come.

Under this full moon, I forge my own path-one that ends with Lucian Cross on his knees, begging the Luna he spurned for mercy.

And I will make him wait.