Chapter 3 Three

(Zarah)

Laughter erupted in the hall.

Whistles.

Cheers.

No one moved at first. Then one of the warriors stepped forward, smirking, already undoing his belt.

Luna whimpered inside me, her voice barely a whisper now.

Get up, I told myself. Do something.

But my body wouldn't listen. I was too weak.

"Henry, please..." I begged, my voice shaking. "Don't do this."

"Oh, I'm not doing anything," he said coldly. "They are."

Someone grabbed my arm. Another yanked my dress.

I closed my eyes...

Moon Goddess...

My lips moved silently, my heart screaming where my voice could not.

Please... if you're there-if you've ever watched me-wept for me-

Help me.

Don't let this be how my story ends.

Hot tears streamed down my face.

You took my mother. My pack. My name. You left me with nothing

Let me survive this.

Or let the earth take me before they do.

And in that moment- The door slammed open and my body hit the floor hard.

All heads, including mine, turned toward the doors.

An older woman with Silver hair walked in. She walked with so much grace.

Two men walked behind after her.

The hall was silent. No one moved. Not a breath. Judging from their faces- they were scared shitless.

"Luna .. you're welcome," Henry's father finally said, his voice unsteady.

I pushed myself up with trembling arms, crawling forward through the humiliation.

I clutched her leg.

"Please... help me," I choked out, my voice raw and shaking.

She looked down at me, shock written all over her face. In an instant, she was kneeling beside me.

"Rylle..." her voice trembled, eyes filling with tears. She gently cupped my cheek. "Who did this to you, dear?"

My lips trembled. "Th-they-"

"Jake, help her up," she ordered one of the man beside her, her voice sharp with urgency.

As I stood, leaning on Jake for support, she straightened and turned to the room, her gaze sweeping across everyone.

"Who dared lay a hand on my child?" Her voice cracked like thunder, echoing off the walls. Gasps rippled through the room.

The Alpha finally found his voice. "She's... she's the last survivor of the Silverstone pack."

Without hesitation, she grabbed him by the throat, lifting him slightly off the ground. "If I say she's my child, then she is," she growled. "Anything else you'd like to add?"

The Alpha shock his head.

She let him down. "Let's go. Carry her to the car" she ordered.

"Wait..." I managed to say, "I have something to say"

I managed to pushed myself up and walked up to Henry.

"Listen up, everyone, and bear witness to this day."

"I, Zarah Hastings, Alpha of the Silverstone Pack, hereby reject you, Henry Vancouver, as my mate-publicly, happily and without regret."

But I wasn't happy. Rejecting my mate meant losing my only chance in breaking the curse.

Still, I'd rather die than ever be mated to someone from the Crescent pack.

They say rejecting a mate feels like dying. They weren't wrong.

The pain was unbearable-like every bone in my body was shattering at once.

I couldn't fight it anymore.

Everything went black.

The sound of beeping machines woke me.

Soft voices hovered at the edge of my consciousness.

"She really does look like her," someone murmured.

"Yes, she does. The Luna brought her back-said she found her daughter," another replied.

Daughter?

"Ughh..." I groaned, pain ripping through my side as I tried to sit up.

"Doc, she's awake!" one of the girls called out, her voice rising in alarm.

Footsteps. A rush of movement.

I blinked hard, forcing my eyes open.

White walls. Needle in my arms.

A figure leaned over me-kind eyes behind silver-rimmed glasses.

"You're safe," he said gently. "Don't try to move too much yet."

The silver-haired woman from earlier walked in, her presence commanding yet graceful.

Everyone in the room immediately bowed.

"Luna," they chorused with quiet reverence.

I instinctively tried to sit up, to thank her properly-

But before I could manage, she rushed to my side.

"Rylle... don't try to move," she said gently, supporting my back with surprising tenderness as she helped me sit upright.

Her touch was warm.

"Thank you for saving me, Luna," I said, bowing my head as best I could. "I can never repay you enough."

She cupped my face softly, her voice trembling just a little.

"You don't need to repay me, Rylle," she whispered. "You're home."

"But I'm not Rylle," I muttered, confused. "My name is Zarah."

She smiled gently, though something flickered behind her eyes-pain

"Child," she said softly, brushing a strand of hair from my face, "you can keep the name Zarah. It's yours, and it's beautiful. But from this moment on, you carry the Blackwood name. You will officially become my daughter. No longer alone."

Gasps whispered through the room, but I couldn't process any of it.

Not yet.

I just closed my eyes deciding to sleep more, it was probably all in my head.

Even while unconscious, I sensed someone enter the room. Heavy steps. Strong presence. Still, I kept my eyes shut.

They stopped at the edge of my bed.

"Open your eyes."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was scary. It held so much power that forced my eyes open on instantly.

Silver eyes locked onto mine.

"Who are you, kid?" he asked, his face unreadable.

I felt the room suddenly becoming cold.

"I'm told you're now going by Zarah Hastings-Blackwood."

Then why ask? Luna scoffed in my head.

I didn't answer. Just stared.

Without warning, his hand wrapped around my throat, cutting off air, crushing any trace of calm.

"Let me give you a piece of advice," he said coldly. "Stay the hell away from me. If you want to live."

And just like that, he was gone-vanished like he'd never been there at all.

For a moment, I had to second-guess myself.

Did that really happen?

Or was my mind still tangled in whatever spell or dream I'd just woken from?