Enslaving The Moon Goddess

'She was supposed to be my maid of honor,' Elora thought bitterly in her mind as she stared at the ornate mirror before her, sitting still in the dressing room, numb, with her eyes sharp and unyielding.

' A friend like a sister, the one who's always there by my side even on my darkest day, my best friend with the purest heart, Scarlett. She was supposed to be here, doing my makeup like she promised, laughing and teasing me,' her breath quivered, ' but they took her away, they took her away from me, killed her most cruelly and brutally,' she clenched her fist against her wedding gown and released it after a second.

With nothing but emptiness in her eyes, she scanned the room with a clinical detachment, and her crimson-painted lips suddenly curved into a perfect smile, too controlled as if trying to forcefully control the brewing rage in her and her heavy thirst for something dark.

Every gesture of hers was memorized, calm, and unnervingly charged, as if it, too, was complicit in whatever thoughts she concealed beneath her flawless exterior. This was no nervous bride preparing for her big day, this was a woman donning her armor, readying herself for something far darker than vows.

As the makeup brush danced across her face, her ears were filled with her friend's laughter and teasing while they put their effort into making her a perfect bride of the day.

" I can't believe this day is finally here," Cynthia said, her voice thick with emotion. "Our beautiful Elora is getting married."

"Hey, hey! Don't let that tear drop," Karine warned, voice sharp, though it betrayed a flicker of vulnerability.

Elora and Misha burst into laughter, breaking the moment's tension.

" Don't cry, Cynthia," Misha teased, "even the bride isn't crying."

"I know, I just can't believe it," Cynthia sniffled, "I thought the wedding would be canceled, but here we are. Never even thought I'd end up being the maid of honor."

" Which I'm now starting to think might be a mistake," Karine quipped, eyeing Cynthia as she dabbed at her eyes.

The words hung in the air like a sharp sting. Elora, unperturbed, gave a small, controlled laugh.

"Oh, come on, Karine," Misha interjected, trying to steer the conversation back. "It's normal to be emotional, right?"

Karine snorted. "Normal to be grateful for being the maid of honor? Almost like she's glad Scarlett died."

"Karine!" Misha, Cynthia, and Elora all shot her disbelieving glares.

"Say what?" Karine raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "Isn't it true?"

"That's not true!" Cynthia's voice cracked with hurt. "Stop it, Karine."

Karine's blood boils, eyeing Cynthia, whose tears she strongly believes were fake. The three of them were friends with Elora but not with Scarlett, whom they detested with every cell in them. She knows how much Scarlett means to Elora, she expected her to be shook up after Scarlett's sudden death but Elora remained completely unfazed and if there's something Karine hates more than her own poop, it is actions, words, or emotions, that is faked.

The room fell into a heavy silence, thick with unspoken accusations. Elora's fingers curled into a tight fist at her side, her knuckles turning white beneath the silk fabric.

"She warned us," Misha said softly, breaking the silence, her tone a quiet defense. "She was the reason we stopped bullying Scarlett."

"Was she?" Karine scoffed her words like a sharp blade. "Or was it because Scarlett married one of the most powerful Alphas?"

A charged silence settled over the room as everyone cast angry glares at Karine.

"Karine, that's enough," Elora finally said, her voice a calm but firm command. "Respect the moment."

The room fell awkwardly silent, and Karine rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. I guess you're not happy she's dead."

Elora remained still, her expression never wavering. "No one is happy about it. But today is my wedding day, and I expect respect."

The artist finished with the final touches, adding a layer of thick gloss to Elora's lips. "Done," she said, stepping back.

Elora stood before the mirror, taking in her reflection. The gown, a cascade of silk and lace adorned with intricate beadwork, hugged her form perfectly. The soft sparkle of tiny crystals caught the light, but her eyes were sharp, calculating, and focused.

"Thanks," Elora murmured, a sweet smile playing on her lips as she admired herself in the mirror. Misha clipped the short veil into place, her hands lingering for just a second too long, a silent gesture of approval.

"You look breathtaking," Cynthia whispered, almost in awe.

"Thank you," Elora responded softly. "This is the most beautiful wedding gown I've ever seen." The words were perfect, rehearsed, but inside, she felt something far darker brewing.

A text flashed on her phone.

Her pulse quickened. "It's time," she muttered under her breath, a thrill of excitement bubbling through her veins.

"Everyone is waiting for you," Misha said, her tone almost teasing. "Are you ready?"

Elora nodded, but her mind was elsewhere. She held her bouquet tighter, inhaling the soft fragrance of the white roses, grounding herself. "I'll go in alone. You guys go ahead."

The room seemed to hold its breath as they exchanged glances, hesitant but respecting her wishes. "Fine," Misha said. "I'll tell Dad."

As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, Elora quickly checked her surroundings. She opened the door cautiously, peering into the hallway. "Looking for me?" a low voice asked, and Elora's eyes flicked up to meet his.

"Who else? Where is it?" she demanded, extending her hand.

" Here", he handed over the black bag,

" Thank you, confirm balance", she said and shut the door.

She could hear the retreating steps a few seconds later while she hastily opened the bag, revealing a KRISS Vector gun. She inhaled sharply, her gaze briefly flickering to the scissors on the table.

With a quick, precise motion, she cut the gown, transforming it into a sleek, thigh-high dress. The sudden pain in her head came as a sharp jab, and for a moment, her vision blurred. She winced and gripped the table for support, but just as quickly, the dizziness passed.

In haste, she kicked off her heels, slipped into sneakers, and tucked the gun against her body, securing it.

The image of her mother flashed across her eyes, and she took a final look at herself in the mirror and saw her eyes brimming with tears.

' Taking Scarlett away isn't enough, Mum too, they denied her the chance to be here right now, smiling beautifully at me, looking so proud of her daughter and getting all emotional,' her clenched fist tightened, ' but they took her also, they killed her and smiled over it.'

With a final look at her reflection, she knew what she had to do, so she headed over to the hall, where hundreds of guests were waiting for her.

She stood outside the closed door of the hall, hearing the familiar voice speak from the inside in an announcement of her.

She held the gun tighter behind her.

" Just this moment, you can take over when I'm done," she said as the door opened.

The creaking sound of the door opening increased the tightness of her fist around the gun, the door opened slowly, and for a second Elora thought,

" This should be the moment I'm most blinded by rage, the moment I take my revenge with the utmost fury, but excitement is seething through my veins; I must have gone crazy, or maybe I'm not; maybe this is how it feels when the fury is too much."

The door finally opens widely revealing the gorgeous bride. All heads turned towards the door and they all gasped at the sight.

~ Is that Elora? ~

~ What's that?~

~Did she cut her wedding gown off? What the heck! How could she turn it to that? ~

~ what's going on ~

~ What's going on with her? Why is she in sneakers? ~

~What's she holding behind her ?~

Listening to the loud murmurs, she felt the urge to burst into laughter which she kept forcing herself to suppress. She looked around the bright hall as she stepped inside and nothing filled her eyes but disdain. The elegant fragrance of the hall, the well-decorated walls in her favorite color, and the sprinkled flowers on the floor only make her blood boil. Her gaze fell on her soon- to - be- husband and she said in mind,

" Look at the man I've loved all my life, the man I would have chosen over and over again, some weeks ago; I would lay my life down for him without thinking twice."

She felt a sharp pain against her chest and she sighed inwardly, the rage taking over her soul. She glared across her friends, who had just dressed her up, before finally landing her eyes on her father, who was shooting her an unbelievable glare. The look of disappointment was vivid on his face.

' If everyone does not die here, you must die,' she said in her mind as she glared at her father.

And without delaying it any further, she revealed the KRISS Vector gun she had been hiding behind her, and their facial expressions, to Elora, were joy-giving. The shock and fear on their face made her burst into laughter as she released the fire on them.

Laughing and shooting non-stop. Her laughter sounded more like screams for freedom from the rage that was drowning her soul. Some betas immediately transformed into wolves to attack her and defend their packs, but Elora kept shooting. The moment a wolf pounded on her from behind to pin her down, she heard her bleeding father shout,

" Kill that bastard!".

A smile curled up on her face, and her hands grew weak, giving the wolves the chance to finally pin her down to the floor.

' Please do it, my father told you to just kill me so just do it', she said more like a plead in her mind, ' If my father, the best dad in the world, my hero, my mentor, the man who shows me what love is could say that, what else are you waiting for?'.

Elora, without struggling, let herself be captured by the werewolves, desperately wishing one of them would kill her right on the spot.

Misha who was also shot, sat on the floor ,bleeding and losing consciousness looked at Elora in confusion. Her blurry eyes and mind could not refrain from forcing out the word,

' what's wrong Elora? What went wrong?'.

( Three weeks earlier, from the mortal realm)

" ahh." the fifth sigh escaped her lips, and her hands collapsed on the table. Her glowing silver eyes scanned around her domain with boredom glued to them and another faint sigh escaped. Even the soft glowing chamber of silver and deep indigo hues that mirrored the vastness of the night sky could not cure the feeling she wanted to escape from. Surrounded by shelves carved from dark obsidian of ancient relics, glowing softly with mystical energy, delicate threads of silver constellations weaved through the air.

She rolled her eyes as she heard the approaching steps, she looked at the floor shimmering like liquid starlight, waiting to see the legs of the servant.

" Your majesty," the bubbling voice of one of her servants called with a bow.

She could tell which one of them it was the moment she saw the legs, she rolled her eyes and collapsed her head on her arms on the table,

" What's it?" her uninterested voice asked,

" Um, there's something I - we want to tell you, you've been so busy for quite some time now and ...,"

" Just go straight to the point,"

" We know you're bored, and you need some rest,"

" Even the moon could tell," she replied closing her eyes,

" Which is why I and others decided to prepare something of fun to entertain you".

Her head precipitated up, meeting the male servant's eyes with hers,

" Something of fun?", her voice lit up,

" Yes, my lord, if you don't mind, we're ready and waiting...",

" Of course, I don't, "she jumped up, revealing her urgency to escape.

The servant giggled with excitement and nervousness as he led her out of the room to the hall in the castle.

The other servants were so excited the moment they saw her that they chirped as they watched her head sit on her throne, a masterpiece of crescent-shaped silver adorned with luminescent pearls. Her flowing gown spun from moonbeams and shadows, its hem twinkling as if infused with stardust.

She watched her servant in anticipation, her body shivered for something new and delighting, a need to escape the repetition of eons that weighed heavily on her. Governing tides, balancing lunar cycles, and overseeing the nocturnal realm had grown monotonous. She longed for something different, a new breath, a spark of excitement.

While the hall was soon filled with merriment, giggles, laughter, and applause, a servant with a hardened face walked briskly towards the moon goddess; without getting her attention, he got by her side.

" Your majesty! It's time!",

" Time for?", she asked grinning as she watched the servants show,

" Time to connect mates",

" Oh, the scroll?",

" Here's it".

Her long slender fingers tapped on the images of the werewolves to be connected while her attention was on the entertaining dance.

" You're not concentrating on this, my lord", the servant said in worry,

" Not like it matters, Eron; those ungrateful and ignorant wolves would reject the mate I choose for them and pick their doom," she giggled at the performance before turning to him, " they're going to reject each other; why bother anyways? "

Eron's shoulder dropped; he'd never seen her so distracted and nonchalant, and he couldn't help but overthink the consequences. He sighed as he retreated into the chamber where each mate was revealed to the other.

Rionaya giggled as she concentrated back on the show. If only she knew that by turning her gaze away, she had just written the first line of a tragedy that would end in blood and that Elora's fall had just begun, and it would take gods to stop it.

(Still three weeks ago ~ On Earth)

"Should I just die? Kill myself? Or run far away where no one could ever find me?" Scarlett sighed, staring out the window of her room, a room that now mirrored the emptiness inside her.

Her face drooped in gloom. Her lifeless eyes watched others outside laughing, playing, smiling like the whole world revolved around them; while she remained trapped in a shell of loneliness and invisible scars. Her fingers clasped together as if searching for a hopeless companion while a weary sigh escaped her nose.

The same faces that now wore joyful grins had once tormented her. Bullied her. Laughed at her. Trampled her underfoot because she was nothing but the pack's shadow.

"Are you thinking of committing suicide again?"

The voice startled her.

She turned and chuckled faintly at the sight of her best friend standing at the doorway, arms crossed, eyebrows raised.

"Don't give me that fake laugh," Elora said, stepping into the room. She glanced out the window. Below, the pack members were in high spirits, racing in their wolf forms. "What are you doing?"

Scarlett didn't answer.

"You're not thinking about that again, are you? This is supposed to be a time for celebration, you know that?"

"What celebration?" Scarlett asked, her voice flat as she walked to her bed and sank onto it.

Elora blinked. "What do you mean, 'what celebration'? You're meeting Alpha Damien today."

"So?"

"So?" Elora gaped. "He's your mate! Do you know how excited I was when I heard the Moon Goddess chose you?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Don't get too excited, Elora. There's no way he'd accept me."

"Give me one reason why not! You're beautiful, intelligent, modest, hardworking.."

"Just stop." Scarlett clenched her fists around her blue, armless gown as tears welled in her eyes. "Stop, Elora. Beautiful? Intelligent? Don't flatter me. You know how much everyone despises me, how no one wants me around, not even my father. What do they call me? An outcast? The pack cat?"

"Scarlett.."

"Just stop." Her voice cracked. "No one wants me, Lora. No one wants a werewolf who can't even shift. No one wants a mate who can't defend herself or offer anything. You think Alpha Damien, a whole Alpha, is even going to spare me a glance?"

"He will."

"Don't be so sure. I don't wish my life for anyone else; it sucks," she turned away,

" Don't talk like that, we should be in a good mood not this sullen mood of yours",

She sighed, "This is probably the mood I'll die in",

" Hey", she whacked her shoulder, " never say that again",

" Ouch! That hurts",

" It should. And just because things ain't how we want them now doesn't mean it'll never going to be okay",

" Do you think it'll ever be?",

"That's the mystery of life. Anything can change, your story, your identity, your path. Sometimes it takes just a moment. Not even a day, just an hour. One decision. One action. One word. That's all it takes."

Scarlett looked up slowly. "My story... could change in just an hour?"

Elora smiled. "Not just yours. Anyone's. Anything. So... let's wait for that hour. I believe it's coming."

A chill crawled down Scarlett's spine. She stared at Elora with unease. "Why do I feel like those words were meant for you?"

Elora smiled gently. "They're for you, Scarlett. You just don't realize what a gift this is yet. The Moon Goddess chose you. This is your chance for a new life."

Scarlett shut her eyes, then opened them again, still full of doubt. "A new life? I'm not like you, Elora. People love you. You're beautiful and adored. You have everything. And me? I have nothing. Even my father doesn't accept me. What makes you think an Alpha would?"

Elora paused. Her fingers curled slightly, but she masked the sting behind her usual warmth. She knew Scarlett's pain, how she'd been blamed for her mother's death, despised by her father, bullied endlessly, and cursed for not being able to shift.

"I love you, Scarlett," Elora said softly, holding her hand. "And don't say you have nothing, because you have me."

Scarlett's tears slipped down her cheeks. "You're lucky, you know. Your parents love you. Your mate adores you. You're getting married in three weeks..."

"You're lucky too. My mate's not even an Alpha, and here you are, chosen by one of the most powerful Alphas in all seven packs."

Scarlett laughed through her tears. "Did you just say 'own'? That's a dream."

"A dream that's about to come true."

"I don't think so," Scarlett said, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "I honestly wish the Moon Goddess would just leave me alone. Why would she even choose me? I feel like even the gods abandoned me. She didn't have to remind me of that. I hate her."

"Don't say that," Elora chuckled. "Maybe she has a reason. Maybe... she has a life-changing surprise waiting for you."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Life-changing. Right. If only she didn't exist, maybe my life wouldn't be this ruined."

"Okay, you need to stop. No one ruins anyone's life. And stop worrying about whether Alpha Damien will accept you or not. Just get ready to leave."

"I am ready. This is how I'm going." She gestured to her gown and wedge heels.

"You've got to be kidding me," Elora scoffed, " I'm not following a lady with a pale face like that,"

"Who said you're coming?"

"I told myself, obviously. You didn't think I'd let you go to another pack alone, did you?"

Scarlett picked up her purse and turned toward her. "I don't want anyone there when I'm rejected. It'll be humiliating."

"You can't be serious."

"I am, Elora," she said, walking out of the room as Elora hurried after her.

Down in the sitting room, Scarlett halted abruptly. Her stomach clenched.

Karine. Misha. Cynthia.

Standing right there.

"Hey, Scarlett," Cynthia greeted, smirking.

Scarlett stiffened. Their presence felt like a nightmare, and she struggled not to tremble.