His Abandoned Luna

|| Lilac's POV ||

"Please," I whispered, my voice shaking as I turned to Kael. "Let them go."

The words felt foreign, bitter, like ashes on my tongue. I had never begged before, never thought I would have to. But for them-for my parents-I would swallow my pride.

I had begged before Kaek. I had pleaded with Kael to remember the vows we made, the promises he had whispered in the dark when the world felt safe.

"You will always come first," he had told me, his voice a balm to my fears.

That was before Coco. Before she swept into the palace like a storm, leaving ruin in her way. He swore nothing would change, that I would still be his queen, his love. It was all a lie. A beautiful, cruel lie.

Kael's golden eyes flickered with something unreadable, gone before I could grasp it. His silence cut deeper than a blade. My hands clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms, but the pain was nothing compared to the ache inside me.

The air reeked of blood and betrayal, thick and suffocating. The grand hall, once a place of celebration, felt like a tomb. The towering marble pillars, carved with our pack's history, seemed to lean inward as if they, too, couldn't bear to witness this. He killed all my trusted warriors, making sure my family was left vulnerable. Flickering torchlight cast jagged shadows across the polished floor ghosts mocking me, whispering of my downfall.

My heart pounded, every beat a painful reminder of how far I had fallen. My knees buckled, and I sank to the cold stone. The impact barely registered. My dress once a symbol of my status as Luna Queen felt heavy, suffocating, meaningless now.

I lifted my gaze, and there he was. Kael. The Alpha King. My husband of five years. The man I had given everything to. His broad shoulders were squared, his jaw set, his golden eyes colder than I had ever seen. This was not the man who once held me close, who swore to protect me. No, this was a stranger wearing his face.

And in his arms, cradled like something precious, was Coco. Wrapped in silk, her raven hair spilling over her shoulders, she was breathtaking. To me, she was nothing but a viper wrapped in silk and secrets. Her lips curled into a smirk triumphant, cruel. She had unraveled my life with nothing more than a glance, watching as everything I built crumbled at her feet.

Behind them, warriors stood motionless, swords drawn, aimed at my parents. My mother and father once proud, unyielding warriors were on their knees, heads howed, Silver chains bound their wrists and ankles, the enchanted metal searing their skin. The sight of them like this-broken, humiliated was a dagger to my heart.

"He is your Beta, Kael. He is the proud of our country," I said.

My father, the man who had once stood tall even in the face of war, sagged under the weight of his shame. My mother's fierce eyes were hollow now, empty of hope. The woman who taught me to fight for what I loved was now nothing more than a prisoner in the kingdom she once bled for.

I swallowed hard, forcing down the sob clawing its way up. I couldn't break. Not yet.

"Kael," I choked out, my voice cracking. "If you ever loved me, even a little.... let them go."

Coco's laughter rang through the silence-sharp, mocking.

"Oh, darling," she purred, tilting her head. "Love has nothing to do with this."

She stepped forward, slow and deliberate, a predator circling its prey. In her hand, a dagger gleamed under the dim light. She pointed it at me, her smile dripping with false sweetness.

"I'll let them go," she mused, "if you die instead."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Before I could react, her smirk

widened.

"Too late," she whispered. "I changed my mind."

She hurled the dagger.

Time slowed. The blade spun through the air in a deadly arc.

My father's eyes met mine steady, strong, the way they had always been. But now, they were filled with sorrow. With an apology he would never get to say.

The dagger struck. A sickening thud.

A strangled gasp escaped his lips. His body jerked violently as the silver burned through him. His fingers trembled, reaching-reaching for me-but his strength faltered. He crumpled to the ground. Convulsing. Dying.

"Nol"

The scream tore from my throat, raw and broken.

I lunged for him desperate, frantic

But before I could reach him, before I could touch him one last time, Coco threw another dagger.

This one struck my mother's chest.

A sharp gasp. Her body jolted. Her trembling hands clutched at the hilt, as if she could undo it, as if she could will the blade away. Crimson bloomed across her gown, violent against the pale silk.

Her gaze found mine.

Her fierce, loving eyes the ones that had watched over me my whole life-now filled with something else. Regret. Not for herself. For me. For the pain she couldn't stop.

Her lips parted. No words came. Just a shuddering breath.

She collapsed beside my father.

A hollow, keening sound rose from my chest, a grief so raw it split me apart. My parents my home, my anchor were gone. just like that. Their lives. reduced to bloodstains on cold, unfeeling stone.

The world blurred. My vision darkened as rage and sorrow swallowed me whole. My wolf surged forward, her growl shaking the hall. My claws elongated, my fangs bared. I was ready to tear Coco apart

But Kael stepped in front of her, his massive frame shielding her from my wrath. His golden eyes bore into mine, cold and unyielding, and in that moment, I saw the truth.

I was nothing to him. My love was less than nothing.

The bond we had shared, the love I had believed in, had been an illusion, shattered by the arrival of his true mate,

|| Lilac's POV ||

"You witch!" I snarled, my voice a mixture of pain and fury. My wolf howled within me, her grief echoing my own. But Kael's expression remained impassive, his loyalty firmly with Coco. The woman who had destroyed my life, who had taken everything from me, stood behind him, her smirk a cruel reminder of my powerlessness.

Tears streamed down my face as I looked at the bodies of my parents, their lives extinguished so callously, so cruelly. The chains that had bound them now seemed symbolic of the chains that had bound me-chains of duty, of love, of hope. But no more. The girl who had once believed in fairy tales, in happily ever afters, was gone. In her place stood a woman forged in fire and blood, her heart a battlefield of sorrow and rage.

"Tell me, Kael, was she worth slaughtering the entire Royal Beta lineage?" I yelled.

The throne room was a cavern of memories, each stone etched with the echoes of my past. The high vaulted ceilings, adorned with banners of our pack's crest, seemed to loom over me now, a reminder of the heights I had once reached and the depths to which I had fallen. Kael stood tall, his regal posture unyielding, his golden eyes cold and distant. How did it come to this? How had the man I had helped build an empire become the architect of my ruin?

"Answer me, Alpha King. Or do you still not see blood on your hands? Blood of your own Beta..." my voice choaked.

I stared at him, my heart a battlefield of grief and rage. It was me who had stood by his side when he was nothing but a young wolf with a dream. It was my family, the Royal Beta lineage, who had fought for him, bled for him, and secured his place on the throne. My parents, proud and unwavering, had led armies against the dark witches on the border, their sacrifices ensuring the peace of our lands. And what had it earned them? Silver chains and a traitor's death. What had it earned me? Betrayal. Humiliation. A love turned to ash.

"They fought for you, day and night...." I screamed. But he remained silent as if my words couldn't even get through him.

"Oh dear. Looks like our Luna has lost her mind," Coco taunted instead and he let her.

My mind drifted to the day Coco had arrived at the palace. She had been a fragile thing then, her eyes wide with fear, her hands trembling as she knelt before me. "Please," she had begged, her voice trembling, "let me stay. I have nowhere else to go." I had been foolish, so foolish. I had seen her as a lost soul in need of shelter, not the viper she truly was. Kael had taken her in, not as a servant, but as his concubine. And though I had been his Luna, his chosen mate, it was always her. Always Coco. Her presence had been a poison, seeping into the cracks of our bond, widening them until they were irreparable.

And now, here I was, kneeling before her. The irony was not lost on me. The woman I had once pitied now stood above me, her delicate features twisted into a mask of triumph. My parents' bodies lay cold and lifeless behind me, their blood staining the marble floor. The chains that had bound them still clinked faintly, a haunting reminder of their final moments. My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms as I fought to contain the storm raging within me.

"So you still remember that I am the Luna and your queen," I growled.

"Are you?" Coco's lips curled into a smirk, her fingers tracing delicate patterns over the hilt of a dagger she had yet to sheath. The same dagger that had stolen my mother's last breath. My entire body trembled with the force of my fury, but I refused to let her see it. I would not give her the satisfaction of knowing she had shattered me completely. Not yet.

"Was I ever anything to you?" The question screamed inside me, tearing at my insides like claws. "Was any of it real?"

Kael's gaze flickered, just for a moment, a shadow of something unreadable passing through his golden eyes. Regret? Guilt? I did not know, and I no longer cared. Whatever softness I had once believed existed within him had died the moment he let my parents be slaughtered like animals. My love for him had been an unbreakable chain, binding me to him through every hardship, every storm. Now, it lay in pieces at my feet, as worthless as the promises he had made me.

A bitter laugh bubbled up in my throat, raw and laced with sorrow. "Tell me, Kael," I whispered, my voice a ghost of what it once was.

"Was it worth it? Was she worth the blood?" My eyes flickered to Coco, whose smirk only deepened, satisfaction glimmering in her dark eyes.

Kael's jaw tightened, but he said nothing. The silence was louder than any answer he could have given me.

Coco stepped closer, her silk dress swishing against the marble floor.

"You should have left when you had the chance," she mused, her voice like honey laced with venom. "But I suppose you were always too stubborn for your own good. Now look at you. Broken. Defeated. Alone."

Alone. The word echoed in my mind, a cruel mockery of everything I had once had. But she was wrong. I was not broken. Not yet. My heart still beat, my lungs still drew breath, and as long as I lived, so did my vengeance. I would not fall. Not here. Not like this.

Lifting my chin, I met Coco's gaze head-on, letting the fury in my eyes burn as brightly as the fire in my soul.

"Enjoy your victory while you can," I murmured, my voice steady despite the turmoil within me. "Because one day, Coco, you will kneel before me. And when that day comes, I will make sure you remember every drop of blood you spilled."

Her smirk faltered for the briefest of moments, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face before she masked it with a scoff. "Empty threats from a fallen queen. How pitiful."

I couldn't hold back any longer. With a guttural growl, I lunged at Coco, my wolf surging to the surface. My claws extended, my fangs bared, and for a moment, I saw fear flicker in her eyes. Kael was caught off guard, his reflexes slowed by shock. I shoved him aside, my paw connecting with his chest, sending him sprawling onto his back. Coco was beneath me now, her tiny frame pinned under my weight. I glared down at her, my growl reverberating through the hall. This was her doing. She had orchestrated this nightmare, manipulated Kael, destroyed my family. She had taken everything from me.

I could feel the heat of her fear, the rapid beat of her heart beneath my paw. My wolf urged me to finish it, to tear out her throat and end her reign of terror. But before I could act, Kael's hand closed around my hind leg, yanking me backward with brutal force. I crashed into the corner of the hall, the impact forcing me to shift back into my human form. My body ached, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I struggled to rise.

Kael's voice cut through the air like a blade, cold and unyielding.

"I denounce you as my Luna," he declared, his words striking me with the force of a physical blow.

"And I reject you as my mate. I am severing our bond." He turned away from me, his attention focused on Coco as he lifted her from the ground, cradling her protectively in his arms. The tenderness in his touch was a dagger to my heart, a reminder of what I had lost.

"What should we do with her, Alpha?" one of the warriors asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

Kael didn't even look at me as he replied, his tone as cold as the winter wind. "You can have your way with her. And once you're done, get rid of her."

His words shattered what little remained of my soul. I had given him everything-and this was my reward. Betrayal. Abandonment. Death. The warriors moved toward me, their eyes gleaming with malice, but I was already crawling away, my body trembling with exhaustion and despair.

My hand brushed against something cold and metallic. A dagger, forgotten on the floor. I clutched it tightly, the weight of it grounding me in the moment. My vision blurred with tears as I pressed the blade to my stomach.

"Moon Goddess," I whispered, my voice breaking.

"Forgive me. I was not the Luna you expected of me. Forgive me, Mom, Dad. I have failed you too."

A single tear rolled down my cheek as I closed my eyes, the dagger poised to end my suffering. If I were to get another chance, I vowed silently, I would never walk this path again. I would never trust so easily, love so blindly. I would rise from the ashes of my shattered life, stronger, fiercer, unbroken.

But as the blade pressed into my skin, a spark of defiance ignited within me. No. I would not give them the satisfaction of my death. Not like this. Not while they still breathed. With a trembling hand, I lowered the dagger, my resolve hardening.

Goddess, was this your justice? I was the Luna Queen anc that was the death I deserved! I fell slowly in a cold dark place.

|| Lilac's POV ||

The world around me was a blur of color and sound, a cacophony of laughter, music, and applause that seemed to echo from every corner of the grand hall. The golden chandeliers overhead bathed the room in a warm, flickering glow, casting dancing shadows across the polished marble floors. Velvet banners adorned the towering walls, embroidered with the crest of our pack, the symbol of unity and strength, things I no longer believed in.

My head spun, my thoughts tangled in a web of confusion and disbelief. One moment, I had been on the cold, unforgiving floor of the throne room, a dagger pressed to my stomach, my heart shattered into a thousand irreparable pieces. The next, I was here, standing in the midst of a celebration I had lived through once before, a celebration that had marked the beginning of my downfall.

A tight, warm hug jolted me back to the present. The familiar scent of lavender and honey enveloped me, a scent that once meant home, comfort, safety. My breath hitched, and I froze. It was her. My mother.

Her arms wrapped around me with a gentleness that made my chest ache. "Congratulations, sweetpea," she whispered, her voice thick with pride and love.

The endearment, one I hadn't heard in what felt like a lifetime, sent a sharp pang through my chest. I pulled back slightly, my fingers trembling as they reached for her face. Soft skin met my touch, warm, real. Tears burned behind my eyes as I took in every detail: the laugh lines at the corners of her eyes, the way her lips curled into a radiant smile, the golden flecks in her irises that had always reminded me of sunlight through autumn leaves. She was alive.

How was this possible? I had seen her fall, had watched the life drain from her eyes as Coco's dagger struck true. And yet, here she stood, whole and untouched by the horrors I had witnessed. Was we all ended up in the afterlife?

The applause around me grew louder, a thunderous wave of approval that seemed to shake the very foundations of the hall. I turned, my pulse hammering against my ribs as I scanned the room. Faces I hadn't seen in years, faces I had mourned... smiled back at me as if nothing had changed.

My father stood nearby, his broad shoulders squared, his expression one of quiet pride. His silver-streaked hair caught the candlelight, his deep-set eyes brimming with the warmth I had longed for in my darkest moments. He nodded at me, silent yet speaking volumes, his approval wrapping around me like a protective shield.

They were both here. Alive. Unharmed. But how?

My breath came in short, uneven bursts as I struggled to piece together the impossible. Had I gone mad? Was this some cruel illusion conjured by my grief-stricken mind? The weight of the past pressed down on me, memories colliding and fracturing. My family had been slaughtered before my eyes, their blood staining the cold marble of the throne room. Kael, the man I had given my heart to, had betrayed me in the most unforgivable way. He had denounced me, rejected me, and left me to the mercy of his warriors. And yet, here I was, standing in the middle of a celebration that felt like a cruel, twisted joke.

I glanced down at myself, my hands trembling as I took in the sight of the elegant gown I wore. The fabric shimmered in the soft light, catching the glow from the chandeliers above, yet it felt foreign, almost suffocating against my skin. It was the same dress I had worn that night, the night the Luna Queen Cassandra had chosen me as Kael's mate. The memory hit me like a tidal wave, vivid and unrelenting.

This was the party. Not just any party, but the one that had set my life on a path of heartbreak and ruin. Kael had been the golden child then, the pride of the country, destined to be the next Alpha King. And I, naive and hopeful, had believed that being chosen as his mate was the greatest honor of my life. I grewu up in the same castle with Kael, and I loved him for as long as I remembered, even before I had my wolf, before I understood what love was. At the time, I couldn't have imagined how wrong I was.

I had been blind to the way Kael's charm, his golden exterior, masked the darkness within him. I had been too eager to accept the role of his mate, believing that love would grow between us, that our bond would be forged in fire and lead us to greatness. But the fire that burned within Kael wasn't the kind that would light up the world, it was the kind that scorched everything in its path.

But now, standing here again, I felt no joy, no pride. Only a deep, gnawing dread. How had I ended up here? Was this some twisted dream, a final torment conjured by my dying mind? Or was it something else entirely? The reality crashed down on me with the force of a thousand storms. I was back in time. Somehow, someway, I had been given a second chance.

The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying. My mind raced, replaying the events of my past life, the choices I had made, the mistakes I had repeated, the pain I had endured. I had trusted too easily, loved too deeply, and it had cost me everything. But now, I had the chance to change it all. To rewrite my story. To protect the people I loved. To ensure that Kael and Coco would never destroy me again.

"Lilac, my dear, please step up." The voice was regal, commanding, and all too familiar. I turned to see Luna Queen Cassandra standing on the stage, her posture as elegant and poised as ever.

Beside her stood Kael, his golden eyes scanning the crowd with a confidence that made my stomach churn. He looked every bit the future Alpha King, his broad shoulders and chiseled features drawing the admiration of everyone in the room. But I saw him differently now. I saw the coldness in his eyes, the selfishness that had driven him to betray me. I saw the man who had shattered my heart without a second thought.

The scene before me was one I remembered word for word, moment for moment. The Luna Queen's announcement, the crowd's applause, the way Kael had smiled at me as if I were the most important person in his world. It had all been a lie. A beautiful, devastating lie.

I took a deep breath, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. This time, I wouldn't be fooled. This time, I wouldn't let myself be swept away by false promises and empty words. I would protect my family, no matter the cost. I would be stronger, smarter, and more ruthless than I had ever been before.

As I stepped forward, the crowd parting to let me through, I felt a strange sense of calm settle over me. The fear and confusion that had gripped me moments ago were replaced by a steely resolve. I wouldn't make the same mistakes again. I wouldn't let Kael and Coco destroy me. This time, I would be the one in control.

The Luna Queen extended her hand to me, her smile warm and inviting. "Welcome, Lilac," she said, her voice carrying across the hall. "Today, you take your place as the future Luna of our pack."

The crowd erupted into applause once more, but I barely heard it. My eyes met Kael's, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something in his gaze, curiosity, perhaps, or even admiration. But I felt nothing. No flutter of my heart, no rush of affection. Only a cold, calculating determination.

This was my second chance. And I wouldn't loose to them, I wouldn't walk on the same path.