No Longer Your Luna

Amethyst

Have you ever wished for something so unattainable?

I have.

Only at the time, I didn't think of it as being unattainable. It was within reach for my tiny hands but as the years passed, I realized wishes aren't meant to come true. They are purely there to provide us a sense of comfort to move forward, a false hope.

From the beginning of this miserable life, I have only ever experienced pain. Whether its physical or emotional, it all hurt the same. Dumped at the doorstep of the Stone Hearts Pack for orphans, my pathetic life was solidified. It wasn't a huge house but over the years, it housed over twenty pups.

Only ten remain now.

There is a stigma attached to being an orphan in this pack. You are unwanted by your parents and casted aside like dirt. Everyone in this pack, whether they are adults or kids – they treat orphans like slaves. Since I was five, I have been ridiculed and tortured. Hence why the numbers have dropped from twenty to ten, because not everyone can survive the torment we are subjected to. It's a miracle that I have survived till sixteen or maybe it isn't.

Today is the day that I find my mate.

And I want it to be Mason Price – the Alpha's son.

No, I'm not delusional.

Mason and I used to be best friends when we were younger, he was the only one to protect me from the torment. He used to beat up anyone that hurt me and Mason often said that he prayed for us to be mates so that we can be together forever.

However, when his Alpha training began at eight, everything changed. He became like everyone else, maybe even worse. I'm living in a fantasy because I'm still holding onto that wish, that he is my mate and will finally realize that we are meant to be.

I avoided going to school today because the mating ceremony happens tonight. I'm clutching onto the only source of my happiness; Mason. Everything about him is intoxicating, his charm is contagious, and you could never say no to him. He is attentive and kind but never to me anymore. I'm on his shit list and I don't know why.

My best friend Esmory didn't want to come tonight. I don't know which is worse, facing the future leaders of the pack or staying in that haunted asylum we call home. Esmory welcomes the ghosts and demons more than Mason and his gang.

Well, because they are assholes who pick on orphans. It isn't just teasing; they beat her up to a pulp that she couldn't move for a month even with her healing abilities. She keeps her head down, avoids all contact, and barely comes to school anymore.

The dark sky highlights the glow of the moon, illuminating us. The scent of fresh leaves and rain hits my nose, and I can feel Jade purr in my mind.

'Have a feeling this is going to be where our lives change Jade' I smile.

Jade nestles closer towards me. 'Same here purple'

I chuckle at her nickname for me. My name takes after the unique colour of my eyes, some believe it's the work of dark magic since no one has the same colour as mine. Its one of the many reasons that I'm picked on the most, the girl with freak eyes.

That's when I smell it, like pine and berries. Unfamiliar to me, its addicting and making my mind disorientated. I can't help but be drawn to it, Jade on high alert as her tongue darts out in anticipation.

Following the drug induced scent, each step making it more potent than before. Until I come face to face with my wish.

'Mate' Jade declares.

His sandy blonde hair dishevelled, concealing his forehead. A plain white shirt that curved around each muscle, his biceps threaded with green veins. Grey sweatpants and bare feet on the soil, ready for a night of hunting for his mate.

Only, the look in his dark chocolate eyes makes me want to burn to the ground.

Its not one of love, its one of hatred and anger. Molten lava pooling at those eyes as he growls. "FUCK NO!" he yells in that Alpha tone.

It cracks at my bones, terror creeping up my spine. My heart is racing, his anger is doubling until his tan skin turns red. "Mason-"

"SHUT UP" he roars.

His chest rises and falls, I can practically see steam erupting from his ears. Jade claws at me, visibly sad and angry at his tone. Its odd, she never cowers in fear around him but I'm about ready for the ground to swallow me whole.

Mason crosses the distance between us, his scent making my mind spiral in delight and fear. "Of all people, it had to be fucking you"

Everything I've wanted to say gets lodged in my throat. "We are mates, we can be together now" I whisper, knowing of the crowd that's circling us.

He chuckles like a demon. "You. My mate. NEVER. I don't want some pathetic little orphan as the luna of this pack. You are not worthy of the title; you aren't even worthy of my presence"

My chest aches, a sob slipping through my parted lips. Jade whimpers in my mind, and his figure becomes distorted by the tears. Everything I want to say is on my tongue and yet I can't find the words to begin.

Britney takes her position next to Mason, her blonde her reaching her waist and piercing blue eyes biting into my skin. He wraps his arm around her, pulling her into him. Jade growls in possession of her mate but Mason doesn't care about me, or Jade, or the pain he is causing.

"Britney is fit to be a luna, she is my mate and you Amethyst, are nothing" he declares.

Fire erupts in my veins, clouding my vision

"I, Mason Price, future alpha of the Stone Heart Pack, hereby reject you Amethyst" he states.

The pain is unbearable, like my heart broke into pieces. The ache in my chest intensifying, its shooting through my limps and making each part of my body ache.

"Reject me now, so we can be done with this" Mason says.

I heave. "No"

That only fuels his anger and before I could react, Mason's fist connects with my cheek. I feel the bones crush, my entire body flying to the ground. Everything hurts, I can't take it but it doesn't stop, he starts kicking me relentlessly in the stomach. Ribs cracking one by one, I can't even breathe. Everything seems to blur, time never-ending, and the torture never stops.

Until he grabs my hair and pulls me to face him, his figure a blur as I fight the darkness.

"Reject me now or I will kill you" he seethes.

I cough, blood filling my mouth. "I, Amethyst, reject you Mason Price"

If he felt even a lick of pain, he was good at masking it but the truth is, he never cared.

Jade howls in agony and I don't fight the pain, the torture is agonising. I can't feel anything but pain, its overwhelming and drowning.

Mason laughs from above me. "You better stay out of my sight otherwise I won't stop until you are dead"

Coughing up a lung, the pounding in my head feels like bricks are coming down on me. Everyone disperses like ants while my battered body lays against the soil. Everything burned to the ground in one night, Mason is itching to kill me and by breathing – it's only a matter of time.

'We have to leave purple' Jade growls strongly, but its soft towards me.

Jade lends me some of her strength as I attempt to get up. After a fifth attempt, I stare at the forest, dark and scary. It holds the unknown and that terrifies me. But I rather face the unknown than stay here.

'I'm sorry Jade'

She knows what I'm about to do. I'm making her become a rogue, the worst of the worst.

'Don't worry purple, we have each other' she comforts.

I smile through my broken face. Letting Jade take the reins and shift into my wolf.

Amethyst

Three Months Later

I can feel my humanity slipping, when you become a rogue, there is a line that you tether between full on beast or full fledge human. I'm crossing the line of beast, mainly because Jade is vengeful. Her fangs drip with venom whenever she thinks of Mason and the Stone Heart pack. Visions of that night replay in my mind and it only aggravates me. I was naïve to think that a measly mate bond would change Mason and completely helpless to his torture.

I was weak but I won't make that mistake again.

Ever since we surrendered to the forest, everything became clearer. The sky often painted a bright blue like the ocean, clouded with white cotton candy in various shapes. The scent of nature sometimes differs, the soil, the trees, the leaves, it's a never -ending cycle. Mainly, it smelt like freshness if I could describe the scent of seeping into your bones and bringing relaxation. Living in the forests has its pros but there are way more cons, I'm basically stuck in my wolf form.

Jade is a beautiful snow-white wolf; you could spot her glowing in the darkness from miles away. When I transformed, I had to give Jade control to survive. Usually we would have conflict, fighting dominance on who should take the reins, but I wasn't going to fight my only source of survival. We hunted, deer's and rabbits. I can't stomach the taste of raw meat in human form and since that's my only means of preventing starvation, I let Jade devour all the meat she could find.

We don't have a plan, nor do we have any options. I left without a trace and as soon as I left the borders of the pack – I felt it. The bond tying me to Stone Heart, severe. Like a string being cut, everything intensified, the excruciating pain that shot through my skull and heart made me feel like I was split open. I wasn't attached to them and yet I had to suffer the lose worse than them. The howl escaped my lips before I could stop Jade, gripping my hair to supress the pain but it wouldn't stop.

That's when Jade took over, sprinting away from there territory and into the outskirts of the unknown. The further we leaped, the duller the pain became. I was grateful that Jade protected us when I couldn't – not like I ever do.

Night falls, darkness seeping into my surroundings but the glow of the moon spotlights us. I wonder if the moon goddess is watching us, seeing her repercussions of mating me to a monster. Jade places her paws in front of her, resting her chin and getting comfortable.

'I'm sorry that you are stuck with me Jade' I sob, the tears flowing down my cheeks.

I can feel her next to me, her whine and her head nuzzling into me. 'Don't say that purple, you and I are one, we are meant to be' she soothes.

A chuckle cracks into a sob as I wrap my arms around her neck. In my mind, we are both two separate beings. That's how we communicate with the ability to face each other head on but our bodies are one in the human world. Hence the werewolf title, once I turn into a wolf, that's all-Jade's entity.

'We don't have a plan' I voice as she retracts and we sit side by side, watching through her eyes like a movie of the forest.

'No, we don't but we have time to decide what to do'

I sigh. 'The best option is to find another pack, I doubt they would welcome a rogue though'

'True. But we don't know about the rules of other packs, they could be different from The Stone Heart pack' her optimistic tone brings a smile to my lips.

I'm about to voice my opinion when there is a crunch of a branch, Jade immediately transitions into defence mode. Highly alert and growling at the attacker who could jump out from any direction. We can't pick up a scent nor has there been any other movement for the past five minutes. It could have been an animal but that thought quickly dissipates when a man appears in front of me.

"Amethyst?"

Kaden Throne

It's been three months since there passing, and the wound is fresh on my chest. Not physically but metaphorically. Pressing my palm against my chest to ease the ache that threatens to appear from the memory. There was so much blood, her eyes pleading with my own before she took her last breath. The only thing that has occupied my mind was her dying wish, the only thing that's kept me distracted from the assassination of the Blood Moon Pack's Alpha and Luna, there daughter.

To say I was surprised would have been an understatement. Founding families are required to have an heir but its general knowledge that the Phoenix bloodline couldn't reproduce. No one mentioned that they couldn't have children, it was forbidden to be discussed in the manner. Sometimes I found it a blessing because the Blood Moon pack is ranked top tier for their assassination and money laundering that they bring into the council. The Phoenix bloodline is ranked number one in the founding family's council, they are constantly under attack because everyone wants their spot.

They lived with targets on there back for years and three months ago, they couldn't stop it any longer. I thought my life couldn't get any worse, I have already been through enough tragedy that I thought it would be over. The moon goddess isn't that gracious, she decided that another bleeding heart is what I deserved. Alpha Jeremy was already gone when I arrived, his throat slashed, and blood coated his naked body. The putrid taste of vomit threatening to release, his veins the colour of black from a poison I didn't recognize.

My mind was flooded with anguish until her cough rang through the deathly hollow of the room. Racing to her body, the white nightgown she always wore, tainted with blood. Pulling her onto my thighs, mind-linking with the pack doctor but he's thirty minutes away and won't make it in time.

"It's okay Kaden" her angelic voice calms me down as if she isn't dying.

My vision becomes distorted as I attempt to hold back the tears, a crushing weight in my chest as I analyse her broken smile. Her eyes the unnatural colour of lavender, it always baffled me that she was gifted a unique colour that couldn't be found anywhere. They were usually filled with sadness and a hint of light but now, they are glossy with fear and peace. A blend between the unknown but the weight of being a Phoenix finally slipping away.

"You can't leave me Luna" I cry, tugging on my lip.

Her small hand intertwines with mine, her delicate touch reminding me of a feather. "I need you to do something for me Kaden" a pleading tone that I've never heard her use.

"Anything, anything"

"You have to find her" the Luna voice peering through with dominance.

I furrow my brows. "Find who?"

"Our daughter, Amethyst"

My jaw drops, the racing of my heart drowning out the silence. They had a daughter, an heir that everyone believed either didn't exist or died along time ago. "You and Alpha Jeremy never told me"

She casts me a sorrowful look. A tear slipping from her eyes, she never cried and at her last moments, she sheds tears for her daughter and not herself.

"She wasn't safe, we couldn't keep her safe. It was the only way" Luna Sofia cries.

Holding my breath, calling the pack doctor multiple times and he ensures me that he isn't far, but I know its futile. Luna Sofia wont last much longer, her heartbeat becoming slower with each passing moment.

Luna Sofia yanks with every ounce of her strength against the necklace, the chain snapping. It's the key she always wore around her neck, no one ever knew why. Placing it in my hand, "Behind the bookshelf in his office, everything you need to know about her"

Sucking in a breath as I stare at the silver key, a plain silver key with nothing special wrapped around it besides the Luna and Alpha's daughter. "I'll find her" I promise with every fibre in my body.

She smiles. "We were so sad about losing her and then we found you and you made us happy. We aren't blood related, but you are our son"

The declaration tares my heart apart, the crushing force in my chest feels like I can't breathe. The tears taint her skin as I watch her surrender to death. A roar and a cry bleed through my vocal cords as I stare at the two people who gave me a home, gave me love while everyone believed them to be monsters.

I will avenge them.

I will find Amethyst.

I will make everyone pay for destroying The Phoenix Family.

Kaden Throne

Obviously, they didn't have the actual location of there daughter. They left her in the woods between two packs. I had to dig for that information, the Stone Heart pack and the Blue Moon pack. At the time, they were considered the kindest of all the packs in the land. That reputation has since faded, they torture and break the will of there own pack. The rumours spread like wildfire when it comes to the inner workings of different packs, the latest news being that the future Alpha of the Stone Heart pack found his mate.

One problem, she was an orphan. According to my intel, orphans are treated like slaves. Whether they were higher ups or regular pack members, they tortured the orphans. Over the years there were twenty orphans in total and the numbers dwindled each year until only ten remain. This pack is the only one I know of that sort of treatment towards orphans, other packs don't worry about status until it concerns the future Alpha and Luna.

Was the mate connection weak? Mason would have felt a strong connection to his blessing that the goddess gave him but instead, he casted her aside because she was an orphan. It sickened me, attempting to put myself in his shoes. I wouldn't reject my mate, a gift. Sure, you are allowed to choose your mates but the fated mates are a treasure that not everyone is blessed with. You are lucky to even find yours in this lifetime and he casted her aside like the mate connection wasn't special.

Yesterday I went to the Blue Moon pack, questioned there Alpha and Luna. Another dead end, it was harder to find her than I thought. The only truly defining feature that Amethyst had is her eyes. I remember when I opened the safe and found the old photo. A baby cradled between Alpha Jeremy and Luna Sofia. The baby was only two months old but the smile she emitted was cataphoric and her eyes were a darker shade of lilac. Taking after her mother, they were a faucet for magic, and I couldn't comprehend the immense pain the alpha and luna must have felt to give her up. It took tremendous amounts of strength to part from there pup because their love was genuine for her and each other.

It brought an ache to my chest, for years they have lived with this secret. Alpha Jeremy and Luna Sofia were the only fated mates in the founding families. This made the rest of them envious of them, the Alpha and Luna's love was real while there's were a facade. Jealousy is a strong emotion that becomes heightened in us, like the rest of our feelings.

The Stone Heart pack is extremely secretive when it comes to outsiders and my guess is due to there harsh treatment of their own people. I had to request a permit from there current Alpha and wait approximately a week before it became approved. The pack was surrounded by the growth of the forest, unkept and showcased that they didn't care about there land. You can tell a lot by the Alpha's treatment of his land; it illustrated his treatment of his pack.

The guards at the border searched me, I'm a fucking werewolf and they start searching me for weapons. I could easily shift and bring forth my talons and tear out their jugular. Axel chuckles at the visual imagery of tearing them apart. My wolf is quite a jokester, even if they suck.

'Hey, my jokes are top fucking tier' he growls as if I offended him.

'Whatever you say' I laugh, letting him broad in silence as he snuffs me.

I'm led to the Price manner. Not surprised that it's a beige coloured mansion, the double doors painted white with a massive P carved into it. That simple indication solidified how obnoxious these people are. There aren't any mansions besides this, and the rest of the houses are made of logs like we live in an historical era.

'They probably think they shit gold' Axel snorts.

I nod, agreeing with his statement because this is an obvious display of wealth to intimidate their people into submission. They have money to destroy you without getting their hands dirty and that alone can strike fear in anyone less than.

The guard in front of me mind-links to whoever is inside and suddenly the doors open. I follow him, the scent of detergent heavily imbedded into the tiles and walls. It smelt like a hospital and the urge to throw-up appears, but I push it down, now is not the time to display weakness. The staircase covered in clear tiles spirals with a black railing to the top, a man standing right at the top. His arms are stretched across the railing, his features display youth, and that shaggy blonde hair and dark chocolate eyes spark my memory. This is the future Alpha; Mason Price.

He resembles a rich kid, its written all over his smug face. The white V-neck shirt displaying his muscles in a power stance and jeans that hung loosely on his skin. Arching his neck and amusement written all over his face as he addresses me from above.

"Kaden Throne" he says, not addressing me by my Beta title.

"Mason Price" I retaliate with a smirk, nothing fucks with a little boy's mind more than being disrespected.

Axel is proud at the reaction of Mason, a growl emitting from his lips as his bare feet fill the silence as he descends the staircase. When he comes towards me, it's a joke that I tower over him. The anger seeps into his pupil, glowing as his wolf surfaces in frustration. I smirk and Axel laughs, its completely hilarious watching the future Alpha feel intimidated by mere height differences.

"Where is Alpha Jack?" I question, focusing on my mission.

Mason rolls his eyes, a charming smile forming on his lips. "My father is otherwise preoccupied and doesn't like being disturbed. Especially by a nobody"

His little dig doesn't do anything for me, it would have in the past when my emotions fuelled my actions but since then I have learned self-control. I wasn't really after the old Alpha whose prime time is coming to an end. The better chance would be to speak to Mason.

I nod. "Okay, I have a few questions that need to be answered and I will be on my way" keeping my expression blank.

His eyes scan from the inky leather jacket to my matching combat boots, distaste clearly reviling in his features. "On with it, I don't have all day" he growls in irritation.

'Let me rip him apart' Axel salivates at the imagery of tearing this spoiled boy apart.

'We need answers first' I warn.

"Was there a girl brought in on the night of the blue moon sixteen years?" I ask, my blood sizzling in anticipation.

He rolls his eyes. "How the fuck should I know"

Clearly, he is a clueless fool. "Was there a girl with purple eyes?"

That warrants a reaction, rage flashing over his features. "What the fuck do you want with her?"

It's the confirmation I needed; Amethyst is here. I couldn't show my cards, the importance that she carries. Redirecting his question as I arch my brow, "It was a simple question"

Running his fingers through his messy hair. "There was a girl named Amethyst. An orphan" he laughs.

It takes every ounce of control for Axel and me to not tear this fucker's skin off his bone. Instead, I stay silent as he chuckles in a fit of superiority, letting the story flow.

"She is a weak girl, not worthy of being this packs Luna" he growls.

That's when it hits me, the rumours of Mason rejecting his mate. That means his mate was Amethyst and he rejected her. The fucking heir to Phoenix, the future Alpha of the Blood Moon pack.

"I mean, how could I make a Luna out of an orphan with no power or status" he says nonchalantly, as if it justifies his actions.

He had no clue what he just did. Mason threw away the most powerful woman and his mate aside because she was an orphan. It makes me relieved and angry because Amethyst deserves better than a self-centred fucker like him as a mate.

"Why are you asking?" Mason curiously questions, he might be a spoiled brat, but he isn't stupid.

Axel itches to bite his head off and I almost give him control until I realize that I will have to find her on his land. "She owes me something"

He laughs, believing the lie. "Goodluck with that. The bitch is long gone"

Fuck.

Holding back the emotions spiralling through me, I nod. "Thank you for your time"

He snorts. "It has not been a pleasure, now get out of my house"

Mason disappears down the hall and the guard waits for me to step out of the mansion. The sky has already started to darken, a grey cast upon the moon. The scent of fear mingled in the air as people watched me be escorted off the territory.

Where is she?

Once I hit the border, I couldn't wait for that creepy sensation to dissipate. Walking through the forest usually cleared my head and so far, my options were out of luck. I take the root that I saw on the map where they dropped her off, it's a dumb idea but I feel my gut tell me to follow the trail.

'What are we going to do now?' Axel questions.

That is the real question, if I don't find Amethyst then the Blood Moon pack will demolish, and the Phoenix name will disintegrate. I couldn't let the legacy die, not after everything hey have done for me. Everyone in the pack is family and I don't want to split them up and turn them into rogues.

That's when I spot it. A wolf, the colour of snow. So potent that it stood out from the darkness.

'Wow' Axel whistles.

We tread lightly at the wolf who's clearly trying to get some sleep. As I get closer with each step, I make a mistake and the branch crushes under my weight.

The wolf jumps into attack mode but that's not what captivates me.

It's the eyes.

The colour of lavender.

Holding my breath, praying to the moon goddess that I have finally found her.

"Amethyst?"