The Ex-Luna's Revenge

/-Alora-/

This couldn't be happening to me...

Not now, not my daughter...

"Lila, please... please open your eyes for mommy, please, I beg of you..." I sobbed, shaking her frantically.

My dress was soaked in her blood, her eyes struggling to stay open as her grip on my arm weakened with each passing minute.

"Lila please, I beg of you... don't do this to me... I'm going to take you to the infirmary, you're going to be fine... you're going to be fine for mommy..."

I pushed my trembling self off the ground. If I shifted, I would get to the pack faster but when she wasn't even strong enough to open her eyes, how would she get on my back?

I didn't even have the time to think as I scooped her off the floor and ran through the forest as fast as I could.

Goddess, please... Please don't take her away from me...

Tears streamed down my cheeks, blinding my vision as I ran through the dark forest but I didn't dare stop. My daughter was dying. I could feel her form getting weaker and weaker in my arms.

I didn't know what wild beast did this to her. If it was a rogue or just a wild animal but it had clawed her stomach open and left bite wounds all over her legs and neck...

It was a miracle to find her alive.

The pack suddenly seemed like it was miles away and my legs were throbbing from the speed I was sprinting at.

Twigs snapped under my barefoot but the pain was almost insignificant to me.

"Mommy..." I heard her frail voice call out.

"Shhhh! Don't say anything please... don't say anything..." I sobbed. The pack gates were just ahead of me.

"I didn't get it... Daddy will punish me..." her voice cracked and my heart shattered to a million pieces. Even while dying, she was still worried about her father's reaction.

"I was so close... but I couldn't reach it... it was right there... he will hate me..."

I dashed through the gates and headed for the infirmary. The entire pack was silent as everyone was blissfully asleep in their beds.

I pushed open the doors and all eyes snapped to me. In less than a second, the nurses were running to me.

"Please save her, do everything you can to save her please," I pleaded desperately as they dropped her on a stretcher.

I could feel my lungs closing up on me as my little girl lay helplessly on the stretcher. Her eyes were closed now, but I didn't want to believe she was dead.

She couldn't be dead after everything I've had to endure for her sake. Her hands were clenched tightly around her teddy bear.

It was the first and only gift her father had ever given her. I couldn't bring myself to move as I watched them roll her away.

Even though she was just five years old, she suffered the cruel end of her father's hostility and neglect.

And it hurt more because she was so fond of him. They had been somewhat close until she turned three and his ex-girlfriend returned out of the blue.

My knees buckled and I found myself crashing to the ground. My tears hit the tiled floor as the earlier events of tonight replayed in my head.

Me, returning home late, after the annual charity visit, only to discover my daughter was nowhere in the palace.

I couldn't find Tyrone too, so I assumed she might have gone out with her father, as unlikely as it was, until I asked a maid how long they were gone for, and she told me vividly that my daughter was not with him.

"The Alpha left with Miss Allison, Luna. Young miss injured her pet and the Alpha sent her to the woods to get herbs and some huckleberries..." the maid's words echoed in my head.

The words sent me trembling all over again. I had been too late. Way too late.

"Luna, are you okay?" One of the nurses asked and I got off the floor, wiping the tears off my face.

Thirty minutes had barely passed when the doctors returned. I rushed to them.

"How is she?" I asked desperately but the looks on their faces were not even encouraging. "Why isn't anyone answering me? How is she?" I yelled.

"We... We tried our best, Luna, but you brought her in a little too late. She died from excessive bleeding," he said and a scream erupted from my throat.

My world came crashing down. My Lila was gone. My baby was gone.

I screamed, cried and begged, but nothing could bring back my little girl. In that same hour, my phone rang. It was a call from Tyrone.

"Did your stupid daughter tell you what she did?" He barked before I could even get a word out.

"Tyrone..."

"She told you right? Well, tell her that if anything happens to Allison's puppy, she is going to regret having me as a father!" He hung up immediately and I dropped weakly to the ground.

His daughter was dead, and he was more concerned about a dog. Was Lila's life worth anything to him?

I braced myself together as I signed the papers to retrieve her body.

Lila had been the binding thread between me and Tyrone and now she was gone, there was no reason to be with him.

I reached home, broken and devastated. None of the servants or guards dared to come close to me. It was either the bloodstained clothes or the dead look in my eyes that scared them away.

On reaching my room, I took off the ring from my finger and dropped it slowly on the table. It broke me that one man that I fought to keep for almost six years was the very person who utterly destroyed my life.

I tried calling him again, but he didn't answer any of his calls, and all the while, his little mistress was busy posting photos of them together with the puppy.

"Get well soon, Cony. You didn't deserve this. Cupid and I are here for you, always. #puppylove#" she had posted, and there was my husband smiling happily while holding her hands and petting the injured puppy.

He had never looked at me like that or treated our daughter with as much love as he did that puppy.

He didn't come home that night, and that was enough proof of how insignificant we were. I cried myself to sleep and woke up to a slamming door.

"What have you done?" He growled.

So he did feel the sharp sting in his chest when I cut the binding thread but couldn't leave his mistress to confront me right away.

"And where is that little brat of yours!"

I couldn't bring myself to say a word to him.

"Answer me, Alora! Have you gone deaf?" He gritted, fists clenching as though he wanted to hit me. I would have preferred it if he did just that.

It would be my punishment for being so stupid and blindsided by his incompetence.

"You sent your five-year-old daughter into the forest alone to get herbs and fruits for your mistress..." my voice came out in a cracking, angry whisper.

"Really? Is that what this is about? I disciplined your daughter for hurting a harmless animal and you cut our binding thread? What is wrong with you?" He yelled.

"What is wrong with me?" I spat out in rage. "You don't see anything wrong with sending a little girl into the forest on her own but you see everything wrong with an injured pet? What happened to the pharmacies around Tyrone? You couldn't ask the guards or the maids to do that or even go with her? Do you know that because of your irrationality, our daughter..."

"That's enough!" He cut me short. "I am still Alpha and you will not address me in that tone!" He barked. "She was the one who hurt the puppy so why should the maids suffer for her crime? You spoiled that girl rotten and she is gradually becoming a nuisance! You keep enabling her, and because of that, she thinks she can get away with every malicious thing she does!"

"Tyrone!" I screamed. How could he say such harsh words against our daughter? "Is Lila's safety not worth anything to you? Her life?"

"Now you are being overly dramatic. She plays with the other children in the woods every day! Why are you complaining now? Allison said her puppy doesn't react well to chemicals so the herbs were the safest option. Your useless spawn couldn't even bring back the fruits to show her remorse at least..."

"Are you even hearing yourself speak?" I fired. "You know what, I'm done with this."

"And I am done talking to you! Bring out that little rascal, else I will fish her out myself and break off those destructive hands of hers!"

I faced him squarely, hate blazing in my eyes as I spat the words. Since he was going to blab about his mistress and her lovely dog, then his presence at our daughter's funeral was insignificant.

He didn't care whether she lived or died. It was all about Allison and her pet.

"I, Alora Stone, reject you, Tyrone Slater, as mate!"

His pain contorted slightly in pain from the severed bond and I fought to keep it at bay.

"You are just childish and pathetic! Grow up!" He said angrily and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

/-Alora-/

He had never loved me. Not even for a second.

Our marriage was arranged, a product of an unfortunate circumstance.

Tyrone had been my brother's best friend for as long as I could remember. Being close family friends and allies, I saw him more often than not and somehow developed undying feelings for him.

While Patrick knew about my feelings, I didn't dare confess to Tyrone because I was afraid he would reject me.

Back then, I was scrawny and average-looking. Certainly not the kind of girl you would look at twice but I hoped one day he would see me as more than a little sister.

And I got my wish in a dark, twisted way.

A rival pack attacked one night while we were having a little get-together, and things got ugly quickly.

Blood, knives, fangs, all in a matter of seconds and Tyrone was dead ass drunk, so my brother had to fight for both me and Tyrone.

Long story short, he died just before the Elders arrived and made Tyrone promise to take care of me.

The Elders had suggested he married me to maintain peace between both packs, and I agreed because he was the love of my life and everything.

Maybe I should have rejected the offer right there and sought another way. Maybe then I would have been able to evade this heartache.

Although he treated me with respect and made sure to provide everything I wanted, he made it clear that there was no space for me in his heart.

I was only his Luna at official gatherings while he spent as much time away from me as he could. With Allison.

She had always been his one true love but when she left because he was getting married to me, he was devastated and resigned to his fate.

A part of me always knew he secretly blamed me for it. When he had Lila, I thought things would change for the better.

I thought it was my chance to finally win his heart.

"Looks like we are even now. I have given you back the family member I owe you," he had muttered, staring at our baby. I didn't let myself think much of it at that time.

I was certain the baby would bring us closer, I wanted her to have a normal and complete family. For the first two years, he was a lovely father but when she was old enough to start walking and talking, everything changed.

He started keeping late nights, and when I confronted him, he said to my face, "What more do you want from me? I have already repaid the debt. You have a replacement now, take it and let me live my life the way I want!"

I thought he was drunk speaking then, now it was all clear I had been the fool all along.

Then boom, his lovely Allison returned with her cute little puppy.

I walked to the bar like a corpse, holding the urn containing my daughter's ashes and poured myself some whiskey. I was going to leave this sick place today and never come back.

I was stupid enough to think I could change him, but no one truly changed. They just get worse.

As I indulged myself in alcohol, trying to forget the fact that I had to bury our daughter alone today, I let myself drown in self-loathing.

It was all my fault. I should have brought her into a better family. I should have left when the signs began appearing.

My eyes stung as I took another shot. Before I could indulge myself any more, the door was kicked open once again.

He was probably expecting I would go after him as always, begging and deciding to return when he realised it wouldn't happen.

"Okay, this is the height of it! Where is that demon?!" Tyrone thundered and I shuddered slightly as he grabbed me by the collar. "Where is Lila?"

"Ty, stop it! You're hurting her!" Allison's feigned concerned voice startled me. He had the audacity to bring her here?

He shoved me roughly away from him.

"Where is she?!" He was so angry I could see his veins popping out.

"Who?" I smirked and it seemed to anger him more.

"You think this is funny? She just killed an innocent Puppy! You have succeeded in raising a murderer! Today, it's an animal; the next day, it will probably be the maids and then the..."

"That's enough, Tyrone!" I snapped. "I will not have you speak about my daughter that way!"

"It was you, wasn't it?" He chucked in disbelief. "You sent her or just maybe you did it yourself."

A bitter laugh fell off my lips as I watched the fool accuse his dead daughter.

"Tyrone, maybe you should calm down. We don't want to scare Lila. I only want her to apologize..." Allison faked a sniffle, clinging to Tyrone's arms like she was fragile and devastated.

"It's okay, Allison. I understand how much Cony meant to you. She will apologise, I promise you that..." he stroked her hair gently and I burst into an ugly laughter.

"Apologise? For what exactly if I may ask?" I crossed my arms.

"Your daughter broke into Allison's place last night and killed Cony! Right after she deliberately hurt him!" He seethed.

"Really? That must be very cruel of her then," I taunted. "So what do you intend to do now that she will not be apologising to either of you?"

His eyes darkened.

"Do not test me, Alora. I am trying my very best to be reasonable here!"

"Reasonable? All you have managed to do here is display how much of a cheating, shallow-minded bastard you are!" I spat.

"Alora!" He growled.

"Yesterday, you walked out on me without accepting my rejection. I need you to do that now so this stupid mark binding us together can disappear and I will take my destructive daughter away with me!" I fired.

"What has gotten into you, Alora? I thought we had already discussed this! Don't let your insecurities get in the way of our marriage," he stated. "All I'm asking is for you to provide Lila and have her apologise for the damage she has caused."

"No!"

"Can you stop this? You're raising a monster and you won't even let me discipline her? You think hiding her will have these psychopathic tendencies?" He yelled.

And this was who I thought was fit to raise a child. A delirious laughter escaped my lips. A man who called his seed all forms of names and painted her the devil based on the words of an outsider. He didn't deserve to be a father.

I grabbed the urn from the bar table and threw it angrily from him.

"There you have it! You can go ahead and force the apology out of her ashes!"

/-Alora-/

The shock on his face was almost priceless as he held the urn. Allison was just as shocked as he was but I imagined it wasn't because my daughter was dead but because her lies were about to be exposed.

"Is... is this a joke?" Tyrone stuttered. It was the first time I had ever seen any form of emotion in his eyes. "You... you're messing with me, right?"

"Messing with you?" I scoffed. "Your daughter has been dead for two days, you bastard!" I screamed at him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded but I shot him a thick glare.

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me? How would you know when all you cared about was a stupid dog? I'm sure Allison would have some logical explanations as to how my dead daughter slaughtered her dog!" I hissed, grabbing the bottle of whiskey.

I couldn't stand being in the same room with him anymore. I just wanted to leave this suffocating place before I lost my mind.

I went out into the garden which was Lila's favourite place to play. I didn't know how long I stayed there but the memories came flooding in with the shots of whiskey.

"I thought you would be gone by now."

Her words startled me.

Allison walked to my side with a smug expression.

"I mean, your daughter is dead, and your husband prefers sharing my bed, so there is absolutely no reason for you to stay," she continued.

She was baiting me, but the pent-up anger in me was begining to tip over and my rage was becoming harder to control by the second.

"If it makes you feel better, he is grieving. But I assure you it is just a brief moment of weakness that will be forgotten when our baby is born," Allison said.

"Baby?" My voice was weak and almost inaudible.

"What? You didn't know? What do you think he was doing all those nights he stayed away? Playing chess?" She stepped closer. "We are going to have a child together and I will take my rightful place as his Luna."

I didn't have any intention of fighting the Luna position with her anymore. It felt like a crucial part of me died along with my dead daughter, but the thought of her having a baby just when I lost one infuriated me.

"I mean, if I had known your daughter was dead, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of killing my beautiful pet," she drawled.

"You lying whore!" I screamed, attacking her before I even realized it. I should have known it was what she wanted but at that moment, I was so angry.

And I took out all that anger on her. Punching and hitting her in every way I could. Her screams were a form of consolation to me until I was pulled off her.

"Alora! What has gotten into you?" Tyrone snapped. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Yes, Tyrone!" I screamed at him. "I have lost my mind. This is why you killed our daughter, isn't it? So your little bastard child will have it easy?"

"That's enough! You can't blame anyone for Lila's death. It was an accident! That doesn't give you the right to attack Allison!" He lowered his voice, his guilt overpowering the anger.

"Well, I hope to try, goddess, that you both burn in hell!" I flared up, stomping away from them.

On arrival at my room, I began to pack my things. I couldn't waste any second here, or else I would lose my sanity.

I couldn't even return to my pack because my marriage with Tyrone merged our packs. We were part of the reason the SilverClaw pack was as huge and powerful as it was and I didn't plan to leave without them.

Clearly, Tyrone never wanted our union so I would free him completely of that burden.

He came into the room shortly.

"Allison is in a very critical condition. The doctors say she might lose the baby!" He started.

He was looking for a fight but I wasn't going to give him that. I was tired of fighting, tired of hurting, tired of his excesses. I have already learnt my lessons the hard way.

"I'm leaving, whether you accept my rejection or not," I stated. "And I am taking everything I own with me, including my pack!"

"You don't mean that..." he trailed.

"Unfortunately, I do," I said coldly. "You never wanted me in this union in the first place, so I am going to free you of that burden."

"You will do no such thing! These people have already been together for a long time. They have intermarried! Do you know how many families your decision will tear apart? Don't be rash, Alora. Do not let your grief get the better of you!" He growled. "I also lost a daughter and Becky of you, I am on the verge of losing another child! Haven't you done enough damage already?"

I looked at him in disbelief. The nerve of him to try to turn the tables against me.

"Lila was my daughter! Mine! You were never a father to her! It is because of you she was torn to pieces by wild animals!" I retorted, tears streaming down my cheeks. "I am going to leave with my people. As for those who have intermarried, it is their decision to stay or leave with their families, not yours!"

"You are really forcing my hand, Alora. I am trying to be considerate because of our daughter!" He seethed.

"Spare me that! You never did anything for her when she was alive so don't pretend to care for her now, she is dead!" I fired.

He was taken aback by my words.

"Very well then, since you want it this way, I will have to arrest you for the attempted murder of a royal blood!" He said coldly.

"What?" I staggered back.

"You heard me, Alora. I do not wish to humiliate you. You either leave quietly, or I banish you and trust me, the people wouldn't question my decision," he said.

It was clear to me now. This was no longer the man I had fallen in love with.

"So I get banished for beating up your pregnant mistress but you get away unscathed after sending our daughter to the forest to be devoured by animals?" I scoffed with a bitter laugh. "It's fine, I will leave."

I grabbed my already packed bag.

"But he rest assured that I will never forgive you for this. I will come back for you and that sleeky little whore of yours!"

That was how I came about wandering in the very forest where my daughter was brutally torn apart.

Night soon fell and I was barely halfway through the forest. I didn't even know if there was anything out there for me.

I had no idea where I was going and my stomach began to grumble. I haven't eaten anything in days. It was just alcohol.

Now I wished my impulsive self had thought to grab some food.

It didn't take long for me to hear the snapping of twigs and rustling of bushes. Someone was coming.

There was hardly anything to use as a defence, but I grabbed a random stick just in case.

I didn't know what I was expecting but it was certainly not the giant-sized wolf before me.

Its head was bigger than a regular wolf and it was definitely twice our size.

When those fierce amber orbs met mine, my blood ran cold. I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me to run and just as expected, it chased me.

I barely had the chance to shift before it slammed into me. I hit the ground with a thud and let out a groan.

I let out my claws and slashed it across the face as it got closer to me. A sharp groan escaped it and it smacked me across the face, causing me to fall unconscious in a matter of seconds.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a cage with chains on my wrists.

My head was banging with a migraine from the hit last night.

"The trespasser is awake, Your Highness," someone informed, and I forced my eyes open.

I was surrounded by able-bodied men eying me like I was some sort of criminal.

I pushed myself off the floor and struggled to stand.

"Who are you?" I demanded. "Why am I in chains?"

"Because you trespassed and violently attacked our Alpha!"

What?