The Luna Sacrifice

1. The Beginning

King Red, the supreme ruler of the human and werewolf realm stood by his window in his room waiting for the arrival of his beta, Angel.

He stared out the large window, looking pass the drapes and towards the bright sky but his blue orbs were not focused on the scene in front of him. The beautiful backdrop of the sun and the moon caressing one another up in the sky was a sight his mind refused to register today. He was in a dilemma.

His kingdom was going to be in ruins if he didn't sacrifice his Luna.

Sacrificing the Luna to save the kingdom sounded easy but the problem was he didn't have a Luna yet and the one who held his heart could not be sacrificed. He couldn't bring himself to do that. Never.

"Red?"

Red turned around to the high pitched voice of Angel Castle, his beta and lover.

At first he had found her voice quite edgy but the more time he spent with her, it became a sound his heart yearned for. Angel's fierce personality was what made him drawn to her and he knew he would spend the rest of his life running after her perfect body. Red craved for her so much so that he had to get her and he did. Now that they were planning a future together, the shadow witches struck. They were killing the moon and only a Luna could save it.

Everything was too frustrating.

"Angel, have you gotten any leads?" He asked her as she drew closer.

"Araphat should be fired, the man is too old for the job! What sort of an oracle is he!?" She snapped causing the fire in her voice to wake up the monster between his pants. This was what Angel did to him but he had to push that aside for now.

"He didn't help?" Red asked. He wasn't surprised that Araphat had refused to help them. The man was known to do things the way he saw fit without any care in the world.

"No, he refused to say what the outcome would be... Something about the goddess knowing what was best for the kingdom! Bullshit!"

Red walked the remaining distance between them and stopped right in front of her. He raised his hand to her dirty blonde hair and brushed off the sand in it.

"Araphat is an oracle of the goddess, you don't expect him to tell you the future, do you?"

Angel folded her arms across her large chest and frowned. "I just want us to be certain that the decision we are about to take is the right one. I don't want to die!"

Red placed his finger tenderly between her lips, cutting her words off. "Angel," Red called huskily, "I already told you, I will never sacrifice you no matter what Estella and her shadow witches throw at us. I love you too much to sacrifice you, Angel. Plus you are my beta. If I sacrifice you, what happens to my pack?"

"But what about the moon? If you don't sacrifice me, the moon will die and we will all be powerless before Estella!" Angel cried out in frustration.

"I will not claim you as my Luna," Red said and the entire world went silent. It was like every living thing was listening to them and the moment he made that declaration, they stopped breathing.

The frown on Angel's face got deeper and she bored her hazel eyes into the blue of his. She saw that they were no longer just blue, his eyes now had red streaks that ran fiercely around it showing the extent of his frustration as well.

Angel brought her hands to his face. The moment their skin touched, she felt him relax a bit. The frustration he was feeling dropped to a start up level.

"I proposed that to Araphat, but he didn't say what the outcome will be. I am scared..." Angel whispered to him. She had heard so many stories as a child. The goddess worked in so many ways. What if something went wrong?

Red circled his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "What are you worried about? We will just have to do a little acting and when the time comes we will save the kingdom." He brought his face down to hers and their noses met in a warm embrace.

"I'll go to the farthest of villages and pick the worst girl I can find. I will claim her as the Luna and Araphat can sacrifice her when he wants..." Red told her.

The plan just came to his mind as they spoke. He would go to the smallest village, possibly a human settlement and get a bride there. As soon as he was done, he would take her to Araphat and they could fortify the moon and end the reign of the shadow witches once and for all.

"The only problem now is that, I don't know if any girl will accept to sacrifice herself without an explanation..." Red trailed off. This was the only thing stopping him to execute his plan. He wouldn't want to use someone without their consent. He would have to tell her, whoever he ended up picking.

"Maybe we should announce it openly, perhaps people will even volunteer." He thought out loud.

"No!" Angel screamed raising his face so she could look into his eyes. "We can't do that. No one would want to sacrifice themselves for the kingdom! You can't tell them exactly what is going on, besides we don't want the shadow witches to know that we are on to them. It has to remain a secret between you and I," Angel said.

"But won't that be considered cruel?" Red wasn't a dictator. He was patient and kind to his people both werewolves and humans alike. He couldn't bring himself to bring someone's daughter to a thing she would not ordinarily do. There had to be another way.

Angel brought her hands down to his upper arm and pulled him to the bed. She sat him down and turned his face to her once again.

"Red, we need to do this for us. Humans are very selfish creatures. They will want a werewolf to do it forgetting that our kind risk their lives everyday protecting them from the shadow witches. It is time for them to pay back... But we don't have to tell them all of this. You need to act like you want the girl too... This way, even the shadow witches won't understand what we are up to. Her people will be the one begging you to sacrifice her... You will be the hero."

Red stayed quiet as he thought through what she had said. In a way, she was right. He couldn't make it public. This was the only way.

"Okay, I'll do that," he replied. He would have to bring in someone the people would be happy to do away with.

"Thank you, my king. You will be saving my life by doing this," she scooted closer into him and hugged him. Her heart was starting to beat normally now that Red had accepted to handle the situation, things were finally going to be normal.

"There is one more thing," Red said. Angel moved her head away from his shoulder so she could look into his eyes.

"What is it?"

"If we are going to keep the whole sacrifice thing a secret then we have to keep 'us' a secret too..." He whispered. His eyes reflected his pain and Angel swallowed hard. In this instance, they had no choice. If she couldn't sacrifice her life, she could at least pend her love for a few weeks... Or months, no one but Araphat knew exactly when it would be the right time to make the sacrifice. "We can't let people know that it's you I want. We have to stay apart in public."

"That won't be a problem." Angel shrugged.

Red hugged her once again. This was all he wanted in a woman. She gave what she could and that was enough for him. He pulled her even closer, enjoying the feeling their body contact brought to his cold soul.

Angel started placing tiny kisses on his shoulder and he smiled. Her kisses created a sensation that the monster in his pants couldn't ignore. If she continued with it, his wolf was going to take over. She draped her hands around his neck and kissed his ears erupting sparks in his toes and up his shaft. But Red held back.

Angel felt the resistance coming from Red and she looked into his eyes. "I might not have the chance to have you to myself for a long time, why don't we make use of this opportunity?" She whispered into his ear and Red's wolf flashed in his eyes.

The red streaks appeared even deeper making his eyes turn a sort of violet color as lust moved within him. He nozzled his nose on her neck and she shivered in his arms.

"Be careful what you wish for Angel," he said against the skin behind her ear.

Angel chuckled and turned her head so that she was looking into his eyes. "I wish to be fucked."

Red's cock became stiff in a second as it obeyed the command from Angel's lips. His wolf took control and he growled pushing her unto the bed.

"As you wish..." He growled lustfully.

Her mouth crashed on his lips and he groaned as melting into her. He crawled above her, placing kisses along her neck down to her cleavage. He started unbuttoning her shirt and Angel shook her head.

"Too slow," she mumbled, as she tore the shirt opened herself. Her large breasts flashed in front of Red's eyes and the wolf in him wasted no time to get the nipples into his mouth. He sucked and pulled while still resisting the maddening pull in his pants.

With Angel he didn't need to do a lot of foreplay even if he would have loved to. She was always in the need. He eased her legs from around him and took off her combat pants. The sight in front of him was enough to take him to the moon and back.

"Damn..." He moaned. Angel never had panties on whenever she came to him. She was always ready.

"Your turn," she said wiggling her brows in expectation.

Red got on his knees and took off his pants as fast as he could, releasing his pride to her eyes. Angel smiled and pulled him back to her level on the bed.

"Your size is what I'd kill for," she whispered in a way that made her voice feel like music to his ears.

His already huge member enlarged even further as he hovered above her, placing himself at her entrance.

Angel's eyes twinkled in pleasure as Red teased her entrance, pumping the head of his member around her feminine part. She held the edge of the bed in anticipation and Red knew she was ready. With one swift move, he pushed into her.

"Fuck!" She cried out in pleasure as she held on to his massive shoulders.

He was so large, yet she wanted more. She moved her waist around, searching for the right angle. Red rolled inside her and she hissed at the intensity it created.

"Faster!" She moaned.

Red held her hands captive under his and braced himself as he smashed into her thrust after thrust. He found the right spot and started hitting into her with the force of an alpha... Just the way she liked it.

"Yes!" She screamed in pleasure enjoying the cheer force of a man ramming into her.

This had always been a dream for hers. She wanted power in every aspect of her life and Red was a straight ticket to what she wanted Fame and Glory.

No body was going to take that away from her. Not a mere human, and not a single wolf in the sands. Not even Estella the Shadow Witch.

"Belle! I need more herbs!" Elizabeth yelled from the kitchen.

"Aunt, I am right here. You don't need to yell," Belle told her aunt calmly. She was standing by the door watching her aunt try out another one of her recipes.

"Oh this child!" Elizabeth held her chest. "You are going to give me a heart attack one of these days, I didn't know you were right here!" She cried out with her hands still on her chest protectively.

Belle smiled at her lovingly. "You will not get any attack. I'll fight any witch I see around the house all on my own!"

"Ah, I don't need you to do that." Her aunt said with a chuckle. "Right now, I need you to run to the market and get me more of this herb before it gets dark."

Belle peeked over her aunt's shoulders so she could see the herb she spoke off. "Aunt what are you using these for?" She asked crunching her nose upward. The herbs were long and pointy like the kind that only grew in the most dangerous of places.

"Ah, Belle! Do not ask me questions. Just go out there and get more for me!" She placed a few coins in Belle's hands and gave her a little shove out of the kitchen.

"Fine, I am going. But you must tell me what you are trying to make here! We don't want the house collapsing from the horror!" Belle grinned.

"Belle!" Her aunt called with a low tone she recognized as a warning.

Belle made a quick dash to her room and picked up a large shawl which she used to cover herself up from her head, down to her neck. As she passed her dressing table, she made sure not to stare at the mirror for she didn't want to be reminded of what she looked like.

"Belle haven't you gone yet?" Her aunt called again from the kitchen and Belle quickened her steps out of the house without a reply.

If Belle replied her, the older woman would leave the kitchen and come out to see what had delayed her niece and when she would see the shawl around Belle's face, she would be disappointed. She never liked it when Belle covered herself up like this but what could poor Belle do? The whole village laughed at her and she had to face it all alone. The shawl was her only companion, it made things easier.

Taking a deep breath, she made her way out of the safety of her aunt's house to the village market where she would be getting the herbs.

Belle felt the stares burrowing into her back as she made her way around the stalls. But she was used to all of that right now, it didn't matter. She was ugly, she knew this and she didn't need anymore reminders.

"Good morning Belle, what do you want?" The vegetable seller asked her as soon as she stepped into the stall.

"This herb please," Belle whispered in a low voice as she pointed at the herbs her aunt had asked for. Whenever she was in public, she tried to attract as little attention as possible.

"That'll be four cents," the seller said and Belle passed the coins in her pocket to the woman.

"Just a minute," she added as she placed the herbs in a plastic bag.

Belle allowed her eyes to wonder around the shops as she waited for the woman to finish packing up her herbs, something caught her attention.

"Did you hear that King Red is coming to our village?" One of the girl's standing in the next stall said.

King Red was coming to their little village, for what? Belle wondered as she unconsciously stepped closer to them. Forgetting to stay hidden as per her usual plan.

"Oh my God! What is he coming here for?" Another asked.

Belle knew the three girls, but their names never stayed in her head because they were always mean to her. She knew she shouldn't be standing this close to them, but curiosity they say kills the cat. In this case, she was the cat and her death was near.

"Well, my dad says he is coming to get a bride for himself. It's about time he gave us a Luna you know," the first girl replied.

"Oh, I wish he picks me. Living in the capital city with all those golds is going to be wonderful!" The chief's daughter said dreamily and her had similar looks on their faces.

Belle smiled at the girl's wishes. She had similar wishes too but she dared not dream for someone as important as the King of all wolves. A simple farmer or hunter would be enough. It would make her aunt so excited to see her niece married some day but deep down, Belle knew all of that were just wishes and nothing more. No one would want to marry someone like her.

"Look who is here girls..." The taunting voice of the chief's daughter brought Belle out of her thoughts.

They had noticed the cat and now she was about to die...

Belle blinked hard and tried to move back to the first stall so she could pick up her herbs and be on her way, but the girls blocked her path.

"Where do you think you are going?" The chief's daughter spoke first.

Belle lowered her head and pulled her shawl even closer to her nose. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to be here," she stuttered as she tried once again to move away from the three girls. They circled around her, preventing her from moving away.

"Oh, but you are here already, rotten egg!" The chief's daughter retorted and her friends started laughing.

Belle felt her heart squeeze in pain but refused to cry in front of them. That would make it worst. She held her shawl protectively and tried once again to move away from them but the further she moved, they followed around her. She was surrounded.

The one behind her pulled her shawl and it fell to her shoulders exposing her scar to the world.

"Huh behold, the monster is out to play!" The girl exclaimed and her friends broke into a fit of laughter.

"Please let me go. I don't want any trouble." Belle quickly pulled her shawl back to her face.

This was why she always carried it along with her wherever she went. People laughed at the sight of the accident that had occurred on her face forgetting that she was merely human and had no control over the incident that had left her scarred all these years.

"You ugly little monster! After listening to our conversation you stand there and claim not to want any trouble, do you think we are stupid like you?" The chief's daughter spat.

Belle took a step back in shock. She really didn't mean to cause any trouble. She didn't even know what drew her to their conversation.

"Ugly and stupid!" Her friend hissed.

"I am sorry. I didn't mean any harm..." Belle trailed. "...please just let me go, my aunt must be worried."

"Why should she be worried about the girl who has a lizard on her face? Does it move?" They laughed, poking their fingers on her shoulders.

"Please... Let me go." Belle repeated in a broken voice. She wasn't a weak minded person, she had just faced too much emotional damage that her body couldn't take it anymore.

"I don't know why you try so hard Belle. Why do you even step out of your poor aunt's house?"

"She goes out thinking the trees will love her at least!" The one that had pulled her shawl sneered.

"That's enough Nathalie, let poor Belle be!" The stall owner scolded them. She brought out a tied parcel and handed it to the chief's daughter. "Here, now go home and leave Belle alone!"

Nathalie snatched the parcel from her hands with a roll of her eyes. "Bunch of ugly pricks!" She spat before moving away from the stall. Her friends followed behind her like a pack of minions.

Belle cowered into herself as she waited for them to get far away. Her heart was on the verge of shattering into a million pieces but she was holding unto it tightly. She wouldn't let it break over Nathalie and her friends cruel words. She was stronger than that.

"Belle?"

Belle felt a tap on her shoulders and her eyes flew open in panic. "I didn't do anything!" She cried out.

But as her green eyes settled on the vegetable seller, her racing heart calmed.

"Go home," the woman whispered. She gave Belle a bag filled with the herbs she had come for and sent her to be on her way.

Belle grabbed the bag and nodded gently. She was grateful to the market women for trying to stand up for her. But she couldn't bring her herself to say the words her head was thinking. She had no strength left in her. She hugged the bag to herself and turned around briskly to start her journey home.

Her aunt said it would get easier but it only got harder the more she tried. Ever since she got here as a little girl, no one wanted to be her friend. None of the girls wanted to be close to her the moment they saw the scar on her face.

Belle felt a wetness on her cheeks and passed a hand to clean them off. It wasn't rain or splash of water. It was her tears, cold and painful they dropped breaking apart the heart she tried so hard to protect.

She sniffed them away and moved faster, ignoring the slushing sound her long dress made with the sand. All she needed was to get home and cry away her problems. It wasn't her fault that she got a scar on her face while trying to escape from the fire in her parents house.

"I was only trying to survive!" She said under her breath.

Her heart was slowly cracking up and it wouldn't be long before it broke completely. Was it a crime to try and survive?

Maybe she should have died that night.

Her lips trembled as she fought back the tears. No matter how much she cried, she could never be able to change the fact that she was scarred and ugly. No one could want her. No one could marry her.

The realization made her legs weak and she fell unto the sand underneath her feet. Belle rested her face on her knees and cried herself to comfort. She couldn't go on anymore. She needed a break... Or death.

The tears stopped and all she had left in her was the shudders of her sorrow.

The sound of approaching hoofs made Belle raise her head to the sky once again, the bright combination of the sun and moon shut into her eyes and briskly she turned away from it. The action made her shawl fall and as she swerved to the left to pick it up, she heard the hoofs get even closer.

Her long dark hair had come lose from all her crying and as she turned to see who was in the approaching carriage. Her shawl was long forgotten as she realized it was the royal carriage. It had the emblem of the werewolves on it.

Who was this person?

The carriage got closer and she was frozen in place. Her green eyes were unable to move away from the approaching vehicle. The white horses reduced their speed to a slow strut as they got closer to her. The carriage window opened and deep blue eyes stared back at her.

Belle felt a pull in her heart as she looked into the blue eyes that observed her. Her long hair was draped over her face and most of her features were covered. Her green eyes brightened as she looked into his. They looked blue at first but the longer she stared into them, she saw streaks of red begin to expand in his iris.

Time seemed to stop and it felt like it was just her and the strange man on that path. The horses disappeared from her view and all she saw was this man, who looked at her like he could see deep into her soul. She wanted to look away but her entire being was pulled into staring at this man that was surely a werewolf.

A lock of his blond hair dropped right above a vein popping on his forehead. He seemed to be having the same struggle she was. He wanted to look away as much as she wanted to. But he couldn't.

The wind blew pass Belle, taking with it the magical yet strange moment she had just shared with the beautiful stranger. Just like in a movie, it was gone. The carriage moved away and she was left on the ground staring at it till it disappeared from her view.

Who was that? She wondered as she finally got the courage to get up.

She was sure it was a werewolf and a royal one, the color of his hair was enough evidence that he was a werewolf and the carriage showed that he was a top ranked one at that.

"Could it be the King?" She thought out loud but then shook her head. Why would the king stare at her like that?

He wouldn't, right?

King Red couldn't get the image of the green eyed maiden out of his head. The way her black hair flowed around her face, he couldn't help himself. He was drawn to her without even trying. A strong force had made him stop the carriage as they locked eyes.

As the carriage moved closer to the village chief's house, he clenched his teeth to keep from turning around to catch just one more glimpse of her.

But as much as his body fought it, his wolf wanted it. For some unexplainable reason. It wanted to keep looking at her. Her green eyes told a story he couldn't ignore. She looked so fragile and all his wolf wanted to do was hold her in his arms till she could at least smile.

What would she look like if she smiled?

"What am I thinking?" He hissed as he shook his head to drive thoughts of the mysterious maiden away from it.

He shouldn't be thinking about any other person but Angel. Only she deserved to be cared for and loved by him. He should think of her and only her.

King Red forced his mind to return to the plan in had to execute. The sooner they got to the chief's house the earlier it all ended.

"How far are we from the chief's house?" He asked sternly.

The coachman watched him from the corner of his eyes afraid to turn completely around so as not to raise the Alpha's wrath upon himself. "Just a few more meters my king," he said in a gruff voice.

"Make it faster!" Red growled at the man and decided to fix his eyes to the carriage floor instead. That would be much better. Looking out the carriage was torture for those green eyes were the only thing he saw.

He hissed in frustration as his wolf wasn't making it easy for him. It kept fooling around his head wanting to be let out.

Why did he even pick this village? He asked himself.

He should have gone to a different village. Only one day, and he was already regretting everything. He would have to find a bride as soon as possible and get the hell out of the place before he lost his mind.

His veins popped up on his body as he tried to lock out the images of those alluring green eyes out of his brain. He was so into it that he didn't realise they had gotten to the place until the coachman tapped his window gently.

"My king, we are here," the man said in his usual gruff tone.

Red raised his head to the window and acknowledged the man with a nod. "Go inside and check if Lucas is here already."

The coachman lowered his head in a bow and moved away from the window towards the house in front of them where the rest of the convoy must have reached.

To avoid attention and suspicion, King Red had moved by himself in the carriage. His guards were stationed ahead and behind, following with a few kilometres apart. Going at the same time, would have triggered Estella's interest and Araphat had warned against that.

Lucas, the captain of his guards and confidant, had been against it but Red had insisted that it had to be done. Here he was in a small village waiting to get a girl he could sacrifice to save their world. Red looked out the window, watching as the coachman walked towards the house.

The place was larger than all the houses they had passed in the village. The chief was a human, one of the few chiefs to be a human in Red's kingdom. The blue flag of the sand wolves stood tall by the side entrance and Red felt proud of himself. He had created a peaceful place for everyone, both humans and wolves. Estella would have to be stopped one way or another. As much as he loved Angel, he loved his subjects too.

He got down from the carriage and started walking towards the house by himself. He knew at the back of his mind that Lucas would surely scream if he saw him walking around like this without protection but he was an Alpha. He could protect himself.

King Red got to the large doors in front of him and was greeted with the boots of the men lined around the inner walls of the building. Red saw the coachman approach one of them and he bowed respectfully. The coachman was a lower wolf that hadn't mastered the act of manipulating the sand, so he had to show respect to the soldiers that could do it.

"My king wants to know if his captain is here already," he said to the guard.

The man looked down at him and raised his head to give a reply but his eyes met with Red's one and he took a step forward in loyalty. "My King," he said, placing a strong arm to his chest in a low thud. The action caught the attention of the other soldiers and the sound of their fists hitting their chest resonated in the building.

"My King," they chorused.

Red placed his hand behind him and watched the one who the coachman had addressed.

The soldier took another step and bowed. "Captain Lucas is in the inner room my King," he said.

"Good. Lead the way," Red said.

The soldier turned around at once and started walking down the line of soldiers to the inner chamber of the chief's house. They walked pass another line of soldiers till they got into the house. The chief of the small village had already arranged a large table filled with variety of dishes. The man was dressed in a long blue robe and he was in a conversation with a tall bulky man with badly dyed hair that reached the nape of his neck. The roots were blonde like the rest of the wolves in the kingdom but the ends were dyed in patches of red.

The coachman stayed behind Red as the soldier walked to where the bulky man stood and whispered into his ears.

"My lord, the king is here."

The man stopped talking to the chief and turned to the entrance. As his eyes settled on Red, he frowned. "Why didn't you wait in the carriage?"

The chief saw the King and he quickly went down on his knee in greeting. "Long live the king of kings! My village is happy to welcome you," the man sang.

"Happy to be here too," Red responded intentionally ignoring Lucas's stares. "Have you sent the invitations?" Red asked instead.

A look of confusion appeared on the chief's face and he turned to Lucas for help. "We were supposed to call them today?" The man asked.

Lucas clicked his tongue in frustration. He knew fully well what Red was trying to do and he couldn't say anything for they were in the presence of a lot of people. But two could play the game too.

"Edgar don't worry about this. Go handle the preparations for the ceremony, I will explain everything to the king. He must be tired," Lucas told the chief.

Chief Edgar looked at Red and then back to Lucas, he took a large gulp and decided to do as the captain had told him. Werewolves were strange creatures, he didn't want to be caught between their bickering. He took another bow and left the room.

"My King, you must be tired, let me show you to your room." Lucas bowed dramatically and motioned his hand ahead of him.

Red narrowed his eyes at the large man but kept his silence. He wanted the ceremony to be done the same day so they could return to the city at once. But once again, Lucas had managed to do things his way.

Reluctantly, he followed the direction Lucas was showing him and it led to a corridor. Lucas was behind him but he didn't say a word because about ten soldiers were behind them as they moved.

"We have tightened the security around the village. Everything should go on smoothly tomorrow," Lucas said emphasizing on the last word.

"Sometimes you forget that I am an alpha and I don't need so much security," Red muttered under his breath as they moved forward.

"The water bodies are closer to these village than any other. I didn't want to take any chances with the witches," Lucas countered. "We need you to be strong my King."

Finally they reached his designated room and Lucas proceeded to open the door. Red stepped in first. The room wasn't as large as the one in his palace but it was enough for the night. The door closed behind him and he turned around to glare at Lucas. They were finally alone, he could speak freely.

"Why didn't you send the invitations today?" Red growled.

Lucas slapped a hand to his face. "Red come on, I told you. We can't go back today. It isn't possible!" He cried out.

"But I want to return today! How long will it take for the maidens to get ready? All I need is one!" Red said. He really didn't see the need for so much preparations. He was just going to pick one and return to the city. No big deal.

"That's where you are wrong," Lucas said dropping his hand to his waist. "You want this whole thing to appear as real as possible. I am only trying to help here. We need to let the maidens prepare themselves!"

"And then what?" Red retorted.

"You know, we wouldn't be in this hurdle if Angel had just accepted to do it!" Lucas said and Red's eyes morphed into a dangerous violet at the instant.

"Don't you dare!" He growled.

Lucas raised his hand in defence. "I am just saying the obvious truth! Don't you think the goddess knows you are trying to cheat? This is cheating Red! And you are not this person!"

"Lucas! You are crossing the lines!" Red said through gritted teeth.

Lucas fisted his hands and moved closer to Red. "I am the only one who has the balls to tell you the truth. We all know you are in love with Angel. By all rights she should be the Luna. She should be the one to be sacrificed!"

"Lucas!" Red roared and the room shook violently. The few specs of sand in the room rose to a level above the bed and Lucas knew he had truly gone too far. Red was unconsciously wielding the sands.

Lucas held his tongue and took a step back. He knew he was riling Red up but he couldn't sit back and watch his friend and king, make such a decision. He had to at least try. Angel was being selfish and somebody had to tell him this.

"Red?"

"Get out!" Red growled and Lucas moved to the door.

"If you were the one to be sacrificed, I know you wouldn't have requested for a fake," Lucas whispered before walking out of the room.

The words resonated in Red's head. It was true that he wouldn't have hesitated to sacrifice himself for the safety of the kingdom but he couldn't ask for the same from Angel. She had a right to live like everyone else. He couldn't force the decision on her.

Besides, if she died, what would become of him?

He had to go on with the plan. He had to find someone that would sacrifice her life for the kingdom and just as Angel had said, they couldn't tell this girl the truth. It would have to be a secret. When Angel had initially proposed it, he had refused for he felt he would be cheating an innocent girl but keeping it a secret was not also going to hurt anybody.

Kill one to save many, that was the plan.