The Luna's broken daughter

Talia Grey.

This was bad; this was very bad.

It was so complicated too. Not to mention that it would put Alpha Kael Fang in a tight spot. Alpha Kael was a rigid man, but the Moonfang clan would not deny the fact that he was a good leader. Surely, he would know what to do.

I dashed off as fast as my feet could carry me. Alpha Kael was the only one I trusted to make the best decision at this moment.

I moved so fast my eyes blurred, and my senses were too blunt to recognize the presence of a powerful wolf, but I ran into Luna Selene Fang.

"Why are you in so much of a hurry, Talia?" As usual, Luna Selene's voice was cold. I feared this woman, so my fingers began to shake automatically. My tongue felt numb. "Answer me, slave girl!" She snapped. Luna Selene was a very tall woman; unfortunately, her patience was not directly proportional to her height.

My lips trembled; my intuition told me to be quiet, to lie, to get out of her presence, but fear ruled with a stronger hand. "I found it," I breathed.

For several weeks now, the Alpha had been searching for his amulet. The amulet held so much power, and without it, he was almost raw and exposed. It was a powerful piece that had been passed down through generations of Alphas, too. It kept our village safe; its sacredness was the only reason for our peaceful living. And now, I had found it.

"Where? Where did you find it?" she asked, her eyes glowing with curiosity.

This was the hard part. "Jade's old trunk." My heart slammed against my ribcage as I said the words. This was bad. Because Jade was Luna Selene's first daughter. Luna Selene had only one child with the Alpha, Jared. She had brought Jade into the marriage. Nevertheless, the Alpha was kind enough to treat both children like they were his.

"I do not believe you!" the Luna snapped. "Take me to it!"

I obeyed immediately. Who was I not to? I had been a slave to the Alpha since I was 10, and now I was 19. I remembered nothing of who I was before I got here, but I remembered my first day in this house like it was a book I read yesterday. I discovered only when I was 15 that my previous memories had been erased because I wouldn't stop trying to run away.

"How did you find it?" Luna Selene snarled when we opened the box. Jade's trunk wasn't something I got to open on any random day, but today I could swear I had heard something call out to me from inside the box. It had called me by my name. Talia. But there were too many strange things inside the box, and I could not figure out what did it, and then the amulet caught my eye.

Luna Selene would not believe the truth. So I lied. "I wanted to clean it. It seemed too dusty."

She seemed to buy that, so she nodded her head and sighed. She looked disturbed, but I knew why. Just the day before, the Alpha had announced a death sentence for whosoever had stolen the amulet. When found, the person would be given thirty lashes for thirty days and would be killed if he did not die before the thirty days were over. It was a threat he made in a state of emergency; we had a festival by the weekend, and he needed the amulet for it.

To my surprise, Luna Selene's voice became calm and slightly warm. "Thank you so much for telling me about this, Talia; you do not know how grateful I am. I'll make sure to reward you. Who knows, maybe your days of being a slave will finally come to an end. Come here." She pulled me in for a very quick hug. "Now go back to the servant quarters and let me handle this. You will not tell a soul about what this is. Promise me." She pushed me. Her iciness was coming back to the surface.

I answered with trembling lips, "I promise."

"Good. Now leave," she ordered, but just as I turned, she pulled me back and draped her coat over me. "Here, take this; it's cold outside. Don't bother to return it. You deserve it."

It was the first gift she had given me in all my 19 years of working my ass off in this house. My heart wanted to burst. I fell to my knees in reverence of her as Luna. "Thank you, Luna."

She snorted but said nothing. I knew what she meant; such actions were meaningless from a werewolf without a wolf. I pushed the thought out of my mind; I would not let it ruin my mood.

The coat was warm against my shoulders. I had not gotten any new clothes since I was 16, and now the clothes I had were small and tight. It was still easy to wear because I had a small body. There was no extra nutrient to aid my growth when I worked my ass off for every meal I ate. We slaves ate twice each day, and it was always the survival of the fittest. I went a whole day sometimes without eating because I had no strength to fight for food. I had no wolf. Even kids younger than me would beat me to a pulp if I dared to challenge them.

I gathered the coat around my neck as I lay in a corner at the female servants' quarters. I wondered how the Luna intended to tell the Alpha that her daughter had stolen the amulet.

But an hour had barely passed by when I heard commotion outside; the door was kicked open before I made it to it, and it fell directly against my head, and my body slid to the floor as pain enveloped my head.

My world seemed to stop revolving when a guard pointed at me. "Seize the thief!"

Talia's POV

I had no tears to cry anymore. Literally.

I had cried for days and begged and begged, but the Luna would not confess the truth; they said I did it. I stole it. I wanted to use it to regain my memories and run away. I was an ungrateful slave. I was the wolfless little dog they had taken in and taken care of but now stabbed them in the back.

For three days I had been tortured to confess the truth; Luna Selene had ordered her men to scar a different part of me until I was ready to confess my sins.

"I did not take it. I swear." I had cried over and over, but now I was covered in my own sweat and my own blood. The Alpha had also refused to see me.

"How do you expect him to when you betrayed him?"

Jade had come to see me. This was the wicked thing she did with her mom; they pretended like I was the real thief.

The amulet had been found in Luna's coat, which she had given me, and she also denied having given me the coat. Apparently, I had stolen that as well. Luna Selene pretended like the scene at Jade's room never happened. I was alone with no one on my side.

"The Alpha was nice to you, you know. Nicer than he was to me." Jade continued. That was a lie, but I was too weak to argue. "Anyways, next time, you'll know better than to go snooping around."

Her words zapped my brain awake.

There was something pain did to someone's psychology. I was so close to believing they were right. I was a thief. I did this. But her words reminded me of the truth. I had found the amulet in Jade's trunk.

But of what use was that knowledge? No one was willing to listen to me or believe me.

I did not even know my fate. I could be killed tomorrow. Or next. The countdown to my death had begun.

"I know you did not do it." It was Jared.

Jared was an ass. But because all hope was lost, I would take help from scraps.

"Please, please, I beg you with everything you hold dear, please talk to the Alpha on my behalf. Please. I beg you." I pleaded even when I knew it would fall on deaf ears.

"I would have accepted that plea, but you and I know there is nothing on this earth I hold dear or value." He said the words while staring at his pedicured nail like he was bored of speaking already.

I could not stop the tears that were gathering on my face again. What did I do to deserve this? Never for once had I thought my end would be like this. I had thought I'd be a slave till I died, but it had never occurred, even in my nightmares, that I could be slaughtered for treason.

"But." Jared continued; he now lifted his eyes to meet mine. I held his eyes through my teary ones. "We both know there is something I've always wanted. From you." His eyes raked over my body in that demeaning manner he was fond of, one I always ignored even when he began voicing his advances. I opened my mouth to turn him down on reflex, but he held a finger to shut me up. Being locked up must have begun to break me because not only did I shut my mouth, I also held my breath.

"I know who stole the amulet. I know where she hid it. I know why my dad couldn't feel it even when it was under the same roof he slept in every day. I even know where it is right now. I have everything, every single detail to prove your innocence." Jared said the words with pride and power; he knew he now held my life in his hands.

"Why should I believe that you would betray your own sister? What of Luna?" I asked. Jared was not stupid, but neither was I.

"Well, everyone knows one of us will inherit the Alpha title from my dad. There was a time in history that I would not have to worry about Jade being my opposition because she's a woman, but that time is gone; power has begun to equalize even in gender. That Jade would hide that amulet is a sign she wants to overthrow my position as heir. I will not let that happen, and we both know my mom can ease herself out of anything." He shrugged as he said the last sentence. I agreed with him on that.

"You just have to prove yourself useful to me. And I'll save you." He gloated, his green eyes glittered like real emeralds were in them, and his voice went low and dark. "I'm your only option, Tally. I won't ask you again."

My whole body tore in conflict. Death, death was so close I could feel it. The walls of the prison were closing around me, and I felt like I would suffocate; I was choking on breath.

I wanted to live. I did not want to die without knowing who I was

Talia's POV.

No one spared me a glance tonight, and I was grateful for it.

The people were excited; the festival would begin in mere minutes. Guests had been trooping in since the day before. The atmosphere was filled with joy, and the night sky with fireworks.

I might have appreciated the beauty if I wasn't in chains. I might have appreciated the colors if I did not hate my own body.

All my senses were now torture to me; my eyes could no longer see color from all the crying, and my ears would not stop hearing Jade's vile voice: "I heard you let Jared do it with you on the prison floors." The stench of Jared's smell would not leave my nose, and it was reliving the moment over and over. I wanted to tear my skin off because I could still feel his hands on me.

Today might be my last day, and I could not be more grateful. I thought I did not want to die, but now there was nothing I wanted more than to leave this world.

"Talia." The voice was gentle. It was a voice I had begged to hear, one I had pleaded to listen to me.

"Alpha Kael!" I breathed. I fell on my face out of habit.

"It's alright. You can look me in the eye this last time." He spoke gently. "I could not let today pass without doing this. I want to apologize to you. You have lived in my household and eaten my food-"

"I did not steal the amulet. I swear. I can never betray you." I pleaded.

"I know. I know you did not do it. Jade did. I know. They made a few mistakes while trying to cover up their tracks. I would not be Alpha if I could not see through such tricks."

I opened my mouth, but no words would escape. I tried to make meaning of the words he had spoken. "Why am I still in chains?" I wanted to say more. Why was I on open display to be mocked by all who came for the festival? Why was the knife being sharpened for my execution?

"I cannot sentence my daughter to death, Talia. I cannot do that to Selene." The Alpha was pleased.

I watched as people passed by without acknowledging the Alpha, and I figured that he had masked himself in their eyes. Power was mind-blowing. "So I have to die in her place?" I thought I was broken; now I felt myself shatter.

"Maybe this is why you came here; maybe this is destiny's plan. What if this is your fate?"

My fate was to die in place of someone else, to save a marriage, to die unjustly?

Fuck Fate.

"Accept your fate, Talia. Maybe it'll be good to you in your next life." And then he was gone with the wind.

My whole body was numb. I fell to the ground and closed my eyes. I welcomed the death that was already on its way.

Music and dance came before death. It was hard to keep my eyes closed.

The villagers danced around the tree I was tied to and even beyond; it had been very long since a party this big was thrown. Many people stared at me as they passed, and I could tell they were visitors. My life was old news to the indigene; my story had lost its savor.

I must have been the last to see them.

What I noticed first was how people parted like they had been blown by the wind; I heard the horses even before I saw them. Majestic, like nothing I had seen before. From their mane to their tail spoke of power. Horsepower. But nothing spoke majesty better than the two men that rode the horses.

It was hard to see them from the floor where I lay, but their bodies filled their clothes like they were made for them, and they rode like they were one with the horses. I would have thought them to be brothers because of their similar build, but something told me they were not.

I could not observe more of them because one turned to me, and I looked away before our eyes could meet. Then both passed my spot without giving me a second glance. They must have heard of my treason.

I closed my eyes again. This time, I let my senses travel away from my current location.

My consciousness came back when I felt my chain being pulled. My eyes fluttered open to see a crowd had gathered around me.

"Moonfang has always been a pack known to be kind and helpful. We take care of each other and assist neighboring tribes when we can; we host parties and invite all from far and near." It was Alpha Kael that spoke; his voice echoed throughout the village, and he needed no amplifier. "But some have thought us to be weak and lazy. Then they think they can get away with something as heavy as treason." His voice was filled with bile and hate; this was the ruthless Alpha. Fear ran away from me; I could not wait to take my last breath. "The clan wants to set this as an example to all. Call the Whipper!"

I knew the Whipper. He was a big man; he assisted the Alpha in delivering all kinds of punishments, down to executions. The Alpha killed with the Whipper's hands.

"Why do you need such a big man to whip such a tiny girl?" The voice echoed disgust. It came from within the crowd. Again, the people parted to reveal the men. It was the one with the hair of the sunset that spoke.

"I don't think punishing a little girl will pass the message you're trying to convey." The one with hair as dark as midnight spoke.

"Do not be deceived by her stature. The girl has committed treason, something greater men dare not do." The Alpha tried to explain.

The Whipper wasn't interested in the conversations; he tried to pull me so he could tie me to the tree.

It was then fear returned. I tried to flee his grip, but his hands had caught my shirt. I heard it rip. Totally. From behind.

I was bare. I wore nothing underneath.