When The Moon Remembers

Chapter 2: The Night I Failed

Elowen

From where I stood, I could see Mother and Father — three seats away from the Lycans. One seat sat empty, draped in royal blue and silver. It was meant for the cursed prince. The one who never came.

But I had seen him… hadn’t I? Those silver eyes still burned in my mind.

A sudden howl shattered my thoughts.

A young grey wolf stood at the center, his fur shimmering under the moonlight streaming through the high windows. His head was thrown back, his cry wild and triumphant.

The crowd cheered, the King lifting his goblet in toast.

Mother’s eyes found mine. She smiled — the kind of smile that held pride and expectation all at once.

Serenya, as usual, wasn’t watching the stage. Her attention was locked elsewhere, her lips curving in slow, deliberate smiles meant only for one of the Lycans.

Father and Aedric were deep in discussion, their heads tilted together as though nothing else mattered.

One after another, they transformed.

I watched clothes rip apart under the strain of growing muscles, watched fur burst from skin, watched eyes blaze in unnatural colors. The cheering grew louder with each wolf that took shape.

And then there was only one more before me.

My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears. This could be it — my moment. Maybe I’d be a red wolf. Rare. Revered. The Moon Goddess’s blessing made flesh.

The boy before me gasped as his spine arched, black fur sweeping across his skin. His howl rolled through the hall like thunder. The crowd roared, stamping feet and raising voices until the air vibrated.

Then it was my turn.

My feet felt heavier than the gown as I stepped into the center. The seer’s voice rose above the noise, chanting in a language older than the kingdom itself, her arms lifted to the Moon.

I glanced at Kaelen. He was watching me with a smile that made my stomach twist — not because of nerves, but because I wanted him to be proud of me.

I closed my eyes.

I reached inside myself, searching for the heat, the pull, the animal waiting to break free.

Nothing.

The chanting continued.

Still… nothing.

A murmur rippled through the crowd. I told myself it was in my head. That I needed more time.

I reached deeper. Pushed harder. My lungs burned with the effort of trying to find something that simply… wasn’t there.

The murmurs grew louder.

I opened my eyes. The seer was staring at me like I was a riddle she didn’t want to solve. Mother was on her feet, worry tightening every line of her face. She took a step forward, but Aedric’s hand shot out, gripping her arm. His head shook once. Her lips moved rapidly — arguing — but he didn’t release her.

The seer began again, her voice louder now, urgent.

Still… nothing.

Her arms lowered. Her lips pressed into a thin line before she turned to the King and gave a small, final shake of her head.

The hall exploded.

“She didn’t wolf out!” a voice shouted. “That’s a curse!”

The word sliced through the air.

I froze. My skin prickled. The cheers from earlier had shifted into something colder — whispers, laughter, disgust.

They weren’t just looking at me anymore. They were looking through me. Past me. As though I was already forgotten. Already less.

Even Kaelen’s expression had changed. The smile was gone. In its place was something heavy… something pitying.

And in the middle of that suffocating silence, one thought took root — sharp and strange.

Was this what the cursed lycan felt?

And then I saw it—an angry, transformed omega, eyes burning with bloodlust, forcing its way through the furious crowd toward me. My breath caught in my throat. Aedric still held Mother back, his grip tight as she struggled against him. I could see it now—fear in her eyes, worry etched deep, sorrow softening her features.

Father didn’t move. He stood like stone, expressionless, as though none of this concerned him. He had never truly seen me—not at home, and certainly not now. I was always the shadow among my family’s light… and tonight, the whole realm would know it.

“She should be fed to the prisoners!” an angry voice roared.

A handful of bread struck my shoulder, followed by a splash of wine that soaked the bodice of my gown. More food rained down—sour, wet, humiliating.

I stood frozen, the sting of shame burning hotter than fear. Serenya’s gaze found mine, cold and sharp, like a dagger sliding between ribs. She didn’t speak. She didn’t need to. Her contempt said everything.

Before I knew it, my hands had gathered the heavy skirts of my gown, and my legs carried me forward—away.

I fled past Kaelen. He stepped aside as though I carried the plague, his eyes avoiding mine, his body angled so not even the hem of my gown brushed him.

Tears blurred my vision, spilling hot and fast down my cheeks as I ran. The hallways blurred into shadow, the great torches behind me fading until only the moonlight lit my path.

Moon Goddess… are you there?

I didn’t know where I was going. My slippers scraped stone, then earth, as I tore through the courtyard. The world was a blur of silver and darkness—until the low growl behind me froze my blood.

I turned, breathless.

The same grey omega from the crowd had followed me. Its lips curled back, teeth bared, each step deliberate and slow. My hands shook as I raised them in a useless gesture of defense.

“Please,” I whispered, voice breaking. “Please, don’t hurt me—”

I ran faster, heart pounding in my ears, but the sound of claws against stone closed in behind me.

A sudden, searing rip tore through my gown, fabric splitting as the omega’s claws raked across my back. I stumbled forward, pain lancing through me, before my knees slammed into the cold, unforgiving floor.

Somewhere behind, I could hear my mother’s voice—raw, desperate—pleading for them to stop. Aedric’s voice was louder, colder, yanking her back. And Serenya… Serenya was beside her, watching. Silent. Unmoving.

A chorus of cruel cheers rose from the crowd gathering in the shadows, their voices dripping venom.

Kill her.

She deserves it.

End the curse before it spreads.

The grey wolf stalked toward me, lips curling to reveal teeth like ivory daggers. The hunger in its eyes was almost human, almost gleeful. My breaths came shallow, my body trembling.

I whispered one last prayer to the Moon Goddess as its jaws opened wide—

—and then a sharp yelp shattered the air.

The omega’s body convulsed before it collapsed to the ground beside me, a lifeless heap of fur and shadow.

The crowd gasped, shock rippling through their ranks like a wave.

Slowly, I lifted my gaze.

There he stood.

Tall. Unyielding. Every inch carved from darkness and moonlight. Silver eyes glistened under the pale glow, catching and holding me where I knelt. His features were sharp—beautiful in a way that felt dangerous. Not the twisted, monstrous visage they whispered about in court. No… he was nothing like their ugly stories.

And in that moment, the truth hit me like a blow to the chest.

The cursed prince.