Moonlit Vengeance

Shadows of the Past

The sting of his rejection still burns through my veins, each heartbeat a reminder of a night soaked in both pleasure and brutality. I can’t erase the imprint of his touch or the wicked tangle of our bodies, no matter how hard I’ve tried. Every time I close my eyes, I feel that blend of savage lust and crippling betrayal that nearly destroyed me.

-

I learned the power of a vow in blood on that final night we shared. Memory is a merciless captor, driving me back to the place where it all went wrong, where my future was ripped apart under the weight of Damien Steele’s decision.

The night surges back in graphic shards:

His mouth on mine, devouring me like a man starved of all sanity. My hands caught in his hair, pulling him closer, the taste of him still reminiscent of a primal hunger that was never satisfied. The sound of my own voice, torn between moans and whimpers, echoes in my ears. I remember the press of his hard body pinning me against the wall, how the rough stone cut into my back but I barely felt the pain, consumed as I was by the violent pleasure we created.

But I also remember how abruptly it ended. One moment, I was adrift in a savage bliss, and in the next, he shoved me away with a coldness that seared my soul. The sneer on his face, the contempt in his voice, sliced deeper than any blade. And when he spoke those words, those words I will never forget, I knew there was no going back. No second chance. No love. I felt the abrupt rupture of something fundamental within me. It was as though the mate-bond I always believed would be my salvation turned into my destruction in a single breath.

Blood stained my lips, whether from my own split lip or his savage kisses, I still don’t know. The air held a tang of iron, like the bitter taste of regret itself. My eyes stung with furious tears that never fell, locked behind the walls of my pride. Even as he snarled that I was worthless, that I didn’t deserve his protection, a part of me still craved him with an intensity I could not quell.

That was the moment I vowed to vanish without a trace, to take whatever shattered hope I had left and forge a new path. I had no idea my new path would be stained with blood and fueled by a thirst for vengeance I never expected to consume me so completely.

Late that night, under a moonless sky, I slipped away from the pack territory. My mind buzzed with terror and disbelief, but the flicker of life growing inside me lent me a fierce determination. I would find a way to survive, even if I had to claw my way out of the darkness Damien had hurled me into.

In the months and years that followed, I often wondered if I had dreamt the entire affair, if the brutal combination of violence and desire that defined us was nothing but a twisted illusion. But my son’s gentle eyes are proof of that reality, a beautiful truth that anchors me when nightmares threaten to pull me under.

Now, in the pale glow of this smog-filtered city, where neon signs flicker like dying stars, I can’t escape the weight of that history. My heart pounds with the memory of every bruise he left and every stolen kiss that tasted like sin. This is the haunting that I wake up to each day.

-

The diner is a place of greasy comfort at best, stale air heavy with the scent of fried food and the scratchy echoes of old jukebox tunes. It’s nearly empty at this late hour, the flickering fluorescent lights casting ghostly shadows on the cracked linoleum floor.

Selene slides into the booth across from me, a line of worry etching her brow. She’s dressed down tonight, jeans and a faded hoodie, a far cry from the elegant attire she typically dons to mingle in Damien’s circles. She looks tired, yet her eyes hold a fierce spark that tells me she’s still all in.

“You sure you want to go through with this?” she asks, keeping her voice low. “He’s more dangerous now than ever. You’ve seen that, right?”

I fold my arms on the table, leaning in. “I didn’t come back to play nice,” I reply, my voice edged with the fury I’ve suppressed for years. “This has to end. I won’t rest until he pays for every bruise, every scar. For our child who had to grow up in secret because of him.”

Selene’s gaze flicks to the side, scanning the near-empty diner. “I don’t doubt your resolve. But I worry you might lose more than you realize if you go down this path.”

“It’s already gone,” I hiss, bitterness fueling my words. “Damien tore it away from me a long time ago. I won’t let him live unpunished. Not after what he’s done.”

She sighs, resignation softening her features. “Alright. Tell me what you need from me.”

I glance around, ensuring no one is listening, then I pull out a slim file from my bag. I open it to reveal snapshots, documents, and names that I’ve painstakingly gathered, pieces of the puzzle that form Damien’s vast empire. Businesses, front operations, mafia ties, and top-level connections in the supernatural underworld.

“This is how I plan to hit him where it hurts,” I say, tapping a page that lists his major holdings. “If I can dismantle his financial strongholds, cripple his alliances… piece by piece, his kingdom will fall.”

Selene studies the file, her mouth set in a firm line. “He’s got guards, though, and not just the human variety. Wolves loyal to him, an entire pack at his beck and call. You’ll need more than cunning to pull this off.”

“I have cunning and a lifetime of rage,” I retort. “I have connections now, people who want to see him fall as much as I do, for reasons of their own. I just need to make the first move.”

She flips through the documents. “It’s a tightrope walk, Aria. One misstep, and he’ll know it’s you.”

A bitter laugh escapes me. “He already knows. I confronted him at that gala. I saw it in his eyes. He isn’t surprised I’m alive. I think he’s been waiting for me, like he always sensed I might come crawling back.”

“That doesn’t make your situation any less dangerous,” Selene mutters. “So, what’s your plan for your child while all this goes down? Are you sure you can keep him safe?”

A flare of protectiveness surges in my chest. “Caleb is somewhere Damien’s men can’t reach. I’ll keep it that way. He’s the one thing in this world I won’t lose.”

Selene reaches across the table, resting her hand over mine. “I’m in this with you. But promise me one thing, if it gets too deep, you’ll pull out. I can’t watch you get destroyed.”

I lift my gaze to hers, a wave of gratitude tempered by the hardness in my heart. “Thank you, Selene. But I’m already too deep. The only way out is to finish what I started.”

-

Silence settles around us for a moment, broken only by the hum of an ancient refrigerator behind the diner counter. Outside, streetlights flicker like dying embers. I allow myself to breathe. My chest feels tight under the burden of secrets. Finally, I speak the words I’ve been choking on for too long.

“I was naïve once,” I say quietly. “I believed in the mate-bond. Believed it would keep us safe, fill our lives with warmth. But it shattered me. When he rejected me… I can’t describe that kind of pain, Selene. It’s like being torn apart from the inside out.”

She nods, her eyes filled with empathy. She’s seen how the bond can twist, how it can destroy just as fiercely as it can unite. “You’re not the person you were then, Aria. You’re stronger now. More focused.”

“Focused on revenge, yes,” I murmur, glancing at my reflection in the grease-smudged window. “But there’s also this part of me, this piece that still aches when I think of the way he used to look at me, the way he kissed me. It’s sick, really. After everything he’s done, my body still remembers the pleasure along with the pain.”

Selene squeezes my hand. “We can’t choose what our hearts cling to. But you can choose what to do now. That’s what matters.”

I take a shaky breath, the memory of his hands on me, rough and demanding, surging through my mind. I still feel the echo of that pleasure, as sharp and brutal as any wound. The knowledge that I can never really escape him, because a part of me will always belong to him, fuels my rage as much as my sorrow.

-

My phone buzzes, an insistent vibration against the surface of the table. Both Selene and I still, tension crackling in the air. I pick it up, my stomach twisting when I see the encrypted message. Only a handful of people know how to contact me this way.

I tap the screen to open it, and a single name flashes across the top in stark letters: Damien Steele.

For a moment, it’s as though the world tips off its axis. My heart clenches, my pulse hammering in my ears. The message itself is brief, just a few words, but they are enough to scorch away any remaining illusions.

He found me. Even through all the walls I’ve built and the shadows I’ve hidden behind, he’s here, knocking on my door. With a trembling exhale, I lock my phone, meeting Selene’s gaze. There’s no need to speak. We both know what this means: the battle I’ve been planning for years is no longer just a cold strategy. It’s begun.