Rise of the Betrayed Luna

CELESTE I should’ve known something was wrong when Robb missed his cue for my birthday speech, which he’d been secretly practicing and teasing for weeks. He’d said tonight would change everything. It was supposed to be the biggest surprise the pack had ever seen, and he’d done everything to keep me from knowing what it was. There was an ongoing bet in the pack about who had better surprises between Robb and me. I was still in the lead after sweeping him off his feet for his 30th; he had been so pleasantly surprised that he’d been emotional, knelt before me, and professed his love again and again. The pack raved on and on about how their big, bad Alpha of Blood Moon had been moved to tears by his Luna. That moment was a testament to our love and commitment to each other. Even after 10 years of going strong, our marriage still looked and felt like a fairytale ending. I loved him with my whole being and thanked the Moon Goddess daily for blessing me with someone like him. Now, it was my turn to be surprised, and I was bursting with excitement. I couldn’t wait to see what he had in store for me. Even Jared, my baby and stepson, had been behaving weirdly in the last couple of days, so I knew that whatever was coming was going to be monumental. The hall where my birthday celebration was being held was packed to the brim in anticipation of Robb’s surprise. The problem was that Robb had missed his cue and had gone missing. Eyes darted about in search of him, then fell on me, the celebrant, and his Luna. I grinned, muttering something about Robb being dramatic before excusing myself to go in search of him. I’d been smiling so hard my cheeks hurt and my jaw ached. Was this part of the surprise? Gosh, I was so excited. I’d been so close to our room when I heard a sound that had me faltering in my steps. Was that a woman’s moan? It came again louder this time alongside a deeper voice that I knew better than my own. My stomach turned to ice. I stopped breathing. No. No, it couldn’t be. Trembling, I followed the sound. The door to our room was half-open. I pushed it wider and froze. A woman’s golden hair glimmered against my sheets. Her all too familiar nails clawed down Robb’s back as he moved inside her. Wasn’t this the same man who had sworn he couldn’t live without me? His mouth was on hers: the same mouth that had whispered forever against my skin just hours ago. They were lost in it. Robb’s back gleamed with sweat, his muscles tensing as he groaned her name. I couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing. My brain refused to catch up. No, it couldn’t be. That couldn't be Mila f*****g my husband in my bed! Then she moaned his name, and my world came crashing down. The glass I’d forgotten I was holding slipped and shattered against the floor. They both jerked around. Mila gasped, then smirked. “Oh, Celeste.” She had the nerve to sound amused. “You weren’t supposed to see this yet.” She didn’t even bother covering herself. I stared at Robb, waiting for him to deny it. To tell me this was some sick trick. But he growled at me, looking very annoyed. “Get out,” he demanded. “What?” I wheezed. He stood, naked and unashamed. “You heard me. Get out. We’re busy.” I took a step back, shaking my head. “Robb, this is our—” “You should’ve stayed downstairs, Luna. We didn’t want to ruin your celebration.” Mila sneered. A growl rumbled in my belly. “Enough, Celeste,” Robb sighed. “You’ve had your time as Luna. You’ve done your part. The pack is strong now, this—” He gestured at Mila. “—this is what the Pack needs now.” I almost burst into laughter. This had to be nothing but a cruel joke. But then the door opened, and his son, Jared, the boy I’d raised since he was ten, stepped in with a few guards. “Your father has lost his mind!” I gesticulated to Jared. But he wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Dad,” he said softly, eyes flicking between us. “I’m here with the guards you summoned.” “What?” I gasped as the reality of what was happening dawned on me. Only then did I realize my hand was cut from the glass and that my blood dripped onto the floor. “Take her to the hall,” Robb ordered. “It’s time the pack hears the truth.” One of the guards grabbed my arm. I jerked free. I was definitely dreaming. “Robb. After everything I gave you—” I screamed. Mila leaned against the bedpost, smiling faintly. “Try not to make a scene, darling. The guests are waiting.” The guards pulled me toward the door. My body moved, but my mind stayed frozen in that room. This had to be a dream. It couldn’t be real. ~ The guards shoved the grand entrance to the hall open. The crowd turned toward us, their smiles faltering when they saw me. I must have looked insane with the blood on my hand, my hair disheveled, and my eyes glassy and wide. “Luna?” someone whispered. “Is everything alright?” I opened my mouth, but no words came out. The music immediately halted, and then Robb appeared behind me, looking perfectly composed with only the faintest smirk betraying his intentions. “Ah,” he said smoothly, clapping his hands once. “Everyone, I apologize for the interruption.” Just then, Mila stepped into view beside him. She looked radiant, glowing, and was even wearing my necklace. Worse, she’d worn a version of my gown but with the color a little bolder and the slit a little higher. My stomach churned. “Robb,” I hissed. “What the hell is this?” He ignored me, raising his glass. “Tonight,” he began, “we celebrate not only our Luna’s birthday, but the dawn of a new era for the Blood Moon Pack.” Applause broke out automatically, though confusion flickered in the crowd. “Under my leadership,” he continued, “we’ve rebuilt from ruin. And that’s thanks to many of you.” His gaze slid to me. “But no empire thrives if it refuses to evolve. Change, as the Goddess teaches us, is inevitable.” “Robb,” I cried. “Stop this. Whatever game this is—” “Celeste Price,” he cut in with a voice that rang loud and clear. “I, Alpha Robb Marshall of Blood Moon Pack, reject you as my mate and Luna.” I gasped, staggering back. My knees gave out. Sharp and endless pain erupted in my chest. I gasped, clutching my chest for the bond that was already shredding to dust inside me. My wolf howled inside, thrashing against the walls of my skull. “You can’t,” I choked out. “Robb… please—” The pack gasped collectively. Some cried out in shock. Others just stared but he was already pulling Mila against him, his mark gleaming fresh on her neck. “And I accept Mila Marsahll as my true mate, chosen by the Moon Goddess herself.” He announced. Mila smiled, tears glinting prettily in her eyes. “The Goddess always meant for us to be together.” I let out a wail of agony. I screamed and thrashed against the guards securing me. “Stop it,” Jared snapped. “Stop being so dramatic. It’s for the good of the pack, Celeste.” I paused to look at the boy I took as my own son. Screaming, I tried to lunge at them and rip them to shreds, but the room tilted and my vision blurred at the edges. “I said!!” Robb demanded, his voice booming through the hall, “Tonight, we honor our new Luna… Mila Marshall!!” Applause erupted. It wasn’t unanimous, but it was loud enough to drown my heartbeat. My chest seized. The air felt wrong. My fingers tingled. I coughed once, then twice, and blood splattered against the floor. I looked down at the red droplets staining my dress. My vision blurred as the lights spun overhead. Mila’s eyes flicked toward me, and she chuckled. “Ah,” she said softly. “It’s finally working.” My stomach turned cold, and I struggled to draw breath. Mila had handed me a drink earlier, just before I came upstairs. She’d smiled so sweetly when she gave it to me. “To my sister. To forever. Happy birthday, Celeste,” she’d said. “To your new chapter.” I turned to her now, realization dawning. “You… poisoned me.” She tilted her head, all innocence. “I did warn you not to drink too much.” My knees buckled. “Dispose of her quietly,” Robb said, almost bored. “The pack doesn’t need to watch her die.” “Don’t,” I gasped, clawing at the floor as they grabbed my arms. “Robb, please—” “Take her away,” he ordered. “No… stop—” My voice was hoarse, trembling. “Please…” Mila leaned forward, wrapping Robb’s arm around her waist. “Don’t make it harder for yourself, Celeste. Just rest, it’ll all be over soon.” Robb’s gaze was cold as he whispered. “Throw her in the woods. Let the wild finish what we started.” The guards yanked me to my feet. The crowd parted, murmuring as I was dragged through them. The poison was spreading. My fingers felt numb. When we reached the edge of the woods, they dumped my body like trash and left me to the silence of the night. I could only hear the rustle of trees, the faint hum of crickets, and the slow, dying rhythm of my heart. Maybe this was fitting. Maybe this was how a fool’s story ended. Flashes of memory hit me. Robb’s smile the night he’d marked me — “You’re mine, Celeste. My Luna. My forever.” The years I’d fought to hold his pack together when rogues attacked, when our allies turned their backs and for what? For this. To be thrown away like filth. Another cough tore through me, violent enough to make me see stars. Blood splattered the ground. I remembered Mila. I had trusted her like a sister. Now I knew that all this while she wanted my life. I retched more blood. My body convulsed. My vision narrowed to a pinprick of light. I slumped sideways, half my face pressed into the dirt. My hair stuck to my cheek, wet with sweat and tears. Pain throbbed through me in waves. My heartbeat was faint now, each pulse slower than the last. Above me, the moon hung full and bright, watching like a silent witness to my ruin. I wanted to scream. But all that came out was a hoarse whisper. “Moon Goddess… if you see me, if you ever cared… don’t let them win.” Something inside me twisted. My fingers curled into the earth. “I swear…” My voice trembled. “I swear by my blood, by my soul, and by the Moon itself… I will come back.” Lightning flashed somewhere far off, thunder rolling across the horizon. “I will take everything they love,” I whispered. “Everything they built. I’ll burn their name from history.” The forest fell silent. Even the wind stilled. Then, somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled. I closed my eyes. My breath grew shallow. The cold seeped in. My heartbeat faded to a dull echo. Then everything went black.