The Surrogate Luna

Chapter 5

Aaliyah's POV

The air in the enchanted glade hung heavy with tension. Faint moonlight filtered through the heavy curtains, casting shadows that seemed to shift and writhe like restless spirits. Hiro, the Kitsune King, paced before his throne—an ornate construct of twisted roots and gleaming amber. His dark eyes smoldered with fury.

I dared not meet his gaze, even though my heart burned with defiance. My braids clung to my sweat-dampened face, and my hands trembled. I shot a quick glance around the room, noticing the dark hall that only had windows and no doors. Is this a cage? How did he get me away from my guards? How am I supposed to get back?

“You dare come before me,” Hiro hissed, his voice a low, venomous growl. “After what your bloodline has done? After your mother slaughtered my sister like a common beast and attempted to walk free? She took my mate from me! ”

I flinched but held my ground. “I came to make amends, Your Majesty. What my mother did was unforgivable, but it wasn’t my crime.”

Hiro’s laugh was sharp and bitter, echoing through the room like the crack of a whip. “Not your crime? Blood binds you, witch. It taints you, no matter how you try to wriggle free of it. Your mother’s treachery shattered my family—my sister, my people, my pride. And now, the daughter of the murderer dares to speak of amends?”

He leaned closer, his fangs glinting in the faint light. “What could you possibly offer to soothe my rage? Do you think I truly want a pup from your filthy body?”

I swallowed hard. The Kitsune King’s presence was overwhelming, his raw power vibrating in the surrounding air. But I had prepared for this moment. I reached into the satchel inside my robe and withdrew a small jade crystal, glowing faintly with a light.

“This,” she said, her voice steadying. “is the essence of your mate. It contains some of the last echoes of my mother’s magic. With it, I can tell you the truth about what happened that night. I can breed with your mate's true essence. I can't undo it, but I can try to make amends.”

Hiro’s eyes narrowed. “Why would I trust your tricks, witch?”

“Because you’ve waited decades for answers,” I replied. “And you know as well as I do that the truth cuts deeper than lies. If my mother acted out of malice, I will accept your judgment. But if there’s more to the story—if there’s even a chance she'd been wronged first—then you owe it to your sister to see.”

The glade fell silent. Hiro stopped pacing, his sharp claws scraping lightly against the ground. He stared at the jade, his expression a storm of rage, grief, and reluctant curiosity.

Finally, he nodded once. “Very well. But know this, witch: if I see even a shadow of deceit, you’ll wish you had never been born.”

Too late.

I nodded, my heart pounding. I stepped forward and uncorked a small vial in my bag. I poured a small amount on the jade, and we watched it dissolve. The silvery mist swirled and expanded, forming a shimmering orb that hovered between us. It pulsed with light, growing brighter until it exploded outward, enveloping us both in a vision of the past.

They stood in a memory, not their own. We watched my mother and Ayeka party together and went off to their hotel room. When I realized what was happening, I quickly closed my eyes. I didn't want to see my mother that way. Suddenly, I heard Hiro growl. My mother is in the bathroom while a dark figure is climbing through a window. I can't get a good look at his face, but his build seems eerily familiar.

But what followed wasn’t what Kael expected. His sister hadn’t been the victim of the witch. There had been another aggressor. He creeps up to the bed and sniffs the air. He recoils in disgust. He reaches over to the sleeping Ayeka and grabs her by her neck. She jolts awake and tries to fight him off, but he has an unfair advantage, being clothed and standing. Clearly frustrated, he quickly snaps Ayeka's neck. Her body drops to the bed. He fixes his clothes and exits back out the window. My mom came back into the room.

As the vision faded, Hiro staggered, his fury unraveling into confusion. He turned to me, his expression a mixture of heartbreak and disbelief. The jade stone, still intact, flopped into my outstretched hands, and I placed it back into my hand.

“They... they lied to me,” he whispered. “They told me your mother hunted her, betrayed her trust.”

I said nothing, letting him process the revelation. The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken words.

Finally, Hiro straightened, his regal demeanor returning. “This changes nothing,” he declared, though his voice lacked its usual venom. “Your mother still killed my mate. I cannot forget.”

“No,” I agreed, my tone gentle. “But now you know the truth about Ayeka. And perhaps, someday, you can forgive her for that.”

Hiro said nothing. He turned away, his golden threaded suit shining as he retreated to his throne. “Leave me,” he commanded.

Suddenly, a bright red door appeared. I looked back at him, sitting on his throne deep in thought.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," I whispered, and stepped through the door.