THE PRISONER LUNA
1523 Words
The light from my burning mark faded slowly and my whole arm ached. The room stayed silent and one dares to move.
Kian’s voice then broke through the stillness. “Take her away.”
Two guards stepped forward and I looked at him, my new husband, the Alpha who once rejected me, the one who just bound me again, his face was cold and his eyes didn’t even meet mine.
I whispered “Kian…”
“Enough,” he snapped, “From now on, you will stay where you belong.”
They dragged me out of the hall before I could say anything else.
The next morning, I woke up in a small room and the windows were locked, the door bolted from outside and the air smelt like dust and silence. So this was what being a Luna felt like, a prisoner’s cage.
Days passed and no one visited except the maid who brought my food and never looked at me. The pack house outside stayed noisy, training, laughter, meetings, but no one remembered that their Luna existed
I tried to call my wolf, but Selene stayed quiet and my chest was heavy.
Then one evening, the door creaked open and I sat up fast. A tall man stepped inside carrying a tray. It was not the maid this time.
“Rowan?” I whispered.
He smiled faintly. “You remember me.”
Rowan was Kian’s beta. His eyes were kind, and not like the others. He set the tray down and sighed. “You look thinner.”
“They don’t feed me much,” I said quietly.
He frowned “You’re Luna. You should be treated better.”
I laughed softly. “Luna? I’m just his shame.”
Rowan sat near the bed. “He’s angry, not heartless.”
I shook my head. “He made me his prisoner.”
Rowan looked away. “He didn’t choose this marriage, Lyra. Neither did you.”
His words stung, but I couldn’t hate him, he then slid a small book across the bed. “Here. Read this. It might help.”
I opened it, it was a guide about controlling one’s wolf. My heart lifted a little. “You think I can learn?”
He smiled. “You’re stronger than you think and I saw what happened that night. You fought rogues alone. That power isn’t normal.”
I looked at my hands. “Selene said she was sealed. Maybe I was meant to stay hidden.”
“Or maybe you were meant to rise,” he said softly. “We can train when no one’s watching.”
“Won’t Kian find out?”
Rowan shrugged. “Then we will train faster.”
That night, after everyone slept, we sneaked out to the garden behind the mansion. The moon was high and Rowan stood across from me.
“Close your eyes,” he said. “Listen to her voice.”
I breathed in slowly and at first, there was only silence and then, faintly, I heard her. “You’re not broken, Lyra.”
My heartbeat quickened. “Selene?”
“I’m here. But control me, don’t fear me.”
A soft glow spread from my skin and the grass around me shivered and Rowan’s eyes widened.
“That’s it,” he said quietly. “You’re doing it.”
The light faded again and I opened my eyes, and breathed hard. “It’s still weak.”
He nodded. “It’ll grow. Just don’t stop trying.”
I smiled faintly. “Thank you, Rowan.”
He shook his head. “Don’t thank me yet. If Kian catches us, he’ll kill me.”
We both laugh, but I knew he was not joking.
Days passed like this, Rowan brough food, books, and quiet words of courage and my wolf grew stronger each night. I started feeling less like a prisoner and more like something waiting to be freed.
Then one afternoon, I heard voices outside my locked door.
“She’s the Luna,” one man said.
Kian’s voice answered coldly. “She’s a Luna only by name. Once the treaty holds, I will dissolve this marriage. I don’t want her anywhere near me.”
My chest tightened and my hands trembled.
I pressed my ear to the door.
“She’s harmless,” another voice said..
“She is a mistake,” Kian growled. “The only reason she’s alive is because the Moon demands it.”
Something inside me broke again but this time, not into tears.
The pain turned to steel and I sat back on the bed, my face was cold. “So that’s how he sees me,” I whispered
Selene’s voice hummed inside me. “Then stop waiting for his mercy.”
I nodded slowly. “You’re right.”
The door stayed locked, but my heart didn’t.
From this moment, I know what I must do.
–
I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands clenched tight and my heart felt different tonight, cold was sharp and I didn’t cry anymore, I didn’t even want to.
The door opened suddenly and Rowan rushed in. “Lyra, you need to come. Now.”
I stood. “What’s happening?”
He looked tense. “The Alpha of Bloodfang Pack is here. Darius Wolfe. He’s challenging Kian for breaking the Moon Treaty.”
My stomach turned. “Challenging? As in… war?”
“Maybe worse,” Rowan said quietly. “Come before Kian does something reckless.”
He helped me out of the room and the hallway was loud, it was full of shouting voices. When we reach the main hall, the air inside was heavy, like thunder before rain.
Kian stood in front of a tall man dressed in black and his hair was dark silver, his eyes almost white and his presence filled the room. “You broke the bond of peace,” the stranger said coldly. “You insulted the goddess and our treaty.”
Kian growled. “Watch your tongue, Darius. I only obeyed my pack’s needs.”
Darius stepped closer, not afraid. “You rejected the goddess’s choice. You played with divine fate. That’s why the attacks haven’t stopped.”
The room went silent and everyone stared
Then Darius’s eyes shifted, it was glowing faint gold and his gaze moved across the crowd… and landed on me.
For a moment, everything stopped.
His pupils widened and his chest rose sharply and a low growl escaped him. “Mate.”
The word echoed through the hall like thunder.
I froze and my heart skipped. No, it can’t be.
Kian turned, his face was pale. “What did you just say?”
Darius took a step toward me and his eyes never left mine. “I said, mate.”
The crowd gasped and people whispered.
My breath quickened and my whole body started to shake. The same burning feeling from the Moonmark spreads again, it was stronger, hotter and my mark glowed through my sleeve.
“No…” I whispered “No, this isn’t possible.”
Darius stopped right in front of me and his scent hits me, it was wild pine, smoke, and moonlight and my knees almost gave out.
His voice dropped low. “You feel it too, don’t you?”
I shook my head, and stepped back. “I don’t understand.”
Kian moved fast, and shoved himself between us. His wolf aura burst through the room. “Stay away from her!”
Darius only smiled, his fangs flashed. “Why? You rejected her once, didn’t you? You don’t deserve what you threw away.”
Kian’s voice turned dark. “She’s my Luna.”
“She’s the Moon’s Luna,” Darius replied. “Not yours alone.”
The tension thickened and the guards stepped closer, but no one dares to interfere. The two Alphas stared at each other, energy crackled between them.
My chest was tight and the mark on my hand glowed brighter, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Selene’s voice whispered faintly inside me. “Two bonds. Two paths. One truth.”
I gasped softly and my wolf was trembling too and could feel both links, Kian’s cold, sharp bond, and now Darius’s fierce, burning one. My soul was pulled in two directions.
Kian’s eyes darkened. “You think you can take what’s mine?”
Darius’s smile faded. “I don’t take what’s already claimed by fate.”
Kian lunged forward, but Rowan grabbed him. “Alpha, stop!”
The hall erupted in chaos and warriors stepped back as both Alphas released power strong enough to shake the floor.
I could barely breathe and the mark burnt harder and I grabbed my hand, crying out, “Stop it, both of you!”
They both froze.
For a second, silence filled the room again and Darius looked at me, his eyes were softer now.
He took my hand gently, and ignored Kian’s snarl. His touch was warm, grounding and he lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it lightly. His eyes never leave mine.
“Your soul,” he says softly, “is not his alone.”
- Writer
