BLESSED LUNA RISING

CHAPTER FOUR: Flames of Revenge

The grand ballroom of Blackthorn Castle buzzed with tension after Darius’s bold declaration. Eyes from every corner of the room fixed on me—some curious, some hostile, many calculating. I stood tall beside the Lycan King, my emerald gown shimmering under the crystal chandeliers, my hand resting lightly on his arm. For the first time in years, I felt seen. Powerful. Not as the discarded ghost of the Thorn Pack, but as someone to be reckoned with.

Elias’s face was a mask of shock and barely contained rage. Lila gripped his arm, her nails digging in, while their pup hid behind her skirts. The perfect family unit I had once envied now looked fragile under the weight of public scrutiny.

“You dare bring her here?” Elias growled, taking a step forward. His alpha aura flared, but it paled in comparison to the overwhelming power radiating from Darius.

Darius’s smile was cold and predatory. “I dare many things, Alpha Thorn. Selene is my mate. The mother of my heir. Touch her, and you touch the full might of the Lycan Kingdom.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Whispers turned into a roar of speculation. I caught snippets: The rejected Luna returned with the King… Secret child… War is coming…

I lifted my chin, meeting Elias’s eyes directly. The pain of that night three years ago surged up, but I channeled it into steel. “You threw me away like I was nothing, Elias. Called me weak. Invisible. Now look at me. Dr. Selene Kane. Mate to the Lycan King. And I promise you—this is only the beginning of what I’ve become.”

Lila’s face twisted with jealousy. “You’re lying. You ran away like a coward. Elias made the right choice for the pack.”

I laughed, the sound sharp and cutting. “The right choice? He chose convenience and an alliance while rejecting his fated mate. The Moon Goddess doesn’t forget such insults.”

Darius’s hand slid to my waist, pulling me closer. The touch was possessive but grounding. “Enough,” he said to the room at large. “Tonight is for celebration and alliance-building. Let old wounds remind us why strength matters.”

The orchestra struck up again, but the atmosphere remained charged. Elias pulled Lila away, shooting me one last venomous look over his shoulder. I knew this wasn’t over.

Later, in a quiet corner of the terrace overlooking the moonlit gardens, Darius turned to me. “You handled that perfectly. But be careful. Elias is desperate. Desperate men are dangerous.”

“I’m not afraid of him anymore,” I replied, though my heart still raced. “I want him to suffer the way I did.”

Darius’s eyes darkened with approval. “Then let’s give him a taste. The summit has many events. We will make sure he sees exactly what he lost every single day.”

The Summit Continues

The next few days were a whirlwind of political maneuvering, balls, and private meetings. I attended as Darius’s official mate, my presence sending shockwaves through the supernatural elite. Healers and alphas approached me for medical advice, drawn by my reputation. I used those conversations to gather intelligence—rumors about Elias’s weakening pack borders, internal dissent, and his growing obsession with finding the “miracle surgeon” who had disappeared years ago.

One afternoon, during a private luncheon, Elias cornered me in a hallway while Darius was in a strategy meeting.

“Selene, please,” he begged, his voice low and urgent. “We need to talk. Alone.”

I crossed my arms, keeping my expression icy. “There’s nothing left to say, Elias. You rejected me. Publicly. In front of everyone I knew.”

His eyes were haunted. “I was young. Stupid. The council pressured me. Lila’s family offered alliances that saved us from rogue attacks. I thought I was doing what was best for the pack.”

“Best for the pack?” I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a venomous whisper. “You humiliated me. You broke our bond while I was carrying another man’s child. I almost died that night in the woods. Alone.”

He reached for my hand, but I pulled away. “I have a daughter now. A powerful, beautiful daughter who will never know the pain of being unwanted by her father’s pack.”

Elias’s face crumpled. “A daughter? Mine?”

“No,” I said coldly. “She belongs to the Lycan King. And she is far stronger than anything your bloodline could produce.”

Before he could respond, Darius appeared at the end of the hallway, his presence like a storm cloud. Elias backed away quickly, but the damage was done. The seed of jealousy and regret was planted deep.

That night, in our private suite, Darius was intense. His hands roamed my body with renewed hunger, as if marking his claim after Elias’s attempt to speak to me. “He touched what is mine,” he growled against my neck. “I should kill him for it.”

“Not yet,” I whispered, pulling him closer. “I want him to suffer first. To watch everything he threw away become untouchable.”

Our passion that night was fierce, a claiming that left me breathless and marked. Darius’s obsession was both terrifying and addictive. He whispered promises of power, of thrones, of a future where no one would ever reject me again.

Aurora’s Arrival

Midway through the summit, Darius arranged for Aurora to join us under heavy guard. Seeing her in the castle gardens, playing among the flowers with her stuffed wolf, brought tears to my eyes. She was the reason I had survived. The reason I had fought so hard.

Darius watched her with awe and fierce protectiveness. “She has your fire and my strength. She will be a legend one day.”

But peace was short-lived. One evening, as we returned from a formal dinner, an attack came. Rogues—hired by unknown forces—breached the outer perimeter. Chaos erupted in the castle halls as howls and fighting filled the night.

Darius shifted into his massive Lycan form, a towering beast of midnight fur and glowing eyes, and charged into battle. I grabbed Aurora and barricaded us in a secure room, my medical training kicking in as I treated minor injuries of those who sought shelter.

When Darius returned, bloodied but victorious, he pulled us both into his arms. “They were sent by Elias’s allies. He’s testing us.”

The attack solidified my resolve. Revenge wasn’t just personal anymore. It was necessary for our family’s safety.

The Final Summit Night

On the last night of the summit, a grand ball was held. I wore a gown of black and silver, symbolizing my rise from darkness. Darius looked every inch the king in his formal attire.

Elias approached us on the dance floor, his eyes desperate. “Selene, one dance. For old times’ sake. To clear the air.”

Darius tensed, but I placed a hand on his chest. “Let me handle this.”

As Elias and I danced, the music swirling around us, he spoke urgently. “Come back to the pack. We can fix this. I was wrong. I still love you.”

I laughed softly, the sound cold. “Love? You don’t know the meaning of the word. You loved power more than your mate. Now I have both—power and a mate who would burn the world for me.”

As the dance ended, I leaned in close. “Watch your back, Elias. The Blessed Luna is rising. And she will have her revenge.”

I returned to Darius’s side, feeling lighter. The old chains were breaking.

Later that night, as fireworks lit the sky, Darius kissed me deeply under the moonlight. “You are mine, Selene. Forever.”

But in the shadows, I felt eyes watching. The game was far from over. Alliances were shifting. Secrets were unraveling.

And my daughter’s power was only beginning to awaken.

The road to revenge would be paved with blood, passion, and power. But I was ready.