My tortured Luna

Chapter 1

Valens POV

The shrill sound of my alarm echoed through the bedroom long before the sun had risen. I reached blindly across the bedside table, silencing it before it had the chance to wake the entire palace. For a moment, I remained where I was, staring at the dark ceiling while my mind slowly caught up with the day ahead.

Today wouldn't be pleasant.

For weeks, reports had been arriving from the northern territory. Missing pack members. Excessive punishments. Wolves fleeing across borders only to disappear again. None of it was enough to justify removing an Alpha, but together it painted a picture I didn't like.

Last night's report had been the final straw. Another body. Another witness. Another accusation aimed at Alpha Jack. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and sat there for a second, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Kings weren't allowed the luxury of ignoring problems simply because they were inconvenient. If there was even a chance those reports were true, I needed to see it with my own eyes. Cain stirred inside my head. 'He's guilty.' I sighed. 'You've already judged him.' 'Because I can smell cowards before I meet them.' I huffed. 'You've never even met him. He yawns. 'Don't need to' A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth despite myself. 'You'd kill half the kingdom before breakfast if I let you.' Only the annoying half.' I snorted quietly before making my way toward the bathroom.

The cold water shocked every remaining trace of sleep from my body. I welcomed it. Cold water demanded focus, and focus was exactly what I needed today. By the time I stepped back into my room, steam drifted lazily from my skin while the first faint light of dawn crept through the curtains.

I dressed as I always did when representing the Crown. Black suit. White shirt. Silver cufflinks bearing the royal crest. There was no armour more intimidating than confidence, and years ago I'd learned that people behaved differently the moment they saw the King dressed for business.

Downstairs, the palace had already come alive. The kitchen buzzed with activity as omegas hurried between ovens and long wooden tables, carrying trays of bread, fruit and freshly brewed coffee. Conversations died the moment I entered the room. Heads lowered. Eyes avoided mine. Nothing unusual. Respect and fear often looked the same.

I poured myself a cup of coffee, taking the first sip before the familiar sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway. Jayden.

Right on time. He walked into the kitchen with all the confidence in the world, one arm lazily draped around a young omega who looked barely old enough to have finished training. She giggled at something he whispered before finally noticing me. Her smile vanished instantly.

"G-good morning, Alpha." She bowed so quickly I thought she might lose her balance. Jayden followed her gaze and immediately groaned.

"...You're in one of those moods." I raised an eyebrow.

"One of which moods?"

"The 'if anyone breathes too loudly I'll throw them out of a window' mood." A few nervous chuckles spread through the kitchen before dying just as quickly. The omega beside him quietly slipped from his arm.

"I should... probably go." Her voice was low.

"You probably should," Jayden agreed. She disappeared faster than I thought possible. I looked at him over the rim of my coffee cup.

"You're impossible." I stated.

"So I've been told."

"By every female in the kingdom?" He placed a hand dramatically over his heart.

"Only the pretty ones." I rolled my eyes.

"You do realise one day one of them will stab you?" Jayden shrugged.

"Then at least I'll die admired." Cain snorted inside my head. 'Idiot.''Agreed.' Jayden finished his coffee in one swallow before tossing the empty mug into the sink.

"So..." He rubbed his hands together.

"Which car are we taking today?" There it was. His true reason for getting out of bed.

"You don't care where we're going."

"I absolutely care."

"You care about the garage." He grinned unapologetically.

"The garage is magnificent." Ten minutes later we stood exactly where he'd wanted to be. The royal garage stretched almost the length of the west wing, every vehicle polished until it reflected the overhead lights. Jayden's eyes lit up like a child's on Winter Solstice morning. He walked straight past three SUVs, two Range Rovers and a Bentley before stopping in front of my Audi R8.

"Oh..." He actually sighed.

"...please." I couldn't help shaking my head.

"You realize you're twenty-four?"

"And?" He looked puzzled.

"You sound twelve." He ignored me completely, already opening the passenger door.

"I've made my decision." Oh, really?

"You had no authority to make one."

"I disagree." I tossed him the keys anyway.

"Don't scratch it." His offended expression was almost theatrical.

"I would never."

"You absolutely would."

"I'd cry first." Despite myself, I laughed quietly as I slid into the driver's seat. Maybe today wouldn't be entirely miserable.

Unfortunately... The two-hour drive north quickly reminded me why I had left the palace in the first place. The mountains grew steeper with every passing mile, and the forests surrounding Alpha Jack's territory felt unnaturally quiet. Even Cain had stopped making sarcastic remarks. That alone was enough to put me on edge.

"I don't like this," Jayden muttered, his gaze fixed on the trees rushing past the window.

"Neither do I." Ahead of us, enormous iron gates emerged from the morning mist. Alpha Jack's territory. I slowed the car to a stop.

Something about the place already felt wrong. And we hadn't even stepped inside yet.

The iron gates creaked open with surprising speed, almost as if someone had been expecting us. I drove slowly up the long gravel driveway, my eyes scanning every corner of the territory. Something felt... abandoned.

There were pack houses scattered throughout the village, smoke rising from a handful of chimneys, yet not a single child was playing outside. No warriors trained in the open fields. No laughter drifted through the air. Even the wolves I caught glimpses of lowered their heads the moment they saw my car pass.

"They're scared," Jayden muttered quietly.

"They're hiding."

Neither answer sat well with me. The manor itself was impressive enough. Large stone walls, black windows and a wide staircase leading to massive oak doors. It looked like any respectable Alpha's residence.

Until you looked closer. The windows hadn't been cleaned in months. Several flowerbeds had died. Even the banners hanging beside the entrance were faded and torn. A kingdom always reflected its ruler. This one looked like it had been rotting for years. I climbed the steps and knocked only once before the door swung open. A young omega stood frozen in the doorway. She couldn't have been older than sixteen. Her eyes widened the second she recognised me before she immediately lowered her gaze.

"M-My King..." She curtsied so quickly she almost stumbled.

"It's alright," I said, keeping my voice calm.

"Is Alpha Jack here?" She hesitated. Too long. Finally, she nodded.

"Y-Yes..."

"May we come in?" She stepped aside without another word. The entrance hall was silent. Not peacefully silent but an unnaturally silence. The kind of silence that only existed where people had learned not to speak. Jayden noticed it too. He glanced at me but said nothing. Our footsteps echoed through the enormous hall as the young omega nervously twisted her fingers together.

"Where is your Alpha?" She swallowed.

"In the basement." Something in the way she answered made every instinct inside me sharpen.

"The basement?" She nodded once.

"He's... busy." Busy. That wasn't how pack members described their Alpha. I watched her carefully.

"Show me." Her breathing caught.

"I..." She looked genuinely terrified.

"Please." The single word seemed to surprise her more than anything else. She nodded weakly and led us across the entrance hall toward a heavy wooden door tucked beneath the main staircase. The moment she reached for the handle, she froze. Her hand trembled violently. Jayden frowned.

"What's wrong?" She stared at the door as if it might open on its own. Then, almost too quietly to hear, she whispered,

"...please help them." She opened the door. The smell hit us instantly. Blood, rot, wolfsbane., human waste and death. Even after years of leading armies and walking battlefields, I had never smelled anything like it. Jayden staggered backwards.

"What the hell..." Cain exploded inside my mind. 'Someone is dying.' My entire body tensed. Without another word I pushed past the omega and started down the stone staircase two steps at a time. The screams became clearer with every step. A whip cracked through the air. Someone cried out. Another crack. Another scream. My pulse quickened. When we reached the bottom, the room opened into a cavernous underground chamber. For a single heartbeat... I simply stared. Iron cages lined every wall. Some held wolves. Others held humans. Most were barely conscious. Every single one of them was covered in scars. Some were missing fingers. Others had silver burns running across their bodies.

Several children clung silently to the bars, too frightened even to cry. Jayden stopped beside me. His face had gone completely pale.

"...Val..." I couldn't answer him. At the far end of the chamber stood Alpha Jack. Beside him, his Beta lazily coiled a leather whip before bringing it down once more. The crack echoed through the basement. Only then did I see the wolf lying at their feet. White.

Completely white. She barely reacted anymore. Blood pooled beneath her body while old scars crossed her fur beneath dozens of fresh wounds. This wasn't punishment, this was torture. Cold rage settled inside me. The kind that made people disappear.

Jack finally noticed us. His smile vanished immediately.

"M-My King!" His Beta spun around so quickly the whip slipped from his hand. Neither of them bowed. Neither of them spoke. They simply stared. I took one slow step forward.

"What..." Another step.

"...exactly..." One more.

"...am I looking at?" Jack laughed nervously.

"It's not what it looks like."

"No?"

"It's only a rogue." The word had barely left his mouth before the Beta picked up the whip again. He never got the chance to swing it. I crossed the distance before either of them realised I had moved. My hand closed around his throat. His feet left the floor. His eyes bulged. Blood trickled between my fingers where my claws had pierced his skin. Cain howled in my mind. Not because of the man in my hand. Because of the wolf lying on the floor. Mate. I closed my eyes for the briefest moment. No. She is ours. No. Every instinct inside me demanded that I kneel beside her. That I shield her. That I touch her. I hated every single one of those instincts.

Not now. Not here. Not ever. Mates made you weak. That was the first lesson my uncle had ever taught me. My father had loved my mother more than his kingdom, and it had cost him his life. The Rogues had taken her, and my father had died trying to get her back. My uncle never let me forget it. "Never give your enemies a weakness," he used to say. "The Moon Goddess may choose your mate, but only a fool lets the bond rule him." I tore my eyes away from the white wolf and looked back at Jack

"If that's how you treat rogues..." My voice was frighteningly calm.

"...I'd hate to see how you treat your own pack." Jack took an involuntary step backwards. For the first time since becoming King... I watched an Alpha realize he might not leave the room alive.