Truth unearthed
1247 Words
The interrogation room was quiet save for the subtle hum of enchantments woven into the stone. I sat at the head of the long obsidian table, regal yet composed. Maria stood to my right, a grounding presence as Eliza took her seat across from me, her hands folded tightly in her lap.
Her voice trembled at first but steadied with each word. "The Luna... she was never what she appeared to be. Most in the pack didn’t know, but behind closed doors, she was cruel. Vindictive. Especially to those she couldn’t control. Orphans were treated like second-class citizens. Seryna’s mother—her name was Helena—she was evicted from her home after her mate abandoned her. The Luna gave the house to another family she deemed 'more deserving.' Helena and Seryna were forced to live in a rundown shack near the edge of the woods. No heat. No clean water. And no help."
Maria clenched her fists beside me. She didn’t speak, but her eyes burned with restrained fury.
Eliza pressed on. "When Seryna shifted for the first time, the Luna changed tactics. She tried to force a bond between Seryna and her son, Dorian. Claimed it was for the good of the pack. Even when it was clear he wasn’t her mate—and neither of them wanted it—she pushed for children. She wanted to breed power into the bloodline and tie Seryna to the pack forever. When that didn’t work, she turned to threats and manipulation. That’s why I helped Maria get her into the university. I couldn’t watch her waste away in that place."
I felt my jaw tighten. "You did the right thing."
I leaned forward slightly. "There’s something else I must ask. Seryna has been targeted multiple times by a dark organization—abductions, surveillance. Did the Luna have any connection to those attacks?"
Eliza shook her head, firm and certain. "No, Your Majesty. For all her cruelty, she never mentioned anything like that. She was too obsessed with control. She wouldn’t have allowed outsiders to meddle in what she considered hers. If someone else was after Seryna, it wasn’t the Luna."
I exhaled slowly. Her crimes were intimate. Personal. Not the workings of the darkness that stalked my mate.
"Thank you, Eliza," I said. "You’ve done your queen a great service. Your freedom remains intact, and your protection is guaranteed."
Relief washed over her face. Maria stepped forward and took her hand.
I rose, my cloak falling around me like a silent promise. As I turned to leave, I felt it—the future beginning to shift. But in the back of my mind, a knot had already begun to form.
Seryna had just stepped out of the engagement gown when I found her again. The elf portrait artist was setting up his equipment in the next room—a creature older than most thrones, with the calm of someone who had painted history for two centuries.
I took her hand. This next part mattered.
"There are two people I need to reintroduce to you," I said, voice a little uncertain.
First through the door came Darius—my Beta and oldest friend. She’d seen him before, but never like this.
"This is my Beta," I said. "He’s like a brother to me. His name is Darius."
He bowed deeply. "My Queen."
Seryna tilted her head curiously. Then another figure walked in.
She gasped. "LUCAN?!"
Lucan gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hi Doctor Vale. What’s up?"
Her aura flared. "You sent him to spy on me?!"
"No," Lucan interjected quickly. "He sent me to protect you."
He dropped a stack of papers on the table. I growled, but Lucan stood his ground.
"She needs to know."
Seryna flipped through the images. Her fingers trembled. A sob rose in her throat as the faces of students she once studied beside stared back, bloodied and lifeless. She recoiled as if struck, the pages slipping from her hands.
"These people..."
"Were sent to abduct you. I stopped them. Permanently. Someone is determined to get to you," Lucan said.
"The Luna?"
"No. She was just an ambitious b***h," he said bluntly.
I growled again at the tone.
Seryna's gaze narrowed. "So... were you ever really my friend?"
Lucan straightened, fist over his heart in salute. "I was always your friend. The Gamma is to the Queen what the Beta is to the Alpha. When I knew you were his mate, I knew I was your shield, confidant, and being your friend is the best part. I meant every moment we shared. College with you and the girls? Best time of my life. Please don’t hate me."
He looked like a kicked puppy.
She stared at him, torn. Her stance softened slightly.
Then she turned to me.
I hesitated only a moment. "There’s one more thing. The Luna planned to use your mother’s body to lure you back."
Seryna went rigid.
"Where is she?"
"Lucan retrieved her. She’s safe. In our private morgue."
She clenched her fists. Her heart was in her throat. “Anything else you’re hiding?”
"No."
She stood abruptly. Her voice shook. "I need air."
I didn’t stop her. I couldn’t. Her anger was earned. Still, watching her walk away felt like losing something sacred I had just begun to hold.
I walked to the garden, following the familiar stone path that wound toward the lake. My steps felt heavy, my chest tight with every breath. As I reached the water's edge, I dropped to my knees. The grass was cool beneath me, but all I could feel was the burn behind my eyes.
Will I ever know peace? The question rang through my mind like a bell tolling through fog.
I wrapped my arms around myself and let the silence hold me, broken only by the soft rustle of leaves and the lapping of the lake.
Footsteps approached behind me, and I didn’t have to look to know who it was.
"Give you a Lunari for your thoughts?" Maria said gently.
I looked up, my voice tight, my throat raw. "I thought I was finally safe. That this life would be different. But someone still wants to hurt me. And he knew. He said nothing. Why can’t I just have peace?"
Maria sat down beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
"I know you want peace, Seryna. I want that for you too. And so does Caius."
I turned to her sharply. "So now you’re taking his side?"
"No, sweetheart," she said softly. "This isn’t about sides. It’s about you. We’re all on the same one. Me. Caius. Rose. We just want you safe."
I didn’t say anything. But I didn’t pull away either.
Maria’s voice dropped lower, warmer. "We love you, fiercely. And love doesn’t always get it right. Sometimes it messes up. Sometimes it stumbles. But we are fighting for the same thing—for you to survive this. To live fully, without fear."
That broke something in me. The dam gave way. The tears came fast, hot, and aching, and I collapsed into Maria’s shoulder, trembling.
The sky had turned gold and soft as the sun dipped behind the trees, casting its light across the lake like a whispered blessing.
The day had begun in promise. It ended in sorrow—but not solitude.
I was held. I was heard. And for now, that would be enough.
- Writer
