The Luna Reborn

Marin pov The first arrow hit my shoulder before I could finish screaming. Pain exploded down my arm. The rope bit into my wrists. I was tied to a wooden post in the middle of the pack grounds, and every wolf in Crescent Hollow had come to watch me die. “Again!” Dorian shouted. My husband stood on the stone steps of the great hall. Black cloak. Cold eyes. I had loved that man for fourteen years. Now he looked at me like I was mud on his boot. “I didn’t do it!” My voice cracked. “I swear on the Moon Goddess, I never touched Garrick!” “Liar!” a warrior yelled. “We found him in your chamber! Your dagger in his chest!” “Those letters aren’t mine!” “Your hand. Your words.” Dorian’s voice was ice. “You took my best friend to your bed. Then you killed him when he tried to end it.” “Dorian, please..... ” The second arrow slammed into my thigh. I screamed until my throat tore. Then I saw her. Brielle stood at his side. My best friend since we were six years old. A little boy sat on her hip, with Dorian’s black hair and Dorian’s chin. A son. The one thing I never gave him. She wasn’t crying. She watched me like a woman watching a pot she knows will boil. And everything clicked. The dagger that went missing last week. The forged letters. Garrick’s body in my room. The way Dorian had suddenly sent my girls away. Thank the Goddess my girls weren’t here. Ava, Ruby, and Rose were three days’ ride away, at my cousin’s farm. A summer visit, Dorian said. I thought it was kindness. It was a plan. “Any last words?” Dorian asked. His hand slid into Brielle’s. Side by side. Like a king and queen. Something inside me went cold and clear. I stopped begging. “Moon Goddess,” I whispered. Blood filled my mouth. “Hear me.” A third arrow hit my ribs. My knees gave out. Only the rope held me up. “I was good. I was soft. I was kind. Look where it got me.” I lifted my head. “Give me another life. Give me power. Give me an army that no Alpha can break. I will burn this pack to the ground. Every wall. Every liar. I swear it.” Dorian raised his hand. Mama loves you, I thought, to three small faces that weren’t there. Be brave. “Loose,” Dorian said. The last volley whistled through the dark. Then there was nothing. “Ember! Wake up, you lazy girl!” A hand slapped my cheek. I sucked in a huge breath. Air! Real air! It burned my lungs, but it felt amazing. I sat up too fast. My head spun. I was in a tiny room full of mirrors. Candles in tin holders lit every wall. It smelled like rosewater, sweat, and candle smoke. Through the thin wall, I could hear music. Under it, wind howled through tall pines. A lodge, then. Deep in the mountains. A woman in a red wig stood over me, holding a ledger like a weapon. “Three minutes,” she snapped. “You’re on in three minutes. And don’t you dare cry again.” “Where am I?” I croaked. “Don’t start with me. “Who is Ember?” She rolled her eyes. “Oh, you’re funny. Get up. The Alpha’s on the high balcony and he asked for the new girl.” I looked down. My hands were small. The nails were painted hot pink. I wore a tiny black costume covered in sparkles. I stumbled to the nearest mirror. A stranger stared back at me. Big brown eyes. Long dark hair. Maybe twenty-two years old. Pretty, but tired. A yellow bruise ran down one arm. I touched my cheek. The stranger touched hers. “No,” I whispered. “No, no, no.” I reached inside for my wolf. For the warm voice I’d had my whole life. Nothing. Only a dark, empty hole. I grabbed my chest. No arrows. No blood. Just skin. “I’m alive,” I said. Then, much softer, “Oh, Goddess. My babies.” “Your what?” The woman frowned. “Listen, honey. Madam Vera doesn’t pay for crying girls. Move.” So she was Madam Vera. She hauled me up by the elbow. My mind raced. Where was I? How long had I been gone? Did my girls know yet? What was Dorian telling them right now? Was Brielle tucking them in tonight? Ruby couldn’t sleep without her bunny’s ear in her fist. Rose needed the second verse of a song only I knew. Ava pretended she wasn’t scared of storms, so I sat on the end of her bed and pretended not to notice. Who would do that now? Rage hit me so hard that my hands shook. I was done crying. I had spent fourteen years being nice. Being soft. Being the good little Luna. Look where that got me. “What do I do?” I asked. Vera stared at me like I had grown a second head. “You dance. Don’t run, don’t talk back, don’t touch the customers. Rule one.” “Rule two?” “Don’t make the Alpha mad.” She shoved me through a curtain. “Go!” Lights hit my face like a slap. Music pounded in my chest. A hundred eyes turned my way. My body knew what to do before my brain did. My hips swayed. My arms floated. It was weird, like some other girl’s memory lived in my muscles. Fine. I would use it. Then I felt it. A stare. Heavy. Hot. Like a hand on the back of my neck. I looked up at the high balcony. A man sat alone behind a carved wooden screen. Black coat. Open collar. Dark hair that fell across his forehead. A sharp jaw. Eyes the color of storm clouds. He didn’t clap. He didn’t smile. He just looked at me like I was the only person in the room. My skin tingled. My empty chest gave a small, strange jump. He lifted his goblet. Slowly, he shaped one word with his lips. Mine. Heat shot through me. I missed a step and almost fell. Seriously? Dying hadn’t made me any smarter? I finished the song with my teeth clenched. Vera was waiting backstage, grinning like a cat. “Alpha Rafe Dumont just paid triple for your night. Triple, Ember!” “I’m not..... ” “Private room. Upstairs. Go. I looked at the back door. Two huge guards stood in front of it. Vera’s eyes were everywhere. If I ran, they would catch me in ten seconds. I knew the rules. This lodge sat on neutral ground, deep in the mountains, miles from any town. A rogue with no pack could not cross a border alone. The wards would burn her alive. But an Alpha could carry a guest through any gate. That was my way home. And I knew exactly what an Alpha wanted in return. Fine. I would satisfy him. Then I would make him pay up. One night. One favor. Then I would ride back to Crescent Hollow and find my girls. I climbed the stairs. The room was dark, with moonlight glowing on the pine trees outside the window. The man stood with his back to me. “Close the door,” he said. His voice was deep. Gravel and smoke. I closed it. The lock clicked behind me. The sound was very loud. He turned. Up close, he was a whole head taller than me. He smelled like pine, rain, and campfire. His eyes traveled over me, slow and sure. “You’re not scared.” “Should I be?” “Everyone is.” “I’ve seen scarier.” One eyebrow rose. “Have you?” “Yes.” He crossed the room in three silent steps. His thumb slid under my chin and tilted my face up. My heart did a stupid flip. “Name?” he asked. “Ember.” “That’s your stage name. I asked for your name.” I almost said Marin. “It’s Ember. Tonight.” A smirk tugged at his mouth. “I’m Rafe. Say it.” “Alpha.” “Rafe.” “Rafe,” I whispered. His eyes flashed gold, only for a second. Then he leaned down until his lips brushed my ear. “Before I touch you, little dancer,” he murmured, “tell me something.” “What?” “Vera’s ledger says you were born wolfless. So why do you smell like a wolf?” My blood turned to ice.