Shadows Of Revenge

Chapter 5

The dungeon was cold.

Damp stone under Elira’s knees. Iron chains on her wrists. The only light came from a single torch down the hall that threw shadows across the walls.

She hadn’t stopped shaking.

Not from the cold. From the slap.

From her father’s voice.

From Evelyn’s fake tears.

_“Stripped of her title.”_

The words kept replaying. One day. She’d been Luna for one day.

Footsteps echoed. Elira lifted her head, expecting guards. Maybe her father. Maybe more accusations.

It was Samuel.

He slipped through the bars with a tray of bread and water. His face was pale. His hands trembled.

"Don’t," Elira whispered before he could speak. "Don’t lie for her."

Samuel knelt. He didn’t meet her eyes. "I didn’t say anything, my Luna."

"They took it from me already," she said bitterly. "You don’t have to call me that."

"I do." His voice was quiet but firm. "Because the Goddess did."

Elira looked at him then. Really looked. The omega servant. The boy from the garden. He had bruises on his knuckles like he’d been fighting someone.

"Did she hurt you?" Elira asked.

Samuel shook his head. "Not yet. She told me to stay quiet. Said if I spoke, she’d make sure my family was thrown out of the pack." He set the tray down. "She’s going to pin it all on you."

Elira laughed. It was hollow. "Of course she is. That’s what she does."

A long silence.

Then Samuel reached through the bars and pressed something into her hand. A small cloth pouch. Warm.

"Herbs," he murmured. "For the bruise. And... I heard the elders talking. The law says you get a trial at moonrise. If you can prove your innocence before the Moon Goddess again, the title returns to you."

Elira closed her fingers around the pouch. The first bit of kindness she’d had in months.

"Why are you helping me? You’re her mate."

Samuel’s jaw tightened. "Because you didn’t deserve that slap. And because mates aren’t chosen, my Luna. But we get to choose what we do after."

Before Elira could answer, heavy boots sounded down the hall.

Samuel stood fast. "Eat. Get some rest. Moonrise is in 6 hours."

He was gone before the guards rounded the corner.

Elira was alone again. With cold stone, a bruised cheek, and a pouch of herbs in her hand.

But for the first time since her mother died, she didn’t feel completely powerless.

Because someone believed her.

And the Moon Goddess had chosen her once.

She could choose her again.

***

*6 hours later. The great hall.*

The entire pack was gathered. Torches burned. The air smelled like iron and fear.

Evelyn stood at the front, head bowed in false grief, wearing white. The color of mourning. And innocence.

Alpha Logan sat on the throne. His face was stone. He hadn’t looked at Elira once since the guards dragged her in.

The doors opened with a groan.

Two guards shoved Elira forward. Her hands were bound in front of her. Her cheek was still red from the slap. Her nightgown was torn and dirty from the cell floor. But her back was straight.

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

"That’s the new Luna."

"Was the new Luna."

"Shameful."

The elder priest stepped forward. His voice was loud enough for the whole hall to hear.

"Elira of Blood Moon Pack. You stand accused of bringing disgrace to the pack and to your Alpha’s name. Of bedding an Omega on the night of your crowning."

"That is not—" Elira started.

"Silence!" Alpha Logan’s voice cracked like a whip.

Elira snapped her mouth shut. Her chest hurt.

The priest continued. "The law of the Blood Moon Pack is clear. For bringing disgrace to the pack, the punishment is forty lashes. Followed by banishment. You will be stripped of all titles, all rights, and all claims to this family."

A gasp went through the hall.

Alpha Logan stood. Finally, he looked at her. His eyes were cold.

"And as Alpha, and as your father... I cut all ties with you. You are no longer my daughter. You are no longer of my blood."

The words hit harder than any slap.

Elira felt it in her bones. The door closing. Forever.

She wanted to scream. To beg. To tell him about the attack, about Evelyn.

But what was the point? He’d already decided.

Evelyn let out a small, shaky sob. "Father... I’m so sorry she did this to our pack."

Alpha Logan nodded once. "Guards."

Two guards stepped forward and grabbed Elira’s arms. They dragged her to the center of the hall where a whipping post stood. The wood was stained dark.

"Wait," Elira said. Her voice didn’t shake. "For the record. I didn’t do it."

No one answered.

The first lash came down.

Pain exploded across her back. She bit her lip until she tasted blood to keep from crying out.

One.

Two.

Three.

With each strike, she thought of her mother. Of the garden. Of Samuel’s quiet _“my Luna.”_

By ten, her legs were shaking.

By twenty, the world was swimming.

When it was over, she was barely conscious. Blood ran down her back and soaked the floor.

"Banish her," Alpha Logan said. His voice didn’t waver. "Now."

The gates of the pack opened.

Two guards threw her out onto the dirt road beyond the border stones. No food. No cloak. No name.

The gates slammed shut behind her.

Elira lay in the dirt, breathing hard.

Alone.

Hunted.

Exiled.

But still breathing.

And somewhere, deep in her chest, a small voice whispered:

_They think this is the end. It’s not._

---