Coming Back as Enemy's Luna

6: Lament

= Mikael =

A slow grin tugged at my lips, sharp and amused, because out of all the things I expected her to do… this wasn’t one of them.

Now that I finally remembered who she was, the sight of her like this was almost mesmerizing.

Weak. On her knees. Begging.

“So you actually know how to submit,” I drawled, my voice dripping with mockery as I stared down at her.

She didn’t dare move. Not even a twitch. The only thing that gave her away was the slight tremble in her knuckles—and the scent of pain rolling off her in waves. I didn’t bother denying the truth to myself: I enjoyed seeing her like this more than I should.

Lorne told me the woman I’d saved was Amara—future Luna of the Gravemire Pack. Or, more accurately… she was already an outcast.

The moment I learned her name and her pack, an old, familiar rage snapped awake inside me. Instinct demanded I kill her right then and there. Everything about that cursed pack makes my vision bleed red. They awaken the monster I’ve spent years forcing into a cage.

The Gravemire Pack is my greatest enemy. I’d condemn every one of them to hell myself. And each time their name is spoken, the urge hits me again—raw and violent—whispering that it would be so, so easy to s*******r them all.

And so, the only thing that kept me from snapping this woman’s neck was the sharp, nagging curiosity clawing at the back of my mind—her identity.

If she truly belonged to that bloodline…the one the world believed long wiped from existence… Then she might be valuable.

But if she wasn’t—

A slow smirk curled across my lips. Heat rippled beneath my skin, that familiar, intoxicating rush sparking through my veins at the thought of what I would do to her if she proved useless. My blood thrummed with anticipation—violent, eager, hungry.

But if my instincts were right… If she was connected to the lineage I’d been searching for… Then perhaps I could spare her. Until she has no use of me.

“I’m curious, though,” I drawled.

She stayed frozen, still bowing on the bed, spine stiff, breaths shallow—like she already knew that one wrong twitch could end her life.

“Why did you betray your pack?” I asked, tilting my head. “Tell me, Amara…what did you gain from turning your back on Gravemire?”

I had known her by name long before I laid eyes on her. The moment I became Alpha of Veyrath, whispers followed me—rumors of Gravemire’s prodigy, a woman everyone claimed would become one of the greatest Lunas of her generation. Elders from my own pack had tried, more than once, to find me a mate who could compare to Amara of Gravemire—that was how highly she was spoken of.

She was admired for her discipline, her relentless drive, her unwavering loyalty. A woman shaped by hardship, praised for the victories she secured for her people. And three days ago, she was supposed to stand beside Elias for their bonding ceremony…until it all collapsed.

According to Lorne’s reports, Elias discovered that she had betrayed her entire pack.

“Was all of this because you wanted revenge? Too bad your mate figured it out before you could even—”

“I was betrayed.” She cut through my words like a blade. My eyebrow arched—not because of the confession itself, but because the scent of her fury hit me before the sound of her voice did. Her fists curled so tightly her knuckles whitened. Slowly, she lifted her head and met my gaze.

Her eyes were bloodshot, swollen with unshed grief, but what burned brightest in them was something far more volatile—pure rage.

“Elias cast me out. Sera betrayed me. Everyone turned their back on me.” Her voice trembled, every word heavier than the last. A single tear broke free from her left eye, sliding down her cheek before the rest followed, darkening her expression even further. “For what? For an accusation I didn’t even commit.”

I watched her in silence, letting her speak. She took the space I gave her and ran with it.

The meek, submissive Amara from earlier was gone. In her place stood a woman scorched by fury, reclaiming her spine, her confidence, her voice. She stared straight into my eyes, unflinching.

“They accused me of conspiring with rogues,” she said, breath hitching. “All I ever wanted was to get rid of them—to wipe them out, once I became Luna. It wasn’t me. It was Sera. She’s the one who made a deal with them.”

Her shoulders shook as she sobbed.

“The moment I was cast out, the rogues hunted me through the Lawless Forest. I fought back—I did everything I could—but there were too many of them.” She dragged in a sharp breath. “Then Sera arrived. I thought… I thought she came to save me.”

Her voice cracked.

“She didn’t. She never intended to. That was when I realized she was the one who plotted with them from the start. She’s the one who gave me this wound.”

She touched the gash at her side, fingers trembling. “All this time…she was acting. She played all of us. She…manipulated me.”

Her next words came out as a broken whisper.

“I can’t forgive her. I can’t… f-forgive her.”