Rejected Luna, Vampire Queen

chapter 18

Mary stood directly in my path, a solid wall of muscle and malice. Up close, she smelled like a mixture of bitter sweat and old anger, the kind that had been brewing for a long time. She was much taller than me, her presence so large that her shadow completely covered my small frame. Her muscles looked like hard stones carved under her skin, shifting with every move she made. Looking up at her, I felt like a tiny, defenseless rabbit staring into the golden eyes of a hungry wolf, knowing the predator could strike at any second.

"I am not going to fight you, Mary," I stated, trying my absolute best to keep my voice from wobbling. Even though I sounded calm, my heart was doing a frantic drum solo against my ribs. I looked at her messy, sweat-soaked hair and those mean, narrowed eyes. "But make no mistake, I will disgrace you someday. I will make you pay for what you did to me in the hall. You tried to shame me in front of everyone, and I won’t forget that. It might not happen today, but one day, the debt will be paid."

Mary’s response was to throw her head back and let out a loud, ugly sound that was more of a bark than a laugh. It echoed across the training field, making a few people turn their heads.

"You? Disgrace me?" she scoffed, her lip curling in pure disgust. She reached out and flicked my arm with a mocking finger, shaking her head. "What arms are you going to use to come for me, little girl? Look at you. You are like a thin twig that would snap in a light breeze. Just one single punch from me and you would be a broken mess on the floor. You are nothing but a mistake."

I felt a sudden, hot spark of fire ignite in my stomach. I was so incredibly tired of being called weak by everyone I met. "Too bad for you," I countered, my eyes flashing. I took a brave step forward, getting right into her space even though every nerve in my legs was screaming at me to turn around and run. "You can’t kill me, Mary. Do you know why? Because I am your Luna. Whether you like it or not, I hold the title. So you will stand down and you will respect me."

Mary’s face flushed a deep, angry red. She stepped even closer, invading my personal space until our noses were almost touching. I could feel the heat radiating off her body. "Luna my foot!" she hissed, her breath hot against my skin. "You are only the Luna because of a title on a piece of paper. It’s just a word, Amanda. No one in this pack respects you. You can’t command a single soldier. You can’t control an army. You can’t even shift into a wolf! I am the one the warriors follow into battle. I am the one who leads the hunt while you hide in the castle. Even your fancy title cannot hide how deeply weak you are inside."

I let out a small, mocking laugh that seemed to catch her off guard. "Hmm. So that’s what this is. You are just jealous."

Mary froze, her entire body going stiff. "Jealous? What on earth would I be jealous of?"

"Think about that night in the hall," I said, watching her eyes closely for any sign of a crack in her armor. "No one knew who I was back then. I was a stranger. No one had seen my face. But you... you already knew my name was Amanda. That means the very second I stepped foot into this pack, you were already researching me. You were asking questions and digging for info like a hungry spy. Is that how desperate you are to be a Luna? Are you that obsessed with me?"

A low, vibrating growl started to rumble deep in Mary’s throat. It was a terrifying, animalistic sound that made the air feel heavy.

"Don't worry, I actually understand why you’re so bitter," I continued, noticing that the crowd of wolves around us had gone completely silent. They were leaning in, hanging on every word of our confrontation. "You trained so hard for years, didn't you? You broke your bones and bled in the dirt just for a chance to be the Luna and protect your people. And then I arrived. I did nothing. I didn't even try to get this position. I stole the title from you in the twinkle of an eye. Sometimes life is mean like that, Mary. It’s not always about working hard. What is not meant for you will never be yours. You are just a soldier, and I am the Queen."

Mary was shaking with a visible rage now. Her hands were balled into fists so tight that her knuckles turned a ghostly white, and I thought she might actually strike me. "Fine! I agree!" she screamed, her voice cracking with emotion. "I am a soldier! And I would a thousand times rather be a strong girl than be a weak, pathetic, useless Luna like you!"

"Fine, strong girl," I replied, my voice turning as cold as a winter morning. "I am done talking to you. Leave my sight now. Your Luna commands you to walk away."

The crowd let out a collective gasp. The shock was thick in the air; no one had ever dared to command Mary in such a blunt way before. She looked like she was about to explode, her chest heaving with fury. She spun around and stomped away, her heavy boots kicking up a thick cloud of dust behind her.

"Fine, 'Luna' Amanda!" Mary shouted, her voice echoing off the training walls. She marched toward the large wooden stage that sat in the center of the training ground. With a powerful leap, she jumped onto the platform and looked down at the entire pack with a fire in her eyes. "I challenge you to a duel! Right here! Right now! Let’s see what that title is really worth!"

Suddenly, the whole pack erupted into a deafening roar. "MARY! MARY! MARY!" they chanted in unison. The soldiers began banging their spears against their shields, and the wolves started howling toward the sky. The sound was so loud it made my head throb, vibrating through the very ground beneath my feet. They were bloodthirsty; they wanted to see a fight.

I stood my ground, clutching my hands together to hide the fact that I was trembling inside. "I refuse," I said. My voice felt small and fragile compared to the thunderous noise of the crowd, but Mary was watching me like a hawk. She heard me.

She looked down at me from the stage, a wicked, triumphant grin spreading across her face. "You can't just refuse a challenge, Amanda. Don't you know the rules? According to the ancient laws of this pack, if the Luna refuses a direct challenge from a high-ranking member, she loses her authority. You refusing would mean you renounce your title as the Luna forever. You would lose everything. You would just be a nameless slave again."

The crowd went deathly silent. Every single eye in the field was locked on me now, waiting for my reaction. I could feel the weight of their judgment pressing down on me.

"So, what is it going to be?" Mary asked, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet, her body coiled and ready for combat. "Would you rather give up your title right now and go back to being a nobody... or are you actually going to get up here and fight

me like a leader?"