Rejected Luna, Vampire Queen

chapter 9

"And that is not all!" Mary shrieked, her hands flying through the air as she paced before the crowd. "She begged me! She whispered in my ear, pleading with me to keep her secret. She told me she was going to bewitch every person in this room to get her way. She said this pack would be an easy target once we were all under her spell!"

My heart stopped. I couldn't draw enough air into my lungs. "You don't even know me!" I screamed back, my voice cracking under the weight of the accusation. A invisible giant seemed to be squeezing the life out of my chest. "Why are you lying? I never said those things!"

Mary stepped into my space, her lips curling into a mean, jagged smile. "Of course I know what you are, Amanda. Or do you want to deny your name, too? You tried to hide behind that fancy dress, but your scent gave you away. The scent of a weak, pathetic human."

She leaned in closer, her eyes darkening until they looked like hollow pits. "Which of the Alpha’s enemies sent you? Talk now, before I tear you into tiny pieces."

"I am not an intruder!" I yelled, a hot tear escaping and rolling down my cheek. I brushed it away with a trembling hand. "I wasn't sent by anyone! I live here!"

Mary’s laugh was cold and sharp. "The only mistake our enemies made was sending someone this weak. Maybe you’ll confess once I start breaking your bones."

I looked around the room, but the sea of faces held nothing but hatred. I was completely alone. "I am your Luna!" I shouted, trying to pull my shoulders back even though my legs felt like jelly. "I am the one you came to see! I... I am the bride!"

The room went silent for a heartbeat, and then a wave of mocking laughter crashed over me.

"You?" Mary clutched her stomach, doubled over. "How could a human be a Luna? You’re just digging your grave deeper by lying about the Alpha!"

The crowd parted as an elder stepped forward. His long gray beard and heavy brow gave him the look of a stone statue. He silenced Mary with a single look before turning his cold, judging eyes on me.

"Who sent you?" The weight of his voice felt like a mountain pressing down on me.

"I am not lying!" I sobbed, my vision blurring. I reached out a hand, desperate for someone to see the truth. "I am the Luna chosen by Alpha Damon himself!"

The elder narrowed his eyes. "A human cannot be the Luna of this pack. Our laws are ancient. The Alpha would never pick a human to lead us. It is impossible."

"I swear it’s the truth!" I cried out, searching his face for a flicker of mercy. I found none. His expression remained hard as flint.

"Lying in the name of the Alpha is a death sentence," the elder noted, turning to the crowd before looking back at me. "If you are a spy, Mary killing you now would be an act of mercy compared to what the Alpha will do."

He flicked his wrist toward the guards. "Seize her!"

Two massive men lunged forward, their fingers digging into my arms like iron claws. I struggled, but it was like trying to move a mountain.

"The Alpha won't be happy when he sees this!" I screamed, one last desperate attempt to be heard. "He will be furious with you!"

The elder let out a dry, haunting chuckle. "Maybe you can be a Luna in the next life. I can't wait for the Alpha to pass his final judgment. Your death will be a painful lesson to any other spy who tries to sneak into our pack."

"While we wait for him," Mary whispered, her cold breath ghosting over the back of my neck. "Let's see what’s underneath this expensive silk."

I felt her hands grip the fabric at my spine. Ripppp!

The sound of the tearing zipper echoed in the silent hall. Cold air hit my bare skin. She was trying to strip me naked, to shame me in front of hundreds of people. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me whole. I felt small, hated, and broken.

Mary’s hand moved to pull the dress lower, and a few people in the crowd began to cheer for my humiliation.

"LEAVE HER!"

A deep, booming roar sliced through the room like a blade. It was so powerful the glasses on the tables rattled.

The entire hall went dead silent. No on

e moved. No one breathed.