The One True Luna

Chapter4

Ashely POV

I clenched my fists tightly. I wouldn’t cry. Not for them. They didn’t deserve a drop of my pain.

Damian had rejected me, cast me aside for Riley. Maybe it was time I finally moved on. It’s time I picked up the pieces of everything I’d abandoned for him these past four years.

My phone rang, its shrill sound breaking through my haze. Blinking through tears, I checked the screen. It was commander Thorne from the Northern Mili Academy.

“Hello, Ashley,” he greeted, his tone warm as always.

“I heard you came for your parents’ moonstone.”

“Yes, I have, Commander. Thank you for everything. My parents would have wanted to be together, even in their ashes.”

“I’m glad that brings you peace.”

“I also called to remind you. It’s been years since you left the Mili. I understand you had much to deal with, but what about now? I ask because I have news. The Alpha King is holding a program, and it requires our best-trained students to take part. You fit perfectly for this role, Ashley.”

“What is it, commander?” I asked.

“It’s a volunteer mission to the Forbidden Desert. You know the stories. Few survive. The beast enemy there has been attacking the werewolf clans for years, and it must be destroyed. The reward is a billion bucks and a place in the world records as the one who conquered what has plagued our race for generations. Are you ready, Ashley?”

I had been trained to fight. I was the best in my academy. For years I stayed hidden, silent, wasting away in Damian’s shadow. Maybe this was the chance—the chance to channel my pain into something else. To fight. To protect what was left of my parents’ legacy.

I had given up everything for Damian. Now, it was time to live for myself.

“I’m ready, commander.”

The chief was silent for a moment, as if making sure he’d heard correctly.

“And Ashley,” he added carefully, “your life might be at risk. You won’t have contact with anyone for six months. Are you certain? Do you think your mate would agree to this?”

I didn’t have anyone anymore. Damian had stripped me of my estate, my bond, and my dreams.

“I don’t have a mate anymore, commander and I’m certain about this decision.” I said firmly. “Agreed.”

“Excellent. I’ll inform the Alpha King immediately that we’ve found our volunteer.”

The call ended. I gathered my boxes and began walking away. This was my final goodbye.

My mind drifted back to the moment everything began—

“Would you be my mate, Ashley? Please… be my chosen mate,” Damian had said, his voice gentle, his eyes soft and beautiful. He had knelt before me, proposing right after my parents’ deaths, when I was at my weakest.

He promised to love me, to care for me, and to help me back on my feet.

And I believed him.

But then Riley returned from the academy. From that moment, Damian turned his back on me.

He chose her first. He never defended me when his mother’s words cut deep. When his friends mocked me, he stayed silent, but if I dared to respond, he defended them instead.

I never wanted to believe it, that all along, he might have only wanted me for my wealth. He knew so little about me, yet I had given him everything.

So much. Too much.

I cooked his meals, washed his clothes, stayed by his side, and gave him all my love.

But never again.

Whether I was gone for six months or forever, it didn’t matter. To them, I was nothing.

I placed the last box in my car and drove away to the nearest city. My father had gifted me a mansion there for my birthday, though I had never once stayed in it. I had kept it a secret from Damian, my one thing that was truly mine.

The gates swung open as I pulled in. Parking the car, I stepped out, clutching the keys with trembling fingers.

“Ashley, is there a problem?” Fegor asked, his lined face etched with concern. My father’s old friend, one of the Elders, had been guarding this house for years. “You’ve never come here with your bags before.”

“My mate severed the bond between us,” I said flatly. “We’re completely separated now. And I have more important things to do with my life now.”

Regret clawed at my chest, bitter and sharp. I had wasted years with nothing to show for it. Not even a pup.

Whenever I asked Damian to make love to me, he would avoid me. Slip away. Pretend to be busy.

I knew now. The late-night calls, the whispered laughter. It had always been Riley.

“What? How could he do that?” Fegor’s blue eyes hardened, his jaw tightening as he grabbed my bags and carried them up the stairs to a room I had never stayed in before.

“He took everything from me,” I said bitterly. “He made the pack believe I was weak, unworthy of ruling as their Luna. He claimed my birthright, my pack, everything.”

Fegor’s nostrils flared with restrained fury. “I will inform the Elders tomorrow. They’re gathering for the banquet, an event the Alpha King himself called for. I’ll bring this matter before them.” His voice shook with anger, but it did little to ease the ache in my chest.

“Don’t,” I whispered, shaking my head. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Because I had something else now. Something greater than Damian, greater than the pack’s betrayal.

A purpose.

It would remain my secret, for now. I would wait for the chief’s call for the moment the program began.

Fegor stopped halfway down the hall, turning sharply to face me. His blue eyes glimmered with restrained fire.

“What do you mean, don’t? This was your father’s blood, sweat, and sacrifice. It belongs to you.”

“My father also didn’t raise me to be a weakling, Fegor.” I lifted my chin, dismissing the conversation before it could sink its claws into me.

He studied me for a long moment, then gave a slow nod. “Umm. Very well. If you don’t want to speak of it now, we’ll leave it for another time.”

But as he adjusted the bags in his arms, he added, almost cautiously, “You’ll attend the banquet tonight, won’t you? You’re an Alpha’s daughter; you should be there. And besides…” His gaze sharpened. “…the Alpha King has been looking for you.”

“Fine then,” I muttered, pushing open the door to my room. “Let’s see why he’s been scorching the earth for me.”

Tears stung my eyes as I stepped inside.

When Father first gifted me this mansion, I’d imagined something different. I thought it would be our family’s retreat, a place filled with laughter, cherished memories, and pups of my own racing through these grand halls. Pups with Damian.

But those were just wishes. Empty dreams.

My phone rang again, slicing through the silence. The screen lit up with the chief’s name. Fegor placed my bags down gently, gave me a knowing look, and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

I answered the call.

“Ashley,” the commander’s voice came briskly. “You’ve been chosen by the Alpha King. The program commences in five days. But there’s a catch, the volunteer’s identity will remain anonymous. No one will know it’s you. Not even the Alpha King himself. He approved only after hearing of your abilities.”

Relief washed over me. “Good. I wouldn’t have been comfortable with my name being used. This way, if I die, I’ll die silently without the world knowing.”

“I hope you come out victorious, Ashley. I’m rooting for you. Since you’ve been away from the Mili for years, we advise you to undergo four days of training to prepare for the fifth day.”

“Yes, Commander. I shall resume training on Monday.”

“If you succeed, your name will be revealed as the hero our people deserve and definitely as the winner of the huge reward.”

“Thank you, Commander.” I smiled faintly before ending the call.

Five days. That was all I had left here. After that, six months in the Forbidden Desert or death.

And if I didn’t come back, at least no one would know the truth until it was too late.ate.