REBORN:LOVE AND VENGEANCE

Chapter two

Ariel

“Klaus, please… don’t do this.”

My voice cracked as I sat at the edge of our bedroom, clutching the armrests of my wheelchair like they were the only things holding me together. My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind, agitated and heartbroken, sensing the storm about to come.

Klaus stood in front of the mirror, fixing his collar like he was preparing for a celebration and not the destruction of everything we’d built. He looked powerful in that black ceremonial coat.

“Please,” I begged again. “You don’t have to announce it like this, whatever this is with Madea, we can fix it—”

He turned slowly, and for a fleeting second, I hoped there’d be a change of emotion in his eyes but there wasn’t.

Instead, he looked at me with disdain.

“You really don’t get it, do you?” he said coldly.

“Please, listen to me,” I whispered, pushing my chair closer to where he was standing. “We can fix this. I can still prove my worth. I can be the Luna you need if you just give me another chance.”

His face was a mask of contempt. Before I could finish, he glowered down at me and spat, “no, Ariel. It’s already too late.”

My heart pounded painfully in my chest as I reached out, desperate for some proof of the man I once believed in. “I love you,” I choked out. “I gave up everything for you—”

Before I could finish, he stepped forward and shoved the side of my wheelchair hard. The chair tilted violently and my arm swung instinctively, trying to balance, but it was too late. I crashed to the ground with a harsh thud, pain exploding across my ribs.

“Don’t push me!” he barked coldly as I writhed on the floor, tears streaming down my face in a mix of physical pain and emotional betrayal. I gasped, coughing as I tried to scramble towards my wheelchair.

“Klaus,” I cried. “Please help me back into the chair.”

But he sneered down at me, “You should’ve stayed in the guest room.”

I blinked up at him, breathless. “If that’s what you want, I will do it but don’t reject me in front of everyone. Let’s try work this out first.. please—”

“I’ve made up my mind,” he said simply, then turned and walked out.

The door clicked shut behind him.

I lay on the floor, helpless. My spine burned, my shoulder ached from the fall, while I continued to cry out until I heard the slow and deliberate footsteps of someone enjoying the moment.

It was accompanied by a cough.

I raised my head to see Madea leaning against the doorframe, her lips curved upward.

“Well, well,” she drawled, “what a mess.”

“Madea…” My voice cracked. “Please… whatever game you’re playing, stop. I don’t care what you have going on with Klaus, I just want my mate back.”

She stepped further into the room, “Your mate?” She let out a low, venomous laugh. “You really still think he’s yours?”

“I’m begging you,” I whispered, shame pooling in my stomach. “Don’t destroy my bond with him. Don’t destroy my life.”

She tilted her head, eyes full of cruelty. “You’re pathetic. Look at you, lying on the ground like a kicked pup. If I were you, I’d save what’s left of my pride and end it.” With an uncaring tilt of her head, she added, “Get up and try to salvage yourself if you can.”

In a feeble attempt to rise, I managed to snatch a hand toward my wheelchair. My breath hitched. “Please help me up,” I pleaded. “You can fulfill this one request for me.”

She smiled, stepped closer, and reached down like she meant to help. I grasped her arm, my body aching from the fall but then with a smirk she shoved me back.

This was the final act of cruelty.

I cried out as my back hit the floor again, my elbow cracking hard against it.

Madea straightened her back, and dusted her palms as if I’d dirtied her. “Oops, my bad,” she said, then turned and walked out the door.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I bit my lip and choked them down. I was going to prove all of them wrong. I wasn’t weak, being crippled didn’t make me a loser.

Slowly, I gathered the little strength I had left and tried to force myself back into the wheelchair. I was still trying when the door pushed open and this time, it was a guard who walked in.

“Luna,” he said and rushed to me, helping me back into the wheelchair.

-

The courtyard was full by the time I arrived.

Pack members had gathered from every direction, standing shoulder to shoulder. The platform where I once stood beside Klaus to give victory speeches now felt a million miles away from my reach.

I wheeled myself to a quiet corner near the back, trying to stay hidden but somewhere within the back of my mind, I was hoping that maybe he wouldn’t go through with it, that maybe he'd see me there and remember everything we’d been through; the bond, our sacrifices and the battle we fought together.

At long last, Klaus walked into the square. His posture was rigid with self-importance and he was dressed in his ceremonial coat, carrying himself like a living god.

He climbed a raised platform, positioning himself so that every member of the pack could see him. His eyes swept over the assembly before finally settling on me, the broken Luna crouched in the far corner, clutching her dignity in remains of hope.

“My people,” he began, with a smooth and steady tone. “Today, I am here to speak a hard but necessary truth. Our pack needs strength and for this to happen, our Luna must be a leader, a protector, and a mother to our future heirs.”

The crowd began to murmur, obviously unsure of where Klaus was headed to. As for me, anxiety took over me and my toes curled up in my shoes

“And while Ariel Blackwood was once all those things… she is no longer.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd but I held my breath.

“She cannot shift or lead warriors. She cannot bear children and I—I cannot continue to pretend otherwise. She is broken and remains a Luna only in title.”

I flinched.

“Therefore Pack of Moon Blood,” his voice cracked out loudly, “today I stand before you to honor the sacred union decreed by the Moon Goddess. For too long, I have been bound by duty, but duty can change with revelation.”

There was a pause as he allowed the tension to mount. My heart pounded in my ears.

He continued, “I have decided that Ariel Blackwood is no longer fit to be my mate or the Luna of this pack. Her legacy of heroism has been tarnished by her weakness.”

I could hardly hear the world over my own despair. My vision got blurred with tears as my mind replayed each brutal blow and callous word.

“Her injuries have rendered her incapable,” he declared coldly, “of fulfilling the duties of a Luna. A Luna must stand strong, lead our warriors, and bear strong heirs to sustain our bloodline. Ariel, in your current state, you can do neither.”

There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd. Some nodded slowly, others looked away, even though their expressions betrayed pity and resignation.

No one spoke up for me.

No one stepped forward.

“I, Alpha Klausander of Moon Blood Pack, hereby reject Ariel Blackwood as my mate.”

A cold silence swept the crowd.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

Klaus turned, pulled Madea forward, and waited for his words to marinate before delivering the final blow, “This is Madea Vale, my chosen Luna and new mate.”

With that, he gave her a long, deep and possessive kiss.

The crowd broke into soft clapping. Some looked away in discomfort, others whispered behind their hands but no one stopped him.

All of this was unbearable but I could do nothing other than shrink further into my broken wheelchair, my heart aching with every moment.

My final thread of hope had been snapped.

The people I bled for clapped for my replacement, and no one, not a single soul, came to my defense.

I wasn’t just rejected, I was erased.