Rejected And Reborn As The Alpha King's Luna

Chapter 31:"The Dark Witch"

POV: Narrator

The witch's lair was hidden deep in the Shadowpeak Mountains, a place where sunlight never quite reached and the air tasted of ancient magic. Neon dragged Thelma through a stone archway covered in runes that glowed with sickly green light. Behind them, his men carried the unconscious Theo, still paralyzed from the silver dust.

"Welcome," a voice purred from the darkness. "I've been waiting so very long to meet you, child."

A woman emerged from the shadows. She looked perhaps forty, with long black hair streaked with silver and eyes that held centuries of knowledge and cruelty. Morgana the Dark Witch, though she looked nothing like the monster Thelma had imagined.

"Let me go," Thelma demanded, trying to pull free from Neon's grip. But her body was still weak from healing Xavier, and she could barely stand.

"In time, dear. In time." Morgana circled them slowly, studying Thelma like a scientist examining a specimen. "You're even more perfect than I'd hoped. The Alpha bloodline runs so pure in you. And your twin.." She glanced at Theo's unconscious form. "Together, you're magnificent."

"What do you want from us?" Thelma asked, though she already knew the answer. Neon had told her. This witch wanted their power, their lives, their very souls.

"Everything," Morgana said simply. She gestured, and magical chains erupted from the floor, wrapping around Thelma's wrists and ankles. Similar chains bound Theo as he was dumped beside her. "But let me start at the beginning. You deserve to know the truth before you die."

"How generous," Thelma spat.

Morgana smiled. "I've been alive for three hundred and forty-seven years. Not immortal, mind you. Just very, very good at extending my life through magic. But every spell has its limits. Every borrowed year must eventually be repaid. Twenty-five years ago, I was dying. My magic was failing. I needed something powerful enough to transcend mortality forever."

She waved her hand, and images appeared in the air, magical projections showing the past like a movie.

"That's when I discovered the Silver Moon pack. Your father, James, and your mother, Catherine. They possessed something rare, a bloodline so pure, so powerful, that it could open doorways between worlds. Doorways to places where death has no meaning."

The images showed Thelma's parents, young and happy, leading their pack. They looked so alive, so full of hope. Thelma's chest ached seeing them.

"I needed their blood," Morgana continued. "But they wouldn't give it willingly. So I created a plan. A beautiful, intricate plan that would take decades to complete."

The images shifted, showing Morgana approaching different Alphas. Marcus. Damien. Others Thelma didn't recognize.

"I manipulated the coalition," Morgana explained. "Whispered fears about James's power. Planted evidence of threats that didn't exist. Made ambitious Alphas believe they needed to act first, to strike before James destroyed them all."

"You started the war," Thelma breathed. "You're the reason they attacked my parents."

"I orchestrated it perfectly." Morgana's smile was proud, like an artist discussing her masterpiece. "Marcus and Elena were especially useful. So hungry for power, so easy to control. I promised them magic, strength, the ability to steal your mother's gifts. All they had to do was kill your parents and take you."

"Why keep me alive?" Thelma demanded. "Why not just kill me with them?"

"Because, dear child, you were only six months old. Your powers hadn't manifested yet. I needed you to grow, to develop, to reach your full potential." Morgana's eyes gleamed. "And I needed something else. Something even more valuable."

She pointed at Theo. "Your twin. Your other half. You see, your parents were clever. When they realized the danger, they split you up. You stayed with the pack, visible, a decoy. But Theo—" She laughed. "Theo was hidden away with your mother's sister, Luna. Protected. Raised in secret."

"You knew about him all along?" Thelma asked.

"Of course. I can see everything, child. I see the threads of fate, the patterns of destiny. I knew where he was, what he was becoming. I simply waited for the right moment to bring you together."

Theo groaned, consciousness returning. His eyes snapped open, and he immediately tried to shift, to break the chains. But the magic held him firm.

"Welcome back," Morgana said cheerfully. "You're just in time for the good part."

"What good part?" Theo snarled.

Morgana's expression turned serious. "The part where I explain what your blood can really do. You see, Alpha twins are special. Their combined power doesn't just add together, it multiplies. And when that power is used in the right ritual, with the right spell, it can tear open a doorway to the demon realm."

Horror washed over Thelma. "The demon realm? You want to release demons?"

"Not release them, child. Join them." Morgana's smile was manic now. "Demons are immortal. They exist outside of time and death. If I can cross into their realm, if I can merge my essence with that dark energy, I'll transcend mortality forever. I'll become something greater than witch, greater than wolf, greater than anything this world has ever seen."

"You're insane," Theo said flatly.

"I'm ambitious," Morgana corrected. "There's a difference. And I'm patient. I've spent twenty-three years guiding you both toward this moment. Every choice you made, every path you took, I was there, gently steering events."

She waved her hand again, and new images appeared. Thelma gasped as she saw herself in her first life, the life where she'd died at the Luna ceremony.

"Your first death wasn't an accident," Morgana said softly. "I allowed it to happen. In fact, I encouraged it. You needed to die, Thelma. You needed to experience death, to touch the void between worlds. Only then would your soul be marked, prepared for what comes next."

"The Moon Goddess," Thelma whispered. "She sent me back. She gave me a second chance."

"Did she?" Morgana's smile was knowing. "Or did I let you think that? You see, I've been practicing death magic for three centuries. I know how to manipulate souls, how to send them back, how to make them believe they've been blessed by the divine when really they've just been following my script."