MY LUNA’S TIME TO REIGN

Chapter 2

Mia woke up, lying in her bed, her head pounding like it was about to snap away from her neck. She opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the afternoon sun flickering in through the window.

Her mind went blank, no memories of whatever made her head and body hurt so much.

"What.... happened?" She whispered, trying to sit up but all to no avail —her body felt like lead, unmoving.

Then she shut her eyes closed, trying to rewind her memories. Then they came rushing back. Kaiya's intrusion. The attack. Her parents' death. Then a sharp pain exploded in the back of her head before she could process Kaiya's words.

Panic clawed at her as adrenaline rushed through her and she bolted out of bed—all the pains holding her back earlier had vanished.

"No..... "No" she whispered, shaking her head frantically. She refused to believe that her beloved parents were dead and gone forever. "That can't be......"

Tears welled in her eyes as she scrambled out of bed. She needed to see them, needed proof that they were alive and well. Her trembling hands flung the door open, and in no time she was already sprinting through the corridor towards the grand hall, ignoring the confused look of the passing maids. Her heartbeat pounding so loudly against her eardrums.

When she got there, she found the grand hall alive with celebration. Laughter echoed through the walls, and the scent of wine and well-garnished, roasted meat filled the air. Wolves cheered in excitement, raised their goblets, chanted a name. A name which Mia heard but couldn't believe. A name which made her stomach twist.

"Alpha Maiks! Alpha Maiks! Cheers to the Alpha of the Sunset Pack.

Maiks, her twin brother, sat on the throne chair, his presence commanding and unfamiliar. He was dressed in regal Alpha robes that made him devastatingly handsome, as he was born with the attire. On his head sat the Alpha's crown, a proof of his identity and power.

Mia's breath caught. Alpha Maiks? She was beyond confused at this point. She stepped with her shaky legs that are threatening to give out beneath her. "What's happening here?"

Her voice was low but it was firm enough to cut through the celebratory noise. The hall quieted. All eyes turned to her.

Beta Darius, her father's most trusted advisor and best friend approached her, his expression unreadable. "Princess Mia," he said in a well-practiced grave tone that one would have thought was sincere. "I am sorry for your loss, but your parents are gone. They have been killed by the assassins and buried. Maiks is now the rightful Alpha of the Sunset Pack."

"What?" The world seems to blur out as Mia's heart is ripped apart. It was true. Her parents were gone. The tears she has been holding back all the while streamed down her face.

Her mama.

Her papa.

Both gone.....and forgotten.

The tears rolled over, her knees finally gave out as she collapsed to the floor, sobs wracking her body.

Eyes in the hall burned into her, but they weren't warm—they were cold and unbothered like she was just auditioning for a movie role.

Maik's eyes landed on her, his wolf growling underneath in anger and irritation. What's with the drama? he thought.

"Princess Mia," Elder Viktor's voice said. "You can go to your room to mourn while we continue with our celebration," he said, his voice light like it wasn't his Alpha, whom he had served all his life, who had just passed away.

Mia growled in pain, her wolf, Bell, groaning inside her as they both moaned.

She was hurt by her parents' death but she was even sadder than these people. Her people didn't even mourn them. And her brother, the only family she had left, had quickly taken over the throne like he'd been waiting for this moment all his life.

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, rising up. As much as she wanted to mourn them, she needed answers to the questions in her mind.

"Who are those assassins?" She asked, facing Beta Darius. "And why the hell would you bury them without me?" Her voice shook with disbelief. And we should be mourning them! Why is everyone celebrating instead?"

Silence. No one answered her.

Instead, a figure stepped forward. Kaiya.

She was elegantly dressed in a flowing gown, her dark hair cascading in soft waves. Mia had expected she would at least walk up to her, and they would mourn together and comfort each other.

But instead, she walked towards Maiks and pressed a kiss to his lips.

Her blood froze.

In that moment, she remembered that Kaiya had hit her on her head yesterday and that was why she collapsed. No....no. it can be anyone but not Kaiya. Not the woman she had taken like a sister.

But it is what it is. Because when Kaiya pulled away from the kiss, she was brimming with pride like she had just achieved a longtime dream of hers.

Then the realization dawned on Mia that she had been betrayed by all those she trusted the most.

What the hell was happening? She had never heard of any relationship between them. Was she imagining things? She turned to Maiks, her voice a whisper. "Tell me what is happening...."

Maiks stepped down from the platform and approached her. There was no warmth in his eyes. Only coldness that Mia had never seen before.

Is this really her brother? The fragile and easy-going Maiks?

Maiks had always been gentle while she had been the rough one. Infact, everyone had always said that Mia was supposed to be the male, while Maiks, the female. But.... how come? How did he change so much?

"Who did you think you are, Mia?" His voice was cold.

Mia parted her lips but no words came out. She was dumbstruck.

Then he continued. "From now on, I'm your Alpha, and I'll take Kaiya as my Luna."

Kaiya? Luna? No. This isn't how it was supposed to be.

This time her mouth opened. She reeled back as if struck. "I am the rightful Alpha! Our parents chose me!"

Maiks chuckled darkly, leaning close so only she could hear his next words. "Do you really think I would just watch while those old hags made you, Alpha?"

This was the last nail in the coffin. Mia's world crumbled.

Betrayal, sharp and unforgiving, sliced through her soul as she stared at Maiks, who wore a satisfied smirk on his face.

Old hags. Their parents. Maiks killed their parents. He f*****g killed them.

Anger coursed through her. She didn't think, she just acted. Quickly, chaos erupted. She lunged at him. Maiks tried to defend him, but it was already too late. Her claws dig deep into his cheeks.

"You bastard!" She seethed.

Maiks stumbled to the floor, his eyes widening. Mia wasn't done yet. Before she could attack him again, the bodyguards grabbed her. She would have fought them off but her body and heart were already weak.

Gasps filled the hall. Standing up, Maiks hand clutch the deep-cut cheeks, his hand drenched in blood. He snapped his cold eyes at her, glaring. What an effort! She had always spared and won against him all his life and now that he is Alpha, she's still attacking him.

He knew he needed to do something. Get rid of her. Mia would always be a problem to him, especially now that she knows about his involvement in their parents' death. He couldn't kill her openly because it would speak bad of him. The Pack might support him as the Alpha, but he knew the rumours of how he killed his sister would never die down.

"You dare attack your Alpha?" His voice, cold and authoritative, echoed through the deadly silent hall. "For this reason, you're banished to the Forest Of Fear."