Redemption Luna Mae

Chapter 1 “Luna Mae of the Orion Pack,” I looked up as Beta Daniel called my name. “She is not Luna,” a cold voice rang out next to him. “Sorry, Alpha Oscar,” Daniel apologized. My eyes stared at Alpha Oscar Lockwood, whose stoic mask met my gaze. My shackled hands clinked as my fingers, now trembling, gripped the cold prison bars. I was about to learn the verdict for my sins. “Mae Cooper, the verdict for your sins is the death penalty,” Daniel’s sharp voice echoed through the closed, musty dungeon. “You will be executed tomorrow.” I shut my eyes, accepting my fate. I had not only bullied Alpha Oscar’s lover, Faye Cooper—my cousin, who also hated me—but I had killed pack members at my parents’ request. I thought I might get a lighter sentence. I was wrong. Heavy footsteps retreated. My eyes followed Alpha Oscar and Beta Daniel as they left the dungeon. “Oscar.” He stopped. Turning over his shoulder in the dark, his cold green eyes stared back at me. “It’s Alpha Oscar to you. Don’t say my name,” he warned sharply. I flinched at his coldness. “I’m still your mate,” I whispered. “You could lose your wolf if I die.” “I lost my first mate because you manipulated me into rejecting her,” he said coldly. “The woman I truly love isn’t mine. Losing my power and my wolf is the sentence for my sins.” Oscar left, unwilling to hear more. My eyes stayed on him until his figure disappeared. Beta Daniel stood where Oscar had just been. “I warned you, Mae,” Daniel said calmly. He was my first mate—the one I didn’t care about. I’d rejected our bond mercilessly. Daniel’s eyes still held sympathy. He was a virtuous man, the kind any woman would want in her life. “I wish I could do something for you, but I’m sorry.” “Why did you stand up for me?” My voice was hoarse with emotion. “I killed pack members for pleasure. Tormented girls in college to keep them away from Oscar. Mistreated you. Rejected you without caring how you felt.” Tears stung my eyes. I tried to hold them in, but they spilled down my cheeks. My weak legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor. “To be honest, I have no clue,” he said. His honesty made me look up at him. “Do you still feel the mate bond? Or did your wolf make you do this?” I asked. Was I creating more problems for him? Normally, I wouldn’t care, but months in this dungeon had worn me down. My guilt was catching up to me. Daniel left without answering. I hugged myself in the dark dungeon, taking deep breaths to calm my nerves. I wiped my tears. “Please spare me, Mae. I won’t speak to Alpha Oscar,” the voice of one of my victims echoed in my head. “Mae, please stop hitting me.” Faye, my cousin, had tearful eyes and bruises from my blows. She was exhausted. I gasped from the nightmare. “Mae Cooper.” A soldier of the Orion Pack barked my name, his eyes glaring with hate. He removed the shackles from my wrists and replaced them with wolfsbane magic cuffs to restrain my power. “Get up and follow me,” he commanded. My body ached from sitting so long. My legs felt heavy as I followed the soldier. Another one walked behind us with a wolfsbane gun. If I tried to run, they'd shoot me down. Wolfsbane would make death far more painful than a clean execution with a magic sword. Sharp sunlight struck my eyes. I squinted, adjusting to the brightness. The breeze brushed against my skin—it was humid. We walked toward the execution forest. Pack members gathered, their glares burning with hatred. My skin burned—not just from the sun, but from their hate. The execution board stood ready, the executioner showing no mercy in his eyes. As the shackles were removed, I knelt at the board. I looked around, hoping something—anything—would stop this. I longed for a chance to right my wrongs. I shut my eyes, but a murmur made me open them. My vision blurred, but then I saw Faye standing beside her mate, Alpha Atlas. Alpha Oscar stood nearby, his eyes cold. Faye whispered something to Oscar. He nodded, his expression softening at her words. Alpha Atlas protectively stepped closer to Faye, making Oscar look away and toward another woman—a stranger. She wore a white doctor’s coat. She wasn’t from our pack but belonged to the Red Night Pack, Alpha Atlas’s territory. The soldier made me stand. The doctor held my hand, and her magic flared. A sharp pain hit my head. My vision blurred. I tried to stay upright as I heard heavy footsteps. Dazed, I looked toward the sound. It was Alpha Oscar. The doctor and soldier held me steady as her magic swirled around me. “Orion Pack members. The death penalty for Mae Cooper will not be carried out. She will be exiled,” Alpha Oscar declared. A roar of outrage rose from the crowd. They couldn’t believe my life was spared. I had so many questions, but the weight of the magic and pain dragged me into darkness.