Chapter Two: Burn Me with the Truth
1423 Words
MAIA POV
The Grand Hall was decked out. It was decorated with silver banners mixed with these weird, flickering lavender torches.
The whole place smelled like a feast—roasted boar, that sweet elderberry wine, and just… celebration.
I was stuck watching from the shadows, from the servant’s hallway that gave me a view through a narrow window. I could see pretty much everything
Laughter. People raise their glasses. Music that makes one's bones vibrate.
The light from these huge gold candelabras made the marble floor glow, and what felt like hundreds of pack members were dancing in their fancy silk outfits.
Above them, the chandeliers looked like they were crying these tear-shaped crystals that hung frozen in the air.
And right in the middle of it all was Kael. He looked like some kind of god. His shoulders were huge in this black ceremonial armor, and he had a gold crown made of thorns sitting on his head.
He was laughing and smiling. He looked so proud, like a man who finally saw his legacy start to form.
The heir—my son—was sitting on a throne next to Lyria. She was the Luna of the Moonstone Pack.
That night, she wore a silver dress with diamonds woven into it. Her stomach was totally flat because she’d never had a baby. When Kael got close, she’d smooth out his cloak, like what lovers do. Their hands were locked together, tight.
She didn’t even have to deal with the pain of childbirth. I did.
I pressed my hand against my stomach, trying to calm it down. But what I felt wasn’t just pain. It was anger. Sadness that felt like it would never end. A scream trapped inside me, clawing at my ribs, but there were no words to explain what I felt.
I was supposed to be there. I should have been Luna.
Instead, I was the forgotten womb.
The crowd cheered as my son lifted his hand in a little wave. Then everyone started howling.
Alpha Kael stepped forward, his voice loud and clear. “Today, my son—Kairo—officially takes his place as the heir to the Moonstone Pack. Born to Luna Lyria, blessed by the Moon!”
The crowd went wild. Howls of loyalty made the walls shake.
I felt sick to my stomach.
“Well, look who decided to show up,” someone said, making me jump.
I turned and my heart just dropped.
It was Alpha Ronan, Lyria’s brother.
He was the perfect picture of nobility but a monster.
He stepped into the hallway, right next to me, with this smirk on his face, like a wolf that could smell the blood.
“Still hanging around the party like a jealous puppy, Maia?” he said, mocking me. “You don't look good filled with false hope.”
I didn’t say anything. My hands were balled up into fists at my sides.
“You really thought he would choose you, didn’t you?” Ronan clicked his tongue. “The strong Beta girl. Wide hips, strong fists. But not strong enough to keep a man.”
I stared at him, and every breath felt like I was breathing in tiny pieces of glass.
He leaned in closer. “You were just a womb. Nothing else. And even then, you almost messed it up. Lyria was the one who held the child first. Lyria is his mother.”
I wanted to hit him. I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.
But something inside me broke.
And something else… started to burn.
A fire. Hot and unforgiving. Righteous.
I stepped forward, into the light.
The music quieted as my boots echoed on the marble floor.
People started turning, staring.
“Maia?” someone whispered. “Is that…”
I walked straight to the center, right in front of Kael and Lyria. Their laughter disappeared.
I spoke in a loud voice. “The Luna is infertile!”
Everyone gasped. “You were lied to, I didn't carry her child!”
Then there was silence, deadly and sharp.
Kael went stiff. Lyria blinked, she looked confused. Her smile disappeared.
I stood tall. “The child you’re celebrating—he wasn’t born to Luna Lyria. He’s my son. I carried him. I went through the pain. I gave birth to him. The Luna can't have children and never has been able to.”
“No,” Lyria whispered, standing up.
Ronan was on me in seconds.
“How dare you say such things in front of the pack?” he roared.
I didn’t even flinch. “Bring the pack doctor.”
More whispers started.
Kael’s eyes narrowed. “Maia. Stop this.”
“Let him speak,” I said, my voice steady. “Let him confirm who really gave birth to your son.”
Kael stepped down from the throne, his face filled with anger. “If you say those words again, I will end you.”
Ronan grabbed the handle of his dagger. “She's making fun of the Luna. That's punishable by impalement.”
I swallowed hard.
But I didn’t back down.
“Bring Dr. Lorean,” I said firmly. “He knows the truth.”
The room was buzzing with people unsure what to do. What they should believe.
Kael nodded. A soldier hurried out of the hall.
Minutes went by. It felt like a hundred people were staring at me.
Then, footsteps. And the doctor walked in.
Dr. Lorean.
He was an old wolf. Thin and pale. Always kept to himself. But his eyes always seemed to know something.
He stepped forward, unsure.
Kael spoke in a booming voice. “Did you give Beta Maia the embryo? Did you make the arrangements?”
Dr. Lorean hesitated.
I stared at him, hoping. Hoping he remembered what we agreed on.
“I…” he started. “Yes. Wait, no. I didn’t.”
I smiled a little.
But then his eyes turned cold.
“She asked me to lie,” he said. “She begged me to say the child was hers. She’s lost her mind.”
People started laughing, gasping.
“No,” I said, choking up. “That’s not true—he promised me. He said he would help me—”
“She threatened me,” Dr. Lorean continued. “I was scared for my life.”
I stumbled back.
“No!” I screamed. “You lied to them! You’re lying right now!”
Ronan laughed. “She’s gone crazy.”
Kael’s face was like stone.
Lyria started to cry, soft, perfect tears.
The crowd was mumbling. “Poor Luna… that's horrible…”
“She’s just jealous.”
Ronan turned to the guards. “Impale her.”
“What?” I gasped.
Kael’s voice was final.
“So be it,” he said coldly. “For disrespecting my Luna, for lying about the Heir… Maia is stripped of her title as the Beta and sentenced to death.”
“Kael—please,” I whispered. “You know it’s true. Look me in the eye and say I’m lying.”
He didn’t look at me.
He turned away.
Ronan smirked. “Burn her at dawn.”
Two guards grabbed me, rough. I kicked and bit as they dragged me.
“I’m the mother!” I yelled. “He’s my son!”
No one moved.
No one dared to.
As they dragged me out of the hall, Lyria held the child close and whispered something in his ear.
He smiled.
A perfect, innocent smile.
And everything I once loved turned to ash.
***
The dungeon was freezing.
Chains were tied around my wrists. Blood was dripping from my lip. The guards took turns hitting me on the way down.
I sat against the wall, bruised and shaking.
You trusted him.
The thought echoed in my head.
You loved him.
The cell door creaked open.
Ronan.
He walked in, with two soldiers behind him.
“Comfortable?” he sneered.
I didn’t say anything.
He got closer and crouched down in front of me. “It’s funny, isn’t it? You thought you were special. That you were more than just someone to carry a child.”
I stared at him. “You’ll regret this.”
He laughed. “You’ll be a memory by sunrise.”
He stood up and turned to the guards. “Chain her to the stake. Let the wolves see what happens to liars.”
He left.
The guards pulled me up.
- Writer
