The Rejected Luna Queen 👸

Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28: THE WOMAN FROM KAEL’S PAST

The cold wind sweeping across Raven Hill carried the scent of blood, smoke, and something far worse, history. Tension locked the entire battlefield into silence as Seraphine stood surrounded by Blood Hunters at the edge of the clearing, her silver hair moving wildly beneath the darkened sky while glowing symbols crawled faintly across her pale throat like living shadows. She looked calm. Too calm for someone standing beside an ancient spirit capable of tearing apart entire territories. My wolf hated her instantly. The reaction was immediate and violent beneath my skin, sharp enough to make my claws ache. But it wasn’t only instinct. It was the way Kael looked at her. His entire body had gone rigid beside me despite the poison weakening him. Hatred burned openly across his face now, deeper and more personal than anything I had seen from him before. The realization settled heavily into my chest. Whatever history existed between them… it was dangerous. Seraphine’s cold gray eyes moved lazily over Kael before returning to me again. “You really do look like her,” she said softly.

My stomach tightened instantly. “My mother?” A faint smile touched her lips. “Selene was far more intelligent than the stories gave her credit for.” Kael’s expression darkened immediately. “Don’t say her name.” Seraphine raised one elegant eyebrow. “Still protective after all these years.” The air around us sharpened instantly. Even Lucien seemed tense now. I looked between them carefully. “Someone want to explain what’s happening?” Silence answered me for a moment. Then Seraphine laughed softly. “He hasn’t told you.” Her gaze flicked toward Kael with clear amusement. “Interesting.” My wolf stirred uneasily. “Told me what?” Kael’s jaw tightened hard. “Not now.” “Actually,” Seraphine interrupted smoothly, “now seems perfect.” I was getting very tired of people speaking in riddles around me. “Enough,” I snapped sharply. “What are you talking about?” Seraphine took one slow step closer, her expression unreadable. “Years ago, before the Blood Hunters became what they are now, Kael worked beside me.” I froze slightly.

I already knew Kael had once been involved with the Hunters, but something about the way she said it felt heavier. More personal. Seraphine’s smile widened faintly. “We were partners once.” The words hit harder than they should have. Kael’s voice turned deadly quiet. “That’s enough.” Seraphine ignored him completely. “He believed in our cause back then. Balance. Control. Protecting wolfkind from dangerous bloodlines.” Her gray eyes settled directly onto me. “Until he met your mother.” Silence crashed across Raven Hill. My heartbeat stumbled painfully. Kael looked away first. And somehow, that hurt worse than if he had denied it. “You knew my mother,” I whispered. Seraphine tilted her head slightly. “Oh, little Luna. Everyone knew your mother.” Pain flickered through the mating bond suddenly, Kael’s pain. Sharp and burning. I turned toward him immediately. The poison had spread further now, black veins crawling visibly along his neck beneath the collar of his shirt. Fear tightened around my chest. Seraphine noticed my expression instantly. “The poison progresses quickly.” Rage flashed through me. “You did this.” “No,” she said calmly. “But I certainly don’t mind watching it happen.” My wolf snarled violently beneath my skin.

Kael stepped slightly in front of me despite his condition. “Stay away from her.” Seraphine laughed softly. “Still making promises you can’t keep.” The Wraith Alpha growled deeply behind us, black smoke twisting around its massive body as glowing silver eyes shifted between Seraphine and me. The creature seemed restless now, agitated by her presence. Seraphine finally glanced toward it properly for the first time. “Varok,” she murmured softly. “You actually succeeded.” The spirit’s growl deepened. TRAITOR. The word slammed through my mind hard enough to make me flinch. Seraphine’s smile disappeared instantly. “Careful,” she warned coldly. “I helped bind you once. I can do it again.” Every instinct inside me sharpened immediately. “You know this thing?” “Thing?” Seraphine repeated almost mockingly. “Varok was once one of the most feared spirit guardians in wolf history.” Her expression darkened slightly. “Before the Luna bloodline abandoned him.” The Wraith Alpha roared violently, shaking the clearing hard enough to crack the frozen ground beneath our feet. My wolf recoiled uneasily. “What does that mean?” I asked carefully.

Seraphine’s gray eyes returned to me slowly. “Your ancestors betrayed him.” Another wave of images slammed behind my eyes instantly. Silver flames. Wolves screaming. Ancient Luna Queens standing above chained spirits while blood covered stone altars. Varok roaring in fury beneath massive silver chains carved with moon symbols. Pain exploded through my skull. I staggered backward slightly. Kael caught my arm immediately despite his weakening condition. “Aria.” “I saw it again,” I whispered shakily. Lucien’s expression tightened. “The memories are getting stronger.” Seraphine watched me carefully now with open fascination. “Interesting.” Kael’s voice sharpened instantly. “Stop looking at her like an experiment.” Seraphine smirked faintly. “She’s more powerful than I expected.”

I yanked my arm free from Kael carefully before stepping forward despite every warning instinct screaming at me. “Why are you here?” Seraphine’s expression softened into something almost sympathetic. “To save wolfkind.” I nearly laughed. “By murdering people?” “Sacrifice is necessary for survival.” “That sounds exactly like something evil people say.” Her eyes darkened slightly. “You think this world is simple because you were raised hidden away from reality.” My anger sharpened immediately. “And you think murder makes you righteous.” Seraphine took another step closer. “Your mother thought the same thing once.” My stomach twisted hard. “Stop talking about her like you knew her.” “But I did know her.” Her voice lowered now, colder somehow. “Selene was my sister.” Silence exploded across Raven Hill. Even the wind seemed to stop. I stared at her in complete shock. “What?” Kael cursed softly beside me. Seraphine’s expression never changed. “Your mother and I shared the same blood.” My thoughts crashed together violently. “No.” “Yes.” My wolf recoiled uneasily beneath my skin while confusion twisted painfully inside me. “My mother never had a sister.” “That’s because your precious pack erased me from history.”

Seraphine’s calm expression finally cracked slightly, bitterness flashing through her face. “The Luna bloodline abandoned me long before I joined the Hunters.” Lucien stepped forward carefully. “Seraphine, this doesn’t need to continue.” Her cold gaze snapped toward him instantly. “You don’t get to speak to me like we’re allies.” Darius moved closer beside Lucien, clearly preparing for another fight. But my attention remained locked entirely on Seraphine. My aunt. The word felt wrong inside my head. Impossible. “If you’re my mother’s sister,” I said carefully, “then why are you helping the Hunters?” Something dark flickered across her expression. “Because I learned the truth.” “What truth?” Seraphine’s gaze shifted briefly toward the Wraith Alpha before returning to me. “The Luna bloodline isn’t protecting wolfkind.” Her voice lowered dangerously. “It’s controlling it.” Silence followed. Then I laughed once in disbelief. “That’s insane.” “Is it?” she challenged immediately. “Tell me, Aria. Why do you think your blood awakens ancient spirits?” My stomach tightened. “Because of the prophecy.” “Exactly.” Seraphine stepped closer. “Your bloodline was never chosen to protect wolves. It was created to rule them.” My wolf snarled violently beneath my skin.

Everything about her words felt wrong. But somewhere deeper… doubt stirred. Because the visions I had seen were not peaceful. Ancient Luna Queens had not looked kind. They had looked terrifying. Kael’s voice cut sharply through the tension. “She’s manipulating you.” Seraphine smirked faintly. “And you aren’t?” The poison surged suddenly through the mating bond again. Kael’s knees weakened slightly before he caught himself against one of the broken stones. Fear hit me instantly. “Kael.” Seraphine noticed immediately. “He doesn’t have much time left.” Rage flashed through me so sharply silver energy crackled beneath my skin. “Shut up.” She tilted her head slightly. “I can save him.” Silence crashed around us again. Kael looked furious instantly. “No.” “You can’t even stand properly anymore,” Seraphine said coldly. “Let the girl decide for herself.” I stared at her carefully. “What’s the price?” Her gray eyes darkened slightly. “Come with me willingly.” My wolf lunged violently inside me. “Absolutely not.” “Then he dies.” Kael stepped forward instantly despite the pain nearly folding him in half. “You stay away from her.” Seraphine sighed softly. “Still willing to sacrifice yourself for Luna blood.” Her expression sharpened dangerously. “You always were weak when it came to them.” Kael’s amber eyes flashed with fury. “You know nothing about weakness.” “Don’t I?” she whispered coldly. “You betrayed everything for Selene. And now you’re doing it again for her daughter.” My chest tightened painfully.

Kael said nothing. But his silence told me enough. Seraphine stepped closer slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. “The Hunters aren’t the real enemy, Aria.” “Then who is?” “The curse buried inside your bloodline.” Another violent pulse of energy exploded suddenly through the clearing before she could continue. The Wraith Alpha roared loudly enough to shake the forest itself. Black smoke erupted around its massive body while silver eyes burned brighter than before. My wolf recoiled sharply. Varok’s voice crashed through my mind like thunder. SHE LIES. Pain exploded behind my eyes instantly. I grabbed my head with a sharp gasp. “Aria!” Kael caught me before I fell completely. The Wraith Alpha stepped forward violently now, claws tearing deep trenches into the frozen earth. HER BLOOD BETRAYED US ALL. Seraphine’s expression darkened immediately. “Silence.” The spirit roared again. CHAINS. FIRE. DEATH. The visions returned instantly, stronger this time. Ancient wolves screaming beneath burning moons. Luna Queens drenched in silver light. Spirits chained beneath sacred temples while blood covered the ground. And standing at the center of it all, my mother. No… not my mother. Someone older. Someone wearing the same silver crown I had seen in previous visions. A Luna Queen.

Her voice echoed through the memory. The bloodline must survive… no matter the cost. I gasped sharply as the vision shattered apart. Kael held me tightly now, his heartbeat weak but steady against the mating bond. “Breathe,” he said quietly. I struggled to steady myself. “There’s something wrong with my bloodline.” Silence followed my words. Because everyone knew I believed them. Even me. Seraphine’s expression softened slightly. “Now you understand.” Kael’s voice turned deadly calm. “Don’t do this.” I looked up at him slowly. Fear flickered behind his eyes for the first time since I had met him. Not fear of the Hunters. Not fear of death. Fear of losing me. The realization struck hard enough to hurt. Seraphine extended her hand toward me. “Come with me willingly, Aria. Learn the truth before your blood destroys everyone you love.” My wolf snarled violently beneath my skin. But the most terrifying part? A small piece of me wanted answers badly enough to consider it.