THE ALPHA KING'S ABUSED LUNA

Prologue: The Night the Moon Looked Away The night Seraphina Vale became Luna of the Blackthorn Pack, the moon did not shine. The elders said it was an omen of greatness. The warriors said the moon bowed to their king. But Seraphina knew the truth. The moon was hiding. She stood at the center of the stone circle, her white ceremonial dress clinging to her trembling body. The pack surrounded her—hundreds of wolves, eyes glowing with anticipation. At the altar stood Alpha King Kael Raventhorn, tall and merciless, his crown forged from the bones of rival packs. He did not smile when their bond snapped into place. He grimaced. A mate bond was meant to be sacred. A joining of souls. But when Kael’s power slammed into hers, it felt like chains closing around her heart. Pain seared through her chest. Seraphina gasped, dropping to her knees. “Stand,” Kael commanded, his voice cold enough to draw blood. She obeyed. She always did. That was the night she learned the difference between being chosen… and being owned. Behind the cheers. Behind the celebration. Her suffering began in silence. And the moon did not watch. Chapter One: The Palace of Teeth The Alpha Palace was built to intimidate. Seraphina learned that on her first morning as Luna. Its black stone walls rose like fangs from the mountain, jagged and unforgiving, carved by ancient alphas who believed fear was the only language worth speaking. Narrow windows watched the valley like predatory eyes. Even the air inside felt sharpened—cold, metallic, heavy with dominance. She woke alone. The bed was enormous, draped in dark furs that smelled faintly of smoke and pine. On Kael’s side, the sheets were already cold and undisturbed, as though he had never slept there at all. Her chest ached. The mate bond pulsed faintly between them—an uncomfortable, one-sided thrum that never warmed, never soothed. It was like being tethered to a star that gave no light. Servants arrived quietly, eyes lowered, movements careful. No one congratulated her. No one called her Luna. They dressed her in heavy silks, braided her hair tight against her scalp, and fastened the silver crescent at her throat—the official mark of the Alpha King’s mate. It felt like a collar. When she was led into the throne hall, Kael was already there. He sat on the high seat carved from obsidian and bone, one elbow resting casually on the armrest, long fingers drumming with impatience. His crown gleamed dully in the torchlight. Warriors lined the walls, silent and imposing. Seraphina walked toward him, each step echoing too loudly. She bowed deeply, as tradition demanded. “Rise,” Kael said. She did. His eyes flicked over her—not with hunger, not with affection, but with assessment. Like an object newly acquired. “You will sit beside me at council,” he said. “You will speak only when spoken to. You will not leave the palace without permission. You will not interfere with pack justice.” His gaze hardened. “And you will not embarrass me.” “Yes, my king,” she replied, voice steady though her hands trembled. A murmur rippled through the council. Pity? Curiosity? She couldn’t tell. That was how it began. No blows. No shouting. No visible cruelty. Only rules. Unyielding. Absolute. And the slow erosion of her voice. By the third night, she stopped expecting warmth from the bond. Kael came and went as he pleased. Some nights he didn’t come at all. On others, his presence filled the room like a storm—silent, oppressive, impossible to escape. When he touched her, it was brief and impersonal, meant to assert ownership rather than connection. He never looked at her face. When she tried to speak—to ask, to understand—his expression would turn glacial. “You are Luna,” he said once, gripping her wrist hard enough to bruise. “Your duty is obedience, not comfort.” The pain shocked her more than the words. Still, she endured. Because Lunae endured. Because the pack needed stability. Because she told herself that if she was patient, gentle, good enough—something would change. But cruelty rarely announces itself. It simply settles in and rearranges the soul.