prologue
960 Words
The kingdom celebrated while its queen walked toward death.
The sound of roaring voices thundered through the palace courtyard like a living beast, rising beneath the crimson glow of the Blood Moon hanging over the empire. Thousands had gathered to witness the fall of Selene Ravaryn—the woman once adored as the Luna Queen of the Alpha Kingdom.
Now they spat at her feet.
“Traitor!”
“Murderer!”
“Monster!”
Every insult struck harder than the chains biting into her wrists.
Selene walked barefoot across the cold crimson marble as armored guards dragged her toward the execution platform. Her white gown, once woven for royal ceremonies, was stained with blood and ash. Bruises darkened her pale skin beneath the moonlight, but she refused to lower her head.
Not before them.
Never before them.
The same people screaming for her death had once praised her kindness. She remembered feeding starving villages during winter famines while the nobles wasted gold on celebrations. She remembered riding into battle beside wounded soldiers, healing them with her own moon-blessed powers until her body nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
She remembered loving this kingdom.
Gods, how stupid she had been.
At the top of the towering execution platform stood the man who had destroyed her life without ever lifting a blade.
Lucien Valeblood.
The Alpha King.
Her husband.
Even from a distance, he looked untouchable—black ceremonial armor clinging to his broad form, silver eyes colder than winter steel, dark hair shifting beneath the wind like shadows. The crown of the Alpha Kingdom rested upon his head with effortless authority.
And beside him stood another woman.
Lady Evelyne Seraphine.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Wearing Selene’s crown.
The sight hollowed something inside her chest.
For a brief moment, Selene forgot how to breathe.
Five years.
Five years she had spent loving Lucien with a devotion so complete it nearly destroyed her. She crossed battlefields for him. Endured loneliness for him. Nearly died bringing his heir into the world.
And in the end?
He could not even defend her.
The guards forced her onto her knees before the platform.
The crowd exploded into cheers.
Selene stared upward slowly, her silver hair whipping violently around her face beneath the night wind. Her exhausted body trembled from weeks of imprisonment and t*****e, yet her gaze remained sharp enough to cut flesh.
Lucien finally looked directly at her.
The courtyard suddenly felt silent.
Even the screaming crowd faded into nothing as their eyes locked for the first time in weeks.
Pain flickered across his face.
Tiny.
Barely visible.
But she saw it.
Too late.
Far too late.
The royal priest stepped forward and raised his staff toward the Blood Moon.
“Selene Ravaryn,” he declared loudly, his voice echoing across the kingdom square, “you stand accused of treason against the Alpha Crown, conspiracy with enemy kingdoms, and the murder of royal blood.”
Murder.
A bitter laugh almost escaped her.
Her son was dead.
Poisoned inside the royal palace while she begged for help no one gave.
And now they blamed her for his death.
How amusing.
How monstrous.
Selene began laughing softly.
The sound unsettled the crowd immediately.
It was not the laugh of a defeated woman.
It sounded broken.
Sharp.
Mad.
The priest faltered. “Silence yourself.”
Selene ignored him completely.
Her eyes remained fixed on Lucien.
“You know the truth,” she whispered.
Even from across the platform, he heard her.
His jaw tightened.
But he said nothing.
Of course he didn’t.
Lucien Valeblood—the great Alpha King feared across the continent—could conquer entire nations, yet lacked the courage to save the woman he once vowed to protect.
Coward.
The realization no longer hurt.
It disgusted her.
Evelyne stepped closer to Lucien, resting delicate fingers against his arm possessively. The future queen lowered her gaze toward Selene with false pity.
That expression almost made Selene smile.
She remembered now.
Every hidden glance.
Every lie.
Every cup of poisoned tea.
Evelyne had orchestrated everything from the shadows while pretending loyalty.
And Selene, foolish and blinded by love, never saw the knife until it was already inside her back.
The executioner approached.
Massive.
Silent.
A giant holding a blade stained black beneath the moonlight.
The crowd erupted into deafening excitement.
Selene closed her eyes briefly.
Strangely, she was no longer afraid.
Not after losing Orion.
The memory of her son’s laughter pierced through the darkness in her mind so painfully she nearly shattered.
His tiny hands reaching toward her.
His sleepy smile.
The way he called her Mama whenever nightmares frightened him.
Gone.
Taken from her forever.
The grief inside her chest transformed slowly into something uglier.
Hatred.
Not wild hatred.
Not screaming rage.
Something colder.
Sharper.
The kind that waited patiently.
The kind that survived death.
The executioner grabbed her hair roughly, forcing her head downward onto the bloodstained block.
The marble beneath her knees felt freezing cold.
Above her, thunder rolled through the distant mountains.
The Blood Moon darkened further.
Selene opened her eyes one final time.
And looked at Lucien.
He was staring at her now with an expression she could not understand.
Regret?
Fear?
Love?
It no longer mattered.
Because if he truly loved her…
He would have chosen her before it was too late.
A single tear slid down Selene’s cheek.
Not for herself.
For the life she once dreamed of.
Then her lips curved into a faint, terrifying smile.
“If there is another life beyond this one…” she whispered softly, “I will never love you again.”
The blade fell.
Pain exploded through her body.
The world vanished into darkness.
And somewhere beneath the Blood Moon, ancient wolves awakened from forgotten sleep.
- Writer
