The Queen Behind The Moon

The two smells of the forge and the forest and made an almost overpowering smell. Elara Vale hoped the great oak would conceal her. It itched to scream. the blood moon rose and in this forest,silence was the norm. No birds. No crickets. Not even the wind. Drums rolled ahead through the trees. Slow. Deliberate. Each landed in her chest like a second heart. With every pulse her stomach twisted. She knew she shouldn't be here. Kids were supposed to stay away from the sacred grounds tonight but knowing the rules isn't something Elara is familiar with. Even as a little girl,she couldn't help herself. She watched. Waited. She recorded everything. And tonight she will record this. The clearing opened up like a wound. The edges were lined with torches casting long shadows that dances across the faces of the council members standing in perfect rows. The lycan king was in the center. She had heard stories about him her whole life. He was tall in a way that made tall men looked small,dressed in black from head to toe. Like the darkness had decided to wear a shape. The crown on his head caught the firelight-silver,cold almost glowing. Infront of him, on her knees,was the Luna. Elara's fingers dug into the bark. She couldn't look away even if she wanted to. The Luna was beautiful;everyone said so-but right now beauty didn't matter. She was shaken. Actually shaking,her whole body was trembling like a leag in a storm and her voice when it came was so soft Elara almost missed it. "Please", the Luna whispered. "Spare me". Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. The king's hand tightened around the blade he held;curved,old,so dark it looked like someone had carved it out of a moonless night. He raised it slow,deliberate. The metal catching the torchlight as it rose. Elara's feet felt like someone had nailed them to the ground. Her throat closed up. This was wrong. It has had to be wrong. But all around the clearing,the council stood in silence; heads bowed,like this was just any other night. The blade fell. The sound it made wasn't exactly loud. It was more like a thud that tou felt rather than heard; something heavy and final that echoed through the ground and up through your bones. The Luna crumpled. The clearing somehow got heavier,darker, like even the night itself was trying to look away. Elara pressed herself harder against the oak. Her chest hurt. Her hands were shaking. She bit down on her lip so hard she tasted copper. Then the ground trembled. Just a little at first, a rumble that traveled up through the roots and into her spine. The crown on the king's head flickered with light,and the king- Rydan,that was his name-straightened up. He looked taller. Stronger. Like something had poured into him through that blade,through that moment. Elara cover her mouth with her hand. This wasn't a blessing. This wasn't holy. This was feeding. When it was over,the king turned and walked away without looking back. The Luna played where she'd fallen,face peaceful but now empty. The crowd started murmuring among themselves,but nobody went near her. Nobody covered her up or said a prayer or did any of things you're supposed to do when a loved one dies. Just respect. Just fear. Just silence. Elara ran. Branches whipped her face and tore at her arms but she couldn't stop,just kept crushing through the undergrowth until she burst out on the other side and collapsed against a fallen log;gasping for breath. Her mind was a mess of images-the blade,the crown,the way the light had flickered-none it making any sense. All of those burnt into her brain forever. She didn't know exactly what she'd witnessed. But she knew it was old,bloody and wrong. And she swore right there,gasping on the forest floor,that she'd remember. That one day;some how,she'd stop it. ---- Years have a way of passing whether you're ready or not. Elara grew up. She buried herself books and scrolls and old records,became the pack historian, the quiet girl in the corner who always had ink on her fingers and nose in something dusty. People forgot about her mostly. That was fine. She didn't want to be remembered. But every blood moon she remembered. Every year the drums started up and the forest went quiet,she'd feel that blade again. She'd seen the crown flicker. She'd hear the Luna's voice-spare me please-whispering through her dreams likens ghost that refused to leave. she didn't know it yet. But fate wasn't done with her. Not even close. --‐---- The throne room doors groaned open like they weighed thousand pounds and every head in the room turned. Kael Draven walked in. Elara felt it immediately; that shift in the air,that tightening in her chest. He wasn't like the old king. Not even a little, where Rydan had been all thunder and shadow, Kael was quiet. Controlled. Dangerous in a completely different way. His black coat swept the marble floor behind him like it was part of darkness,refusing to let go. There crown on his head was heavier than the last one,darker,almost painful to look a directly. He'd only been king for three months,but he moved like he'd been doing it for centuries. Tonight was the mate ceremony. Every lycan knew what that meant; the moon goddess would choose the king's fated mate,and whoever got picked would spend the rest of her life kneeling beside a throne. Some women smiled at the thought. Others looked like they might vomit. Elara stood at the back,clutching her scrolls like they could protect her. She wasn't supposed to be here,not really. She'd just come to drop off some historical records. But the ceremony had started earlier and now she was stuck , pressed against the wall; trying to be invincible. The high elder stepped forward." Tonight,the moon goddess reveals the king's fated mate." Murmurs ripped through the crow6. Elara kept eyes down . This had nothing to do with her. she was a nobody. Just the ink-stained girl in the back with too many books and and not enough friends. And then- Kael's gaze found her. Not the noble daughters standing front and center. not the eligible beauties preening by the torches. Her. Something inside Elara caught fire. Sharp,hot and undeniable,like a rope had snapped tight between them,pulling somewhere deep in her chest. Her heart hammered against her ribs. The torches flickered. The room seemed to shrink. His eyes- silver-stormy,ancient;locked onto hers. And for a breathless second, the whole world stopped.