The Fallen Luna’s Gambit

"Please wake up! Please! You can't leave me here! I need your guidance and your voice. Please come back!" I whimpered, feeling the heaviness of my heart breaking in my chest. I held her hand, kneeling against the bed beside her lifeless body in the private room in the infirmary reserved for Pack dignitaries. I lowered my face and cried into her bloody hand. My body shook from the sobs as it was still convulsing from the constant bouts of paralyzing bodily pain, blinding visceral pain, and tightening. "I promise you, as life still courses through my veins, I will find whoever did this to you and make them pay! I have a pretty good idea who would do this to you! They will pay dearly! They will pay with their lives!" I swore in between sobs. Then, still shocked from seeing her body fall on me, I ignored everything else. "Luna! Please! You have to get out of here! They will get here soon. You have to go, quickly now!" the Nurse Lucy entreated as she tugged on my arm. "Please let me stay a little longer to say goodbye, one last time. How could anyone who could do this? What did she ever do to anyone? She couldn't hurt a fly! Why would anyone do this to her?" I muttered absentmindedly, turning to face Nurse Lucy. "Luna, if you don't leave now, I won't be able to protect you! So please leave!" she whispered as a team of orderlies hurriedly stormed the room with a gurney and sterilizing supplies, posed to clean up her body and prepare her for burial. "Nurse Lucy, can you tell me if she had any enemies?" I asked the nurse. "Luna, there is nothing you or I can do. You should ask the Umbra Warriors. I am sure they will have answers for you as I am not qualified to answer those questions. I have a family to protect. They have eyes and ears everywhere," she warned, her voice just above a whisper. I rose to my feet and woefully left the room, engrossed in a hurricane of hurt and tornado of thoughts, continually recollecting today's tragedy. What started as a pleasant day filled with plans for her garden ended in her death. She nurtured that garden for everyone to enjoy, only to be murdered in the midst of it. "Why would anyone do such a thing to such a beautiful soul? She was always tender and kind to everyone, and everyone loved her. She always made everyone feel welcomed, in her unique way," I wondered as a barrage of quick footfalls stampeded towards me. A few moments later, I was surrounded by Umbra Pack warriors with my mate in their midst, stomping toward me. Hopeful of the relief that only comes from a mate's warm embrace, I ran to him. But, as I drew closer, I could hear a treacherous growl emanating from him and saw his eyes cold and black. "Zygmund! Someone killed her! They took her heart and killed her!" I cried, wrapping my arms around his waist as he kept his arms to his side. "Someone? Someone! It was not just any "someone," it was you! You did! You killed her!" he roared as he pushed me off, grabbed my neck, and shoved me against the wall, his threatening eyes changing from blue to black. "I didn't kill her. Please calm down, Zygmund! Let me down. Let me explain!" I said, thrashing my legs as I struggled to pry his hands apart for some air. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right now, murdering b***h! I saw what happened with my own eyes!" he roared in his Alpha voice. "I thought you were on the training grounds with the recruits like you said yesterday. How could you have seen what happened?" I asked, puzzled at his assertion. "Don't try to change the subject! I knew you were trouble from the moment I laid eyes on you!" he continued, seething through his teeth. "If you let me down, I will tell you exactly what happened! I swear to you and our bond as mates that I am innocent of these allegations. I said, let. Me. Go." I screamed emphatically, causing tremors around the whole building. The hallway filled with the clatter of dropped objects as everyone but Zygmund knelt, lowering their heads slightly to the right exposing their left jugular vein in submission. Surprised at the effect of my voice, I pried off my mate's loosened grip, landed on my feet, and began recounting what happened, keeping my Alpha hold on the building. I moved away from Zygmund with hastened steps, my eyes searching for the exit signs. Finally, I reached the stairwell and pushed it open, causing the loud blaring of the fire alarm, breaking my hold on the building. I could hear loud footsteps approaching quickly in the stairwell above me as I ran down the steps as fast as possible. When I reached the main floor, I found the last floor staff emptied as the door to the side of the building closed behind them. The doors to the stairwell flung open as I pushed the side door open. "Stop right there! If you keep running, we will open fire, and you will not get out of here alive!" Zygmund threatened as his warriors drew closer. "I am innocent, Zygmund! I will stop running if you promise to talk to me. So I can prove my innocence," I implored as adrenaline got the better of me, and I pushed through the side door backward. The doors flung out toward the entrance to the parking lot. I turned around to see hospital staff tending to patients twenty-five feet from the building. A few moments later, I heard simultaneous puffs from tranquilizer guns raining multiple needles all over my back. I fell to the ground, hitting my head against one edge of the steel fence nearby. Then, still barely conscious, my body became riddled by a rush of punches and kicks, with my head getting banged against the marble floor. Unaware of how long I'd been asleep, expecting to be in the infirmary, my blood caked on my cheeks, I awakened to the howls of the shifted wolves outside. I leapt, and my hands landed, feeling the stone floor, sobered with the realization that I was in the dungeons. Feeling my body giving in to an intuitive shift, I struggled as my wolf refused to come forth. Finally, I looked up, facing the high bars where the noise originated, and knelt under the moonbeams praying that it would give me the strength to survive, and if death were the outcome like most murders under Pack law, it came swiftly. "Blessed Goddess, Creator of All. Please hear my plea and heed my call. See into my heart and listen to my soul. I implore you to shelter me in your thrall. May justice be true, and may death be swift, I, your servant and daughter, humbly pray, if you will. Lady of the Moon and Guardian of creatures, great and small. As above, so below. So mote it be." After my short prayer, I felt my wolf close. I sensed she wanted to say something to me, but she felt weak. Worried, I still called to her without hesitation. "Lyka, are you there?" I asked my wolf, hopeful that she would stay strong and with me through this ordeal. Perhaps she is saving us both by keeping away, I wondered. "You think the Moon Goddess listens to murderers! Don't try to talk to your wolf. She is probably dead now with all the wolfsbane received!" Beta Marcus teased as he let out a roaring laugh. Still raw from what happened, I ignored Beta Marcus's fading taunts. Fortunately, I can feel my exhaustion getting the better of me. I felt Lyka's humming a familiar tune getting louder, lulling me to a calling me to a deeper sleep like a siren's song. Fighting to keep my eyes open, I succumb to sleep. Hopeful, I entered into a momentary dreamy repose as I felt my heart yearn for home. The abhorring conditions inside the dungeons melted away as I was consoled by my parents' conversations and engulfed in my siblings' laughter. I welcomed my uncle's strict drills and the welcomed comfort that my aunt conjures up in the kitchen. With the mere sensation of freedom, I ran through the lush meadows, drink from the cool spring-fed creeks, and rest under the shade of the old oak. My wolf stirred and lay next to me, curling like a ball by my stomach, nuzzling my belly. I can feel her warmth coursing through me, recharging my weary body and soul. Unlike most lycanthropes and other were-creatures but like my Momma and her wolf, Lyka and I have been together for as long as I can remember. She has guided me through every stage of my growth, from the babbling baby to a wobbly toddler, through the first day of primary school, hormone-ridden teenage years, my first shift, through today. She is my constant partner in crime and even in punishment. So feeling her this distant is overwhelming. "Aradia, I am sorry for what we are going through right now. I can't protect you from what is about to happen. But, I promise you, no matter what happens, I will always be your Lyka. I wouldn't want anyone else," she said telepathically, trying to comfort me. "Why are we going through this? What did I ever do to hurt anyone? I can't even kill a mosquito or a flea!" I answered. "Rest for now. It would help if you had all the energy you could get. We need you to survive at all costs, And Aradia, I love you," Lyka hummed the tune again as we both fell asleep. A loud banging against the metal bars and searing pain burned every part of my being and tightened my abdomen, sending convulsions throughout my body waking me up to a new dawn. Shivering, I lifted my eyes to see the origins of the commotion, wondering whether its tweedle-dee, tweedle-dum, or a random recruit would come today. In my heart, I hoped for Zygmund to come and tell me that everything was a misunderstanding and they found the true culprit. I decided I would remain buoyant if I were to rise above the travesty I am in and fight for the truth. "Wakey, wakey, Death Dragon princess!" a voice scolded. I squinted as the warm sun entered the bars fifteen feet above me. My back still ached from being thrown to the ground. As I stirred and stretched, I found my hands bound by silver shackles connected to a long chain mounted on the stone wall. "Good morning, Fred. How are you this morning?" I asked. "Well, good morning, sleeping beauty. Do you like your new accommodation, Princess of the Dragon Moon? Would you like me to serve you breakfast in bed? And it's Gamma Fred! Remember your place, Dragon Princess! You are on my turf now!" Gamma Fred taunted, his voice dripping with disdain. "Well, then, here you go, eat up!" he continued as he slid a silver bowl filled with putrid slop of leftovers cooked in a mixture of wild oats, wolfsbane, and indistinguishable herbs through the feeding slot under my cell door. "How the mighty have fallen Crowned spitfire princess of the Dragon Moon pack, now crouched on the floor to scrounge for scraps!" he snickered through his smug smile. "Oh, and better freshen up You will have a guest coming to keep you company soon," he added with a sneer across his face. I was staring at the only sustenance I am afforded, and remembering Lyka's advice last night, I used my hand to feed myself, gingerly avoiding the silver bowl's surface. Finally, after a few burnt fingers, I shoved the empty bowl back through the feeding slot under the cell door. I settled myself as far away from the door as possible, dreading what was to come. Gamma Fred entered my cell and approached me with determined steps. He pulled my chains, tugging my arms away and flinging my body against the wall. He reached and fondled my breast, squeezing my n*****s. I lashed around, writhing my body away from his touch as he yanked on the chain, pulling my arms, flinging my back against the wall. He grabbed my chin and looked at my face. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk! What a waste. To think, I wanted you Your pretty face is now covered in your own blood, your lips split, your eyes swollen shut. But, of course, it would help if you had chosen me, and you wouldn't be in this situation. I found you first! You belong to me, not the Alpha. You hear me. You are mine, and I will have you, one way or another!" he derided. "No one else will want you now But not to worry, princess, if you behave, I will get a witch to heal you and make you pretty again. I promise you that I will have you before all this is over, And maybe, I'll even let you have the pups you so desperately wanted that he refused to give you My pups in your belly!" he continued as he roughly rubbed my abdomen. "You will never have me You. Will Get. Your. Paws. Off Me." I declared as I thrashed and moved my body away from his repulsive touch. The sound of my voice brought him to his knees, his head leaned to the right, and his hands opened, releasing his hold on my chains, I quickly moved behind him, widened my stance to keep my balance, and looped my chains attached to my right shackle around his neck, pulling it taught and causing him to fall to the ground. I unwound the chain and turned his body over to retrieve the keys from his hand. "Finally, I can be free from this place, once and for all!" I thought to myself. I turned towards the opened door, but my face met Beta Marcus' swift boot and found my body thrown on top of Gamma Fred. "Get off him, you w***e. Clean yourself up. There's someone here to see you!" he roared as he pulled me off Gamma Fred and threw me against the wall. Then, he pulled Gamma Fred's arm, placed it on his shoulder, and hoveled towards my cell door. Ignoring the stings, I washed my face with my blistered hands. Then, as blood dripped down and mixed with the water in the sink against the wall below the mirror, I heard heavy footsteps approaching. As the cell door opened, I smelled a familiar scent of musky lavender and lemon that calmed any anxiety I may have. The figure of Papa emerged, his face laden with the affectation of anger and distress, but his eyes remained soft with concern as he saw me. He dressed in his conservative, immaculately pressed mandarin-collared black shirt with our Pack's insignia fastened on his left chest pocket and matching trousers. Behind him were the looming figures Gamma Fred and Beta Marcus, wearing their dark grey uniforms, guarding Papa a little too close for comfort. "Before opening your mouth, your husband had already briefed me on the situation. So why did you do it?" he demanded, keeping his monotone voice. "I don't know what they told you, but Papa, I am innocent. She was the only semblance of a family I had here," I cried as I rose to look Papa in the eyes I wanted him to see into the purity in my heart. "How could you do such a thing? I thought we raised you better than that. You told me you were friendly. How could you kill her so easily and with your own hands?" he yelled, shaking my body, but winking at me. "Papa, I swear on my life that I did not, cannot hurt her. I loved her like I do, Momma, and she loved me like I was her daughter," I implored. Then, putting my arms around his waist, I looked up and kept my eyes glued to Papa's as he pulled my arms off his body, grabbed my arms, and shook me. "If you want to live to see the light of day, tell them the truth. There is no use pleading innocence. They have evidence," Papa proceeded. "They caught you on black and white CCTV footage with your hands on her. Tell me now exactly what happened. Lying to me will not serve you. We did not consent for you to be mated, only to become a murderer!" he roared in his Alpha voice. Pushing me away, I could see the disgust in his face, yet his eyes told another story as he grabbed me and stared intently into my eyes. "He can see me now. He knows the allegations are all lies," I thought to myself as I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Papa, I swear to you and our family I am innocent. "I believe you, sweetie. I know you are incapable of such violence, but more is at play here. I suggest you keep yourself alive to find out Remember, I love you!" he quietly whispered, then pulled away and slapped me. "You are no daughter of mine. Murderer Tell them the truth Stop lying to everyone, including yourself. Submit yourself to whatever they decide to do to you!" he continued with a tear-filled wink as he turned around. "I'm done here! This girl refuses to listen to reason. I did what you asked; now let me go. A deal is a deal!" he demanded Gamma Fred, the guard on duty who opened the cell. As Papa was about to head down the tight dungeon corridor between the cells, Gamma Fred grabbed Papa's arm from behind using silver chains, quickly locking it with shackles. Then, seeing my Papa about to strain, he caught five syringes filled with wolfsbane nearby and plunged them into my Papa's back. "Just where do you think you are going!" Gamma Fred yelled. Papa turned to face him and leapt into a shift, stretching his clothing around his now lupine form. When his front paws landed on Gamma Fred's shoulders, Papa's wolf became riddled with multiple syringes shot by a platoon of Umbra Warriors that rushed down the winding steps to the dungeon unnoticed. "You seemed cozy with your daughter earlier. Now you get to spend more time with her," Gamma Fred continued as he threw my father's convulsing body into the cell across from mine. Over the next couple of weeks, my father's cell began filling with other Dragon Moon Warriors, and Umbra warriors took one each day. "Momma must have sent them on a rescue mission. I hope she, Lena, and Licia are safe and away," I thought, noticing the return of brutalized survivors. Unfortunately, only the strongest ones who survived turned into fighting dummies for Umbra Pack warrior training. Shackled, they were barely able to fight back. Thwarted by the protocol of wolfsbane injections we all received daily, attempts to shift to heal themselves became futile. Beta Marcus and five Umbra Pack warriors enter Papa's cell crammed with the battered and barely recovering warriors. They emerged into the hallway dragging my Papa by the shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Their harried steps piqued my curiosity. "Papa Papa, Wake up. Where are you taking my father? Bring him back!" I demanded, banging against the cell door. "Ugh!" I screamed. I let out the ball of emotions I had in me, and everything stopped. I peered through the bars and noticed the warriors were frozen mid-air like someone hit the pause button in a movie. I shook the door, and it, too, was frozen. Panicked, I surveyed my surroundings and listened for footfalls from the winding stone staircase down the hall. The crunch of footfalls on the gravel seemed to cease, and the trees stopped rustling against the breeze outside. There was utter silence. I took deep breaths to calm myself, gathered my strength, and formulated escape methods. Willing myself some courage, I pushed my weight against my cell door, utterly failing to open it. I fell to the cold stone floor in a slump, now weakened by exertion. Finally, I succumbed to slumber with the hopes of connecting with Lyka. Behind my closed lids, I found myself under an ancient wood, discovering a weakened Lyka, resting in its familiar shade near Crystal Creek, a few miles south of my pack house. "Lyka, wake up. Please answer me. Are you alright?" I pleaded with hesitation to my wolf. "Hello, Aradia, I am just resting. I am glad you are here. We have a lot to talk about," Lyka responded, lifting her head weakly to meet my gaze. "Lyka, I need some answers. First, there are a few unusual events that happened. I screamed at the infirmary, and everyone knelt. A few moments ago, I may have stopped time. Can you please tell me why these things happened? I thought the wolfsbane they'd been giving me would weaken me, But, instead, new powers seem to emerge," I recounted to a grinning wolf. "Aradia, you must save your strength. Things are coming that will require more of you than ever before. You must harness your will to survive, no matter the difficulty of the path that lies ahead. The only thing I can tell you is you will overcome everything and emerge with everything the Goddess gifted you from the moment of your conception," Lyka explained. "For now, guard your emotions and conceal your countenance from those who wish you ill. Your heart will reveal a blessing, But for now, you must open your eyes and keep your wits. All will be clear soon. Wake up, Aradia. Your family needs you!, Lyka concluded as she nudged me forcibly. Shaken, I stirred to find everything seemed to be back to normal The sounds had resumed. I headed to my cell door to check on the barrage of footsteps in the corridor. I noticed the warriors dragging Papa's body, getting closer to my door. I wrestled back to the wall as my cell door opened. The banging of my cell door closed didn't hide the activities across. "Enjoy your time with your traitorous father!" Gamma Fred sneered in disgust as he roughly tossed him in. I peeked through the bars of my cell door and noticed Umbra Moon Warriors took the Dragon Moon remaining Dragon Moon warriors away. Struggling to keep my emotions at bay, I returned to Papa's motionless body. "Papa, what happened to you? Why are you here? Where's Momma and Lena and Licia? Where are they taking the warriors?" I implored feebly, cupping Papa's brutalized face in my wounded hands. "Please answer me, Papa!" I demanded as I shook his unresponsive body. I checked his wrist and found a weakening pulse. I checked the rest of his body and noticed blood seeping through claw marks across his torso. I inhaled and centered myself, praying I had enough strength to heal him. I laid him on the cold stone floor. I started hovering my hands over his wounds. I focused on the flesh under his skin to close. Barely conscious with his eyes half opened, he weakly raised his right hand to touch my face. "Aradia, sweetie... please, Don't do that. Save your strength. I fear I lost too much blood. It would be best if you had it to survive Your Momma and your sisters are safe. Find them. Keep them safe," he stuttered as he dipped his thumb in the blood pooling around him and placed it on my lips. "With my blood, you will survive This I am sure... Promise me. Promise me. But it would help if you stayed strong. Promise me..." his voice trailed off as he struggled to breathe. "Papa, n Please stay with me. We do this together, Papa. Stay with me. Please, Papa, please," I begged, tears rinsing my blood-caked face. "Sweetie, you are the strongest among all of us... I should have told you the truth sooner. I planned to tell you after you gave birth to your firstborn Firstborns in my family Strong Firstborn females in your Momma's line Rare Your power-once an eon, a force to be reconned You will live I will see you again... very... very soon... Promise... Papa... always.... keeps promises..." he breathlessly muttered as blood pooled around us. "Your heart... my heart... same," he ended as his hand fell limp to his side. "Pap Pap No! Papa, come back!" I screamed. "Oh, be quiet Stop being a drama queen. No one is here to help you out!" Gamma Fred yells as he violently opens my cell door. "Leave me alone!" I shot back as Gamma Fred entered my cell with Beta Marcus and Zygmund. Beta Marcus yanked me off my Papa as Zygmund single-handedly pulled my Papa's arm, dragging his body towards the dungeon corridor. "Bring my Papa back! He is still an Alpha and deserves an Alpha's burial!" I demanded as I pushed Beta Marcus off, elbowing his face. "So, I see the little princess spitfire wants to play! I always knew you had it in you!" Beta Marcus mocked as we heard a sizzle outside my cell. I ran away from Beta Marcus to take a look and found a puzzled Zygmund surrounded by floating glowing ashes. "Get back here. I am not done with you yet!" Beta Marcus ordered as he pulled me towards him. He pulled the chain of my shackles, jerking me towards him. "Let go of me!" I screamed as I kicked his stomach, adrenaline pumping through my veins. Barreling backward, he hunched over, grabbing his stomach as he pulled on my chains again. Then, as I neared, he turned, turned me around, and held the back of my neck, pushing it down. "Move, and I will rip out your throat, Dragon b***h!" he sneered through gritted teeth. "Let Go Of Me Now!" I yelled, lashing about, I rooting my feet to the ground for stability. His knees buckled, bringing his knees to the ground, releasing his grip on my chain. I faced him and gave him a swift kick, throwing him out to the corridor through the opened cell doors. Zygmund careened into my cell and grabbed my head as he banged my face against the cell wall. With his eyes black, he palmed the back of my head, pressing it against the wall. I felt him pull up the hem of my soiled and tattered tunic, grab the elastic waistband, and pull my trousers down. I tried to straighten my body, but his hands quickly pulled my buttocks against him as he thrust his manhood into me. I felt my rear end rip from the violent intrusion, and warm liquid made its way down the back of my thighs. Refusing to beg this animal for a reprieve, I kept pulling away from him in disgust. But Zygmund ferociously moved in and out, the force pushing the front of my body and my head repeatedly against the wall, making it harder to breathe with each thrust. Finally, my knees buckled, sliding my limp body towards the floor. As I drifted in and out of consciousness, he had his fill and climaxed. He got up, lifting my face only to punch it. Then dropped my head to the ground to kick my left side repeatedly. Then, Zygmund called his Beta and then his Gamma, all of whom both took turns continuing the battery of my rear end, beating me senseless, and urinating on my splayed body on the ground through the night. I felt weightless while Beta Marcus and Gamma Fred hauled my pendulous body out of the dungeon. I see the moon almost at its peak through my swollen eyes, whose silvery beams cast cold grey shadows against the icy ground. Beta Marcus and Gamma Fred yank on the chain towards the middle of the fighting arena where I used to train. I felt my wrists burning as they tugged the silver chains and fastened them to metal beams on either side of me. "I, Alpha Zigmund of the Umbra Pack, now sever my ties from you, Aradia of Dragon the Moon Pack. Accordingly, I strip off your title of Luna. I sentence you to death as a disgraced rogue for crimes of treason, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder in the first degree. Furthermore, we shall erase all entries of your name from all Umbra Pack records, and any mention of your name shall carry the same death sentence." My mate declared the decree of my demise at the peak of the full moon, prompting everyone, including myself, to shift. The stench of my burning fur further highlighted the pain of the slowed shift of my broken human body. The swift death I prayed for could not come sooner. With the Umbra Pack and all the guests from my mating ceremony are now in their complete wolf form, bared their canines, and inched closer in on me. Finally, I reached my complete wolf form after what seemed like a lifetime. My Alpha, the man the Goddess chose to love me forever, stood before me, fully recovered from our broken mating bond. With his aura exuding anger rippling across the field, his eyes turned black. Then, he raised his claw, dug into my chest, and ripped out my heart that shortly became set aflame into ashes, carried by the midnight breeze. I let out a howl, vowing to avenge my Papa and the Dragon Moon Pack's murders, as my mind drifts to the day of my mating ceremony that tied me to this insidious Pack.