my mother's best freind my mate

the moon cruelty

Chapter 3: The Moon's Cruelty

My father, Alpha Claus, stood before me, his face a mask of cold fury. He was no longer the imposing, distant figure I knew; he was a stranger, radiating pure contempt. "You're a disgrace!" he spat, his words like poisoned knives twisting in the fresh wounds of my heart. "I regret ever giving birth to you!"

His words sliced deeper than any physical blow. I looked at him, my mind refusing to process the venom. This was my father. The man who was supposed to protect me, to cherish me. Tears streamed down my face, hot and relentless. "Dad..." I choked out, a desperate plea.

"Don't you dare!" His hand shot up, a blur of motion, poised to strike my face. I flinched, my eyes squeezing shut, bracing for the impact, for the final, humiliating blow. A lifetime of quiet neglect suddenly culminated in this brutal, public rejection. But the pain never came.

Slowly, hesitantly, I opened my eyes. A large, powerful hand had seized my father's wrist in mid-air, holding it in an iron grip. Standing between us, a formidable shield against my father's wrath, was Alpha Lucien. The Alpha of Lake Park. My mother's best friend. He was a beacon of strength in the chaotic storm, his presence radiating calm authority. His eyes, dark and intense, were locked on my father's, a silent challenge passing between the two alphas.

"You really should be ashamed of yourself, Alpha Claus," Lucien's voice, deep and magnetic, cut through the stunned silence of the crowd. Every word resonated with controlled power, demanding attention. "Your daughter couldn't turn into a wolf, and instead of finding the problem or a solution, you condemn her name and raise your hand to her."

Just then, my stepmother, Victoria, swept forward, her face a mask of righteous indignation. Her eyes narrowed at Lucien, a venomous glint in their depths. "Don't you dare, Alpha Lucien! You have no right to interfere! No child of an alpha is meant to be useless! Now let go of my husband's hand!"

Lucien's gaze remained steady, unwavering. "Mrs. Claus," he said, his tone laced with chilling irony, "you truly have no heart. Imagine if it were your own daughter in this position. How would you feel?"

My father roared, snatching his hand free from Lucien's grip. "How dare you speak to my wife like that! You have no right!"

"Oh, but I do have every right!" Lucien countered, his voice rising, resonating with a barely contained fury that matched my father's own. "Your senses have been completely clouded by this woman! Why can't you stand for your daughter like this? Why can't you see what she is doing to you, to this pack, to Mira?"

"She is not my daughter!" My father's voice boomed, loud and shattering, tearing through the last vestiges of my hope. "I will never birth a disgrace!"

The words hit me like a physical assault, stealing my breath, splintering my soul. Not his daughter. A disgrace. The humiliation burned hotter than any fire. I trembled, my entire body convulsing with silent sobs. "No, Dad, no, please!" I begged, my voice raw, broken. "Please, listen to me! Kelly did something! I promise you, Dad, she did!"

As if summoned by a dark incantation, Kelly materialized beside my father, her eyes wide and innocent, brimming with fake tears. "I can't believe you would accuse me of something like this, Mira," she sniffled, clutching my father's arm. "All I've ever done is try to be a good sister! Dad, look what she's saying about me! Aren't you ashamed of yourself, Mira?"

The injustice was unbearable. My blood ran cold, then boiled with fury. How could she lie so easily? How could he believe her? "Dad! Dad, please!" I pleaded, dropping to my knees on the cold, hard ground, my voice cracking with desperation. "I promise you, I will get my wolf back! Please, I'm your daughter! Just give me another chance!"

His eyes, once capable of warmth, were now devoid of all emotion, a mirror reflecting only my worthlessness. "Get out of my sight!" he yelled, his foot lashing out, connecting with my side. The pain was sharp, but nothing compared to the agony in my heart. He kicked me away, a discarded piece of trash.

Lucien's voice echoed again, slicing through the agonizing silence. "Alpha Claus, you can't take away her position like this! According to the ancient laws, a full five months are given to a newly turned eighteen-year-old before their birthright can be rescinded! In that five months, I promise to help her get her wolf back!"

A flicker of hesitation crossed my father's face, a momentary crack in his hardened façade. He knew the laws. He was an Alpha. His word was law, but even he could not openly defy the ancient ways.

"Fine," my father's voice finally came, though still laced with bitter disappointment. "Five months. If you don't get back her wolf, the throne will be given to my younger daughter, Kelly. But until then... I don't want to set my eyes on you! Leave!"

My world shattered. He was sending me out. Kicking me out of my home, my pack, my life. Five months. Five agonizing months to prove my worth to a father who had disowned me, to a pack that scorned me, to a world that had just seen me fail.

Alpha Lucien knelt beside me, his hand gentle on my shoulder, a stark contrast to my father's earlier brutality. He helped me stand, his presence a silent promise of support. I looked back at the crowd-a sea of faces filled with pity, disgust, or cold indifference. My stepmother's smirk was wide and triumphant, Kelly's eyes gleaming with pure malice. My father stood stiffly, not meeting my gaze, his face etched with something that looked suspiciously like regret, but it was too late. Far too late.

Lucien guided me away from the pack's center, away from the judging eyes, toward the edge of the clearing. The forest loomed, dark and inviting. My mind was a whirlwind of emotions: pain, fury, despair, and a terrifying sense of emptiness. How could I ever reclaim what was lost when everything was taken from me? My mate, my father's love, my pack, my very identity as a wolf.

We reached the boundary of the Blood Moon territory, the invisible line that marked my exile. The air grew colder, heavier, as if the forest itself mourned my fate. Lucien turned to me, his expression grave. "Mira," he began, his voice soft but firm. "This isn't the end. It's a beginning. We will find out what happened. We will get your wolf back."

I wanted to believe him, but the darkness in my soul was too profound. I looked back at the receding lights of the pack house, a place that was no longer home. My eyes drifted to the full moon, hanging high and indifferent in the velvet sky-the very moon that had witnessed my humiliation.

As Lucien placed his hand on my shoulder, guiding me across the border, a chilling realization struck me. The juice. The juice Kelly had forced me to drink. A sharp, burning pain flared in my stomach, and I stumbled, falling to my knees as the world spun around me. My vision blurred, and the last thing I saw was Lucien's panicked face above me, before darkness consumed me entirely. Was it the poison? Or something far more sinister linked to the very essence of my wolf?