Luna's Revenge

Chapter 2

If the Moon Goddess heard my prayers, She had a funny way of answering them...

I'm not sure how long I managed to sleep before the men came for me. The night was still pitch black outside my window for sure, and I certainly didn't feel rested when the two men in their bestial form burst into my room. I recognized them at once as Andre and Stephen, two of Marcus' lieutenants.

Marcus, whose fur was a brownish red, threw a simple white shift-dress at me.

"Put it on, woman," he growled.

"What.... what's going on?" I asked, still in a half-asleep daze.

"No questions," Andre, whose pelt was gray, replied.

I couldn't believe that either man would betray Marcus, so I knew for certain that they were there with his permission and blessing. As such, I knew better than to resist.

I pulled myself out of bed, paying no mind to my nakedness, and put the dress on. I still felt exposed, but at least my modesty was somewhat intact. Andre turned and walked out the door, and with a nod of his head Stephen gestured for me to follow.

I followed the men out of the room, and ultimately out of the house. Looking up at the sky, I could see that the moon was full. There was a time when I'd have never gone outside on such an evening in my human form. The full moon was the time of the wolf. Again, though, the wolf was lost to me.

As a wolf, the short walk to the pack's main compound would have been far more pleasant. Human feet weren't meant to go bare, and the sticks and rocks and thorns on the forest floor hurt more than a little bit. Without fur, I very acutely felt the cold of the crisp night air. It was not the time for a human woman!

The walk to the compound was at least short. As the alpha, Marcus needed to live nearby. As I was escorted inside, I was led to the large inner-chamber where Marcus reigned. There I found him seated at his seat of honor, with what appeared to be the whole pack gathered around the room!

It was a scene I'd seen many times before, though always before from the crowd. This time though, it seemed I was the one upon whom Marcus would be passing judgment....

I didn't know what crime I'd committed to warrant being brought before my mate like that. Normally, it would need to be a truly heinous crime to warrant a night-time trial like that! I'd barely had an opportunity to even leave my home, much less commit some crime!

I took my place in the middle of the chamber, feeling more exposed than ever, wearing nothing but the simple dress my jailers had afforded me. The two men who'd escorted me there returned to their human forms and took their places on either side of Marcus' seat of power.

For what felt like an eternity, I simply stood there under Marcus' gaze as the crown around me buzzed. The anticipation of what was yet to come was the worst part. I wished he would just get on with it.

Eventually I got my wish. Marcus lifted his hand and the crowd grew silent.

"Ariel Sinclair, Luna of the Night's Blessed, my wife, you stand accused of murder."

"Murder!?" I blurted out in shock, "Who!? Why!? How!?"

"As if you didn't know," the man scoffed, "You murdered Adam James, former alpha of the Crimson Moon Pack."

I'd heard the name before, but not for a long time. In my father's time, and for countless generations before that, the Night's Blessed and the Crimson Moons had been at war over the forest and the Sacred Grove. Always the Night's Blessed had the advantage, and under Marcus' rule the war had finally been ended and the remaining Crimson Moons had been absorbed into the Night's Blessed. In fact, Andre had been one of Adam's lieutenants before entering into Marcus' service.

Adam James had been the Alpha of the Crimson Moons, and he'd gone into exile since his former clan's defeat.

"Why would I murder him!?" I asked in shock, "How would I murder him!?"

There was no way a woman like I could overpower a male, much less an alpha!

"Poison was your method," Marcus answered, "As for why, I was hoping you might tell us. I suspect you still bore a grudge over the war. Your father fought it his whole life after all, and women can be fickle creatures, unwilling to let the past remain where it belongs."

The crowd again began to murmur. Looking around the room, it was clear that there was no doubt in anybody's mind about whether I was innocent or not. This wasn't a trial, it was a sentencing!

Marcus lifted his hand again, and silence again fell throughout the hall.

"Ariel, my mate, do you have anything to say for yourself that might mitigate the severity of your crime? Anything at all?"

"I didn't do it!" I insisted.

"Lies, even to the bitter end. Very well, then you leave me no choice. I, Marcus Sinclair, Alpha of the Night's Blessed, find you guilty and sentence you to die."

This time the crowd didn't murmur, they all-but exploded with chatter! Executions were a rare thing to begin with, but an Alpha condemning his Luna to death was all but unheard of!

Marcus rose to his feet and began to close the distance between us. It seemed he intended to do the deed, then and there. I considered trying to run, but I knew it was no use. I was surrounded by enemies with nowhere to go. Instead, I tried to muster the last of my shattered dignity and stand upright. I was my father's daughter and Luna of the Night's Blessed, and if nothing else I could at least die with some measure of my pride intact.

Marcus again took on the beast-man's form, and in only a few moments he was on top of me. He wrapped his hands around my head, ready to snap my neck. Before he did, though, he leaned in close and whispered his last words to me.

"Time to join your father in hell, b***h. Just so you know, I killed him too!"

I didn't have time to be shocked. As soon as he finished speaking the words, he did the deed, and my world went black.