Scarred By The Moon

CHAPTER 11: Shadows Behind the Throne

Freya

I had barely processed what I’d overheard when the weight of it settled into my chest like a stone sinking into water. Every word from Cole’s father echoed with a cruel finality, each syllable another nail in the coffin of the future I had so meticulously crafted.

He had returned from his long journey only to remind me of my place, and it wasn’t beside Cole. Not truly. Not in the way I craved. Not with the title I deserved.

I wasn’t to be Luna.

That honor, apparently, still belonged to her.

Alaina.

The name made bile rise in my throat. She had been banished, cast out from the Moonridge Pack. She had walked away in shame and silence, yet somehow her shadow still lingered over everything I wanted. How did she continue to hold so much power, even in absence?

“What is it about her that makes everyone bend?” I whispered to the empty room, my voice brittle with fury. “Why won’t she just stay gone?”

My hands trembled as I pressed my palm to the cold stone wall, trying to ground myself. But it was no use. My thoughts spiraled like wildfire, feeding off every imagined moment of Alaina’s return, her smug expression, her soft voice pretending to be innocent, her effortless charm unraveling everything I had built with Cole.

"Breathe, Freya," Lily whispered, my wolf’s voice a thread of calm inside my mind.

“Don’t start,” I snapped aloud, my voice sharp. “You’re always on the fence. Always telling me to stay calm while she ruins my life.”

Lily sighed, the sound exasperated. "You’re too consumed by her. She’s not even here, and you let her rule you."

“She’s in everything,” I muttered, my hands curling into fists. “Cole’s father just made it clear. She still holds that crown. And I... I’m nothing but a placeholder.”

I hated how quickly my stomach churned at the thought. I had given so much, my time, my heart, my loyalty. I had shaped myself into the perfect partner for Cole. Yet now, I was being told to wait in the shadows while the ghost of his past was dusted off and polished like some prized jewel.

“I'm done waiting,” I whispered.

I paced across the room, the hem of my silk robe whispering across the polished floors. The night air filtering through the crack in the window did little to cool the heat burning beneath my skin. I needed a plan. I needed him.

When the door finally creaked open, I didn’t have to look to know it was Cole. His scent filled the space like a memory I couldn't shake, pine and smoke, warm and intoxicating. I turned slowly, schooling my features into concern.

“Cole,” I breathed. “You’re back.”

He didn’t answer right away. His eyes were stormy, jaw clenched so tight I could see the tension in every line of his face.

“What happened?” I stepped forward, reaching out as if to brush his cheek, but he jerked his head away.

“My father,” he spat, “wants Alaina reinstated as Luna.”

The words landed like a slap, but I didn’t flinch. Not this time.

Instead, I let my eyes widen just slightly, let my lips part with practiced disbelief.

He ran both hands through his hair, pacing like a man on the edge of losing control. “He thinks I made a mistake. He thinks Alaina is the only one fit to rule beside me.” He stopped and turned, eyes meeting mine with helplessness I hadn’t expected to see. “I tried to tell him... I tried, Freya. But he doesn’t care.”

A flicker of sympathy crossed my features, though it never touched my heart. “I’m so sorry, Cole,” I whispered, stepping close. I placed a hand gently over his. “But you don’t have to let him control your future. You’re the Alpha. You decide who stands at your side.”

He shook his head. “It’s not that simple. He has the support of the Elders. They still respect him more than they do me.”

I frowned, keeping my voice soft. “You don’t need the Elders to validate your decisions. They follow strength, and you have that in abundance. You are the Moonridge Pack now. Not him.”

He looked down at me, his eyes searching. “And what if I can’t change his mind?”

I hesitated, then leaned into him, placing my hand on his chest where his heart beat fiercely beneath. “Then we change the game.”

His arms wrapped around me without hesitation, pulling me close. “You’ve always believed in me, Freya.”

“Of course I have,” I replied, resting my head against his shoulder. “You were mine before she ever returned.”

He stiffened slightly at that, but said nothing.

“I can wait,” I murmured, lifting my face just enough to meet his gaze. “If staying in the background helps you win the battle... I’ll do it. I’ll play the loyal lover, the dutiful support. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

His brows furrowed. “You’d do that for me?”

“I already am,” I whispered, my lips brushing against his as I spoke. “Because I love you.”

And when he kissed me, it was rough and desperate. Not the tender kind born of real devotion, but the grasping kind, of a man clinging to the only person who still stood in his corner.

But I didn’t care.

Because as long as he held me like that, Alaina was nothing but a memory he was trying to erase.

And I’d make sure she stayed that way.

As we held each other, I glanced at the mirror across the room. My reflection stared back, lips swollen from his kiss, eyes gleaming with something far darker than love.

Obsession. Possession. A silent vow that she would not return.

Not if I could help it.

Let her try. Let her come crawling back to reclaim her title.

She would learn what it truly meant to cross a woman who had nothing left to lose.