Rise Of The Fallen Luna

Chapter 13

••• Leicia’s POV •••

The effect of her Alpha aura was instantaneous.

A pressure slammed down like gravity had tripled.

It slammed into the ground like a quake. The earth shuddered beneath us. The sky seemed to press lower. The air thickened, heavy and choking.

A deep rumble vibrated through the bones of every warrior in the room.

They dropped to their knees.

Kyle gritted his teeth, trying to stand—but even he faltered, hands on the floor, breath caught in his throat.

Omegas screamed in pain. One passed out. A few clutched their heads, writhing as if the pressure might crush their skulls. Annisa collapsed near one of the trees, barely conscious. Her body trembled from the force.

Even Reinald braced himself, his body rigid—but he remained standing, teeth clenched.

And Lydia’s wolf—smug only moments ago—whimpered and collapsed.

I had to stop this.

“Belle!” I shouted. “Stop!”

She didn’t hear me. Or maybe she didn’t want to.

Her aura was crushing the pack. She had totally lost control.

I couldn’t let this continue, or Belle would accidentally kill someone with her aura alone.

I forced myself forward—grit, will, rage—and tore Belle back.

Forced the shift.

Pain crackled through me as bone and fur twisted into flesh. My body reformed, shaking, and slick with sweat. I collapsed to my knees, trembling and naked in the cold courtyard.

And then Reinald was there, fast, his shirt in hand, before I could draw another breath. He dropped it over my shoulders and turned his back, guarding me while I recovered.

Belle’s voice whimpered in my mind. “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to hurt them. I just—couldn’t stop.”

“You always lose yourself when you play too long,” I murmured. “That’s the problem, Belle. You stop hearing me.”

“Sorry,” she replied guiltily.

“We’ll talk about it later.” I steadied myself, pushing upright, pulling Reinald’s shirt tighter.

Across the field, Lydia had shifted back—her human form trembling, completely naked and gasping for air, sweat pouring down her back. The smugness was gone. Her wolf had felt it—the pressure, the raw command, the undeniable difference in power.

I rose slowly.

Lydia’s head jerked up, her eyes wide, her mouth parting as if to speak—then closing again.

I stepped forward.

“You still haven’t learned your place, have you?”

She looked like she wanted to cry. Or run.

“And you,” I turned to Matthew, my voice calm but ice-cold. “You are never to set foot in this sacred place again. You stood here and spat on the memory of the people you once claimed as your family. That stain is yours to bear now.”

He only flinched.

He didn’t speak.

He didn’t even look at me.

I stepped past him, past them both, toward the front doors.

But then—

A sharp cry echoed from behind us.

Annisa’s voice.

“Luna—behind you!”

I turned—

And saw Emma standing at the edge of the threshold, her eyes wild, a syringe glinting in her hand. Wolfsbane inside it. She wasn’t just throwing a tantrum—-she wanted blood.

She lunged.

Another fool…

Despite the ache all over my body, Emma was still too slow for me.

I waited until she was close enough before grabbing and twisting her wrist, stepping up behind her, and jabbing the needle in her neck.

For long moments, it felt like the area fell into pin-drop silence until Emma shrieked, “You stabbed me!”

I shoved her away, narrowed my eyes at her, and told her coldly. “If you're prepared to stab someone, be prepared to be stabbed back. And be thankful I didn’t inject the wolfsbane into your system.”

She stumbled to the ground, eyes wide with fear.

I turned to face the others—Matthew and Lydia, still frozen at the edge of the courtyard.

Lydia had pulled herself into a seated position, arms wrapped around her knees, her hair a sweaty mess around her face. Matthew looked pale, his jaws clenched, but he said nothing.

Then Emma whimpered.

Still on the ground, still breathing heavily, the syringe now bent and clinging to the side of her neck.

Matthew finally moved. He walked toward Emma, yanked the syringe out without a word, and tossed it to the dirt. Then he grabbed Lydia by the wrist and jerked her chin toward Emma.

“Pick her up. We are leaving.”

“But—”

“I said now.”

Lydia stood shakily and helped Emma to her feet. The three of them limped away, tails tucked between their legs, not daring to look back. They disappeared down the steps, retreating into the tree line like the failed intruders they were.

Good.

Let them run.

I didn’t follow. I didn’t need to. That walk of shame was louder than anything I could’ve said. Let it echo in their heads. Let it haunt them. Though why Emma wanted to kill, I had no idea why.

I exhaled and turned to everyone else.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “That should never have happened. Please… rest for now. Take a break. I’ll rejoin you after a shower.”

No one protested. They simply bowed.

I headed up the stairs slowly, feet dragging with exhaustion. The moment the door to the bathroom closed behind me, I let out a long breath.

My legs were trembling. My soul felt frayed. Belle unleashing her aura was also taking a toll on me.

The hot water scalded away the remnants of blood, sweat, and adrenaline, but it couldn’t erase the heaviness pressing against my chest.

“You need to take control of it, Belle.”

My wolf didn’t answer immediately.

Only after a long pause did she murmur, “I didn’t mean to lose it. It just... built up.”

“I know,” I whispered, tilting my head against the shower wall. “But next time, someone might die. Someone who matters.”

Belle went quiet again.

I swallowed, remembering. My father. My brothers. They had all felt Belle’s Alpha aura before. The power had knocked them to their knees, too. That’s why my father taught me to force the shift.

Belle wasn’t normal, and my parents never told me why. They only taught me to hide Belle’s strength.

I closed my eyes. “We’ll work on it. Together. Now rest.”

I stepped out of the shower, dried off, and pulled on fresh clothes. Reinald’s shirt was still with me.

When I descended the stairs, the activities in the house were slowly returning to normal.

Warriors resumed their tasks. Omegas moved carefully, but they were on their feet. I could smell the scent of warm tea wafting from the kitchen.

Annisa spotted me and smiled weakly. “You should rest, Luna. The Alpha Prince is waiting for you in the living room.”

I nodded and made my way toward him, his shirt draped across my arm.

He looked peaceful, if a little too still—shirtless, the soft chandelier light catching his golden skin.

I handed him his shirt.

“You left this with me,” I said, brushing invisible lint from the fabric.

He took the shirt without looking at me, murmuring a quiet, “Thank you.”

I sat down beside him, close enough to feel the warmth radiating off his bare skin. He didn’t move. Neither did I.

The silence stretched, but not awkwardly. Just… full. As if the air had weight. It was as if we were both too tired to fill it with words that didn’t matter.

That was when I noticed something else—-the faintest flicker of color on the tips of his ears.

I tilted my head.

Were they… red?

Yes. Red. Definitely red.

I frowned, a little confused. Was he... flustered?

My eyes, treacherous as they were, drifted to his shirtless body again.

Scarred muscle. A lean torso. Broad chest. Eight-packs. All war and discipline. Faint silver burns marked his side—proof of five long years of battle.

Belle stirred, very much awake now.

“Ooooh...” she sighed. “Silver scars. That means he’s taken hits for people. He’s noble. He’s hot. He’s—wait. Maybe I should pretend to challenge him. Then, when he shifts back—boom! Naked glory.”

I nearly choked.

“Belle—”

Reinald cleared his throat softly and began putting his long arms into the sleeves of his shirt, still grazing us with his perfectly muscled body.

“SCOOT CLOSER! LICK HIM!”

“Cut it out, Belle,” I hissed.

“Leicia,” Reinald said gently, his voice almost a hum beneath Belle’s shrieking in my mind as his nimble fingers began buttoning his shirt.

I heard him. I did. But Belle’s voice drowned out the words.

“NOW KISS HIM. KISS HIM. SIT ON—”

“Now that you’re rebuilding your pack…” Reinald said calmly, completely unaware of the chaos Belle was creating in my head. “How about marrying me?”

My brain short-circuited.

I blurted, “No!”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Reinald blinked, once. Twice. His face was unreadable.

“YOU i***t!” Belle practically rolled around in my head, howling with laughter. “YOU ACTUALLY BLURTED OUT YOUR ANSWER FOR ME TO HIM???”