lac's

own. But Kael's expression remained impassive, his loyalty firmly with Coco. The woman who had destroyed m

und them now seemed symbolic of the chains that had bound me-chains of duty, of love, of hope. But no more. The girl who had once believed in

h slaughtering the entire Ro

crest, seemed to loom over me now, a reminder of the heights I had once reached and the depths to which I had fallen. Kael stood tall, his regal post

ll not see blood on your hands? Blood

lineage, who had fought for him, bled for him, and secured his place on the throne. My parents, proud and unwavering, had led armies against the dark witches on the border, thei

I screamed. But he remained silent as i

a has lost her mind," Coco t

ng, "let me stay. I have nowhere else to go." I had been foolish, so foolish. I had seen her as a lost soul in need of shelter, not the viper she truly was. Kael had taken her in, not as a servant, but as h

ask of triumph. My parents' bodies lay cold and lifeless behind me, their blood staining the marble floor. The chains that had bound them still clinked faintl

that I am the Luna and

to sheath. The same dagger that had stolen my mother's last breath. My entire body trembled with the force of my fury, b

ion screamed inside me, tearing at my i

cared. Whatever softness I had once believed existed within him had died the moment he let my parents be slaughtered like animals. My love for him had been

and laced with sorrow. "Tell me, Kael," I wh

eyes flickered to Coco, whose smirk only deep

othing. The silence was louder than

r silk dress swishing a

e like honey laced with venom. "But I suppose you were always too s

e was wrong. I was not broken. Not yet. My heart still beat, my lungs still drew breath

ad-on, letting the fury in my eyes bu

urmoil within me. "Because one day, Coco, you will kneel before me. And when

of uncertainty crossing her face before she masked it with

s caught off guard, his reflexes slowed by shock. I shoved him aside, my paw connecting with his chest, sending him sprawling onto his back. Coco was beneath me now, her tiny frame pinned under my w

r reign of terror. But before I could act, Kael's hand closed around my hind leg, yanking me backward with brutal force. I crashed into the cor

gh the air like a blad

declared, his words striking me

tion focused on Coco as he lifted her from the ground, cradling her protectively in his

lpha?" one of the warriors ask

e as cold as the winter wind. "You can have your w

my reward. Betrayal. Abandonment. Death. The warriors moved toward me, their eyes gleaming

on the floor. I clutched it tightly, the weight of it grounding me in the

I whispered, m

you expected of me. Forgive me,

re to get another chance, I vowed silently, I would never walk this path again. I would never trust so

I would not give them the satisfaction of my death. Not like this. Not while they

Luna Queen anc that was the death I dese