Lunara’s POV
Chapter Eighteen
The back of my head throbbed as consciousness trickled in like melting frost. My entire body felt like it had been hit by a charging Alpha. My wrists burned with a sharp, stinging pain, and as I tried to shift, I realized I couldn’t. My hands were bound behind me with wolfsbane–infused rop -strong enough to keep even a Beta down.
Panic coiled through me. My legs were also tied. The scent of rot and damp earth clung to the air. This wasn’t any room in the pack house. It was underground.
A cellar?My vision cleared in waves, and then I saw her.Ashira.
Or rather, the shell of who Ashira Blackthorn used to be. Her once–styled obsidian hair now hung in greasy tangles. Her pale eyes were bloodshot, and she looked completely unhinged. Not a rogue. Not a warrior. Something worse–feral, and broken.
“You’re awake,” she sneered, her voice carrying that off–kilter singsong edge. She folded her arms across her chest, her body twitching with erratic energy.
“What is this?” I rasped, struggling against the binds. The rope burned as it cut deeper into my skin, laced with enough wolfsbane to weaken my strength.
Ashira tilted her head, laughing bitterly. “This? This is your reckoning, Luna. Did you not get the messages I sent you?”
My stomach churned. Of course. The messages. The warnings. And the call–Killian’s voice, cold and clipped, telling me to meet him here.
“You lured me… using Killian’s voice,” I said slowly, realization dawning like a blood moon.
“Oh yes,” she grinned, revealing sharp canines. “Advanced rune mimicry. Took me weeks tc decode the right spell, but it was worth it.”
She began pacing, her steps manic. “And then, it was easy. One of the Bloodfang rogues owed me a favor. Knocked you out cold. Even helped drag your noble ass here. Can you believe how hard it was to find someone willing to cross the Capo dei Capo for me? Hilarious, right?”
The term echoed in my mind. Capo dei Capo–Killian’s new title since ascending. Even the worst rogues feared him.
I forced myself to breathe, scanning the dimly lit space. There were no windows. Only a small rune lantern flickering above. No visible weapons. Just Ashira and her madness.
“Why, Ashira?” I asked, stalling. Buying time for what, I wasn’t sure. A sliver of hope said Killian would find me. He had to. “Why go to these lengths?”
Her smile vanished. Her lips curled into a snarl. “Because of you!” she spat, pacing faster. “Because you took everything from me.”
I blinked, confused. “I didn’t take-”
“Don’t you dare play innocent!” she screeched, fangs flashing. “Killian was mine. Ronan was mine. And now… now I have nothing.” She paused, shaking as rage danced in her irises. “And it’s all your fault.”
“You cheated on Killian. You betrayed your pack. And Ronan?” My voice trembled with disbelief.
4:41 am G D D D
“Ronan chose to leave. That wasn’t me.”
“You never had to try, did you?” she snapped. “You were always the favorite. Mother and Father doted on you. Even in the Council, they looked to you. The perfect Luna. The gifted caster. While –” her voice cracked, “I was always the one they whispered about behind closed doors.”
A bitter laugh broke from her lips. “Do you know why I pushed Ronan to target Ethan?”
My heart stopped.
“What?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“I never needed a heartroot graft. Never needed Ethan’s core. I bribed the Temple healers to lie Told Ronan I’d die without it. He did the rest.”
A horrified chill ran down my spine. My blood turned to ice.
“You… lied?” I gasped. “You let my son die–for nothing?”
Ashira’s smile was poisonous. “It wasn’t for nothing. I wanted to see how far Ronan would go for me. And he passed with flying colors.” She exhaled, almost dreamily. “He killed for me.”
Tears clouded my eyes. My entire body trembled–not from fear, but from grief and rage. My son.
Ethan. Taken because of her delusion.
“You’re sick,” I whispered.
“Maybe,” she replied, unbothered. “But at least I was loved. Until you ruined that, too. Now Ronan rots in a cell, still dreaming of you. Obsessed with you.”
She stepped closer, her claws extending as she cupped my jaw roughly. Her nails dug into my skin, drawing thin lines of Blood. “And I’m done playing fair.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked, my voice shaking, barely able to contain the fury rising inside me. “You’re already being hunted for what you did to Ethan. Do you really want to make things worse for yourself?”
Ashira’s expression turned gleeful. “Worse? Lunara, I’ve already lost everything. I have nothing
left to fear. But you…”
She leaned in, eyes wild and cold. “You still have something to lose.”
My heart slammed against my ribs.Ashira straightened, her face twisting into something that didn’t even resemble a wolf anymore. Just a monster in human skin.
‘I’m going to kill you,” she said softly. Almost lovingly.
And I knew then–she meant every word.
Chapter Fightee
23
4:41 am G D D D
Lunara’s POV
