The Vampire's Luna

She asked it casually, but Talon could hear the curiosity beneath her voice. She wasn’t one to be left out of secrets.

His smile faltered just a little. The playful glint in his eyes dimmed as he leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "Morvakar," he whispered.

Her smile disappeared, chased away by a ripple of dread that spread through her chest. "What...what’s going on?" she asked, quieter now.

Talon reached into his coat, revealing the whistle. "He needed me to give this to you," he said solemnly. "He says to blow on it whenever you are in trouble and he will be there."

Luna looked at the whistle. She didn’t reach for it.

"Seriously? What?" she said, her voice rising slightly. "Why is everyone treating me like glass? I have a vampire king protecting me, a werewolf king, a werewolf beta who is supposed to be beside his own alpha, and now the most feared sorcerer of all." Her hands were clenched at her sides now, though she hadn’t realized it. "I should be flattered, but this is just ridiculous."

Talon simply stood, watching her, his fingers still curled around the whistle. Her anger was frustration and maybe baby hormones.

Luna sighed, turning away as she moved toward the grand entrance of the castle.

"Since you are my closest guard, hang on to it." Her words floated over her shoulder, curt and decisive, before she strode out into the bright morning.

Outside, her armored convoy was already waiting. Luna’s guards bowed as she emerged, one of them rushing ahead to open the back door of her car, trimmed in royal insignia.

As she descended the steps, she called back to Talon, who followed her down at a respectful distance. "Did you find a job for our guest before you left on your errand?"

"Yes," he replied. "I assigned her to the royal guards’ kitchen."

Luna gave a short nod, satisfied but quiet.

"Good."

"Your Majesty, did you hear of Sage Veyron’s arrest?"

The words halted her in her tracks.

She spun around fast. Her heartbeat stuttered, then thundered to life. "What do you mean Sage Veyron’s arrest?" she asked, eyes wide, the words brittle and cracking around the edges.

Talon bowed his head slightly. "I heard this morning. He was arrested two days ago smuggling blood into the city. The trial has already begun. I know he is a friend... I thought you might want me to do something about it."

Luna’s mouth opened as if to speak, but no sound came out at first. "I..." she began softly, and then the truth hit her. Veyron, the ever-loyal sage, would never take such a risk lightly. He had been moving blood. That could only mean one thing. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

It had something to do with her.

Her eyes glazed momentarily.

"I have to go..." she said. Without waiting for another word, she turned on her heel, storming toward the vehicle.

*****

Inside his office, Damien had been attempting to read the minutes of Veyron’s trial, but his eyes hadn’t processed a single line. His mind kept circling around Veyron and his refusal to see Damien, the silence that Thessa had urged him to maintain. And now, as Luna’s heartbeat thundered closer—erratic, full of rage—he knew.

She knew.

He rose slowly from his desk, adjusting the collar of his shirt, bracing himself for the inevitable storm..

The doors burst open.

And in came his queen.

"I need you to tell me right now that Sage Veyron’s arrest had nothing to do with me...Damien!" she shouted.

Her hands were clenched at her sides, her entire body radiating fury. Sage Veyron had been more than a family friend. He had been protector, confidant, and now—sacrificial lamb.

Damien stepped forward, slowly, as if approaching a wounded predator. He longed to reach out, to hold her, to shield her from the truth. But she deserved honesty more than comfort. And he had already betrayed her trust once by hiding it.

"Would you please lower your voice, Moonlight?" Damien begged.

The endearment, once enough to calm her storms, now fell flat between them. Damien reached out a hand as if trying to contain the fury blazing in his queen’s eyes. But she recoiled as if his touch would burn her.

"Don’t Moonlight me! Did you agree to this? How did you do it? Is Doctor Thessa in on it too?"

Her brows furrowed, tears forming at the corners of her eyes, though she refused to let them fall. Her spine remained rigid. She was every inch a queen—but also a woman betrayed by the man she loved.

"Baby, I didn’t have a choice. And Veyron wouldn’t take no for an answer. He cared about the heir to the kingdom because he knows I am dying and I care about you. Was I supposed to watch you waste away?"

Damien’s hands fell to his sides, defeated.

He stepped closer, but Luna held her ground.

"I told you I could do it! You should have trusted that I was strong enough!" Luna shot back, pointing a finger at him. "But you treat me as if I am just a fragile thing whose job is wave and smile at dignitaries and look beautiful. I was a warrior princess in my kingdom!"

She advanced on him now, fire in her step, the swell of her belly between them.

"I never underestimated you but I wasn’t going to take the chance of testing the theory just to then lose you!" he shouted back.

"So you lied to me, went behind my back just like you have always done!"

"Luna!" he shouted back at her, warning in his voice.

"You have always been afraid of tough choices, tough decisions. You shy away from them unless it’s your life in the balance, that you find easy to throw away! No matter how much I beg! And now, someone’s life hangs in the balance because you just won’t listen to me."

"You always choose martyrdom," she whispered, then louder, "Because it’s easier than letting anyone else take a hit. It’s not bravery, Damien. It’s control."