The Vampire's Luna

Thessa paused for a heartbeat before giving a small smile. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

In silence, she began the setup: cleansing Luna’s arm, prepping the needle, carefully threading the tubing. The blood flowed into the queen’s veins. It wasn’t legal. But it was necessary.

*****

By morning, the entire city seemed to hum with a brittle tension, as if Blood City itself were holding its breath. Word had already spread—Queen Luna was to appear before the court.

Flanked by Doctor Thessa, Luna walked the corridor of the judicial wing with the grace of a queen who knew her enemies were watching. She wore a purple gown, her shoulders bare, her crown a delicate circlet.

She was exhausted—her body ached, her soul frayed—but she would let no one see that. Not today.

The morning had already frayed her nerves with a searing argument with Damien. He had pleaded with her, begged, to let him take the fall. To be the one to face the court. To shield her. As he always did.

But she had refused.

Damien didn’t understand, not fully. This was about optics. If she cowered behind her husband now, her enemies would claim she lacked strength. If she allowed him to fight this for her, she would lose the people’s trust. And worst of all, she would become another queen in history remembered only for the men who fought her battles.

No. She would handle this herself.

Inside the grand hall, the council chamber was already buzzing with energy.

As Head Councilman Richard arrived, the room quieted.

The royal bailiff motioned Luna to the witness box. She walked calmly, head high, heart steady despite the thrum of adrenaline beneath her skin.

As she sat, the prosecutor approached the center of the chamber. He bowed slightly in respect, but his eyes did not soften.

"Queen Luna," he began, "an accusation has been made against you—that the blood Sage Veyron was caught smuggling is meant for you."

Luna’s eyes flicked toward Sage Veyron. Veyron held her gaze for a moment longer than he should have, then shook his head slowly, the barest motion. His face was pale, strained, aged overnight by imprisonment.

She glanced away from him, lifting her head high to face the prosecutor once more. Her voice, when it came, was calm but carried the power of a sovereign. "Yes."

A murmur broke across the room. Sage Veyron closed his eyes and sighed, his entire frame sagging under the weight of her admission. He had feared she might do this—speak truth where silence might have saved her. But this was Luna. There had never been another path.

The prosecutor’s eyes gleamed with purpose. "Would you care to elaborate on the purpose of the blood?" he asked, his tone faux-courteous but heavy with accusation. "You are a werewolf. There is nothing you need blood for."

She straightened in her seat, eyes narrowing with resolve.

"I am the Queen of Blood City," she said, her voice laced with a deadly sort of grace. "You brought me here to answer to allegations. Now, I have put it to rest."

The room stilled.

She didn’t stop there.

"If there is a charge against me, then I believe this should be referred to the Royal Council." Her gaze swept across the tribunal members, meeting each face as if daring them to contradict her. "I refuse to let the throne be a subject of gossip and unfounded accusations."

She turned then, cool and unapologetic, to Head Councilman Richard. "May I be excused?"

Richard, seated at the highest bench regarded her. Behind his wise, weathered expression, a thousand calculations were undoubtedly being made. But at last, he nodded. "Of course, Your Highness."

She rose like a storm rising off the sea.

Doctor Thessa trailed her, her face pale but composed. Luna paused at the corridor, her back still straight, her voice softer now but firm. "Stay," she said to Thessa without turning. "I need to hear the verdict."

Thessa gave a small nod. "Of course, Your Majesty."

Luna stepped out into the daylight, drawing in a breath.

Outside, her royal car awaited, flanked by guards. As she sank into the back seat, her hand instinctively moved to her belly. The child kicked once—a strong, defiant motion that brought tears to her eyes she refused to shed.

The path ahead was narrowing. Enemies lingered in every corridor, in every whisper behind closed doors. But she still had one final thread to pull. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

One final act of rebellion—one last chance to ensure Damien’s survival.

The car pulled away from the courthouse, the city blurring past the windows. The palace loomed in the distance, its towers piercing the sky. Blood Castles.

"Head to my old building," Luna instructed the driver.

A few minutes later, they pulled up. This was where she had first arrived after the banishment. A werewolf princess without a home. Stripped of her title. Condemned by her father. An outcast in a vampire city.

She stepped out of the car and inhaled the air. Looking back now, those days had seemed cruel but they had also been simple.

She climbed the steps without waiting for her guards. The balcony door was open. A breeze stirred pale curtains. And there, stood the woman she had come to see.

"Isolde," Luna called softly.

The young woman turned, startled. Her wide eyes went even wider when she saw who had spoken.

"Your Majesty!" Isolde dropped into a deep, trembling bow. "I... I didn’t hear you come in."

Luna stepped into the room, her presence swallowing the space whole.

"You once asked me what your duty was," Luna said.

Isolde straightened slowly, hesitant but attentive. "I remember," she whispered.

"I will tell you your duty," Luna continued, walking toward her. "And tonight... you will carry it out. You will do everything possible to fulfill that duty. You do not get another chance, you do not get another shot."

She stopped just before her, close enough that Isolde could see the gleam of determination in her eyes.