The Vampire's Luna

Almost in unison, the women scrambled to their feet and dipped into respectful bows, eyes low and breaths held. Their Alpha King did not visit this space.

"Your Majesty," Jane greeted. Her lips curled into a polite smile, but it faltered at the edges. She was too intelligent not to read the storm in his eyes. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, actually," Kyllian said. The Alpha in him bled into every syllable, filling the air with pressure. "I just heard my wife has done something treasonous."

Gasps echoed around the circle of women. Whispers broke out.

"What? Me?"

"Do I have another wife?" Kyllian asked, lifting one brow.

"Your Majesty, you are not making sense." Jane took a step forward, trying to reclaim the ground beneath her feet, to steady the unraveling of her carefully composed image.

"You sent a message to Lord Gabriel," Kyllian said, deadly calm. "I want to know what you told him."

Her eyes widened in an instant. She tried to clamp it down, to breathe past it. Everyone’s gaze had turned to her.

"I didn’t..." she stammered, but the Alpha King cut her off.

"It will take a deep level of detachment from your pack to be able to lie to your Alpha King, Jane."

Jane sighed heavily. A long, shuddering exhale left her lips. There was no use lying anymore. Not now.

"Try jealousy," she said, lifting her chin, finally letting the rage she’d bottled for months show. "I had no choice."

Kyllian’s eyes narrowed.

Jane stepped closer now, pushing past her fear, her hands trembling at her sides. "We have been married for months, Kyllian. Months. You have been with me once. Once. You keep the throne of Queen warm for a woman mated and married to a vampire, and not your own wife."

"So, yes," Jane continued bitterly, "When I heard you were going to kidnap the Queen of Blood City and bring her here to keep her safe, I sent a message to the only one who could stop that."

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Her chest rose and fell, her breath shallow. Beneath her resentment was the deep, aching wound of a woman forgotten.

"Thank you, Jane...From this moment on, your bond with the kingdom is severed." His eyes held hers. "From this minute, you are now a rogue to be hunted and killed. You are hereby banished from the werewolf kingdom."

The sharp intake of breath from the women around them filled the room.

Her knees nearly gave out. "Kyllian—" she whispered. But he had already turned his back on her.

The guard stepped forward with mechanical efficiency, thick arms pinning hers behind her back. Jane’s defiance had been spent in one desperate confession. All that remained now was heartbreak. Her throat was raw with unshed tears, and her wolf screamed silently inside her.

"Get the car." He didn’t raise his voice when he spoke to Talon. "We leave for Blood City. If Gabriel knows you are meant to protect the princess against all odds, he may have a plan in place to stop you." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Behind them, Jane breaking apart with every breath, every heartbeat, as if her body could not accept what had just happened.

Banished.

Rogue.

Marked for death.

******

Luciver stood, staring at the gates where the guards where positioned.

The Council had reached its conclusion.

And Luciver had failed.

Damien arrived from the forgotten dungeon.

From the look on Luciver’s face, Damien understood: he didn’t have to speak the words.

"No... no... father... no."

Luciver didn’t answer immediately. His gaze dropped to the floor, as if unable to hold the look of betrayal on his son’s face.

"I’m sorry, son. There is nothing else I could do...Once the child is born, it will be killed."

Damien swallowed hard. He closed his eyes, and a tear slipped from his lashes.

"I have to tell Luna."

He turned and stormed into the castle, long strides taking him through the halls.

A scream echoed through the corridors.

Luna’s scream.

It pierced the air. The sound made the blood drain from Damien’s face. Luciver stiffened behind him.

Then they both ran.

They burst into the bedroom. The sheets were disheveled. Her body trembled violently, arms wrapped around Doctor Thessa, her face buried in the doctor’s shoulder as she groaned against another surge of pain.

"Luna?" He crossed to her instantly, placing his hands on her arms, pulling her gently toward him. "What’s going on?" he asked, though his tone was already lined with dread. He turned to Doctor Thessa, his eyes searching.

The doctor looked paler than usual. Her hands were steady, but her lips were tight. "The baby is coming, but she has refused to have it now." She hesitated. "It’s like she’s willing her body to stop the baby."

Damien’s shoulders sagged. A deep, soul-weary sigh left him. He held Luna tighter, pressing his lips against her damp forehead, breathing in the scent of her.

"Have you heard from the council?" Luna rasped. She could barely stand, but she lifted her head, meeting his eyes.

Damien hesitated. That moment... that breath was a war between truth and mercy.

"Moonlight..." He cupped her face. "You need to have the baby."

She blinked up at him slowly, disbelief blooming across her face. The contraction hit then, and she gasped, clutching her belly, but she refused to fall. She steadied herself on him, her body visibly rejecting the natural order of birth through sheer will alone.

"Have you gotten word?" she asked again, this time turning her gaze to Luciver as well.

"Gabriel was able to convince a lot of the council members that the child poses a threat. The baby cannot live for fear of what it could become," Luciver said. He looked at Luna the way one might look at a sacred temple crumbling—helpless and heavy with guilt. "It will be killed as soon as it’s born."

"I have to get out of here," she said flatly. She was already preparing to flee.