The Vampire's Luna

Isolde swallowed hard. She hadn’t come this far to be dismissed so easily. And yet, under Lucivar’s gaze, she felt like a reckless girl again.

"Go home, Isolde. Now. Or celebrate on the other side of the barricade with the rest of the people," Lucivar commanded.

Isolde got to her feet slowly. She bowed slightly, her movements controlled, her mask of courtesy flawless. But under that mask, her entire body simmered with anger and jealousy that she refused to show to Lord Lucivar. She turned and walked away.

The queen clearly had him wrapped around his finger too, Isolde thought bitterly, glaring at Luna from afar. Luna with her radiant smile, Damien’s gaze never straying far from her.

How was she, Isolde, supposed to take her rightful place beside Damien if she couldn’t even be allowed to breathe the same air as him? She refused to be invisible, refused to fade into the background while Luna basked in love that should have been hers.

******

The next morning, Ravena stood at the castle steps.

The car rolled in through the wrought-iron gates. Ravena’s chest tightened with anticipation.

The door opened, and Luna stepped out gracefully. But it wasn’t Luna’s regality that seized Ravena’s breath—it was the tiny bundle in her arms.

She had known that the child survived. News had reached her. But knowing wasn’t the same as seeing. And in that moment, Ravena’s soul felt cracked open.

She hadn’t exactly cared before. She had told herself it didn’t matter, that Luna’s endless struggles, her cursed bond to Damien, her political trials and near-death ordeals had consumed her so completely that one small infant was the least of her concerns.

But now, standing at the foot of the steps, Ravena realized she had been lying to herself all along.

When Luna reached her, Ravena was frozen, her entire focus locked on the tiny bundle in her daughter’s arms.

"Hey, Magnus," Luna said softly. Her lips curved into a knowing smile as she added, "Meet your grandma." She knew what she was doing. She knew exactly how Ravena would react when she heard the name.

Ravena’s eyes snapped up. "Magnus?" she whispered.

"Yes, Mum," Luna confirmed, her smile widening.

"Oh...my goddess." Ravena didn’t even bother to compose herself. She gathered the child into her arms. "Hey, Magnus," she cooed, as tears welled in her eyes. "I’m your grandma."

Just then, Damien parked the car and strode over, his presence magnetic as always. Ravena looked at him and the gratitude in her eyes was almost unbearable. "Thank you," she whispered, clutching the child a little tighter. "Thank you so much."

Damien smirked. "I think Magnus broke her," he teased.

Luna smacked his arm playfully.

"Yes, yes he did," Ravena admitted without shame, her tears slipping freely now as she cooed and rocked the child gently. She pressed a kiss to his tiny forehead. "Oh, little one...you don’t even know how much you will be spoiled."

"Mum," Luna cut in with an amused sigh, arching a brow. "Can we go inside before my son and his father melts? You’re hogging him already."

That snapped Ravena out of her daze. "Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry." She reluctantly tore her gaze away from the baby. She kissed his cheek again before walking up the castle steps. "The king is tied up with someone right now, but he will be with you in a moment."

They entered into the grand parlour

"How is the king doing?" Luna asked.

Ravena looked up from the child as she finally sank into her chair, Magnus bundled safely in her arms as if he belonged there, as if she’d been waiting lifetimes for this very moment. "Uh...he is fine," she said. "Still wound tight, but I would be worried if he wasn’t."

"Me too," Damien spat. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Luna turned her head sharply toward him, giving him a scalding look—one that said behave, king or not. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, her lips pressing into a line that warned him she wasn’t in the mood to deal with his sharp tongue.

Damien shrugged. He had never been one to disguise his disdain.

"Mum," Luna said gently. "We will go get settled in. Have fun with Magnus."

"I will. Go."

Luna gave Damien’s hand a tug and pulled him toward the winding halls of the castle.

"Come rest a bit," Luna urged, sighing as she glanced up at him. "Looks like you are getting cranky. Kyllian isn’t even in the room and you already have your hackles up."

Damien let out a rough chuckle. "Having you here just reminds me of how it all started," he admitted. His eyes scanned the familiar walls as though they held scars only he could see.

They finally reached her old room, and the maids had already worked their quiet magic. Their bags were neatly arranged.

She stepped inside, her shoulders relaxing as the familiarity wrapped around her. Damien followed.

"Take a break," she said firmly, turning to face him. "Lie down, breathe, do whatever it is you need to do to stop being tessty. I’ll go look for Kyllian."

"Do you have to?" he whined.

"Yes," she said firmly, leaning up to kiss the corner of his mouth. "Behave, Damien. For me."

"Then I better let him know who you belong to." He dipped his head and captured Luna’s lips in a kiss, his tongue teasing just enough to make her shiver. He deepened it only for a moment, pulling away with a satisfied smirk.

"You’re so petty." Luna’s cheeks warmed. She knew exactly what he was doing, and she let him—because even when it was ridiculous, even when it was unnecessary, Damien’s jealousy never failed to make her heart race.

"Agreed." Damien leaned back, smug as a cat who’d claimed the cream, his eyes glittering. He didn’t even bother to deny it, because why would he?

"Do you guys ever get your hands away from each other?" a voice cut in, heavy with sarcasm.

Luna startled, pulling back slightly, only to find Kyllian lounging in the doorway. The threshold framed him, all lazy confidence and wolfish amusement.

(I’m still collecting gifts, golden tickets and power stones.)