I died on the night I was supposed to become LUNA.
The moon hung high above the Silverpine Mountains, glowing like an omen. Our mating ceremony was meant to be grand the union of the Alpha heir and his chosen Luna. The kind of event that brought rival packs to silence and made elders bow in pride.
But instead of pledging my bond beneath the moon's light, I stood alone in front of the entire pack, humiliated.
Julian Hale my mate, my Alpha, the one my wolf had chosen long before my heart ever caught up turned his back on me, leaving me to bear the shame while he ran to my scheming sister .
Later that night, when a rogue cornered me near the river, I called him. My wolf whimpered inside me, sensing danger, bleeding loyalty even when my heart was shattered. I begged. I pleaded. But his voice came through the bond like frost sharp and cruel.
"Die, Elena," he said coldly. "It would be easier for everyone if you just disappeared. Especially for Camilla."
Camilla. My sister. My blood.
As my attacker's claws tore into me and my strength drained away, I looked up. The sky exploded with silver and gold lights fireworks. They weren't for me. They weren't to honor the Luna who should have been crowned that night.
They were for her.
He was with Camilla while I bled alone.
I thought death would be freedom. That if I faded, they would finally be happy the Alpha and his new chosen mate. But fate wasn't finished with me. Even in death, irony clung to me like a curse.
They said later that my bones were turned into prayer beads sacred wolf relics that the Alpha carried everywhere. He lost his mind after that, they whispered. Haunted by the scent of the woman he told to die.
Before my vision went dark, I made one final call. His voice was the last sound I heard.
"Elena, haven't you made enough of a scene?" Julian's tone was cold steel. "I gave you the perfect ceremony, and I'm spending a little time with Camilla. What more do you want?"
Blood poured from my wounds, soaking into the riverbank. My white ceremonial gown once blessed by the Moon Priestess clung to me, heavy with mud and blood. "Julian… please… save me," I rasped.
He sighed, his voice layered with irritation instead of concern. "Are you pretending again? First an illness, now this? Another stunt for attention?"
"I'm not pretending," I whispered weakly. "Someone's trying to kill me…"
His words sliced deeper than claws ever could. "You crave attention so badly you'd ruin your sister's peace? You're already bound to me by name, and Camilla is your blood. What else do you want, her death?"
The river's chill numbed my body, but nothing could dull the agony of betrayal. My wolf howled inside me, a mournful sound no one could hear. "Camilla lives… but I… I'm dying."
His reply was the final strike. "Then die already, Elena. Maybe then Camilla can finally breathe."
And then I heard her my sister's delicate voice in the background.
"Julian, the fireworks are starting."
His line went silent. The wind howled like a mourning wolf. My phone slipped from my trembling fingers into the river, sinking into the dark water with a splash that felt like my soul leaving my body.
The cold claimed me next. My vision blurred, and as the fireworks painted the sky, I caught one last glimpse of him smiling faintly, holding her under the moonlight meant for us.
And then, I died.
They say there's life after death. I never believed it until I opened my eyes again.
The night was the same. The stars, still cruelly bright. But my body… felt wrong. Too light. Too quiet. I turned and saw them.
Julian and Camilla.
They were locked in each other's arms beneath the same moon where my blood had dried hours ago.
"Julian! Camilla! Stop!" I screamed, but no sound came out. My hands passed through them like smoke.
That's when I saw it my reflection in the river. Pale. Weightless. Eyes glowing faintly silver.
I wasn't alive. I was a spirit, trapped between worlds a shadow of the Luna who never was.
Julian kissed her like she was the only one who had ever mattered. Just days ago, he swore she was nothing more than a sister. That I was his fated one. His only love.
Another firework burst across the sky. Guilt flickered across his face as he broke the kiss.
"Camilla… this isn't right," he muttered.
She looked down, trembling. "I didn't mean for it to happen," she whispered. "I just… couldn't stop it."
He brushed her hair aside gently. "It's alright. Let me make a call."
He pulled out his phone and dialed my number.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Of course, there was no answer. I was dead. My voice would never answer that call again.
The sad part? I used to pick up before the third ring. No matter where I was. No matter what I was doing.
Julian's brows furrowed. "Camilla, I need to check Elena's last location."
Ah, now he remembered.
Before I took my last breath, I sent him my location through the pack link. If he went there now, maybe just maybe he'd find my body before the rogues did.
But before he could move, Camilla's soft hand wrapped around his wrist.
"Please don't go," Camilla whispered, her voice trembling with false innocence, her scent curling through the air like poisoned honey. "Stay with me, Julian."
Julian hesitated, his hand still on the door. "But Elena…"
"Elena always exaggerates," she cut in smoothly, stepping closer, her tone soft but sharp as a blade. "Don't you remember the last time she claimed rogues were following her? You rallied half the patrols and found nothing. And that time she fainted during the full moon? The healer said she was fine. She's always pulling these stunts, Julian."
Every word dripped with venom sweet, careful, and deliberate.
"She's the daughter of the powerful Morrigan bloodline," Camilla added, feigning a small smile. "No wolf would dare harm her."
Julian sighed, rubbing his temple. The glow from the packhouse windows reflected off his golden eyes. "I just wish Elena could be more… reasonable. Like you."
Reasonable.
That word slashed through me harder than claws ever could. He used to say I didn't have to be reasonable that I didn't have to cage my emotions or dull my instincts to fit the world.
"You're meant to feel everything, Elena," he once told me. "Only wolves who've never felt safe try to be sensible. You… you can be free."
And now he compared me to her?
Instead of tracking my scent my dying scent that still lingered by the river Julian turned and led Camilla back toward the den. Our den.
Something inside me broke.
I tried to block the doorway, to stop them, to remind him that I was still here his Luna, his bonded mate. But Camilla walked right through me, smiling, her eyes glinting with cruel awareness.
Dead or alive, I couldn't keep her out anymore.
Moments later, she emerged from the adjoining room wearing the silken nightgown I had chosen for my mating night. It had been blessed by the Moon Priestess herself woven with threads of silver and moonlight, meant to symbolize eternal unity between Alpha and Luna.
Now, it clung to her body instead.
Julian's gaze flickered over her, his wolf struggling beneath his skin I could sense the tension, the guilt, the pull of instinct.
"That's… Elena's," he murmured, voice rough.
"I know," Camilla replied softly, her arms looping around his neck. "Julian, stop pretending. You haven't loved Elena in a long time." Her lips trembled, her eyes gleamed with false tears. "You love me. Don't you?"
His jaw tightened, conflict flashing in his eyes. His wolf stirred, restless, caught between the bond and temptation.
"Stop it, Camilla," he growled. "This isn't right."
But she stepped closer, pressing her body against his. "You're about to be my brother-in-law," she whispered, her voice a silky snare. "After tonight, I'll be gone. Just… one night, Julian. One night to remember what it feels like to be wanted."
He shook his head. "No. Anything but this."
Her mask slipped. She pouted, frustration seeping into her tone. "Fine! If you won't take me, maybe someone else will. Maybe I'll let a rogue mark me. I don't care!"
"Camilla!" His tone deepened the Alpha in him rising, warning her to stop.
But she didn't. "If you won't give me what I want, then I "
Before she could finish, Julian grabbed her roughly and crushed his lips against hers.
I screamed.
The sound tore out of me like thunder, shaking the air but no one heard. No one ever did.
The man my wolf had chosen, the one who'd sworn before the Moon Goddess to protect me, was now tangled with my sister. On the night that should have bound us for eternity.
Our bed.
Our den.
Our vows.
I watched as they crossed the line I could never return from.
By dawn, golden light spilled through the windows, bathing the room in cruel beauty. Camilla lay draped across Julian's chest, smiling like she'd just claimed a throne.
Julian's eyes opened slowly, clouded with guilt, the wolf beneath his skin pacing with unease. "Camilla… about last night "
I sneered, though no one could see me. What was the point of remorse now? The bond had already shattered.
Camilla placed her hand on his chest, soothing him like she hadn't just destroyed two lives. "Don't worry," she whispered sweetly. "I won't say anything to Elena. After all, you're my brother-in-law now. I'll go abroad disappear forever."
Julian frowned. "Who told you to leave?"
Before he could say another word, his phone buzzed on the nightstand. He reached for it, relief flashing across his face an escape from the guilt pressing down on him.
"Mr. Hale," a voice came through the line, firm and professional. "A ceremonial gown was found by the river at Silver Shore. It matches the one your mate wore last night. You need to come to the station immediately to assist with the investigation."
Silence.
I watched as the color drained from Julian's face. His wolf stirred, confusion giving way to dawning horror.
And for the first time since my death, I felt something other than pain.
I felt satisfaction.
Because now… he would know what it meant to lose everything.