I woke to a dark, cold, and damp room. My head throbbed like a war drum, and my throat burned. I tried to raise myself up, but I couldn't. I looked outside the bars; the area was filled with people in chains.
"Riya?" Mother stirred from the cold floor where she lay.
"Mum?" She rushed to me, looking pale, weak, and tired.
"You're awake," she managed to say.
"Where… where are we?" My voice cracked.
"We're in Darkmoon Valley. We are all prisoners; no one was spared."
Pain lanced through my skull. "What? No. No, that's not… that can't happen."
"You've been unconscious for two days," she said gently. "You were struck down in the battle. A warrior's blade hit your head, and you collapsed."
I touched the bandage wrapped around my head. "Two days?"
She nodded. I gripped the bars as my vision sharpened. "They took us, all of us?"
"Yes."
"Mum, how could you let them?"
Her eyes flared. "I fought until I lost my breath. Until my knees gave out. Until they dragged me from your side."
I looked away in shame. "We should've died fighting."
"We will not die," she said. "Not yet."
Footsteps echoed as a guard appeared at our prison room. "Siarah!" he shouted.
"Don't you dare," I rose. "You may only address her as 'Luna.'"
He laughed in mockery. "Look who thinks she's still royalty." Then he lunged forward. "The King will summon you in a few minutes. Say your final goodbyes."
"Final goodbyes?" I looked at him, my heart pounding in my chest. "Final? What does that mean?"
Mother stood as the guard walked away. "It means I go to him."
"To die?"
"No." Her voice was calm. "To… to… marry."
I stared at her. "What?" I spun around, rubbing my temples. "This has to be a dream."
"That sentence amazed me." "Ah… ah, no, no, no. You can't just… Mum, no. He cannot marry you. You are my father's Luna, his greatest treasure, the matriarch of our pack. This is insane."
"Riya, calm down."
"Calm down? You just told me you're about to become the Luna of the wolf who enslaved all of our people! And you want me to calm down?"
"This is for a specific reason." Her eyes burned, steady. "If I marry him, I'll be close. I'll see how he treats our members. I'll gain influence. And I'll be able to gradually pull them away from slavery. Do you understand?"
"No. Absolutely not." My voice shook. "That's a terrible idea. A suicidal idea."
"Riya…"
"I mean it! He's not some fool you can outwit with soft smiles. He's the Alpha King. He chews people up and spits them out. You think he won't notice what you're doing?"
"I've thought this through." Her eyes burned. "I do this for you, for them, for Nightfang."
I shook my head. "You're giving him everything. Our freedom, our pride, our legacy."
"I'm buying time," she shouted. "Time to find a way out. Time to make him trust me. Time to make him liberate Nightfang."
I laughed bitterly. "So in all this, where do I stand? What am I in this new world you're building?"
She hesitated.
"Please go on, 'Luna,'" I demanded.
"You're not part of the royal family," she said quietly. "You'll be… a slave. Like the rest."
"I'll be stripped," I hissed. "Of my title, of who I am, my birthright. Our people's future?"
"You'll be alive; that's what matters, Ri…" She grabbed my arm. "Riya, listen to me. If I don't do this, he'll kill us all. We'll be slaves under him forever… but when I'm by his side, I'll be able to swindle his heart into being kind."
"Then let him try," I growled. "We'll fight. We'll die with honor."
"And leave the children to suffer?" Her voice cracked. "Leave them to grow up in cages?"
I looked at the little ones curled in corners, their eyes wide with fear.
"We can find another way," I whispered.
"There is no other way," she stared at me. "Except we all die."
"You'll walk into his palace, into the heart of Darkmoon Valley, wearing his mark on your neck, and you think our people will just… what? Smile? Clap? They've been held in chains, whipped and broken, and you'll be their new Luna? Do you realize how that looks?"
"They'll understand in time."
"No, they won't! They'll see betrayal. They'll see you selling out."
"They'll get the information later," she said firmly, as if she were already closing the door on my words.
I threw my hands up. "Later? Later? By the time they 'get the information,' it'll be too late. He'll have his claws in you. In us. You can't…"
The guard banged the bars. "Time's up."
Mother turned to him. "Tell your King I'll come to speak."
He frowned. "You'll marry him, Siarah."
She smiled coldly. "We'll see."
As he left, she turned to me. "If I go, you must stay quiet. Stay low. Gather strength and watch for weakness."
"I will."
"And Riya…"
"Yes?"
"If I fall, you rise."
I nodded. "I'll rise."
She kissed my forehead. "For Nightfang."
"For Nightfang," I whispered.
And as she walked away, I felt a part of me leave.
******
A few hours later, at night, the gates slowly opened. The chains fell from our wrists, but no one cheered.
"Why are they letting us out?" a man muttered as we stumbled into the dark air.
"They're not," another said grimly. "Look at the guards; this is no freedom."
We were herded down the stone path to a ceremonial ground, spears at our backs as guards led the way.
"Where are they taking us?" a woman asked.
"They invited us," I whispered bitterly.
"Invited?" she snapped. "To what?"
I shook my head, unable to answer. When we arrived at the ceremonial ground, a horn blared. One of the soldiers rang out, "Bow before your new Luna, pride of Darkmoon Valley!"
My heart stuttered. "What?" a boy gasped. "Did he say… Luna?"
"Our Luna?" an elder asked. "Impossible." "Is she marrying him?" children asked their mothers. "She sold us," some men growled.
I felt their words like knives, but I couldn't say a word. She walked down the hall to meet the Alpha King in the most gorgeous dress ever.
Silver silk flowed around her, jewels glittered at her neck, and her hair was crowned with onyx leaves. She walked past us, smiling.
Nightfang continued to murmur: "It's her…" "No… no, she wouldn't…" "She's marrying him. Our Luna is marrying the Alpha King." "She betrayed Nightfang."
I couldn't say a word, as hunger, despair, and anger drowned my thoughts.
Then King Darius stepped forward. "Nightfang!" he screamed. "Tonight marks the end of defiance. Your Luna stands at my side. This union binds you to Darkmoon Valley. From this night on, you are mine."
The people of Darkmoon Valley rejoiced and cheered, while Nightfang members looked on in awe and anger.
Darius raised his voice over it all. "Your children will serve in households. Your men will guard my palace. Your women will clean my halls. You will work when commanded. You will bow when ordered. This is your fate."
A guard stepped forward. "Let the ceremony begin! Eat, dance, and be merry!"
Darius smiled as he looked at me and led Mother into a dance. I just sat down, feasting on the closest food my hands could lay on, having not eaten in days.
Nightfang members rushed for food; women hoarded meat for their children, and men made sure their families were satisfied. The elders were too weak and just chewed on anything they could find.
Behind me, some women gossiped. "Look at her, stripped of all her royal birthright, no more Luna to be, but now a slave."
Another added, "She's too weak to protect anyone; look at the bruises on her head." Then she looked at another woman walking past me. "We are finished."
Tears poured from my eyes. In just a few days, I had lost my father, been unable to bury him, been stripped of my birthright, and been held captive by a pack that envied us.
I stood up and walked to meet my mother. "Mum…"
"RiRi…" She smiled, coming down to meet me. Suddenly, Darius shouted, "Stop! Stop there!" Everyone froze; even the drums died.
"Oh, someone thinks she's still royalty, right?" I remained mute. Then he walked down to me. "You are no heir, darling, no Luna to be. Boys!" He called out to his sons.
"My sons," Darius announced. "Aiden and Jayden. They inherit Darkmoon Valley, and Nightfang bends to them."
I drew a fist. "Riya!" Mother screamed. "Don't!"
"Look at her, Siarah," Darius mocked. "Your daughter snaps like a cub with no teeth. Pathetic."
His voice rose again. "Nightfang, the rite is complete. Your Luna is mine. You have overstayed your welcome. You may leave."
We were escorted out, and the gates slammed shut. They threw us into a cluster of broken huts, roofs caving in, walls crumbling.
"This is where you sleep," a guard sneered. "After work. Every day. Until you die."