SEBASTIAN
"Don't die, Don't die" I yell, my heart aching with fear
"Nooo" I scream as I hold her lifeless body close to my chest.
My tears fall like it no longer has control.
Her fair, milk skin became still….. "dove, dove, dove" I scream her name hoping she'll answer.
No response, the thunder strikes and lightning splits the sky with a roar.
I jolt awake from the nightmare, breathing heavily.
My hand clenches my chest tightly.
It's never going to end.
Never.
Dove comes to me every night
I just can't let go of her "I love her, she was mine before death took her away"
Her death still stings, her death shattered my world.
I could no longer bear it, I ran to the moon goddess, begging her for another mate.
A substitute for Dove.
I opened the slide door of my balcony, with a glass of wine in one hand, I casually slip the other into my pocket.
I stare at the moon.
It's brighter than any other night, the new Luna's coronation is happening this morning.
The look in her eyes, replayed itself in my head, that look was the same one I had when I saw Dove's lifeless body.
I was filled with hatred, anger and revenge.
I saw myself in my new mate.
But…her eyes, they're different, totally different.
"I reject you as my mate" I scoff, remembering her words, no one rejects me, I do the rejecting.
Who did she think she is?
I don't need a mate, I only need someone who can act, talk like Dove.
Just like her name, she was pure, angelic, and beautiful.
My heart stings again, ever since her death, I have never gotten a good night's rest.
Every time I close my eyes I see her.
I stuff myself with works, to prevent me from thinking about her.
Life is meaningless without her.
I take a slip from my glass of wine and look up to get a clearer view of the stars.
Can't say they're pretty, can't say they're ugly either.
I hope my new Luna is ready for what's coming, for her.
********** Coronation Morning***********
They crown her beneath the moon stone Arch, just as tradition demands. Carved centuries ago from sacred rock, the arch marks the heart of the pack's territory. Only those bound by blood or oath are permitted to step beneath it…and today, she does both.
They dress her in white ironic, considering how much venom she carries behind those lashes. The gown clung to her like the lies she spun so effortlessly, regal and cruel at once.
My jaw tightness as she stepped into the clearing, head held high like she owns the damn place. Maybe she will soon. Luna of crescent pack.
My Luna
A title that tastes like ash on my tongue, I wish it was Dove in that dress.
The pack watched in reverent silence, their eyes flickering between us. They do not know the truth. They do not see the war behind our smiles, the tension crackling beneath every glance we exchange.
The hatred is holding in her eyes..
Her hand slid into mine…
Ice meeting fire…and for a moment,
I wonder if she can hear the thunder in my chest. Not desire. Just rage. Confusion. A twisted mess of emotion I refuse to name.
I lift her hand to my lips, the gesture rehearsed, symbolic, sacred and disgusting..
"My Luna" I say, the words heavy, forced.
She's mine but she's not the holder of my heart.
She smiles…a slow, knowing thing that could slice man open without touching him.
"Your reign begins today" I add, voice low enough for her ears alone. "Try not to ruin everything" I let her know, especially as long as her so-called soul ugly mate is alive, she can do anything.
"No promises, Alpha" her response lace with poison.
She glows beneath the torches like something divine.
The pack watches in hushed awe, believing this is love, bond, power.
I know better.
The drum throbs slowly as we walk forward, each beats matching the grind of my teeth.
She smiles not to me, not at me, but at the two figures in the crowd.
Her parents!!
I invited them.
Her father was shocked but he came anyway with his pack members.
I later learnt that he's the Alpha of his pack, and my new Luna is her adorned princess.
"By the blood of the ancients" I begin, raising her hand "and the vow of the Alpha, I name you the Luna of the Crescent pack"
The crowd erupts in howls and applause, but her voice cuts through it all….low and deliberate.
"I accept the bond" she says "and all responsibilities that comes with it…including tolerating you"
My eyes narrow "careful, you might start to enjoy it"
She leans in, her voice just for me "Unlikely, But I've been known to survive worse" referring to incident that happened in the dawn, the torture, the pain.
We kneel together, as tradition requires, beneath the Moonstone Arch. As the seer blesses our bond, our hands remain clasped, tight, unyielding.
Not a gesture of love. A battle line.
They call her Luna.
They call me Alpha.
But only we know what we truly are, enemies in disguise.
She rise's first.
Of course she does.
The new Luna of the Crescent pack.
Wrapped in tradition.
Bound by duty.
Fueled by hate.
"Careful, Alpha keep underestimating me and I'll bury you with the last man who did"
My heart dropped.
And she walks away like she owns the stars.
I almost called her back, she vanished into the midst of the crowd, into the embrace of her father.
She smiles at him, like she didn't just threaten me.
"Careful, Alpha keep underestimating me and I'll bury you with the last man who did"
I replayed her words over and over again.
Truly, truly.
The battle line has been drawn.
Let's see who will win.
The Alpha or the Luna?