𝐋𝐮𝐧𝐚 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝;
Pain. Blinding, suffocating pain radiated through every inch of my body. I wasn't sure if it was the physical wounds or the weight of betrayal crushing me more. My eyelids felt like lead, and my mind was a foggy void, pulling me under.
I forced my eyes open, squinting against the harsh, fluorescent light that pierced through my haze. The murmur of voices reached my ears, distant but menacing.
"She's awake," a voice whispered, sharp and venomous. "The witch is awake."
I blinked, trying to focus. Shapes blurred into people, and faces twisted with disgust surrounded me. My heart sank.
"What… What's happening?" My voice cracked, hoarse from disuse. Panic clawed at my throat as I realized no one answered. Instead, their eyes bore into me, cold and unforgiving.
"Help me! Please!" I screamed, desperation breaking my words apart. But the crowd remained silent, their indifference a knife twisting deeper.
"Shut up, Elizabeth!" My mother-in-law's voice cut through the silence, sharp as glass. Her silver hair framed a face twisted with fury and disdain. "You've disgraced this family. You killed my grandson! You consort with witches!"
Her accusations hit like a physical blow. "No… No, that's not true!" I sobbed, shaking my head. "I loved him. I would never—"
"Loved him?" she spat, stepping closer. "You killed him. Don't pretend to be a grieving mother now."
"No!!...it was Gabriel. He was cheating on me with Hazel and then…"
"Shut up!!"
"Lies…that's not true!" Hazel said and I burst into laughter.
"What's not true? The fact you slept with him? What is this? Hazel, I thought we were friends?"Tears burned my eyes as rage bubbled beneath the surface. "I gave up everything for this family! My company, my dreams—I dedicated my life to your son!"
"Dedicated your life?" Her bitter laugh echoed in the room. "You mean you played house while dragging my son into ruin. A woman's place is in the home—cooking, cleaning, bearing children. Not running companies or playing Alpha."
Her words twisted something dark inside me. "Is that all I am to you? A tool to be used and discarded?" My voice cracked, the bitterness spilling out.
"You deserve what's happening to you," Gabriel's voice boomed behind her. My head snapped toward him, and my breath caught.
Hazel clung to his arm, her delicate features etched with triumph. My replacement.
Gabriel's face was a mask of fury, but there was no remorse, no guilt. Only calculated hatred. "Take her out," he commanded, his voice cold as ice.
Before I could react, rough hands grabbed my arms. I thrashed weakly, but my body was a shell, drained from the cancer, the fever, and the loss of my child.
"No! Gabriel, don't do this!" I pleaded, my voice raw. "Please!"
But he didn't even glance my way.
The guards dragged me across the floor, my knees scraping against the stone. The room blurred as hot tears spilled down my cheeks. Not a single person moved to help me.
Not the Elders. Not the Judges. Not even my mother-in-law.
The cold air bit into my skin as I was hauled outside. I gasped as the familiar sight of the Ancient Hall loomed ahead, its towering arches stark against the night sky. My heart sank. This was no trial. This was a public execution.
The guards dumped me onto the hard ground in the center of the hall. I tried to push myself up, but my limbs refused to cooperate. Laughter and jeers erupted around me, and I realized the crowd had gathered to watch.
"What in the name of the Moon Goddess…" My voice trailed off as I took in my surroundings.
I was naked.
My hands flew to my stomach instinctively, but it was flat. Panic surged through me. My baby. My child.
"No… No!" I screamed, my voice raw with anguish. I clawed at my stomach as if I could bring them back. "Please! Where is he?!"
"The witch Luna is awake!" a voice jeered, and the crowd roared with approval.
Stones and rotten fruit pelted me, each impact driving me further into the ground. My cries for mercy were drowned by their hatred.
"You killed the royal heir!"
"You're a monster!"
Their words sliced through me, each accusation a fresh wound.
"No! It wasn't me!" I sobbed, gripping the iron bars of the cage that surrounded me. "Gabriel! Tell them the truth!"
But then his voice rang out, silencing the people.
"Everyone, look at her." Gabriel stepped forward, his figure imposing under the flickering torchlight. His gaze swept over me, cold and unfeeling. "This is the woman you trusted. Your Luna. But she has betrayed us all."
My heart twisted as he pointed at me, his words a death sentence.
"She killed the royal baby," he continued, his voice rising. "She's a witch, and witches must be dealt with."
"Gabriel!" I screamed, my voice raw. "You know I didn't do this! Please—tell them the truth!"
He didn't even flinch.
The crowd's roar reached a fever pitch. "Burn the witch!" they cried.
And in that moment, as Gabriel turned his back on me, I realized the truth.
This wasn't about justice. It was about power.
And I had lost.
Stones pelted my body, each one a sharp burst of pain. The crowd's voices rose, drowning out my cries.
"Witch!" someone shouted.
"Traitor!" another voice hissed, followed by the dull thud of a stick striking my ribs.
I stumbled, blood trailing from my forehead where a jagged stone had struck me. My knees buckled, but before I could fall, a gloved hand yanked me upright by my hair.
"Move," the Witch Killer commanded, his voice cold.
I screamed, the pain sharp and unrelenting as he dragged me forward. The crowd parted for him, their jeers continuing as they followed.
We stopped in a clearing. In the center stood an iron stake surrounded by firewood soaked in oil.
"No…" I whispered, dread sinking into my bones.
The Witch Killer threw me to the ground. Rough hands forced me against the stake, iron chains biting into my wrists and ankles.
"This is what happens to witches," someone sneered.
The crowd cheered as the Witch Killer raised a torch. Flames erupted at my feet, hungry and merciless.
"Moon Goddess!" I screamed. "Help me! I don't deserve this!"
The fire climbed higher, scorching my skin. My screams tore through the air, but no one came to my aid.
"Please…" I choked, my voice breaking. "Give me a second chance. I beg you… I don't want to die like this."
The flames consumed me. My vision blurred as pain drowned me, and then, there was only darkness.
I was dead and gone. Forgotten and once again I regretted ever given love a Chance.