Banished Luna's Rise

“Kylie Nightshade of Crimsonmoon,” Elder Alexander’s voice rang out, cold and final, “you stand before this council accused of treason against your own pack.”

I stood on the judgment platform, silver chains biting into my wrists, their cold seeping into my bones. The weight of every gaze in the grand hall pressed down on me.

Treason.

A bitter, hollow laugh escaped my lips, the sound sharp and broken in the heavy silence. “I have bled for this pack. I have fought for its survival. What is this accusation you dare to level against me?”

The Elder’s expression remained impassive. “Of conspiring with rogue wolves to assassinate Scarlett, the Alpha’s chosen consort. You led them to the northern patrol route, where six of our finest warriors were slain defending her.”

I shook my head, disbelief twisting into fury. “You’ve all gone mad! I would never betray Crimsonmoon. I would never betray—”

“Enough.” Benjamin’s voice cut through my protest like a blade of ice. It was flat, devoid of any warmth that once existed for me. “The evidence is irrefutable. You attempted to murder Scarlett while she carries the pack’s future heir. That is the definition of treason.”

My knees threatened to buckle. A scream of pure anguish clawed at my throat, but I choked it back, swallowing the taste of ash.

The mate bond—the sacred tether that had once connected our souls, marking him as my husband, my love, my everything—shattered into a thousand silent shards in that instant.

And my mind flashed back to that night. The night my world was set ablaze and reduced to cinders.

I had come undone then, collapsing under the weight of a betrayal so profound I couldn’t comprehend how the man I loved could inflict it.

Two Months Ago

“Darling, you seem troubled. Should I fetch you some spiced tea?” I asked, my concern genuine as I entered his private study.

Firelight danced across Benjamin’s stern features. He had summoned me, his expression unreadable, a mask of calm over some brewing storm.

“Kylie,” he began, his tone low and grim. “Scarlett is with child.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. The air left my lungs. My stomach plummeted.

My claws threatened to unsheathe, pressing painfully against my palms. “Pregnant?” My voice was a fragile thing, cracking on the syllable. “You… You told me she was merely a political advisor. How is this possible—”

A violent tremor ran through me, betrayal and disbelief twisting together into a searing pain deep in my core.

Benjamin’s jaw tightened visibly, but he offered no denial, no excuse.

“You swore to me she meant nothing,” I whispered, the memory of his promises like poison.

He took a step closer, his gaze—once warm, now chillingly detached—fixed on me with predatory focus.

“Kylie,” he stated, his voice devoid of inflection. “Scarlett carries my heir. The time has come to formalize her position. She will be crowned as Luna.”

He continued, each word a deliberate strike. “You need to understand this. She will bear the next Alpha. I require her by my side for the strength of the pack. You… cannot provide what she can. This is no longer about us.”

His declaration landed with devastating precision, shattering the last fragile hope I clung to.

My vision swam, the room tilting. My legs gave out, and I crumpled to the floor, hot tears scalding my cheeks.

I couldn’t draw breath. My throat was sealed shut by agony. My heart was a cavern of emptiness. I had placed my unwavering trust in him at every crossroads, and he had cast me aside like a weapon that had outlived its use.

“You said she was just your advisor,” I choked out between sobs. “How could you do this? Why, Benjamin?”

He didn’t flinch. For a fleeting second, I thought I saw a shadow cross his face—perhaps guilt, or more likely, irritation that I was forcing him to confront his own deception.

“I said what was necessary at the time,” he replied coolly. “It changes nothing. She carries the future. The pack deserves a Luna who can fully stand beside me and execute her duties.”

“A Luna,” I spat, the bitterness overflowing, “or the mistress you concealed until she served your purpose?”

Benjamin’s face hardened, his eyes flashing with warning. “Mind your tongue, Kylie. This transcends you. It is about the pack’s legacy.”

“The pack’s legacy?” I let out a pitiful, broken laugh. “Or a convenient veil for your own lack of control?”

His fists clenched at his sides. He closed the distance, looming over me, but I held his gaze, refusing to cower.

“I stood with you,” I seethed, every word laced with the pain of remembered loyalty. “Through every tedious council session, every battle where I fought at your flank, every cursed night you stumbled home bleeding. And this is my reward? To be replaced by her, and have it branded as ‘duty’?”

His jaw worked, but he remained silent. That silence was a deeper betrayal than any insult.

My entire body trembled, but a fierce resolve steadied my voice. “The cruelest part? I believed you. When you swore she was just an advisor. When you promised she meant nothing. I trusted you.”

I took a staggering step back, shaking my head at my own naivety. “It seems I wasn’t destined to lose my mate to war or rogues. I was losing him to a woman he was too cowardly to admit he’d taken to his bed.”

Benjamin turned away sharply, his shoulders tense with suppressed rage.

“You think you can simply revoke my title? Discard me because she’s fertile?” I demanded, my chest heaving.

A dry, humorless laugh escaped me. “No, Benjamin. I am your Luna. That bond was forged by the Moon Goddess, not gifted by you. And it will not be severed by your whim. Never.”

His nostrils flared, the powerful Alpha aura rolling off him in waves, a palpable threat that filled the room. I didn’t care.

“Crown her if you must,” I said, my voice dropping to a deadly calm. “Name her your Consort, your precious secret. But she will never be the true Luna while I still draw breath.”

“Kylie—” he started, a note of finality in his tone.

“No.” I cut him off, raising a hand. “You made your choice the moment you betrayed our vows. Now live with the consequences. But do not for a second believe you can erase me simply because she provides you an heir.”

I turned to leave, the weight of the world on my shoulders. As my hand touched the doorframe, I glanced back over my shoulder, my gaze piercing.

“The pack doesn’t require a new Luna, Benjamin. It already has one. Me.”

The Crimsonmoon packhouse courtyard was alive with the subdued energy of the Unity Festival.

It was meant to be a night of celebration, a reaffirmation of the bonds that held our community together. Lanterns cast a soft glow, and the air hummed with murmured conversations.

I stood rigidly at Benjamin’s right side, my posture flawless, my chin held high despite the leaden weight in my chest.

Whispers about the Alpha’s chosen Consort and her pregnancy had spread through the pack like wildfire. I would not give anyone the pleasure of seeing me crack.

Then, as if summoned by the gossip, I saw her. Scarlett approached with deliberate slowness, one hand resting possessively on the subtle curve of her stomach—a silent announcement to all. A declaration that I was the placeholder, and she the future.

The crowd parted for her as if she were royalty already.

Benjamin rose as she neared. The cold mask he wore for me melted away, his expression softening in a way that made bile rise in my throat.

“Alpha,” Scarlett murmured, dipping her head in a show of deference. Then she turned those wide, luminous eyes—glistening with unshed tears—toward me. “Luna Kylie… May I have a moment?”

A ripple of shocked whispers moved through the assembled wolves. Scarlett had never publicly addressed me before, certainly not since the pregnancy rumors took hold.

My fingers curled into the fabric of my gown, but I managed a stiff, regal nod. “You may speak.”

She took another step closer, her voice trembling artfully. “I wished to honor the spirit of this festival—to show our pack that there is no animosity between us. That we can stand united for Crimsonmoon’s future. I know you love this pack as deeply as I do. Please… do not hold hatred for me or my innocent child.”

Her hand splayed protectively over her abdomen, as if shielding the unborn heir from some imagined malice radiating from me.

“We should be united in joy for the pack’s heir, Luna Kylie.”

The whispers grew louder. I felt the weight of hundreds of eyes, waiting for me to perform—to smile, to embrace her, to bless this farcical “peace.”

Instead, I turned my gaze to Benjamin. “Was this the purpose of tonight? To parade your mistress before the pack and label it ‘unity’?”

A deafening silence swallowed the courtyard.

I didn’t wait for his reply. Spinning on my heel, I began to stride away, my head high. A hand shot out, gripping my forearm.

“Luna Kylie, I only came to pay my respects,” Scarlett said, positioning herself almost between Benjamin and me.

I didn’t dignify her with a response, disgusted by the transparent performance.

“Alpha,” she said softly, turning her pleading gaze to Benjamin before letting it settle back on me. “I only wish to show proper respect to our Luna.”

Her voice lifted, perfectly pitched to carry. “Please,” she whispered, loud enough for the front rows to hear. “I just wanted her to see I mean no harm. That we could… find a way to coexist.”

My jaw ached from clenching it. “Respect has been noted. Now remove your hand.”

Scarlett’s lower lip quivered. She reached out—not to release me, but to curl her fingers around Benjamin’s arm, the contact lingering, intimate.

Revolted, I knew I couldn’t stay another second without the risk of physically tearing her away from him.

My expression turned to stone. I would not give them the outburst they wanted. I simply turned and walked away.