Chapter 121 THE MONSTER THEY FEAR

Chapter 121 THE MONSTER THEY FEAR

LUNA LEENA POV

I woke up slowly, my hand reaching across the bed before my eyes even opened. The space beside me was cold and empty. Damian had not slept here last night. A sharp pain twisted in my chest as I sat up and looked at the untouched side of the bed. He had listened to me. He had given me the space I asked for, and now the silence in the room felt heavier than ever.

I dressed quickly and stepped out of the room. The moment I walked into the hallway, something felt wrong. The maids who were cleaning the floors froze when they saw me. Their eyes widened, and they quickly looked away, whispering to each other behind their hands. I kept walking, but the feeling followed me. Everywhere I went, people stared for a second too long before turning their heads. Some even changed direction to avoid crossing my path.

The news of what happened at the training ground yesterday had already spread through the entire palace. They were afraid of me now.

I continued toward the main courtyard, my steps feeling heavier with every passing second. A group of workers carrying baskets of fruits stopped talking the moment they noticed me. One of them dropped a fruit, and it rolled across the floor. No one moved to pick it up. They just bowed their heads low and waited for me to pass.

My throat felt tight. These were the same people who used to smile at me, greet me warmly, and speak freely. Now they looked at me like I was dangerous.

I spotted one of the guards standing near the gate. He was one of the older ones who had always treated me with respect. I walked up to him, trying to keep my voice calm.

“Where is Alpha Damian?” I asked.

The guard’s face went pale. He took a small step back without realizing it. His hands trembled slightly as he gripped his spear tighter.

“H-he… He went to the eastern border this morning, Luna,” he answered quickly, his voice shaking with fear. “He said he needed to check on the patrols. He… he didn’t say when he would return.”

I could see it clearly in his eyes, real fear. He was looking at me like I might attack him at any moment. My heart sank. This was the same guard who used to joke with me during training and proudly tell stories about how strong their Luna was. Now he could barely meet my eyes.

“Thank you,” I said softly and turned away before he could see the pain on my face.

Everything had changed. They used to respect me, yes, but they were also comfortable around me. They laughed, trained hard in front of me, and spoke their minds. Now they whispered. Now they avoided me. Now they feared me.

I couldn’t stay there any longer. The walls of the palace felt like they were closing in. I turned and walked quickly toward the garden, the only place that still brought me some peace. My feet moved faster as I left the main compound behind. The moment I stepped into the garden, surrounded by flowers and tall trees, I let out a long breath.

I sat down on my favorite stone bench near the small fountain. The sound of water usually calmed me, but today even that felt distant. I looked down at the glowing scar on my wrist. It pulsed slowly, like it was alive. The voice was quiet for now, but I knew it was still there, waiting.

Tears filled my eyes as I sat alone. What was happening to me? Yesterday I had almost hurt one of my own guards. Today the entire palace was treating me like a monster. And the worst part was that I could feel something inside me changing. Every time I tried to fight it, the scar burned hotter. Every time Damian tried to get close, the voice pushed me away.

I buried my face in my hands and cried quietly. I missed my mate. I missed the way he used to hold me. I missed laughing with my children without fear. But right now, I didn’t trust myself to be near any of them.

I sat alone on the stone bench in the garden, staring at the flowers without really seeing them.

Soon soft footsteps approached. I looked up and saw my three children running toward me. Their faces were bright at first, but they slowed down when they got closer, like they were unsure.

“Mummy,” Elara said softly, stopping a few steps away. “We rarely saw you yesterday. Where were you?”

I forced a smile and opened my arms. “Come here, my loves. Mummy was just resting. I’m here now.”

They came closer, but not as close as before. Ryker stood in front of me, looking at my face carefully.

“We wanted to train together today,” he said. “Like we used to. You always taught us new moves.”

My chest tightened. I tried to keep smiling. “Of course. We can train. Let’s go to the training ground.”

Thorne stepped forward. “We missed you, Mummy.”

I stood up and took their hands, trying my best to act normal. We started walking toward the training area. The children chatted happily about the moves they wanted to practice. For a moment, I felt warmth in my heart. But as we got closer to the training ground, the scar burned sharply. The voice whispered again, low and irritating.

They are distracting you. Weakness.

I tried to ignore it. When we reached the open space, Ryker picked up a small wooden sword and held it out to me.

“Show us the spinning strike again, Mummy,” he said excitedly.

I took the sword, but my grip was too tight. The voice grew louder.

“I think we should do it another time” I suddenly said.

“But mom….”

“Not now!” I shouted cutting Ryker off, throwing the wooden sword to the ground. “Can’t you see I’m not in the mood? Stop bothering me with all these things!”

The children stepped back quickly, their eyes wide with fear. Elara’s lips trembled. Thorne grabbed her hand protectively.

“Mummy… you have changed,” Ryker said quietly, his voice shaking a little.

“We want our mummy back,” Thorne added, his small face sad.

Before I could say anything, they turned and ran away together, holding hands. I stood there frozen, watching their small backs disappear.

I scattered my hair with both hands in frustration and walked quickly back toward the palace. I needed to get to my room. I needed to be alone.

As I passed a quiet corner of the garden, I heard two maids talking while watering the flowers.

“Did you notice how the Luna is now?” one whispered. “She’s so different. So angry.”

The other nodded. “It’s like she is running mad. I heard she almost killed a guard yesterday. Poor Garrick was so scared.”

I stopped walking. The voice in my head roared to life.

Kill them. Kill them now.

I stepped out from behind the bushes. The maids gasped loudly and dropped their watering cans. They fell to their knees immediately, heads bowed low.

“Luna! We are sorry!” one cried. “We didn’t mean it. Please forgive us!”

The other maid trembled. “We were wrong. Please have mercy.”

The voice screamed louder. Kill them. They are weak. They disrespect you. Kill them!

My hands shook. I wanted to shout at them. I wanted to hurt them. But I forced myself to turn away and walk fast toward my room. I ignored the voice, even as it grew angrier.

Why didn’t you kill them? You are showing weakness! I hate weakness!

The moment I entered my room, the voice became overwhelming. My eyes burned. Everything turned red for a second. I screamed and started scattering the whole room. I threw vases against the wall. I flipped the table. I tore the bedsheets and knocked over chairs, shouting at the top of my voice.

“I am not weak!” I screamed, my voice cracking. “I am not weak!”

The door burst open. Damian rushed in, his eyes widening in shock at the destruction.

“Leena!” he shouted.

He ran toward me and tried to grab my arms. I fought him wildly, pushing and hitting. The voice was screaming in my head. I grabbed a small knife from the table and raised it. Damian’s eyes widened as I swung it toward him. He caught my wrist just in time, stopping the blade inches from his chest.

“Leena, get back to your senses!” he shouted urgently, holding my wrist tight. “This is not you! Fight it!”

We struggled for a moment. My eyes were glowing red. I pushed harder, the knife getting closer. Then suddenly, the glowing stopped. The voice went quiet. I blinked, looking at the knife in my hand and Damian’s shocked face.

I dropped the knife immediately. It clattered to the floor.

“I am so sorry,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I don’t know what came over me.” Damian stared at me for a long second, breathing hard. Then he grabbed my hand firmly.

“I think we have to see the healer again,” he said, his voice tight with worry. He started dragging me out of the room before I could protest.

I followed him, my legs weak, tears falling silently.
……

Damian held my hand tightly as we walked into the healer’s hut. The old man was already waiting for us, his face serious. He motioned for us to sit down on the wooden bench. I could feel my heart beating fast. The scar on my wrist was burning again, and the voice was whispering faintly in the back of my head.

The healer looked at my wrist first, touching the glowing mark gently.

“How are the herbs working?” he asked calmly. “Are they reducing the pain and the heat?”

I shook my head slowly. “They are not working anymore. The burning comes back stronger every time. Sometimes it feels like fire under my skin.”

Damian squeezed my hand. I took a deep breath and finally decided to speak the truth.

“I… I have been hearing things,” I said quietly. “A voice. It whispers to me. Sometimes it is soft, sometimes it is loud and angry. I don’t know where it is coming from. And my mood… it keeps changing. One moment I am fine, the next I am so angry I can’t control myself. I shouted at the children. I almost hurt a guard. I even pushed Damian away. I don’t want to do these things, but I can’t stop it.”

The healer’s eyes widened. He stared at me for a long moment, his face turning pale.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” he asked, his voice sharp with worry.

I looked down at my hands, feeling ashamed. “I was embarrassed. I thought… I thought people would say I am going mad. I didn’t want anyone to look at me like I was broken.”

The healer let out a long breath and sat back. His expression became very serious.

“There is a big problem,” he said slowly. “For you to be hearing a voice… that means something has entered you. And from what you are describing, I know exactly who it is.”

Damian and I looked at each other, confused.

“Who is it?” Damian asked.

The healer’s voice dropped lower. “Gotham. She is a wicked goddess from the old times. She wanted more power than any other being. She sacrificed hundreds of wolves in this pack, men, women, even children just to feed her strength. The ancient wolves finally trapped her and threw her into the Veilwood. She died there, but before she did, she cursed the entire forest. That is why the Veilwood is the most dangerous place in the world. Her spirit never left. It has been roaming there for centuries, looking for a strong enough host.”

He looked straight at me, his eyes full of fear.

“And now… her spirit has entered your body, Luna. The mark you received from the Moonshade Root gave her the opening she needed. You are already hearing her whispers. You are already losing control of your emotions. That means she is taking over slowly. If she succeeds, she will completely own your body. Once that happens, the whole world will be in trouble. Gotham is pure evil. She should never be allowed to exist again.”

My hands started shaking. I felt cold all over. Damian’s grip on my hand tightened so hard it almost hurt.

“So what do we do?” he asked, his voice rough. “How do we get her out of Leena?”

The healer shook his head sadly. “It is not easy. The longer she stays, the stronger she becomes. We need to act fast before she takes full control.”

I sat there in shock,The voice in my head laughed softly, as if it had heard everything. I was no longer just fighting a mark. I was fighting a goddess inside me.