Chapter 123 GOTHAM'S FIRST DAWN

Chapter 123 GOTHAM'S FIRST DAWN

LUNA LEENA POV (Trapped Inside)

I was screaming.

I had been screaming for what felt like hours, but no one could hear me. My body was no longer mine. I was trapped deep inside my own mind, watching everything through my own eyes like a prisoner behind glass. Gotham moved my body with complete control, and every step she took felt like a knife twisting in my soul.

She stood in the garden with my red glowing eyes, staring down at Damian who was slowly pushing himself up from the tree she had thrown him against. The guards behind him had their weapons raised, but their hands were shaking. They were terrified.

“Hello, pet mate,” Gotham said through my lips. The voice was layered, cold, ancient, and terrifying, like many voices speaking at once. “Did you miss me?”

Damian’s face was pale with shock and pain. “Gotham,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “Give her back. Give Leena back to me.”

Gotham laughed. It was my laugh, but twisted and cruel. She stretched my arms out, feeling the strength of this body.

“This body is mine now,” she said smoothly. “So much stronger than the weak wolf who used to live here. I think I will keep it. And you… you will learn your place.”

She turned and started walking back toward the palace. My body moved gracefully, but every step felt wrong. I kept screaming inside, banging against the invisible walls that trapped me.

Damian! Please! It’s me! Fight her!

But he couldn’t hear me.

The guards and servants in the palace froze when we entered. Their eyes widened in fear as they saw the glowing red eyes and the dark aura around me. Gotham smiled with my lips and raised my hand.

“From this moment,” she announced loudly, her multi-voice echoing through the halls, “things will change. I am your new ruler. Weakness will no longer be tolerated. Those who are lazy will be punished. Those who complain will be punished. This pack will become strong under my rule.”

She pointed at a group of maids who were trembling. “You three. The garden looks messy. Clean it before sunrise or you will be whipped.”

The maids bowed quickly and ran off. Gotham laughed softly. She was enjoying this.

Damian followed close behind, his face tight with anger and pain.

“Call the elders, there will be meeting in the throne room” she suddenly tell a guard.

“Luna, I think it's a bit too early to…..”

“Who is the leader?” She cut him off angrily.

“I am so sorry Luna” the guards quickly apologized.

“Next time you disobey my command, I won't spare you” She said and walked off.

………

ALPHA DAMIAN POV

I ran through the dark corridors of the palace like a mad man, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it would explode. My legs burned, but I didn’t stop. The image of Leena’s red glowing eyes and that cruel smile kept flashing in my mind. Gotham had taken her. My Leena was gone, trapped somewhere inside her own body.

I burst out of the palace gates and sprinted toward the healer’s hut. The old man was still awake, sitting outside with a lantern when I reached him. He stood up quickly when he saw me.

“Alpha? What happened?” he asked, alarmed.

I grabbed his shoulders, breathing hard. “She took over! Gotham has full control of Leena’s body! We did everything you said. We bonded… we made love with everything we had. For a while the voice was quiet. Leena fell asleep peacefully in my arms. But in the middle of the night she woke up screaming and ran to the garden. Then… she changed. Her eyes turned red. She threw me against a tree like I was nothing. She spoke with a voice that wasn’t hers. She called me ‘pet mate.’ Gotham is in control now.”

The healer’s face went completely pale. He staggered back and sat down heavily on the wooden bench, his hands shaking.

“I… I thought the bond would work,” he whispered in shock. “The mate bond is the strongest light against her darkness. Physical union, love, closeness… it should have weakened her. I was sure it would push her back, at least for some time.”

I dropped to my knees in front of him, desperation clawing at my chest.

“What do we do now?” I begged. “Tell me. Please. I can’t lose her. The children can’t lose their mother. She is still in there, fighting. I know she is. How do we get her back?”

The healer stared at the ground for a long time, his face filled with regret and fear. He finally looked up at me, eyes heavy.

“I am lost for now, Alpha,” he admitted quietly. “I have never seen a spirit take over this strongly and this fast. I thought your bond would be enough to hold her back. But Gotham is older and more powerful than I feared.”

He placed a trembling hand on my shoulder.

“But I will not give up,” he continued. “I will search for the old scrolls tonight. I will speak to the spirits if I have to. There must be another way. A ritual. A sacrifice. Something. Go back to the palace and watch over her. Do not provoke her. Buy us time. I will find a solution. I promise you.”

I nodded, even though my heart was breaking. I stood up and ran back toward the palace, fear and rage mixing inside me.

When I entered the royal chambers, I froze.

Leena…. no, Gotham was standing in front of the mirror. She had changed into a dark, short gown that clung to her body, revealing too much skin. The fabric was black as midnight, seductive and dangerous. Her eyes were deep red, glowing faintly. Everything about her looked dark, powerful, and terrifyingly beautiful.

She turned slowly and looked at me with a cold smile.

“Follow me to the throne room,” she said. Her voice was still that haunting multi-layered tone. She didn’t wait for my reply. She simply walked past me, her hips swaying with confidence.

I stood there for a second, shocked and heartbroken. This was my mate’s body, but the woman inside it was a stranger. A monster.

I followed her anyway, my steps heavy. Every corridor we passed, servants and guards bowed low in fear, avoiding eye contact. Gotham walked like she owned the entire world.

…….
LUNA LEENA POV

When we reached the throne room, Gotham sat down on the big chair like she owned it. She crossed my legs and looked at Daimen with a mocking smile.

“Come here, pet,” she said, patting the space beside her. “Sit with your new queen.”

Damian didn’t move. “This is not you, Leena. Fight her. Please.”

Gotham tilted my head. “Your Leena is gone. She was weak. I am better.”

She stood up and walked toward him. She ran my fingers down his chest slowly, seductively. “You will learn to love this version of me. Or I will make you suffer.”

Damian grabbed my wrist, his eyes burning. “I will get her back. I swear it.”

Gotham just laughed and pulled my hand away.

At that moment, the doors opened. The pack elders were led inside by nervous guards. They looked confused and sleepy, clearly forced to come to the throne room so early in the morning. Their eyes widened when they saw me sitting on the throne with glowing red eyes and a dark, seductive gown.

Gotham smiled and sat back down gracefully.

“I called you here because I am planning to make some changes in this pack,” she announced, her multi-layered voice filling the room. “I just wanted to inform you first so you don’t act surprised when you see them. Weakness will no longer be accepted. We will become stronger. Anyone who resists will be punished.”

“That's all I have to say, you all can leave” she said.

The elders exchanged uneasy glances. One of the older elders, a man named Elder Marcus, stepped forward with a frown.

“You have started becoming arrogant,” he said boldly. “We are hearing everything you are doing now. How can you call us to the palace for nothing? This is not how things are done here.”

The hall went silent.

Gotham’s eyes glowed brighter red. In a blur of speed, my body moved faster than anyone could expect. I appeared right in front of Elder Marcus, stopping only inches from his face. The old man gasped and stumbled backward in fear, his back hitting the wall.

“Repeat what you just said,” Gotham whispered dangerously, my voice low and threatening. My red eyes burned into his. “Go on. Say it again.”

The elder’s face turned pale. His mouth opened but no words came out. He was shaking visibly, too terrified to speak.

Gotham smirked and stepped back slowly. “Better,” she muttered coldly.

She turned around without another word and walked out of the throne room, my hips swaying with confidence. The elders remained frozen, sharing shocked and frightened looks as they watched my body leave. No one dared to say anything.

Inside my own mind, I was screaming.

Stop this! These are our people! You are destroying everything!

But Gotham didn’t care. She simply laughed softly as she walked down the hallway, enjoying the fear she had left behind. The nightmare was spreading.And I was forced to watch it all.

…….

Later that night, the children were brought before her. My heart broke when I saw them. Ryker, Thorne, and Elara looked scared. They stood close together, holding hands.

“Mummy?” Elara whispered, her small voice trembling.

Gotham smiled coldly. “Mummy is gone, little one. I am your new mother now. And you will learn to obey me.”

Ryker stepped forward bravely. “You are not our mummy. We want our real mummy back.”

Gotham’s eyes flashed red. She raised my hand and the children were pushed back by an invisible force. They fell onto the floor.

“You will learn respect,” she said sharply. “Or you will be locked away until you do.”

The children started crying. Thorne held Elara tightly while Ryker glared at her with angry tears in his eyes. I screamed inside my mind, fighting with everything I had, but my body wouldn’t move even an inch.

Stop! They are my babies! Don’t hurt them!

Gotham ignored me completely.

Damian stepped forward, his voice shaking with rage. “Enough. They are children. Leave them alone.”

Gotham turned my head toward him slowly. “You dare command me? Your mate is gone, fool. Learn your place or I will make you watch while I break them.”

Damian’s hands clenched into fists. I could see how much pain he was in. He wanted to fight, but he knew he couldn’t risk the children. He lowered his head slightly, but his eyes still burned with determination.

That night, after the children were taken away to their rooms with guards watching them, Gotham walked to the royal chambers. She looked at herself in the mirror my face with glowing red eyes and smiled.

“Finally,” she whispered. “A strong body. A strong pack. Soon, the whole world will bow to me.”

Inside, I kept screaming. I kept fighting. But my voice was getting weaker.

I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on.