# Chapter 260:
# Chapter 260:
Melinda's POV
"Hello, Melinda," The woman walking out from behind the massive throne said.
She was Luna.
Before I could respond, a piercing shriek cut through the air.
"Mother—Mother!" Selena scrambled to her feet and rushed toward Luna, tears streaming down her face. "I've been changed! I'm—I'm human now!" She reached for Luna's hand, her movements desperate and childlike.
Luna's face twisted with disgust. She shoved Selena away with such force that my twin tumbled down the few steps leading to the Alpha King's throne. My father—my actual biological father—remained seated, his expression vacant, as Selena crumpled into a sobbing heap on the marble floor.
I watched in horror as Luna walked to where Selena lay, placing her pristine white shoe on my sister's head. She ground her foot against Selena's temple, making small circular motions as though extinguishing a cigarette.
"You're pathetic," Luna said, her voice dripping with disdain. "I can't believe you allowed yourself to become a filthy human..." She pressed harder, causing Selena to whimper. "You're utterly useless. I should never have entrusted this task to you."
"Mother—please!" Selena begged, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry! Please change me back! I promise I'll do better this time!"
Michael's hand found mine, his grip tightening as we backed away slowly. But Luna had already lost interest in Selena. Her crimson eyes locked onto us, and she started walking in our direction, her movements unnaturally fluid, as though she were floating rather than walking.
Instinctively, Michael and I retreated further, but Luna simply raised her hand and snapped her fingers. The heavy doors of the throne room slammed shut behind us with a resounding boom. I heard the unmistakable click of a lock engaging.
"Who are you?" I managed to ask, my voice steadier than I felt. "What do you want?"
Luna studied me for a long moment, her head tilting slightly as though I were some curious specimen under a microscope. "You are indeed your father's daughter," she finally said. "Stupidity must run in the family."
Michael and I exchanged glances, a silent agreement passing between us. We needed to get out of here. I focused my energy, trying to open a portal like I'd done before. I pictured the swirling green vortex, reaching for that power I'd tapped into earlier.
Luna didn't even turn around. "I wouldn't bother," she said, snapping her fingers again.
An invisible force slammed into us, driving us to our knees. My lungs constricted as though caught in a vise, making each breath a struggle. I tried to call out to Michael, but could only manage a choked gasp. Beside me, he was similarly pinned, his face contorted with effort as he fought against the unseen pressure.
My gaze darted to the Alpha King, still seated on his throne, eyes vacant. Wake up, I silently pleaded. Please, Father, wake up and help us.
Luna strolled over to the Alpha King, casually running her fingers through his hair as she looked down at the three of us struggling on the floor.
"You should have been smarter, more powerful than her," Luna said, her eyes fixed on me. "I suppose, in a way, you are. But you've been too consumed with those filthy humans. That will be your downfall."
I didn't understand what she meant. Was I not supposed to be the one stolen away? Was it supposed to be Selena? Was I meant to stay here, becoming Luna's puppet instead?
The pressure on my body increased until I felt like my bones might snap. Then came the burning—worse than when the antidote had coursed through Selena's veins and into mine. It felt like acid eating through my muscles, dissolving me from the inside out. I writhed in agony, aware that Selena was mirroring my movements across the room. Michael squirmed and groaned beside me, and I managed to grasp his outstretched fingers with my own.
Luna watched impassively. "If you could see that I'm only acting in the best interest of our species, I would let you live," she said, her tone matter-of-fact. "But now, I've come to realize something myself. I've realized that your damn family will only get in the way of my plans. I can't allow that."
"What—what are you talking about?" I gasped through the pain. "What—what plans?"
Luna let out a light laugh, the sound ethereal yet somehow hollow. Her red eyes remained cold and cruel as she gazed down at us. Behind her, my father seemed even more disoriented, if that were possible.
"Don't you understand yet?" Luna asked. "I'm going to cleanse this world of the filthy creatures that decimated our kind!"
Another wave of agony crashed over me, more intense than before. I couldn't hold back my screams now, the pain too overwhelming to bear. Luna was too powerful—there was no way to fight her. I was going to die here, I was certain of it.
I closed my eyes, squeezing Michael's hand as tightly as I could, waiting for death to take me.
Just as I was about to surrender to the darkness creeping at the edges of my consciousness, I heard a familiar voice awakening deep within me—Leah, my inner wolf.
Something erupted from within me, a power I'd never felt before surging through my veins. The force holding us down suddenly shattered as light exploded from my body, creating a powerful energy wave that rippled across the throne room, pushing back against Luna's control.
Luna staggered backward, shock registering on her face for the first time. "This is impossible..."
Though we were still trapped in the throne room, the excruciating pain Luna had been inflicting stopped. Selena, Michael, and I remained on the floor, breathing heavily, but we were no longer being tortured.
Most surprising of all, the Alpha King seated on the throne suddenly blinked, his eyes clearing. He looked around slowly, taking in the scene before him—the three of us on the floor, and Luna standing beside him.
He rose to his feet, his movements deliberate and regal. When he spoke, his voice was deep and filled with authority.
"What is happening here?"