Chapter 22 A Luna in Chains, an Alpha in Judgment
"I—" Aria barely got a word out before Lydia seized her arm.
She stepped in front of her protectively, shielding her from the accusing eyes of the crowd.
Her sharp gaze locked onto the maid, burning with righteous fury.
"What did you do to her?" Lydia demanded, her voice laced with outrage.
"I knew you’d be disrespectful as always!"
Aurora Fang let out a bitter laugh.
Her hands clenched at her sides, trembling with barely restrained fury.
"Disrespectful?" she echoed, her voice shaking.
"I have endured her cruelty for years!"
Emotion thickened her tone as her breathing grew uneven.
"I have been insulted, humiliated, and treated like dirt beneath her feet."
Her voice cracked with raw emotion.
She glared at Lydia with red-rimmed eyes.
"But today..." The words caught in her throat before she forced them out.
"I refuse to be silent any longer!"
Gasps rippled through the gathered crowd.
A good tragedienne indeed.
She was clever. Every word she spoke was her truth, yet now, twisted against Aria to ruin her name.
The murmurs rose like waves, voices blending into a storm of judgment.
"Typical Aurora Fang ."
"She always was a brat."
"Not surprising. I remember when she threw a tantrum because her bathwater wasn’t warm enough!"
"How did you know that?"
A woman stepped forward. "I visited the Crimson Moon Pack before," she declared. "I know what she does. But this Aurora Fang ..." She narrowed her eyes. "She doesn't look like the one I met during my travels."
The crowd turned, murmurs shifting into wary whispers.
Lydia’s lips pressed into a thin line.
This was dangerous.
Before the suspicion could take root, she straightened, her presence towering over them all.
She turned to the onlookers, voice sharp as a blade.
"Enough of this!" she commanded, thunder in her tone.
"My daughter is hurt and clearly not in her right mind."
Her eyes swept over the crowd, daring anyone to challenge her.
"This is my household, and I will handle it myself."
The murmurs hesitated.
She took a step forward. "Now leave!"
Silence fell. One by one, the onlookers averted their gazes, the weight of Lydia’s authority forcing them to retreat.
As the last stragglers dispersed, Lydia’s grip on Aria tightened.
She dragged her away, toward the chambers.
The moment the door shut—
Everything changed.
With a sharp shove, Lydia threw Aria to the floor.
Aria barely caught herself, hands scraping against the cold stone as she scrambled back.
Lydia loomed over her, face twisted in fury.
"You flirt!" she hissed. "Do you have a death wish?"
She took a menacing step forward. "How dare you try to speak out there?"
Aria eyes burned with tears.
"Why are you doing this to me?" she choked out. "What did I do to deserve being thrown into this hellhole?"
Lydia smirked.
She crouched before her, cold amusement glinting in her eyes.
"You?" she sneered. "You're a slave, girl. You’ll always be treated like one. Do I need permission to handle my property however I see fit?"
She grabbed a fistful of Aria's hair, yanking her head back.
A sob escaped her lips as sharp pain lanced through her scalp.
Lydia’s voice was a venomous whisper.
"If you value your miserable life, you'll act accordingly."
Her grip tightened.
"You'll endure whatever comes your way and be the Aurora Fang I created. If anyone in this pack so much as suspects the truth, I will personally see to it that your body is torn apart—And I will make certain you never reincarnate."
Aria's eyes redend in rage her anger boling to the fullest vepour. a smirk entangled on her lips, she was tired of taking this woman nonsense, maybe she should remember her that she was also an Alpha daughter. "Tear me apart? " she asked more in sarcasm . Her tone shard and icy Lydia was taken aback by her words.
"Are you tired of using me as a substitute to fill up your bitch of a daughter" She sneered.
"You will not speak such ill about my daughter" Lydia shouted burning in fury.
"isn't she a little bitch just like you . trying to frame me in the presence of everyone. Tsk.." Aria wiggled walking closer to the woman in front of her. "You think I don't know you use a restraint to shut me up whenever I try to speak the truth. I will find a way to break the bond and tell everyone who truly your daughter is".
A laughter tore out a Lydia's lips."You are such a brave Slave aren't you. or should I remember you of what you are. a worthless slave sold out by some rogues. Know your place before I tear you apart" Lydia hissed.
Aria breath hitched.
Her vision blurred with tears.
She nodded, barely able to think past the terror constricting her chest. Lydia had used black powers to control Aria.
Lydia’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk.
"That’s more like it."
She stood, dusting off her skirt as if
Aris very presence had dirtied her.
"By the way," she mused, "I saw you stumbling in those heels yesterday."
Aria stomach twisted.
"Do you realize how much of a clue that gives the Beta?" Lydia’s voice was mocking. "Aria Fang was trained to walk with grace. You, on the other hand, looked like a newborn foal."
Aria clenched.
Lydia tilted her head. "You’d better start learning fast."
Aria exhaled sharply. "And how exactly do you expect me to do that?"
Lydia arched a brow.
"You’re the Luna now, slave."
She smirked, turning toward the door. "Use that pathetic brain of yours and figure it out."
Her hand rested on the handle.
Then, her voice dropped to a deadly whisper.
"But mark my words—if anyone finds out the truth, you won’t live long enough to regret it."
With that, she swept out of the room, leaving Aria trembling on the floor.
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The celebration—meant to be filled with joy and unity—was instead drowned in hostility.
Tension crackled in the air.
Packs stood apart, glaring at one another, their expressions twisted with resentment.
The only sound was the rhythmic stomping of dancers, their movements oblivious to the storm brewing around them.
Alpha Valren of the Iron Fang Clan had had enough.
With a growl, he surged forward, scattering the dancers like leaves in the wind.
As they scrambled away, he turned to face the gathered Alphas, fury burning in his eyes.
"This is the most disgraceful gathering we’ve had in ages!" he roared.
"I wonder why Alpha Demetrius couldn’t handle a simple task like the rest of us. Even Alpha Solen’s pack—the smallest and weakest among us—managed better than this!"
A sharp hiss cut through the air.
"Keep my pack out of your mouth, you dog!" Alpha Solen spat, his fists clenched.
But Valren ignored him.
His voice carried over the restless crowd.
"Where is the Alpha of this pack? Where is he?"
His gaze swept the room.
"He doesn’t even have the decency to stand before us and take responsibility. A true insult to the entire council of Alphas!"
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the ranks.
A few nodded, their discontent clear.
High Lord Gerrick, seated at the highest table, raised a hand for silence.
"Enough. We will reach a decision soon."
Alpha Solen stepped forward, his voice firm.
"If the Alpha refuses to face us and explain this disgrace, then the choice must be made here and now."
The crowd erupted.
"Yes! Do it now!"
The demand surged through the hall like a wave.
Then—
A single hand rose.
High Lord Rhovan.
The moment his fingers lifted, the room fell into silence.
All eyes turned to him.
His voice, low and deliberate, cut through the quiet.
"The Alpha of the Ravenwood Pack has disrespected us for the last time. He has defied our traditions and provoked us at every turn."
His gaze swept over the assembled packs.
"As of this moment, the Ravenwood Pack is hereby banned from entering any other pack’s territory for trade, alliances, or negotiations. No business shall be conducted with them. Furthermore, they are forbidden from participating in future gatherings."
A heavy stillness settled over the room.
Then, after a beat—
"And as for the Alpha himself..." Rhovan's voice darkened.
"For raising his hand against another Alpha, for breaking the unity between our packs, he will—"
"I will do nothing."
The interruption came from the crowd.
The words were calm, but the force behind them was undeniable.
Heads turned in unison.
And there he stood.
Alpha Demetrius.
Draped in his regal black and gold robes, his towering figure exuded authority.
A half-mask of gold covered the left side of his face, but it was his eyes—one a piercing, icy blue, the other a deep, blood-red—that silenced the hall.
There was no mistaking him.
The Alpha of the Ravenwood Pack had finally arrived.
L