Chapter 129 HOPE

Chapter 129 HOPE

ALPHA DAMIAN POV

The spelled rope glowed brighter around Gotham’s wrists. She kept twisting and pulling, but the more she fought, the tighter the rope became. Her red eyes burned with pure hatred as she glared up at me.

“You think this can hold me?” she snarled, her voice layered with dark power. “You are a fool, Damian!”

I ignored her completely and walked to the door. I pushed it open and called out in a loud, firm voice.

“Guards! Come inside now!”

Three guards rushed into the royal chambers. The moment their eyes landed on Gotham tied to the bed with the glowing rope, they froze. Their faces turned pale with fear. One of them even shifted back a step, his hand going to his sword.

“Luna… what is happening?” one guard whispered, his voice shaking.

“Don’t be afraid,” I said calmly, stepping between them and the bed. “She can’t do anything to you. The rope has blocked her power. She is weak right now.”

The guards looked at each other, still unsure, but they nodded slowly. I pointed at Gotham.

“Grab her and take her outside. You,” I said to the third guard, “go and call the healer immediately. Run!”

The third guard bowed quickly and ran out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him. The remaining two guards approached the bed fearfully, their steps slow and careful.

Gotham’s red eyes flashed with anger. She bared her teeth like a wild animal.

“Don’t come near me!” she yelled, her voice echoing with dark energy. “I will burn you alive! Don’t you dare come closer!”

The guards hesitated for a second, clearly terrified. But when I gave them a firm nod, they gathered their courage. They grabbed Gotham by her arms and legs, lifting her off the bed. She twisted and wiggled, trying to break free, but the rope had drained most of her strength. Her movements were weak and useless.

“Release me, you fools!” she screamed as they dragged her out of the royal chambers. “I am your Luna! I will kill every one of you!”

The two guards carried her through the hallway and out of the palace. By the time we reached the open courtyard, almost all the palace maids and servants had gathered outside. They stood in small groups, watching everything in complete shock. Their eyes were wide as they whispered among themselves.

“Is that really the Luna?”

“What is happening to her?”

“Why is she tied up like that?”

The guards dumped Gotham roughly on the clean grass outside the palace entrance. She fell to the ground, still bound tightly by the glowing rope. She glared at everyone around her, breathing heavily.

The old healer arrived almost immediately, breathing hard from running. When his eyes landed on Gotham struggling on the ground, a big smile spread across his wrinkled face.

“Good,” he said with satisfaction. “The rope worked perfectly. Now we have a chance.”

He turned to me quickly.

“Alpha, we need to get the kids. We are going to use their bond with their mother and your mate bond too. The ritual will be stronger with the children present.”

I nodded without wasting time.

“I will bring them right now.”

I rushed back into the palace and went straight to the children’s room. My heart felt heavy as I opened the door. Ryker, Thorne, and Elara were sitting together on the bed, looking scared. The moment they saw me, they jumped up.

“Daddy!” Elara cried, running to me first.

I bent down and hugged all three of them tightly.

“Come with me, my loves,” I said softly. “We are going to help Mummy come back. But you have to be brave, okay?”

They nodded, even though they looked confused and frightened. I carried Elara in my arms while Ryker and Thorne held my hands. We walked outside together.

When we returned to the courtyard, I was surprised to see that many priests and priestesses from the temple had already arrived. They moved around quickly, setting up candles, drawing symbols on the ground with white chalk, and placing strange herbs and stones in a big circle. The old healer stood in the middle, directing them.

Gotham sat on the grass, watching everything with growing impatience. She kept pulling at the rope, her face twisted in anger.

“This will not work!” she shouted. “You are all wasting your time! I will never leave this body!”

The priests and priestesses ignored her. They continued preparing the ritual with serious faces. The palace maids still stood at a distance, whispering and watching with wide eyes. Some of them looked worried, while others looked hopeful.

I stood with my children beside me, my hand resting protectively on their shoulders. Elara held my leg tightly, staring at the woman who looked like her mother but wasn’t.

“Is Mummy really going to come back?” Thorne asked quietly.

“Soon it will be,” I replied, my voice firm. “Just hold on a little longer.” The old healer turned to me and nodded.

“Everything is ready, Alpha. We can begin the ritual now.”

Gotham laughed bitterly from the ground, but I could see the fear slowly creeping into her red eyes. The rope continued glowing, keeping her powers locked away. This was it. The moment we had been waiting for.

…….

The old healer looked at me and nodded seriously.

“Alpha, bring the children. Form a circle around her. Hold hands and surround your mate. We will use the power of your blood bond, the strongest bond in the pack.”

I took a deep breath and led Ryker, Thorne, and Elara closer. Gotham glared at us from the ground, still tied tightly with the glowing rope. We formed a circle around her. I stood at her head, while the children held my hands on both sides. Their small hands trembled in mine, but they stayed brave.

“Hold on tight,” I whispered to them. “We are bringing Mummy back.”

The healer, priests, and priestesses stood outside the circle. They began chanting ancient words in low voices. Their hands moved in rhythm as they sprinkled a strange glowing liquid over Gotham’s body. The liquid smelled like herbs and moonlight.

The moment the liquid touched her, Gotham screamed.

“No! Stop it!” she roared, thrashing wildly on the grass. Her body twisted and turned, trying to break free from the rope. “This body is mine! You cannot send me out! I belong here!”

The chanting grew louder. More liquid was splashed on her. Gotham’s red eyes burned with fury as she glared at us.

“You fools!” she screamed. “No matter what you do, I will not leave! This body is mine now! Leena is gone forever!”

The healer turned to the children, his voice calm but urgent.

“Call your mother. Call her with all your heart. Let her hear your voices.”

Ryker, Thorne, and Elara looked at each other, then at the woman on the ground who looked like their mummy.

“Mummy!” Elara cried first, her small voice shaking. “Mummy, please come back!”

“Come back to us, Mummy,” Thorne added, tears filling his eyes.

Ryker squeezed my hand tighter. “Mummy, we need you. Please fight!”

I closed my eyes and reached deep into the mate bond. I pushed all my love, all my pain, and all my strength toward Leena.

“Leena,” I said loudly, my voice full of emotion. “Fight her. Come back to me. Come back to our children. We are here. We are waiting for you.”

Gotham screamed even louder, her body jerking violently.

“Shut up! All of you shut up!” she yelled. “She cannot hear you! I am in control!”

But we did not stop. The priests and priestesses kept chanting. The glowing liquid continued to splash over her. The children kept calling for their mother, their voices growing stronger. I kept pushing through the mate bond with everything I had.

Suddenly, something changed. Our eyes mine and the children begin to glow with a bright golden light.

“Stay away!” Gotham screamed in panic. “Get away from me! This is my body!”

She grabbed her head with both hands, even with the rope still binding her wrists. Her face twisted in pain as she rocked back and forth.

“Out… out… out…” she muttered angrily. The voices of the children and my calls through the bond were echoing inside her head, driving her crazy. “Stop it! Get out of my head!”

Inside the body, Leena was also fighting hard. I could feel her pushing, trying desperately to take control again.

Gotham screamed louder, her voice cracking. She was super strong and refused to give up. She kept pushing Leena back, refusing to leave the body.

Then suddenly, a sharp pain hit her. Gotham gasped and clutched her belly with both hands. Her red eyes widened in shock and fear.

“No!” she cried. “Not the baby too! No, no, no!”
She fell to the ground, curling into a ball as another wave of pain went through her stomach. For the first time, real panic filled her face.

She knew at that moment that she had lost. Her body started fading. The dark shadows under Leena’s skin began to dissolve. The red in her eyes flickered weakly.

“You will all regret this!” she shouted with the last of her strength, her voice shaking. “I will come back! I will be back and I will destroy everything! I swear it!”

Her body convulsed one final time. A thick cloud of black smoke burst out of Leena’s mouth and shot into the sky with a loud, angry scream that echoed across the entire palace grounds. The smoke disappeared into the night.

Leena’s body went completely still. For a few terrifying seconds, no one moved. The chanting stopped. Everyone stared in silence.

Then Leena took a deep breath. Her eyes slowly opened. They were no longer red. They were the warm, beautiful brown eyes I loved so much.

“Damian…” she whispered weakly, her voice soft and tired.

“Mummy!” the children shouted at the same time.

Tears filled my eyes as I dropped to my knees and pulled her into my arms. The children rushed forward too, hugging their mother tightly. Elara was crying loudly while Ryker and Thorne buried their faces in her chest.

“Welcome back, my love,” I whispered, kissing her forehead. “You are home now.”

Leena smiled weakly and held our children close, her hands shaking as she touched their faces one by one. The healer smiled with relief.

“The ritual is complete,” he said. “The darkness has been sent away.”
……

LUNA LEENA POV

The next morning came with bright sunlight, but my heart felt heavy. I stood on the high podium with Damian by my side and our three children in front of us. The entire Crescent Moon Pack had gathered in the large courtyard below. Hundreds of eyes were staring up at me. My hands were shaking, and my throat felt tight.

I couldn’t look at them. I bowed my head low, staring at the wooden floor of the podium. Tears poured freely down my cheeks. I didn’t even try to stop them. These people had suffered because of me or rather, because of the monster that had taken over my body. I owed them this.

I took a deep breath and began to speak, my voice cracking with emotion.

“I am sorry…” I started, my words trembling. “I am so sorry for the way I have treated all of you these past few days. I know many of you were hurt. Some of you were punished and humiliated because of me. I wasn’t myself. A dark spirit took control of my body and used me to cause pain. But I still feel responsible. I should have been stronger. I should have fought harder.”

The tears kept falling. I wiped my face with the back of my hand, but it was useless. More tears replaced them immediately.

“I hope everyone can find it in their hearts to forgive me. I know I hurt many of you deeply. If you no longer want me as your Luna, I will understand. I have misused the chance the Moon Goddess gave me. I will step down if that is what you wish. I only want what is best for this pack.”

Silence.

No one said a word. The courtyard was completely quiet. I felt my chest tighten with pain. I had expected this. I had caused too much suffering. I cleaned my tears as best as I could and bowed deeply to the entire pack.

“Thank you for listening,” I whispered.

I turned to Damian. He looked at me with love and pain in his eyes, but he respected my decision. I took Elara’s hand while Damian held the boys. We started walking down the steps of the podium, ready to leave.

That was when a familiar voice rang out clearly.

“Hail to the Luna!”

I froze. My eyes widened in shock as I turned around. It was Garrick, the farmer. The same man who had been whipped in the courtyard because of me. He stood tall with his bandaged back, looking straight at me.

“Hail the Luna!” Torin the blacksmith shouted next, stepping forward. His voice was strong and sure. Suddenly, more voices joined them.

“Hail the Luna!”

“Hail Luna Leena!”

One by one, the people began to chant. The voices grew louder and louder until the entire pack was shouting together. The sound filled the courtyard like thunder. Some women were crying, others were smiling with relief. Children clapped their hands. The energy was powerful and overwhelming.

I stood there in complete disbelief, fresh tears streaming down my face. This time they were tears of gratitude.

Damian placed his hand on my lower back and smiled proudly. Ryker, Thorne, and Elara looked around with wide, happy eyes. Elara tugged at my dress excitedly.

“Mummy, they still love you,” she whispered.

I stepped forward again, my legs feeling weak. I raised my hand slowly, and the chanting gradually quieted down.

“Thank you…” I said, my voice breaking. “Thank you all so much. I promise I will be a better Luna. I will protect this pack with everything I have. I will never let darkness take me aga
in.”

The pack cheered loudly. The sound wrapped around my heart and slowly began to heal it.

Damian pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head while the children hugged my legs.I felt real hope.