After He Stripped Me of Luna Duties, I Took His Power

The summons came three days after Diana's murder. I was sitting beside my father's bed, watching his chest rise and fall with mechanical precision, when the message arrived through the pack link.

"Luna Valentina," the young Delta messenger said, her eyes downcast. "Lexi requests your presence in the Alpha suite."

My stomach twisted. The Alpha suite—Lorenzo's private quarters where he'd installed Lexi like a queen while her blood still stained the hospital floors.

"I'll go," I said, pressing a kiss to my father's forehead before rising.

The walk to the Alpha suite felt like marching to an execution. Pack members scattered from my path, their eyes filled with pity or judgment. I couldn't tell which was worse.

The door to the suite swung open before I could knock. Lexi stood there, resplendent in a silk robe that clung to her curves. Her golden hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her red lips curved into a predatory smile.

"Valentina," she purred, reaching out to touch my cheek with one manicured finger. "Come in."

I flinched at her touch but forced myself to remain still as I entered what should have been my home—the Luna's rightful place.

"Sit," she commanded, gesturing to a chair across from her.

I remained standing. "What do you want, Lexi?"

Her laugh tinkled like breaking glass. "What do I want? Oh, Valentina. I think I've made that abundantly clear."

She circled me slowly, her fingers trailing across my shoulders. "Poor Diana," she sighed. "So stubborn. She was the only one standing between me and what's rightfully mine."

"You killed her in cold blood," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"And Lorenzo chose me anyway." Lexi's eyes gleamed with triumph. "Even with your pathetic mate bond, he still chose me. A murderer, as you say."

She leaned in close, her breath hot against my ear. "Because I'm worth choosing, while you're just... there."

Her hand slid down to my throat, pressing lightly against my pulse point. "Did you really think he would ever want you? The Moon Goddess made a mistake with you two."

I jerked away from her touch. "You're insane."

"Am I?" She smiled, all teeth and malice. "I got exactly what I wanted. Diana's dead, Lorenzo's mine, and you're... well, you're still nothing."

---

"Your vitals are good," Elena said quietly as she checked my blood pressure. "But you're not sleeping enough."

I lay on the examination table in the pack hospital, staring at the ceiling. Three days had passed since Lexi's taunting, and I'd barely left my father's side except for this mandatory check-up.

"I'm fine," I lied.

Elena's eyes met mine, and I saw something there—a determination that matched my own. She reached for her tablet, ostensibly reviewing my charts.

"Your father's condition remains stable," she said, her voice pitched just loud enough for the recording devices. "We're adjusting his medication slightly."

As she leaned over to check my father's IV line, she pressed something small and cool into my palm.

"Don't look at it now," she whispered, her lips barely moving.

I closed my fingers around the tiny data chip, keeping my expression neutral as Elena straightened up.

"That's all for today," she announced to the room at large. "Make sure you rest, Luna."

---

Back in my small office, I locked the door and pulled out the data chip Elena had given me. My hands trembled as I inserted it into my tablet.

The screen flickered to life, displaying medical scans and brain activity readings. I recognized them immediately—Lexi's intake exams from her return to the pack.

"She's completely stable," Elena's recorded voice explained. "No signs of Rogue Madness or any other psychological condition. Her prefrontal cortex activity during the... incident... shows calculated planning, not frenzied behavior."

I sank back in my chair, clutching the tablet to my chest. Evidence. Real evidence that could expose Lexi's lie and Lorenzo's betrayal.

But what could I do with it? Lorenzo controlled the pack link, the security forces, my father's life support...

I closed my eyes, remembering the frequency—the private mind-link channel my father and I had used when he was Gamma. A channel that extended beyond pack boundaries to our most trusted trackers.

With trembling fingers, I reached for my communication crystal, focusing on the familiar frequency.

"Tracker," I whispered into the crystal. "I need you."

The reply came almost instantly, a gruff voice tinged with concern. "Luna Valentina? What's wrong?"

"I need the Memory Stone," I said, my voice strengthening with resolve. "The one from my father's old office."

A pause. "That's... that's forbidden territory now."

"I don't care." I pressed my fingers to the crystal, pouring my desperation into the connection. "Find it. Bring it to me."

"Even if I could," the tracker responded cautiously, "what would you do with it?"

I thought of Diana's blood on my hands, of Lexi's taunting smile, of Lorenzo's betrayal.

"I'm going to show the pack the truth," I said. "Even if I can't speak it aloud."