After My Mate Killed My Father, I Found a King

The Moon Goddess requires all wolves to receive a Moonlight Burial. It's sacred law—the only way our souls can reach her realm. Without it, we're condemned to wander as restless spirits, lost between worlds.

I sat beside my father's body, gently brushing his silver hair. The pack house was quiet, most members keeping their distance from death's presence. Only I remained, whispering final words to the man who had raised me, who had sacrificed everything for me.

"I'll make sure you reach her, Father," I promised, my voice breaking. "The Moon Goddess will welcome you home."

The door burst open. Two of Aden's enforcers entered, their expressions blank but their intent clear.

"Alpha has ordered the body removed," one announced.

My wolf stirred within me, grief transforming into rage. "On what grounds? He deserves a proper Moonlight Burial!"

"Alpha's orders," the second enforcer repeated, avoiding my gaze.

I stood, placing myself between them and my father's body. "I am still Luna of this pack, and I command you to stand down."

Their eyes flickered with uncertainty, but only for a moment. The first enforcer's radio crackled.

"Bring her to me," Aden's voice came through, cold and commanding.

---

Aden's office smelled of leather and power—a scent that once made me feel safe but now turned my stomach. He sat behind his massive desk, fingers steepled beneath his chin.

"You wanted to see me, Alpha?" I kept my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.

"Emily." He gestured to the chair across from him. "We need to discuss your father's... arrangements."

"My father deserves a Moonlight Burial," I said immediately. "It's his right as a former Beta."

Aden's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Rights are privileges in this pack, Emily. Privileges I decide."

He slid a folder across the desk. Inside were legal documents—property deeds to my family's ancestral lands. The last piece of independence I had left.

"Sign these," he said casually, as if discussing the weather. "Transfer the Northern Territory rights to the pack, and I'll ensure your father receives a proper burial."

My hands trembled as I reached for the papers. "You're blackmailing me? Over my father's soul?"

"I'm offering you a choice." Aden leaned back, perfectly at ease. "Sign, and he finds peace. Refuse..." He shrugged. "There's always the Rogue Lands. I hear the scavengers there appreciate fresh meat."

The Rogue Lands—where soulless exiles rotted, where even the Moon Goddess's light couldn't reach. The threat was clear: sign, or condemn my father's soul to eternal darkness.

"You're a monster," I whispered.

"And you're practical." He pushed a pen toward me. "Your father raised you better than to let emotion cloud judgment."

I took the pen, my vision blurring with tears. Each signature felt like carving out a piece of my heart.

---

As I left his office, voices drifted from the conference room down the hall.

"She actually signed it," Allyson's voice, tinged with amusement. "I thought she'd put up more of a fight."

"Emily's predictable," Aden replied. "Too loyal, too trusting. Always has been."

"Well, she's been useful," Allyson said. "But honestly, I'm tired of her whining. When are you going to tell her?"

"Patience." Aden's voice lowered. "She's still a useful stepping stone. But once we've extracted everything we need..."

"The pack will be better off with a real Luna," Allyson finished.

I pressed myself against the wall, my heart shattering into a thousand pieces. Not just a mate who didn't love me—but one who saw me as nothing more than a tool to be discarded.

---

A week after the funeral, Allyson cornered me in the pack house kitchen.

"You look terrible," she said, her concern as fake as her smile. "All this grief must be affecting your health."

"I'm fine," I replied curtly, trying to move past her.

"Aden's worried." She blocked my path. "He's ordered a mandatory health check-up. Can't have our Luna falling ill, can we?"

"Aden doesn't care about my health," I muttered.

"Oh, but he does." Allyson's smile widened. "Especially now. Come on, it'll only take a minute."

She led me to the infirmary, where she had prepared a syringe filled with clear liquid.

"What's that?" I asked suspiciously.

"Just a vitamin booster." She tapped the needle. "You've been under so much stress lately. I'm worried you might have developed a latent blood disease."

Before I could protest, she grabbed my arm. "Alpha's orders, Emily. Don't make this difficult."

The needle slid into my vein, sending a burning sensation through my body. As the liquid entered my bloodstream, a strange numbness spread through me.

"What did you—" My words slurred as darkness crept into the edges of my vision.

Allyson's face was the last thing I saw clearly, her expression no longer hiding the malice beneath.

"Just a little something to help you relax," she whispered as I collapsed onto the examination table. "You've been so tense lately."

The last coherent thought I had before consciousness slipped away was that I should have trusted my instincts—that something was very, very wrong.