After They Drove Her to Death, This Luna Unleashed Hell

My only friend was a time traveler. She said her mission in this world was to save me.

She trusted me, protected me, and even helped my mate ascend to the throne of the Lycan King.

In the end, she found a man who loved her deeply.

She said this world made her feel warm, and she wanted to stay here.

But later, when I rushed back from the borderlands,

all I saw was her pale, frail body lying alone in the crystal coffin, cold as ice.

Beside the coffin, her mate stood frozen, silent.

Her young son whispered in relief, "Good, I never wanted a crazy mother like her."

I looked at the woman standing beside them, pretending to wipe away tears.

I thought to myself, I didn’t need to pretend anymore.

After today, they would learn what true madness looked like.

==============================

When Malia Hughes slit her wrist, she didn’t hesitate for a moment.

The healer who examined her wounds said the cuts were so deep that only someone with a true will to die could have inflicted them.

Especially for someone like Malia, who was usually so afraid of pain.

She would come to me with tears in her eyes over the smallest scrape, just to trick me into giving her my favorite honey cakes.

Now, as I looked at Malia lying in the crystal coffin, her face pale but otherwise untouched, I felt a cold fury settle in my chest.

Her mate, Shawn Price, stood beside the coffin, a delicate girl in pink at his side, holding the hand of a young boy who bore a striking resemblance to Malia.

I took in the scene, finally understanding why Malia had chosen to leave this world.

The girl stepped forward and gave a graceful bow.

"Your Majesty, the Luna, blessings upon you."

I stared at her, my expression icy, and made no move to acknowledge her greeting. Instead, I focused on her slightly bent knees.

Behind me, a guard stepped forward and kicked the back of her knees. The sound of her hitting the floor was sharp and satisfying.

My expression softened slightly.

"Tess!"

Two voices cried out in shock. Rhys Price moved to help her up but hesitated when he saw my cold gaze. Shawn, meanwhile, seemed lost, his eyes fixed on the coffin as if the world around him had ceased to exist.

But Elizabeth Warren said nothing, bowing her head even lower.

"Your Majesty, Luna of the Silver Crescent Pack, forgive my ignorance. I meant no disrespect."

I narrowed my eyes. Elizabeth was clever.

She knew I was in no mood for anyone’s excuses, especially not from Shawn or his son. Bowing her head and admitting her fault was her way of trying to disarm me.

Malia would never have been able to handle her.

I stepped forward, the shimmering fabric of my dress brushing against her as I took a seat that was quickly brought for me.

I reached for Elizabeth’s wrist, where a silver bracelet rested.

The bracelet itself wasn’t particularly valuable, but I knew it was the prize Rhys had won at the pack’s school. He had declared in front of everyone that he would win it for his mother.

I had instructed the teacher to give it to Rhys.

But now, it was on Elizabeth’s wrist.

I grabbed the bracelet and yanked it off her wrist with no regard for her pain.

"My hand slipped. Forgive me."

Two red marks immediately appeared on her pale skin, stark and ugly.

"I would never dare to blame Your Majesty," Elizabeth said, her voice trembling.

Her lips were pressed tightly together, her expression pitiful, just like her name. Malia had always fallen for such acts.

Whenever she was mad at me, all I had to do was put on this expression, and she would soften, her anger melting into a smile. Then, I could coax anything I wanted from her.

But Elizabeth Warren was nothing.

I reached up and touched her ear, where a pair of large pearl earrings hung.

They were the gift I had given Malia on her marking ceremony.

I ripped them off without hesitation, blood immediately streaming down Elizabeth’s ear. Rhys could no longer hold back and knelt beside her.

"The pearls were a gift from Tess. My mother approved of it. Please, Your Majesty, don’t blame Tess!"

I played with the blood-stained pearls, my expression indifferent.

"And what if I choose to blame her anyway?"

Without Malia, Rhys was nothing more than flesh and bone to me.

I rarely spoke to him in such a cold tone, and he reached out to tug at my dress, trying to win me over as he always had.

My eyes flashed, and a guard stepped forward, his claws aimed at Rhys’s arm.

"What lowly creature dares to touch the Luna!"

I ignored Rhys’s pale, terrified face and waved for Malia’s coffin to be taken away. Shawn suddenly seemed to awaken, baring his claws and blocking the path.

"I won’t let anyone take Malia away!"

Shawn was, after all, the Beta of the pack, and his close ties to Rayan Carr made the guards hesitate to act against him.

But it didn’t matter. I would do it myself.

I lunged at Shawn with my claws, not a moment of hesitation in my movements. Just as my claws touched his body, something heavy struck the back of my neck, and everything went black.