My Luna Stepmother Wants Me Dead

When the security guard came close to me, Ember indicated to him that he should hold me to the ground. I struggled weakly against him but he succeeded and pinned me to the ground with force.

I felt the dirt scraped against my skin. My body trembled with a mixture of fear and frustration. Ember’s laughter; sharp and cruel, filled the air. I could feel the heat of the pack’s eyes on me, their judgmental gazes making my cheeks burn with humiliation. I struggled to free myself, but the security guard’s grip pressed me deeper into the cold earth.

Ember loomed over me, holding another small vial of Wolfsbane in her hand. My eyes widened in panic as the liquid gleamed under the midday sun. The scent alone stung my nose, the acrid fumes were already making my eyes water. If she pours that thing on me. I was done for.

“Are you going to finally tell us who you are? Are you ready to confess now?” she sneered.

“Ember, please,” I cried out, feeling my salty tears sip into my mouth. “You’ve got it all wrong. I swear. Fine, go through my phone and my messages with him. It’ll convince you that I’m truly his daughter. Please".

Ember cut me off, her lips cutting into a bitter smile. “I can see you’re not willing to confess yet. You don’t want to admit your crimes girl? You don’t want to admit to trying to seduce my mate?” She stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “Maybe I should help you loosen your stiff tongue".

Without warning, she tipped the vial, letting the Wolfsbane spill over my torn ceremonial cloak. The liquid seeped into the torn fabric and almost instantly, I began to feel its burning pain. I bit back on my lips to stifle a scream but the agony was too much. A pained cry escaped my lips, echoing through the clearing.

“Stop!” I pleaded, tears streaming down my face. “Please, just stop!”

But Ember’s face twisted in a gleeful rage. “Oh, no sweetheart,” she taunted. “This is what happens when you try to come between a Luna and her Alpha".

She tipped the vial again and the Wolfsbane spilled onto my skin directly causing me to cry out. “Fine!” I shouted, my voice already hoarse from all the crying and shouting. “I confess! I will confess! I tried to seduce – I tried to seduce the Alpha because I wanted his attention, okay? Just… please stop!”

For a heartbeat, the crowd seemed to hold their breath. Ember blinked, taken aback by my sudden admission. But then, instead of stopping, her smile grew even wider, and her eyes glinted with a dark, twisted satisfaction.

“I knew it!” she hissed; her voice filled with triumph. I knew you were nothing but a dirty, little seductress. How long has this been going on?” she questioned.

“A while now!” I continued lying – saying anything so she would let me go. “But he loves you. He told me that himself. He said he wanted to be with you and I grew jealous. I just made that post out of spite and jealousy. I’m sorry. Please let me go".

Ember laughed, showing all of her teeth. Spent, she faced me again, an amused smile on her face. “You think admitting it will save you?” she asked and tossed the nearly empty vial aide. “Oh no, darling, you’ve just sealed your fate".

“But that isn’t what we agreed,” I cried – my skin was burning… every part of my body felt like I was being roasted. “Please just let me go, I didn’t want to do this but if I involve the pack’s warrior, you know what will happen to you right? Things will only get messier".

“Really?” she laughed “Should I help you call them?”

She grabbed another vial, this one larger than the others she had been using and tipped it over my head, drenching me in the burning liquid. I screamed and writhed as the wolfsbane burned into my skin, opening fresh wounds and still burning the already existing wounds from the previous vials of wolfsbane. The pain was unlike anything I’ve ever felt. It was worse than any physical wound. My vision blurred; my breaths were coming in short, panicked gasps.

“Somebody help!’ I tried to call out with my already hoarse voice. “Pack warriors, please!”

Ember scoffed and reached for another bottle of Wolfsbane again. This time the security guard had let go of me and I was trying to crawl away from her but she followed behind me, laughing.

“No one’s coming to save you dear,” she sneered. “Not when they know who you truly are. A threat, A seductress and an all-round disgrace".

My cries grew weaker, as the burning sensation intensified, every drop of wolfsbane seeped deeper into my skin, tormenting my senses. Ember was loving every moment. She grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me to my feet. My head spun, my vision swimming with dark spots as Ember dragged me through the crowd, parading my already disfigured form.

“Look at her!” she screamed prancing and dragging me around like a mad woman  “Look at this worthless thing that thinks she can take my place".

Just when I thought I was really going to drop dead, I heard the sounds of clashing metals and cries of anger. Managing to look up, I saw that it was the pack warriors rushing towards the stage but Ember’s minions had stopped them and were fighting them. Both sides fought – and soon the air was filled with grunts and shouts.

The live stream had gained a lot of viewers. Ember’s phone was buzzing every single second… the world was going to watch me die. My body was growing weaker every second. I was surprised to have lasted this long. Ember dragged me closer to the stage, her nails digging painfully into my scalp.

“I’m not done with you yet,” she hissed.

She prepared to press my face into a puddle of Wolfsbane that had pooled on the ground. I struggled… my voice was nothing more than a whisper now, there was not much I could do. So, I resigned myself to my fate.

Just as Ember’s hands began to push my head downward, a powerful, commanding voice boomed from the distance.

“Jessica!”

My eyes flew open as I turned in the direction of the voice and with all the strength I had left in me yelled…

“Dad!”