Rejected Luna's Final Escape

The day Phillip reclaimed his throne as the Lycan King, he executed everyone who had wronged him—everyone except Valentina, my older sister, who had once scorned his damaged wolf and forced me into a marking ceremony with him instead.

“Maisie, she’s your family,” he said, his voice calm, almost tender.

And so, he elevated her to the position of Luna, the queen of the pack. Night after night, he visited her chambers under the guise of punishing her for her past arrogance, his scent heavy with her floral essence.

I endured it, swallowing my anger and pain, until the day Valentina’s schemes cost me the life of our unborn child. That was when I snapped, threatening to end my own life if Phillip didn’t send her away.

But as I pressed the blade to my throat, he looked at me with an unsettling calm.

“If it weren’t for you taking her place in this palace, Valentina would have been my mate long ago,” he said, his voice steady, almost detached.

“I’ve always loved her, Maisie. You know that.”

“But I remember your kindness, your sacrifices,” he added, his tone softening. “I promise, you’ll always be my Luna.”

I stopped fighting after that. Instead, I asked for the silver necklace I had entrusted to him, the one that belonged to my mother. It was the key to my escape—the one thing that could send me back to my own world.

When he handed it to me without hesitation, I felt a sharp pang in my chest, my fingers trembling as they closed around the cool, smooth metal.

The cut on my neck burned, but Phillip didn’t even glance at it. He simply turned away, sweeping Valentina into his arms and disappearing into her chambers, the door slamming shut behind them.

The sound of their laughter and whispers filtered through the walls, but I stood frozen, my heart numb.

I walked back to my room in silence, the halls eerily empty. When I called for a servant, the girl who appeared smirked, her voice dripping with mockery.

“If you’re serious about ending it, Your Grace, why bother with a rope? Just take the ‘Three-Day End’ the Luna left for you. It’s quick, clean, and you’ll be gone before anyone notices.”

She held out the small vial, her eyes daring me to take it.

I did.

The bitter liquid burned my throat, but I felt no fear, only a strange sense of relief. As the poison spread through my veins, I looked out the window, hoping to catch one last glimpse of the moon. But it was obscured by clouds, as if even the heavens refused to grant me this final comfort.

The pain came in waves, sharp and unrelenting. Blood stained my white nightgown, the crimson stark against the fabric. The servant girl screamed, backing away in horror, but I barely noticed.

It was Mabel, the mute Omega who had always been invisible in the palace, who knelt beside me, her hands trembling as she wiped the blood from my lips.

Her eyes, wide with tears, asked the question I couldn’t answer: “Are you going home?”

I nodded weakly, the room spinning around me.

Mabel knew. She had been the only one I confided in, the only one who understood that this world was never meant for me.

As darkness closed in, I thought of Phillip, of the man he had been before the throne changed him. I remembered the way he had looked at me under the moonlight, his eyes full of promise.

“Maisie,” he had said, “when I reclaim my throne, I’ll make you my Luna. You’ll be the only one by my side.”

I had believed him.

But now, as the poison took hold, I realized how foolish I had been. Phillip had always belonged to Valentina, just as the stories had foretold.

And I was just a pawn in their game, a placeholder until she could claim her rightful place.

The last thing I saw was Mabel’s tear-streaked face, her hands clutching mine as the world faded away.

And then, there was nothing.

---

When I woke, I was back in my own world, the necklace clutched tightly in my hand.

But the memory of Phillip, of the life I had left behind, lingered like a shadow, a reminder of the love I had lost—and the love that had never truly been mine to begin with.