Vengeance Under the Full Moon

I crouched in the dark corner of the great hall, hidden behind the thick stone pillars. My heart pounded so loudly in my chest I was sure it would give me away, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. Not yet.

Draven stood by the window, his broad shoulders turned away from me. I had longed to see him for two years. Two years I had spent thinking of nothing but our reunion, the future we’d build together as mates. I thought that when I came back, he would be there waiting for me, arms open, the love we once shared still burning strong.

I was a fool.

“You worry too much, Draven,” Ravenna’s voice slithered through the air like venom. I’d recognize that tone anywhere, the one that had always hidden her true intentions behind sweet words. “She’ll never know. Zerra’s too focused on her noble duties to even suspect.”

My stomach twisted. She—I knew that was me. But what could they be talking about?

Draven let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his dark hair, and the weight of it settled in my chest.

“She’ll find out sooner or later,” he muttered, his voice low. “Zerra’s no fool.”

Damn right, I’m no fool. I edged closer, keeping myself in the shadows. I needed to hear every word.

Ravenna stepped closer to him, her hand brushing his arm. The sight of her so close to him, touching him, made my blood boil. I felt my fingernails lengthen, claws itching to tear them apart, but I forced myself to stay calm. I needed to know the whole truth before I acted.

Ravenna tilted her head, flashing him a sickening smile. “By the time she finds out, it’ll be too late. You’ll already be Alpha, and I’ll be your Luna.”

Alpha? I stopped breathing. Luna? When did my mate ever dream of that?

Draven didn’t say a word. His silence was all the confirmation I needed.

The room swayed, and for a second, I thought I might fall. But I caught myself, pressing my hand against the cool stone pillar to ground me. I couldn’t collapse now. Not here. Not in front of them.

“I don’t know, Ravenna,” Draven finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. “This was never the plan. I didn’t want it to go this far.”

A hollow laugh escaped Ravenna’s lips. “You didn’t want it to go this far? Draven, you’ve wanted this for as long as I have. You wanted power, and now it’s within your grasp. Are you really going to let your guilt over Zerra stop you?”

His silence hung in the air like a knife, ready to drop. And I was standing right underneath it.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to storm in there and rip them both apart. But something stopped me—a voice in my head, whispering that I needed to stay calm, that this wasn’t the moment. No, I would have my time to confront them, but it wasn’t now.

Instead, I listened.

“You’re going to be Alpha,” Ravenna continued, stepping even closer to him, her voice softening, dripping with false sweetness. “And I’ll be at your side. We’ll unite the packs, and Shadefall Vale will fall in line once I’m Luna. Together, we’ll be unstoppable. Zerra will just have to accept it. She always thought she was so special with that Nightwhisper blood of hers.” She scoffed, as if the very mention of my bloodline disgusted her. “But in the end, she’s just another obstacle.”

My blood roared in my ears. Obstacle.

That’s what I was to them. Nothing more than something to be removed. Ravenna didn’t just want my mate—she wanted my title, my legacy, everything my bloodline stood for.

“You’re underestimating her,” Draven muttered, but his voice lacked conviction. “Zerra’s strong. Stronger than either of us.”

Damn right I was.

But even as he spoke those words, his gaze shifted, and I could see the doubt in his eyes, the fear. He had already made his choice. The Draven I thought I knew was gone, replaced by a man too weak to stand on his own.

Ravenna leaned in, her lips curving into a predatory smile. “That’s why we have to act now. Before she finds out. Once you’re Alpha, there’ll be nothing she can do to stop us.”

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. They were planning to destroy me—both of them. And Draven, the man I had trusted, the man I had loved, was standing there, letting it happen.

He was supposed to be mine. He was supposed to love me. But here he was, letting Ravenna spin her web of lies, letting her plan his rise to power. And I was supposed to be nothing more than collateral damage.

I felt the fire building inside me, but I forced it down. I couldn’t let them see me like this. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing they had broken me.

Slowly, I backed away, slipping deeper into the shadows. I had heard enough. More than enough. I had my answers, and they cut deeper than any wound.

Draven and Ravenna had made a mistake—one they would soon regret.

I wouldn’t confront them. Not yet. If they wanted to play games, I’d play too, but on my terms. I would make sure they both paid for this. They thought I was an obstacle? I’d show them just how strong I was.

As I slipped out of the hall and into the cool night air, I felt the full moon’s light on my skin, and with it came a sense of clarity. They wanted to take everything from me—my love, my title, my future.

Fine.

But I would take something far more valuable from them.

And when the time came, I wouldn’t just take it.

I would destroy them.