the vengeful luna

morwenna pov I could hear the soft, melodious sound of an old piano drifting through the hallway, wrapping itself around me like a warm blanket. The notes were delicate, each one lingering in the air before fading away, only to be replaced by the next in a seamless flow. It was the kind of music that made you stop in your tracks and just listen, forgetting everything else. I knew that sound—it could only be Sandra. No one else in the pack played the piano quite like her, with that perfect blend of emotion and skill. Curious and drawn in by the melody, I wandered down the hallway, my footsteps soft against the cool stone floor. The closer I got, the clearer the music became, until I finally reached the room where she was sitting, her back to me, completely lost in the moment. Her fingers moved effortlessly over the keys, as if the piano was an extension of herself. “Sandra,” I called out softly, not wanting to startle her but eager to break the silence with my voice. She turned, a smile spreading across her face as she saw me. “Morwenna, I didn’t hear you come in,” she said, her voice as warm as the music she played. She patted the spot next to her on the bench. “Come, sit with me. You know, this piano has been so lonely without you. It misses the days when you used to play.” I laughed lightly, shaking my head as I sat down beside her. “I think it’s better off in your hands, Sandra. My playing could never compare to this. Besides, tomorrow’s a big day. I wouldn’t want to torture everyone with my rusty skills right before the wedding.” She chuckled, nudging me playfully. “Oh, stop it. You’re not that bad. But yes, tomorrow…” She trailed off, her eyes shining with excitement. “Tomorrow’s going to be perfect, you know? I can feel it.” I wanted to believe her, and mostly, I did. But there was something gnawing at me, a tiny voice in the back of my mind that wouldn’t quiet down. “I hope so. I really do. But I can’t help but worry. Dorothy doesn’t like Dylan, you know? She never has. I know she means well, and she only wants the best for me, but…” Sandra placed a reassuring hand on mine. “It’s normal for an older sister to feel that way, especially now that your parents are gone. She’s trying to fill the void, to protect you like they would have. But you know what’s most important, Morwenna? That you’re happy. Your parents would want that more than anything.” I nodded, biting my lip as I thought about it. “I just wish they were here. It’s strange… I’m turning twenty tomorrow, getting married, and they won’t be there. I never really got to spend time with them, not properly. My mom… she never wanted to see me. I think she hated me, and I don’t even know why.” Sandra squeezed my hand, her eyes full of understanding. “Your mom had her own struggles, Morwenna. It’s not your fault.” I sighed, the memories rushing in like an unstoppable wave as I let my mind drift back to the past. The Red Sun Pack was a place I had tried so hard to forget, but the memories clung to me like shadows. “I spent most of my life there, you know? With Aunt Margaret. She never missed an opportunity to remind me just how much I didn’t belong. Every day felt like a battle, and I was always on the losing side. Annie, that girl was a she-devil, pure and simple. And James…” I hesitated, my stomach knotting at the thought of him. “James was the worst. I don’t even want to think about the way he treated me. He was a creep, always getting too close, trying to touch me. And when I wouldn’t let him… God, the things he did to humiliate me. He made my life a living hell.” I could still feel the bile rising in my throat, the memory of his leering face so vivid it made my skin crawl. I wrapped my arms around myself, as if trying to ward off the ghosts of the past. “I begged my dad to take me away every single time he came to visit with Dorothy because mum never came. But Aunt Margaret… she always put on this perfect act, like we were one big happy family. And maybe… maybe my dad chose to be blind to it. Or maybe he just didn’t care enough to look past her lies.” I shook my head, trying to clear the dark thoughts that threatened to drag me under. My chest felt tight, and I struggled to breathe as the memories kept coming, relentless and cruel. “And now, here I am, back in the Blue Moon Pack. But only because my parents are gone. I wanted to leave the Red Sun Pack so badly, but not like this… not with them dead. The memory of finding Dad… the way he was just lying there, lifeless on the floor, with that skull and feather mark the rogues left on his body… it’s burned into my mind. I can’t forget it, no matter how hard I try.” My voice trembled, and I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. The pain was sharp, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my heart. “I didn’t even get to know him, not really. No daddy-daughter time, no special moments, no memories to hold onto. And my mom… she was like a stranger to me. I didn’t know her at all. It’s like she was just… there, a presence in the background.” Tears welled up, threatening to spill over, but I bit down on my lip, hard, refusing to let them fall. Crying wouldn’t change anything. It wouldn’t bring them back. “I wish I could have one more chance with them. Just a little more time to ask them why things were the way they were. Why they never… why they never really cared. But that’s impossible. They’re gone, and I’ll never get those answers. And the rogues… I wish I could find the ones who did this, make them pay. But I’m too weak. I know that.” My voice broke, and I took a shaky breath, trying to pull myself together. “My life was a mess, Sandra. It still is, in so many ways. But then… then Dylan came along. He made me smile again, after so many years of nothing but sadness. He’s the reason I didn’t have to go back to the Red Sun Pack. He’s the reason I have a home now, a real home. I love him so much, Sandra. And tomorrow… tomorrow, I’ll officially be his mate, the future Luna of this pack.” Sandra’s gentle hand brushed a tear from my cheek, one I hadn’t even realized had fallen. Her touch was warm, comforting, like a balm to my aching soul. “You deserve this happiness, Morwenna,” she whispered, her voice full of sincerity. “You really do.” I wanted to believe her, to let her words sink in and chase away the lingering doubts. But before I could respond, a sharp, searing pain tore through my chest. It was like a knife, twisting deep inside me, and I couldn’t stop the scream that ripped from my throat. The pain was all-consuming, radiating through my body with every beat of my heart. My vision blurred, the world around me dissolving into a haze of agony. I tried to reach out, to grab hold of Sandra, but my arms felt heavy, weighed down by an invisible force. Panic surged through me as my body betrayed me, muscles seizing, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The room started to spin, and my legs gave out from under me. I hit the floor hard, the cold surface unforgiving against my skin, but the pain in my chest eclipsed everything else. My thoughts scattered, slipping away into darkness, and the last thing I felt was the cold, hard floor beneath me as I collapsed, sinking into nothingness.