Chapter 4 THE LUNA’S LAST STAND

Celestia's pov

I was thrown back into that cell

Discarded like trash.

Awaiting my judgment, the next and final council meeting for my sake would conclude that.

But I already knew it wouldn't be good.

I curled my hands together, recalling Asher's warmth, his soft puppy smell.

Had he been fed?

Was he softly rocked when he cried?

Would I ever see him again?

I had been chained down.

This time with pure silver, it constantly burnt and ate at my skin giving it just enough time to heal before repeating the process.

No meals came to my cell, even with me chained down the guards didn't risk it.

"Celestia...oh how far you've fallen..."

My eyes remained on the floor.

He stood over me, behind the steel bars, his eyes judging and piercing.

"Raphael, why?"

"Why?" he spat back at me, "Are you still going to feign ignorance even now?"

I forced myself to look at him.

"Seven years Raphael...for five years I've given you everything, anything...my body...my heart...there is nothing you've wanted from me that my immediate answer wasn't yes, why am I being punished for being a good Luna and mate?"

He scoffed.

"How you've painted yourself to be the perfect victim after what you did to me..."He gripped the steel bars and bared his teeth to me."Seven years ago, my aunt's mate's anniversary...is that ringing any bells?"

I carefully recalled that night, and the days before it.

"Our son won't stop talking about you, but he's the shy type," Raphael's parents told me.

Back then Raphael and Medea were thicker than thieves.

When I asked his parents they disregarded the rumors.

"She is an orphan and her little sister's caretaker, Raphael just pities her,"

Then it all climaxed that night.

The anniversary party of the Alpha's younger sister was held at the pack house hall.

Everyone was wasted including me.

Raphael needed help getting to his room.

I helped without any ulterior motives.

It was Raphael who came at me with full force.

His lips slammed on mine and his hands sneaking under my shirt, he didn't allow me to get a word in, and the mate bond I had been ignoring blurred my thoughts even more

When I woke up he looked down at me with disgust traces over his face, like I ought to be whipped off the face of the earth.

He got tested.

An aphrodisiac had been found in his system.

He accused me of violating him.

I defended myself to no avail.

Our parents were no help.

They only thought about forming a bridge between the families.

Mates of convenience.

The romance I envisioned was skewed from the start.

So I tried to win his heart, I tried to show him how loyal and caring I was even when he did little to hide his favor for Medea I swallowed it and looked the other way.

But it seems like the hoops I jumped through only cemented my guilt.

"Why would you be trying so hard if you were actually innocent?"He asked me point-blank once, "You know what you did which is why you're trying so hard to make it up to me,"

Finally, it leads us here.

"Do you really think I stole Medea's pup?"

He paused as if to consider my words seriously.

"No matter what I know that will be a million times better at being a mother than you,"

His answer told me enough.

"You know Asher is mine, don't you?"

"Medea decided to name him Jaxon, "He sharply corrected me

My shoulders slumped, the chains burnt but the pain didn't compare to what was tearing my heart into shreds.

"Why did you come here, Raphael? To kick me when I'm already down?"

He produced a thick envelope and slipped out a single sheet of paper.

"For any complications in the future, I want you to sign this document that you have no relationship with Jaxon, if you do I'll arrange for the charges against you to be dropped,"

I laughed.

"So it's either Asher or my freedom?"

"It's Jaxon," he warned again with more animosity but I didn't care.

I raised my hands in motion making the chains sink deeper and burn harder.

"Then let me rot, but mark my words I will take my child from you all even if I have to walk over the mutilated corpses of you and your woman to do it,"

He drew a step back, eyes swimming with hatred and disgust.

"Even till your bitter end you won't admit to your faults,"

A false smile crawled up my lips.

"Count these happy moments, but you know me, Raphael, I won't stay down for long,"

His jaw tightened.

"Not this time, Celestia, you won't be able to lay a hand on Jaxon or Medea, I'll make sure of it,"

And he did.

I was brought to the training field for my judgment to be read out to the hundreds of pack members encircling me.

He pushed aside technicalities to dish out my punishment himself.

First was the rejection.

"I, esteemed Alpha of the Brazen pack Raphael Ashen reject you Celestia Willow as my mate, you are thereby stripped of your title as Luna and all privileges and powers that come with it,"

If I were not already on my knees I would have collapsed from the searing pain that rippled from my chest over to my spine.

The guards were wearing gloves, they tugged on my chains forcing me upright.

There was more waiting for me.

Oh, so much more.

"You will serve a decade-long exile away from Brazen pack to repent and during that time you will be stripped of your wolf until the time of your exile comes to an end,"

Ten years

I swallowed

They dragged me away, people jeered and threw rotten food at me as a parade of shame carried me out and followed me to the borders of brazen.

Beyond me was no man's land

Here across several acres of land, untamed and unbridled everything and anything happened.

I was thrown past the 'line'

Once a Luna

Now I'm a rogue.