REJECTED LUNA' S REVENGE: THE FORGOTTEN QUEEN RISES

a's

r

ough the ruins. Behind us, the scraping sound

e they?"

there's nothing left but another wraith." He yanks me l

manoid but wrong. All elongated limbs and

slashes through it. It shri

them mad. Fresh. Uncorrupted." He pulls me arou

e ho

red years." He glances back, eyes

lo

mass of shadow and hunger, flowing toward us like a

nearly g

g. We're al

n intact structure surrounded by crumbling ruins. The s

ide.

ows that blocks out what little moonlight filters through the canopy. They're so close I ca

s the t

ce behind us, invisible but solid. The wraiths slam into it, shrieking in rage and pain. The

My legs shake so badly I can't stand. My heart hamme

steps back, watching me with

Most people freeze when they see w

anything. You

." He moves to a stone basin in the corner, fills it with wa

"How do I know i

s from the basin himself, then refills it. "Besides, poison is too

trembling hands and drink. The water is cold, pure, th

s already r

t trustin

th several doorways leading to other chambers. A fire pit in the center, cold now but clearly used regularly. Furs piled i

re for two hundred yea

nths, fourteen days." He says it without h

long time t

naked. He reaches for a pair of leather pants hanging nearby and pulls them on. "The isolation

re you

tens. "Becau

ed at

safe." His eyes meet mine, and there's centuries

. I'm not whoever

facts on his fingers. "You were raised in the Crescent Moon Pack. Told you were wolfless your entire life. Rejected

old. "How do yo

crosses to me. "Three years ago, I heard whispers about a wolfless omega in the Crescent Moon Pack. A girl with silver hai

's in

s. "Those burns. They're not ran

eding but they're not healing. And now that I'm looking closer, I s

covering the wall

t mean?" My

erge. Trying to communicate." He crouches in front of me, careful not to touch. "These s

t na

he First Queen. Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. My mate who died

not

but real. The Moon Goddess sometimes gives souls second chances. S

ix anything. I jus

n. "Because survival here requires power. Requires access

everything. But the symbols on my wrists pulse fa

o I hav

est. Eat. Recover your strength." He moves to a storage area, pulls out d

ing fo

ng enough to break this curse and free us both." He hands me the food. "But

fright

gerous. "Fear keeps you alive.

ly ravenous. As I eat,

ey stop at the barrier?

He watches me with those intense silver eyes. "The magic woven into these stones

ng. "That's

s still claw at the invisible barrier. "Step outside the

are at me through the barri

l pa

his back against the wall. "Get some sleep, Aria. You're safe here

ow you'll ke

alive, aren't you? Still breathing. Still free to

I hate tha

far from him as possible. The stone floor is cold and

pulls

to it, I hear his voice.

e home,

open. "My n

is eyes. "But you'll remembe

Want to deny ever

darkness, and somewhere deep inside me, something

whispers I've b