*Forsaken by Blood, Crowned by the Moon*
**Prologue**
"Before the Crown, There Was Silence"
"They say the moon sees all… but she turned her gaze when I needed her most.
I was born into power, but never allowed to hold it.
I was born with a name… and stripped of it before I could speak it in full.
I was not the cursed one.
I was the forsaken."
---
The skies burned a soft crimson that morning — not the usual silver haze of peace, but a deeper, almost prophetic shade. It stained the forest around the Nightbane Estate in silence, the way blood clings to skin after the body grows cold. There was something about the way the wind moved that morning, the way it carried the scent of moon flowers and raw nerves. Even the birds didn't dare to sing. The trees, tall and ancient, whispered of change.
Today was meant to be a celebration.
The entire pack was glowing with anticipation, wolves dressed in ceremonial leathers and cloaks, the air thick with pride, perfume, and pulsing drums. Servants bustled around, giggling behind trays of moon-blessed wine. Warriors lined the outer rim of the sacred circle with rigid posture, ready to guard the future Luna and Alpha of the Nightbane name. Wolves came from surrounding packs to witness the event. It wasn't just a Naming. It was a declaration of bloodlines, of power.
And somewhere in the shadows, behind the frostbitten walls of the unclaimed quarters, I watched.
Uninvited.
Unseen.
I stood barefoot in the snow, dress thin and torn near the hem, arms wrapped around my own ribs for warmth because the cold no longer shocked me. It had become a second skin. A silent friend. Unlike them. I pressed my forehead against the glass, watching the glow of firelight and silk. Each laugh, each cheer from inside the estate sliced through me like invisible claws.
They called it " Seraphina's Day ". My younger sister's ceremony — the moment the pack would recognize her as heir, despite her being born after me. The day the Elders would officially bless her with the silver mark of Luna-to-be. The Alpha's daughter. The pride of Nightbane. My parents had poured their love into her, their hopes. As if I had never existed at all.
And me?
I was the " shadow that trailed behind her light " Always silent. Always cursed. Always wrong.
They said I was born under a moon that didn't rise — a " silent moon ", , they called it. My mother cried the entire night I was born, not out of joy, but fear. When I turned thirteen and still hadn't shifted, they began to whisper. At fifteen, when my wolf still slumbered and my eyes didn't glow, they stopped whispering and started laughing. My silence became their mockery. Their children were warned not to play with me. I was the example of what not to become.
At seventeen, I became their shame.
Seraphina, on the other hand, had shifted at twelve. Her wolf was sleek, silver, and fast. Her smile melted hearts. Her voice danced like ribbons in the wind. My father kissed her forehead like she was made of gold and moonlight, while I became a wall to lean against when guests passed through. Something to hide. A reminder that perfection wasn't always promised.
They didn't even tell me about the Naming Ceremony until the morning of. I overheard it by accident — through a servant's whisper outside my door.
"It's good she won't be there. Aria would ruin the light of it. She's a curse."
That was when I crept out of the house.
I didn't plan to go. I didn't even plan to watch. But my legs moved on their own, like they needed proof that they were really doing it. That my family was truly crowning my little sister in front of the pack and " pretending I didn't exist ". I walked through the trees, each step crunching on frost, the air stinging my lungs with every breath.
From the trees I watched the ceremony unfold. The crowd cheered as Seraphina stepped forward in a flowing white gown laced with silver threads. Her hair shimmered like moon glass under the full sky. My mother held her hand. My father announced her destiny with a booming voice.
"The moon has chosen. The Alpha line is secured. Seraphina Nightbane shall be Luna!"
And the crowd howled.
I covered my mouth as my vision blurred. Not from jealousy — no, that was long gone. This wasn't about power. It was the way " my own mother didn't look once toward the woods ", even though she knew where I'd be. The way my father's eyes scanned the crowd, then settled only on the child he wanted to keep. My fingers dug into the bark of the tree beside me, bleeding silently.
Then came the mocking.
Someone in the crowd shouted something about me.
"Thank the moon we didn't get stuck with the cursed one!"
And the crowd laughed.
" Laughed."
Even the Elders smiled faintly.
One of them leaned toward my father and whispered, "You did well to silence the embarrassment."
They all nodded.
I turned away. I didn't want to cry in front of the trees. I didn't want the wind to carry my broken sobs back to their celebration. Even the forest felt like it had turned its back on me. I thought the pain would dull eventually. That maybe I'd grow numb. But it didn't. It sharpened, deepened, rooted itself in my chest.
I made it halfway home when the pain struck.
My heart wasn't just broken — it was hollowed. Carved out with words I never heard, wounds I never showed. The warmth in my chest, whatever was left of it, was turning to ice. My steps faltered. I fell to my knees in the snow and screamed into the silence, but no one heard. No one ever did.
I made it home by moonrise.
But the next morning… they didn't let me stay.
No ceremony. No talk. No warning.
Just my mother standing at the doorway, eyes empty, as two warriors flanked me on both sides.
"The Elders have made their decision," she said coldly. "You are to be cast out. Immediately."
I tried to speak. To ask why. But my voice felt like it didn't belong to me.
"Where will I go?" I whispered.
"That's no longer our concern."
Not even a goodbye.
Not even a farewell scent from my sister. Not a hug. Not a glance.
They left me at the border. Tossed me a cloak. No food. No name.
Just silence.
And when I turned to look back — when I gave my pack one last glimpse, hoping someone would stop this — the only thing I saw…
...was " Seraphina ", smiling sweetly from the steps, tucked safely into my father's side.
That was the last time I cried.
That was the last time " Aria Nightbane " belonged to anyone but herself.
"If the moon won't crown me…"
"I'll carve my crown in blood."