Chasing His Betrayed Luna



AURELIA

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My curiosity hung in the air as I let my legs carry me towards the voice. With every step I took, my broken heart fell piece by piece. With every cell I looked into, I hurled, the foul smell irritating me.

"How heartless is she really? She clearly had people locked in here." Inara heaved without hiding her disgust.

In spite of her words, my wolf's curiosity coursed through me and it only intensified when the same soft whimper reached my ears again, "I can smell y-you. It's really you..."

Strangely, a tiny part of me seemed to recognize that voice. The feminine ring sounded familiar but I couldn't place my finger on it.

"Who're you?" I questioned, taking cautious steps as the space became darker.

As my voice echoed, sending waves back to my eardrums, there came no response from the oddly familiar voice but to my surprise, another voice, not a familiar one, cried out, "Please let me out. Please."

I inhaled sharply, ignoring the foul smell around me. Inara's sense of smell also picked up the undying scent of people before their voices resonated, leaving me shocked.

"Please let me go..."

"I won't tell a soul if you let me out..."

"W-water... I'm thirsty."

Those cries overlapped and I couldn't point out just how many people were locked up. The loudness made me wonder how no one had ever found this horrible place. If I was sad before walking into Larisa's underground prison, my sorrows tripled, and the hate I felt towards that heartless wrench multiplied.

I halted, stopping in front of the first cell with an occupant. A teenage girl. She scooted closer to the metallic door of the cell but distanced herself from it, making me realize that the cell was laced with silver.

Her

young face was pale and her eyes pleading, "You aren't her. Please release me. I've to be with my mom."

I found my voice in the midst of the emotional chaos and asked, "What's your name? Who is your mother?"

"M-my name is Maya. My mom is the head of servant." The teenage girl cried, putting effort into raising her voice above every other.

“Nina? Your mother is Nina?" I gasped, putting my hands on the locks without thinking of how Maya would react to me touching silver.

Thankfully, she was too weak and disheartened to notice as she muttered breathlessly, "Yes. Please save me from the Luna. She has been keeping me captive-"

"Save your breath," I uttered gently, offering her a smile as I broke the lock. "I can see you're tired but I need you to help me release the others. Can you do that?"

"I can try." Maya nodded despite her state and that made me realize that she was nothing like Nina.

Without wasting time, I moved on to the next cell and the next, breaking lock after lock without feeling a sight burn from the silver. Inara was right about me being Immune but that was the least of my concerns as I set those people free.

"Thank you." I heard those two words repeatedly as I broke the locks and I nodded, asking everyone to stay put so I could lead them out of here safely.

It wasn't until released about ten of Larisa's prisoners that I found the owner of the familiar voice I heard earlier. Her tangled gray hair caught my eyes first and when she etched, "You made it her, Aurelia," my eyes widened.

Focusing on breaking the lock of her cell proved to be difficult and my grip on the door loosened when she raised her head, revealing the face behind her overflowing hair.

Disbelief clouded my senses yet I murmured, "Iris..."

“Hmm mm.” She hummed, gazing at me with nothing but sadness in her eyes. "I never thought I'd see you again after my son lost you.”

I ignored her words about how Raiden and I ended and quickly broke the lock, rushing into the cell. "How... How did this happen?" I asked, shaking my head as I took in her condition.

Iris used to be a beauty for all eyes to behold and I've never seen her with gray hair. She used to have black hair and the wrinkles on her face didn't have a place the last time I saw her which was many years ago.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

Iris Flockhart, wife and mate of Ronald Flockhart and mother to Raiden Flockhart... How on earth did Larisa turn her into this?

"I don't think we've enough time to discuss how I was once a respected Luna but now a filthy prisoner," Iris answered, her gray eyes reminding me of Raiden's.

"Let's get you out of here," I stated and tried to help her up but her legs were weaker than jelly.

Iris chimed sadly, "I thought my son would be the one to save us from here. His father and I have been waiting but he never came-"

"Ronald is here too?" I couldn't believe my ears.

"He was here," Iris answered sadly. "And what's left of his body must be here somewhere."

Ronald was gone... just like Jessica.

Although I wasn't a fan of Ronald as we never had the chance to relate like a family even when I was married to Raiden but even he didn't deserve to die in a place like this.

Tears rolled down Iris's face as she sobbed quietly. If my heart was still in one piece, it'd have broken for her but at that moment, I could only help her on my back and assure her, "We'll find him. I promise."

While Ronald made himself a target the few times I saw him after I married Raiden, Iris had always made herself available even when I was simply a servant in the Alpha's mansion. She was kind to me... to everyone.

"Regardless of the circumstances, It's good to see you again, Aurelia." Iris chided as I stepped out of the cell, bringing her to the others. "Likewise, Iris-" I tried to smile.

But my attempt was interrupted

when a loud crash came from above. I looked around as everyone else panicked, muttering their pleas to be saved. Some even sent a prayer to the goddess, hoping it wasn't Larisa but hell, did I want it to be her.

I positioned myself between the end of the stairs and the shaky people after putting tris down. The foul smell from the cells made it impossible for my nostrils to pick the scent of whoever was coming towards us but I could hear footsteps, sounding closer, and closer by the second.

“Oh, let it be Larisa, goddess. Just this once, favor me." I sent my prayer to the moon goddess.

However, shock rippled all over me when I finally saw the masculine frame of someone who actually wasn't Larisa.

I mouthed his name, my voice carrying my surprise, "Andrew? What are you doing here?"

Perhaps the question I should have asked him was, "How did you get here?" but that didn't cross my mind... not immediately.