Moonlit Vows Of Vengeance

Chapter 122: Lucas’ Fury

We passed through the corridor into the royal wing where the servants already began whispering and scattering. Fiona appeared from the shadows near the war room.

"Did I hear that correctly?" she asked, eyes wide with uncharacteristic surprise. "You’re marrying Kieran?"

"The court demanded stability," I said. "So I’m giving them a bond they can’t twist."

She grinned slowly. "Well. Then I suppose we have a wedding to plan."

Later that day, preparations began.

The great hall was cleared. Seamstresses were summoned. Tailors, florists, musicians—all rushing into the palace like a wave breaking over a dam. The royal decorators pulled out old designs for Moon Ceremonies, brushing off ancient scripts and rites that had not been performed in centuries.

Kieran looked wildly out of place in all of it. He stood like a soldier in the center of chaos, arms crossed, frowning as attendants tried to measure his shoulders and discuss silver embroidery.

Fiona tugged me aside near the fountain in the inner garden.

"You’re sure about this?" she asked. "This is more than politics, Athena. This is a permanent bond."

I looked up at the arching branches above us.

"I know," I said. "But I need to remind them—and myself—that I can still choose my own fate."

Fiona nodded. "Then let’s make it unforgettable."

That night, I returned to my chambers to find a folded note on my pillow in Kieran’s handwriting.

"Meet me in the western tower. Just for a moment. - K"

The stars were bright that night.

When I climbed the winding stairs, I found him standing on the balcony, wind tugging at his hair, the glow of moonlight casting silver over his scarred cheek.

"You’re really doing this," he said without turning. "You’re tying yourself to me."

"I already did that a long time ago," I said softly. "With or without the court."

He turned, and his eyes met mine.

And I knew, without words, that this wedding would change more than my rule.

It would change me.

The palace had never glowed like this before.

Moonlight poured down in silken beams over the ancient courtyard where the ceremony was held. The night air shimmered with silver mist. Petals floated through the breeze—white moonblossoms from the sacred gardens—carried by the soft currents of enchantment woven by the royal mages.

Hundreds of wolves filled the stone balconies and archways surrounding the courtyard, all dressed in ceremonial garb. The nobles wore their house colors, each sigil a glint of history against the pale glow of the evening. Even the lowest-ranking wolves had gathered, standing shoulder to shoulder, held still by awe and tension.

They were here to witness a union no one could have imagined.

A goddess, and her general.

I stood beneath the sacred arch, carved of blessed bone and ancient crystal, and tried not to let my knees tremble.

My gown shimmered like the night sky—layers of black and silver silk trailing behind me like a river of stars. My hair was braided with glowing pearls, and my back bore the last flickering trace of the sigil—the binding mark that still held my powers captive.

The binding I hadn’t broken yet.

Across from me, Kieran stood straight and strong, wearing dark ceremonial armor gilded in silver. He looked regal. Unshakable. His eyes never left mine, even as the priestess began to speak.

"Under the eyes of the moon, by the laws of the old blood and the vows of this sacred land... we call upon the bond of trust, forged not by power, but by sacrifice and strength."

I could hear murmurs echoing around the courtyard. The priestess’s voice quieted them.

"Who here stands as protector of the sovereign?"

"I do," Kieran said clearly, voice ringing out.

"And who here stands as sovereign, choosing her protector of her own will?"

"I do," I said, lifting my chin.

The priestess turned to me. "Athena, Daughter of the Moon, do you accept this union not by force, but by truth of heart?"

"I do."

"And Kieran, Wolf of the Black Claw, do you accept this union not by duty, but by truth of soul?"

"I do."

Then she raised the ceremonial blade—an ancient dagger shaped from obsidian moonstone—and passed it between our palms.

Blood marked both of us. A small, shared wound.

A shared vow.

"Then let this bond be sealed by the gods, by the land, and by the people."

The courtyard erupted in cheers. Wolf howls filled the night, echoing into the mountains beyond.

Kieran reached out, cupped my face, and pressed his lips to mine.

And the moment was beautiful.

Sacred.

But it didn’t last.

A pulse of strange magic hit the edges of the wards around the palace—then shattered them like glass.

The protective runes cracked, glowing briefly before extinguishing entirely.

A loud, shuddering crack split through the sky.

Gasps broke out from every corner of the court.

And then a voice rang out—hoarse, furious, breaking through the barrier of celebration.

"Athena!"

I turned just in time to see Lucas stepping through the broken entry gate, flanked by Lyra, both of them coated in travel dust and blood.

Guards rushed forward, but Lucas shoved them aside with a burst of energy that rattled the very stones beneath our feet. His eyes glowed silver—not from divine power, but from pure, unfiltered rage.

"What are you doing?" he shouted. "What have you done?"

The crowd was silent. Frozen.

The music had died. The torches flickered dangerously.

Lucas stormed toward us, past the altar, past the stunned nobles.

Lyra called after him, trying to stop him, but he ignored her.

"You married him?" he hissed. "Him?"

Kieran stepped forward instinctively. "Watch your tone."

Lucas didn’t back down. "She was mine. She still is—"

"No," I said, stepping between them, my voice a whip of ice. "You lost that right the day you walked away."

"You told me to leave!" Lucas shouted, voice raw. "You told me you didn’t want to see me—"

"And you listened!" I screamed back. "You disappeared. You left me when I needed the truth!"

Lucas’s chest rose and fell rapidly.

"You don’t understand what I’ve done—what I gave up—"

"I don’t care," I said. "Because this was never about sacrifice. It was about honesty. And you hid everything."

He looked like he might collapse, like the fury was all that held him upright.

Then he turned to the altar, and with a roar, slammed his fist into the ceremonial structure, shattering it into pieces. The dagger split in two. The moonstones scattered.

Gasps rang out.

Kieran moved to intercept him, but I held up a hand.

Lucas’s chest heaved. "You think this will make you stronger? This union? You’re sealing your fate, Athena. All of ours."

"Then let it be sealed," I said. "But I won’t let you destroy everything just because you’re too hurt to understand it."

Lyra finally reached him, clutching his arm.

"Lucas, stop," she whispered. "You’re hurting her more than anyone else ever could."

He looked at me—really looked—and for a moment, I saw the broken boy beneath the fury. The grief. The guilt.

But I didn’t flinch.

"I gave you everything," I said. "And you gave me silence."

And then I turned away.

The guards hesitated, then surrounded him.

Kieran stepped beside me. "What do you want done?"

I took a slow breath.

"Let him go. Let them both go."

Kieran didn’t argue.

Lucas’s eyes followed me as I walked back down the steps, veil torn, vow unfinished.

And though my chest burned with the weight of everything I didn’t say, I didn’t look back.

Because the Moon’s vow may have been broken—

But mine still stood.

Lucas’s Point of View

The gates loomed in the distance, draped in silver and violet banners, fluttering like ghosts in the wind.

A wedding.

Her wedding.

My chest felt like it would split in two. Every step forward dragged like chains through water. Lyra was silent beside me, her jaw tight, her gaze forward. She hadn’t tried to stop me. Not this time.

I couldn’t even look at her now.

Not when I knew what I was about to do.

Not when I knew I would burn it all down.

The kingdom had changed since I left it. Rebuilt walls. New banners. New faces patrolling the watchtowers. But the rot was still there, deeper now, hidden beneath gilded marble and smiles too wide. The same old danger — polished to look like peace.

We had traveled far, Lyra and I. Across rivers that bled ash, through ancient groves filled with whispers of gods long dead. I saw things I will never forget. I heard things I wish I could.

We found the temple in ruins.

The sigils carved into the bones of the mountain warned us long before the priests spoke the truth: Caelum’s reach extended further than we imagined. He had sent his shadows into other realms. Into Athena’s dreams. Into mine. We were both haunted.

He was using the face of love to break her mind.

And I had let her go.

I clenched my fists now, breath fogging in the early light. The wedding bells echoed faintly, mockery strung on wind. I wasn’t too late. I wouldn’t be too late.

I remembered the way she had looked the night I left — her jaw steel, her eyes hollow. She told me to leave and I did. Like a coward. Like the boy I used to be.

But I had seen her power.

I had seen her fury.

And I had also seen the binding curse, the sigil carved behind her heart like a brand she couldn’t remove. Caelum hadn’t just wounded her. He had tethered her. We found the scroll in the ruined shrine: the condition to restore her power.

She would have to destroy what she loved most.

I didn’t know if that was me.

But I couldn’t let her be forced to choose.

Especially not in front of them. Especially not today.

A trumpet call. The wedding had begun.

I felt my heart stutter.

"Athena," I whispered to the wind. "I’m coming."

Lyra grabbed my arm before I moved again. Her voice was quiet, but hard as stone. "This will not end in peace, brother."

"No," I said. "It never was meant to."

We walked the rest of the way in silence. Through the outer gates. Past stunned guards too slow to raise a hand. I moved like thunder through velvet. Every eye turned.

The ceremony was already underway when we reached the grand clearing.

Athena stood beneath the silver arch, veiled in moonlight and white. She was too still.

Kieran was at her side, broad and regal in his ceremonial armor. Handsome. Dutiful.

Not meant for her.

I moved before anyone could stop me.

The gasps came too late.

"Athena!" I roared, my voice tearing the quiet in two.

Her head snapped toward me.

The entire court froze.

Her veil trembled. Her eyes widened. But she did not speak.

Kieran stepped forward, shielding her, as if I were the enemy.

Perhaps I was.

I tore down the garlands. Overturned the sacred basin. I was wildfire in silk halls.

"This wedding is a lie," I shouted. "You think binding her to him will make her safe? Stronger? You think she needs your permission to be powerful?"

"She agreed to this," Lord Renna snapped. "You are an intruder here. You’ve no place."

"She agreed because you all backed her into a corner."

Athena finally moved.

She stepped away from Kieran. Away from me.

"I made my choice," she said.

But her voice wavered.

"Did you?" I asked, barely breathing. "Or did you make the choice they left you with?"

She looked at me. Really looked.

And I saw it—the war in her eyes.

She turned to the nobles, raising her voice. "Everyone, leave. The ceremony is over." noveldrama

No one moved.

She repeated it, louder. "Leave!"

Kieran remained rooted. "Athena, you don’t need to listen to—"

"Go," she said, her voice softer now. But final.

Even he obeyed.

The clearing emptied.

Only Lyra stayed, lingering in the shadows. She didn’t dare come closer.

Athena approached me slowly.

"You shouldn’t have come back," she said. Her eyes glistened with unspoken tears.

"And you shouldn’t be marrying someone you don’t love."

"That wasn’t your choice to make."

"I wasn’t trying to make it," I said, stepping closer. "But I can’t let you destroy yourself to keep them comfortable. I can’t let you be bound to a future you didn’t ask for."