From Ashes to Their Luna novel · Chapter 23 of 24

Chapter 23: What the Fire Cost

The whole road waited for me to say it.

I looked at the elder. "What does the law give me to choose from?"

"Death by the family's hand, in this field, today," she said. "Or a lesser sentence the family names, if the Council agrees to it."

Margot had gone very still on her knees.

I had thought about that all night, on the ridge, and in the grey hour before the gate.

I could have said the word. Four hundred wolves would have watched it done, and not one of them would have called it wrong.

My father had done it to my mother. Margot had done it to my mother.

"No," I said.

"Luna?"

"I won't kill her. I'm not doing it so I can be the one who did."

Margot looked up. Her face was wet now, finally, and it was a real wet.

"Kill me," she said. "Please. Don't do the other thing."

"You haven't heard it."

"I know what you'll say."

"You don't." I stepped down off the bottom step and stood over her. "You'll be bound to the Council house for the rest of your life. You'll wear a silver cuff, and you'll never shift again."

She flinched.

"You will go to every Moon gathering, all six packs, and stand up at the front and say what you did, in your own words. You'll say who gave you the can, and you'll say my mother's name, and you'll say it was not me."

← Chapter 22 · All chapters · Chapter 24 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend