Liora's POV

The moon dance was finally here.

I woke up earlier than I use to, the moment my eyes fluttered open, my heart started racing.

This was the day the prince had promised me, he promised to choose me, I could still not comprehend how this came to be, I could not believe this was happening. My long fantasy was coming true.

A small giggle escaped my lips as I rolled on my bed. I covered my face as I kicked my feet in the air in excitement.

I sat up suddenly as I realized something.

"What will I wear?" I mumbled as I came down hastily from the bed.

As my father wasn't quite rich I didn't have a lot of fancy dresses, in fact I didn't have any fancy dress… except the dress my father had in box, it was my mother's.

I walked towards the corner my father had his the box, I carefully opened the box. The dress was still as beautiful as I remembered.

It was soft, simple, but very pretty, it was blue with small silver details on the edges.

I bathed quickly and wore the dress. It fit perfectly. My heart felt warm knowing my mother’s dress would be on me today. I did my hair the best way I could, sadly I didn't have any necklace or jewelry of any kind to adorn the dress with.

"This will have to do," I said to myself as I walked towards the small mirror.

I looked at myself in the small mirror. I smiled as I stared at myself, my cheeks were red from the excitement.

After a while of staring at myself in the mirror, I stepped out of the house and walked toward the place where the moon dance was held every year.

The path was already full of people, all heading in the same direction.

The moon was full and bright, there were many decorations around the trees.

As I reached the open ground, my eyes went straight to the throne at the center. Prince Kaelen was already seated there.

He was dressed in his royal robe, silver and black, his crown resting on his head perfectly.

I quietly took a seat at the far corner so I won't draw any attention to myself but my eyes kept drifting toward him.

I couldn’t stop myself. Every time I looked at him, I noticed something strange his head was always turned in my direction, it was as if he knew exactly where I was sitting.

I smiled again, my cheeks warm. Even though he couldn’t see me, he still knew I was there, my heart fluttered.

Soon, the ceremony began. The elders explained the importance of the ceremony and announced that the prince would choose his Luna today.

The wolves howled together in respect to the moon goddess. The air was full of strong energy.

The elder blessed the prince, asking the goddess to guide his choice.

As the night went on, I sipped my wine slowly. My cup was now empty, and my throat felt dry.

I stood up to get more wine from the table set at the edge of the gathering, as I reached for the jar, I felt a strong hand grab my arm from behind.

"Ah—" I gasped.

Two men stood behind me, their grips tight on both my arms before I could scream, one of them covered my mouth and pulled me into the dark corner, my heart pounded in fear.

In the shadow, I saw her…. Sapphira.

Her long black dress shined under the moonlight, and her lips curved into a cold smile.

"Finally," she said, her voice calm but cruel.

"What… what are you doing?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"You didn't actually think you would become Luna, did you?" she said, stepping closer.

"The prince chose me," I whispered, my eyes filling with tears.

"Not anymore," she answered.

"Wait, how did you know about this?" I asked.

"Does it matter? No.. now strip," she sneered.

I stared at her in shock, my body frozen. "No… no, I won’t," I said, my voice barely audible.

Her smile dropped.

She signaled the men, and they didn’t waste a second. One of them yanked at my dress while the other held me tightly. I screamed, but no one could hear me over the drums and howling and even if they did, they'll probably pretend they didn't.

"Please, stop," I begged, but they didn’t listen.

Within moments, my dress was off me. I stood there, covering my body as tears rolled down my face.

Sapphira slowly took off her own dress and dropped it on the ground beside me. She then took my mother’s dress and slipped into it.

"Perfect," she said, then collected a small pouch from her men. She sprinkled some powder from it onto me, the strong smell hit my nose instantly.

It was bitter, strange.

With that, she walked away, leaving me on the ground. The men followed her, leaving her own dress behind.

I sat there, shaking, crying quietly. My hands covered my face as everything inside me broke. I couldn’t believe what just happened.

She had stolen my place.

I was sure Kaelen would now pick Sapphira. My dream was gone.

For a moment, I thought of running home, but a small voice in my head whispered, "Put on her dress. Maybe… maybe you still have a chance."

My hands reached out for Sapphira’s dress. It felt cold in my hands. I wiped my tears quickly and slipped into it. My body was still shaking, but I had no choice. Maybe the prince would still see me. Maybe he would still choose me.

I walked back slowly, my head spinning and my heart heavy.

As I reached the front of the gathering, my eyes searched for him. Prince Kaelen was standing now, holding the elder’s hand. The final moment had come. He was about to announce his Luna.

I stood there, my breath caught in my chest, hoping.

Then I heard it.

"I choose Sapphira as my Luna," Kaelen said.