The Moon Trial: Memories of a Broken Princess Chapter 01

The Moon Trial: Memories of a Broken Princess Chapter 01

I was the last person my adopted sister Serena saw before she died a brutal death.

Desperate to hunt down her killer, my birth parents had me committed to Pack Clinic to undergo the banned mind-breaking therapy.

Over and over again.

Tortured to the brink of agony, I could never recall a single detail of what had happened.

The hypnotist suggested transferring me to the border exclusion zone for far more aggressive stimulus therapy.

My older brother Adrian agreed on the spot, then spoke to me.

“Be good. If you can recall the truth, the Silvercrest Pack will welcome you back as their daughter.”

I clung to his words and became the most compliant stray trapped within an underground rogue den.

I would spread my legs for nothing more than a scrap of food.

Then the Moon Temple announced the launch of the Moon Memory Trial, a ritual designed to unlock the deepest buried memories.

No secret could stay hidden beneath the glow of the Moon Mirror.

I called my brother the very same day.

A long silence stretched over the line before his voice finally came through.

“This trial carries considerable risk. If you’d rather not go through with it…”

I cut him off with a faint smile. “I don’t mind.”

He had never told me stepping onto the trial altar meant certain death.

Nor had I told him I’d known that all along.

To me, death was never a punishment.

It was deliverance.

…

Blindfolded, I stepped onto the Moon Trial Altar clad only in revealing lingerie.

Lash wounds crusted and festered across my skin, cigarette burns marring my most intimate areas.

Every gaze from the crowd sliced into me like a sharp blade.

Yet my heart remained utterly numb.

Eventually, my alpha brother walked in alongside our alpha parents.

I lifted my head, longing to look at them one last time.

Ever since they’d cast me ruthlessly into the borderlands, I’d finally accepted my place.

My own blood meant far less to them than a single strand of Serena’s hair.

That was why they’d descended into frantic rage to avenge her after her body vanished without a trace.

The moment my mother laid eyes on me, she lunged forward in a fit of hysteria.

“How dare you parade around like this? Have you no regard for the Silvercrest Pack’s reputation?”

“Serena was always bright and graceful. A shameless little temptress like you could never hold a candle to her.”

“You were the last one with her before she died. Why can’t you remember? Force those memories back!”

She tore violently at my hair, hot tears streaking down her face.

This was the Luna of Silvercrest Pack, a woman known for gentle poise and noble grace.

Only Serena’s death could unravel her composure so completely.

I stared blankly at her burning tears, wondering quietly to myself.

Would my mother grieve this fiercely if I were the one who died?

I doubted it deeply.

My father made a half-hearted attempt to pull her back, his expression heavy with disapproval as he fixed his gaze on me.

“Lyra, you have gone too far. Did you inflict all these wounds on yourself to manipulate our sympathy?”

“Do not think we are blind to the indulgent life you’ve led out in the wilds.”

I said nothing, my hollow gaze drifting to my brother who avoided meeting my eyes.

He knew better than anyone what I looked like that night when he dragged me home from the underground rogue den—on all fours, begging strangers for a bite of food.

Adrian had combed through every servant in that den, searching desperately until he recognised my broken, scarred frame.

He knew none of my injuries were self-inflicted, yet he never spoke a single word in my defence.

I had long since let go of all hope for him.

I closed my eyes, then opened them again.

My stare held no warmth, no affection as I addressed the three of them.

“Let us begin. I want to uncover what truly happened the day Serena died far more than any of you.”

I ached to break free from this filthy world, to grasp my long-awaited release.

I could no longer bear to live in such abject degradation.

As the Moon Temple attendants moved to strap me to the Moon Trial Altar, my brother called out to me sharply.

“Lyra, are you certain this is what you want?”

I caught the hidden meaning beneath his words. He begged me to refuse, to cling to the small chance I had to survive.

But I chose to feign ignorance.

Brother, this world is far too cruel and filthy.

Begging for their trust and love had proven nothing but a futile torment.

I no longer wished to keep living.

I lay back on the bed without hesitation, letting them bind my arms and legs fast.

An attendant checked in with me repeatedly.

“Are you participating of your own free will?”

“The Moon Memory Trial is still experimental. You will die.”