Chapter Eight
The sun slipped low across the palace windows, staining the stone walls in a soft orange glow. My new chamber felt too large, too quiet. No matter how hard I tried, my chest still carried the echoes of last night,the fight, the blood, the way the Alpha had stood in front of me like a shield, vowing that nothing would touch me while he still drew breath.
I hadn't expected to be here, wrapped in silk sheets instead of the straw I once called a bed. I hadn't expected the Alpha himself to sleep in the same room, close enough that I could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat in the silence. And I certainly hadn't expected to hear a word I thought I would never be worthy of.
Luna.
The sound of it clung to me like a second skin, strange and unfamiliar, as though it belonged to someone else.
The heavy door creaked open, pulling me out of my thoughts. Three women stepped inside, their movements graceful, practiced. Two carried folded linens and a silver tray, while the third,a younger woman with sleek dark hair tied at the nape of her neck,stepped forward first.
She bowed low, her voice soft but clear. "Luna," she said. "I am Elira, your handmaid. The Alpha appointed me to ensure that your needs are always attended to."
I blinked. My hand tightened on the coverlet. A handmaid? For me?
"You don't have to bow like that," I said before I could stop myself.
Her head lifted, her eyes sharp though her tone remained calm. "It is my duty, Luna. I will be here when you wake and when you rest. Whatever you require, I will provide."
Luna. Again. My chest ached under the weight of it.
The two older servants moved quietly about the room, laying out linens, placing the tray on the table. They whispered to one another, their voices meant to be low, but my sharpened hearing caught them easily.
"…should have been Lady Vespera."
"Everyone knows she was meant for the Alpha."
My skin prickled. The words sank deep, sharper than claws. Their glances slid toward me like blades hidden in silk.
Elira's shoulders stiffened. Her dark eyes flashed as she turned her head. "Enough," she said sharply. "Do not shame yourselves with such talk in the Luna's presence."
One servant scoffed under her breath, ducking her head. The other pressed her lips tight, but the look in her eyes was defiant.
I swallowed hard, pretending I hadn't heard. But their whispers clung to me. Should have been Lady Vespera. I had never met her, but already I felt her shadow pressing down on me.
Elira straightened and turned back to me, as though she hadn't noticed the sting their words left behind. "Forgive them, Luna. Not everyone accepts change easily. But the Alpha's word is law. No one may question it."
Her loyalty startled me, but her steadiness gave me something to hold onto.
"I understand," I said quietly, though the truth was far from it. My hands curled into the coverlet. "It doesn't matter what they say. I know what I am."
Elira studied me for a moment, then inclined her head. "You are Luna. Nothing less. And they will learn it, whether they wish to or not."
Her certainty struck me like a blow, strange and comforting at once.
The two servants finished their task and bowed stiffly, murmuring the word "Luna" with reluctant lips before they slipped out. Their whispers lingered like smoke even after they left.
Elira smoothed her hands over her skirt. "Lunch has been prepared in the great dining hall. The Alpha instructed me to escort you. as soon as I'm done getting you ready, I will guide you."
My stomach twisted. Eating in the same hall as the Alpha, surrounded by strangers, their eyes sharp enough to flay my skin? I wasn't ready. I might never be ready.
But I nodded. "I'll come."
A small, almost hidden smile touched her lips. "Very well, Luna." She reached for the cloak draped across the chair and shook it out before settling it carefully around my shoulders.
The weight of it felt like a crown I didn't deserve.
---
As soon as we stepped into the hallway, the air shifted. Conversations dipped, footsteps faltered. Servants stilled for the briefest moment, their eyes flicking toward me. Some lowered their heads quickly, others lingered, their stares heavy with curiosity,or scorn.
I walked stiffly beside Elira, palms clammy beneath the cloak. My wolf stirred uneasily beneath my skin, restless. Every whisper clawed at me.
"…the Alpha's new Luna."
"…she doesn't even look like one."
"…Vespera will never allow this."
The words cut deeper than I wanted to admit. Elira's pace didn't falter, her chin tilted high, but I caught the quiet defiance in her steps, as if daring them to say it louder.
I kept my eyes forward, though my throat burned. I hadn't asked for this. And yet, their hatred wrapped around me all the same.
The tall carved doors of the dining hall loomed ahead, wolves etched into their surface, eyes glinting with amber stones. Two guards pulled them open.
The scent of roasted meats and spiced wine washed over me. Laughter and conversation hummed in the air,until silence fell.
Every head turned toward me.
At the head of the table, the Alpha sat in his place, broad shoulders framed in golden light. His silver eyes lifted, locking on mine instantly. The faintest curve touched his lips, not quite a smile, but enough to make my heart stumble.
"Luna," one guard announced formally, his voice ringing. "By the Alpha's decree."
The word echoed through the hall, sharp as claws.
Elira leaned close, her whisper firm. "Do not bow your head. You stand beside the Alpha."
I forced my spine straight as we walked down the length of the table. Whispers rose in my wake.
"…she doesn't belong here."
"…look at her posture. A Luna should command the room."
"…the Alpha must be blinded."
But his gaze never left me.
When I reached him, he gestured to the empty seat at his right. His voice was smooth, carrying through the hall. "Sit."
I sat, every nerve burning with the weight of the stares.
The whispers grew sharper, louder. A servant filling goblets muttered too loudly, "Strange. The Luna is usually announced after the trials. And yet—"
The Alpha's voice cut like a blade. "Enough."
Silence fell instantly. His silver eyes swept across the hall. "The next tongue that dares to question my Luna will be cut out."
The air thickened, no one daring to move. My chest pounded. His authority was terrifying and yet a warmth bloomed inside me at the ferocity of his defense.
He leaned close, his voice pitched for me alone. "Ignore them. Their whispers mean nothing."
I swallowed hard. "They don't see me as Luna."
His hand brushed mine under the table, a deliberate touch no one else could see. "They will," he said, voice like steel. "Because I do."
Heat rushed to my cheeks. I forced my eyes down to my plate, afraid to drown in his stare.
---
The meal dragged on, heavy with tension. Servants moved stiffly, fearful after his warning. But I could still feel the weight of their glances, hear the scrape of disapproval in every hushed voice.
Elira, standing just behind me, was a quiet anchor. She poured wine into my cup with steady hands, murmuring softly so only I heard. "Eat, Luna. Do not let them think you are weak."
I forced myself to lift my fork. The flavors were rich, the kind I had never tasted before, yet everything caught in my throat.
Halfway through the meal, a servant dared to whisper again at the far end. "Convenience. That's all she is. The Alpha"
The goblet in Kieran's hand slammed down with a crash. The sound silenced the room. His silver eyes burned. "Speak again, and you will not leave this hall alive."
The servant paled, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the floor. No one else dared breathe too loudly.
I sat frozen, my pulse racing. His power filled the hall like a storm. But when his hand brushed mine again under the table, his touch was startlingly gentle.
I dared to glance at him. His gaze met mine, unwavering, fierce. And something unspoken passed between us,something that made my chest ache and my wolf stir restlessly inside me.
For the first time, I wondered if I could ever truly belong here. And for the first time, a part of me wanted to try.
"Vespera," someone whispers.
The room shifts like prey sensing a predator.
And my breath catches.