Chapter 7

SELENE

“I said take off the mask,” Zarek said again, this time his voice was cold and deep.

The young maid hesitated, her hands shaking so fast before she could reveal her face and pull off the black mask. I could hear my own breath. 

She removed it slowly.

Under the mask wasn’t some stranger. It was a maid Zarek recognized from the way he softened his expression. And she was also one of the kitchen hands—I’d seen her placing cutlery, smiling faintly anytime she saw me pass by.

So why was she wearing a mask?

Zarek’s eyes narrowed. “Anna?”

Her hands trembled for a while and then she nodded.

“What the hell were you doing in here with your face covered? And why would you even cover your face to serve the Luna? Who gave those rules?” he asked, his voice tight.

Anna looked down. “I… I wasn’t feeling fine. I didn’t want the Luna to see my face looking like this.”

I stepped forward. “You’re not feeling fine?”

She nodded again, barely meeting my gaze. “Yeah, I had to cover my face. I did that because I don’t want to be sent away.

“You should’ve stayed in bed,” I said softly, watching her closely. “You don’t have to stress yourself. You’re not helping anyone if you collapse in the hallway and by the way who asked you to come here?.”

“Maybe she wanted to help.” Zarek said, his hands in his pocket.

“I didn’t need a maid.” I said, my gaze locked on hers.

Her lip trembled. “I’m sorry, Luna.”

Zarek turned to one of the guards posted just outside my room. “Have the healer check on her immediately. And keep her off duties until she’s okay.”

“I can handle it, I will be fine.” She said firmly.

“Okay, have a good rest.” I said and smiled slightly at her.

Anna bowed deeply, she murmured another apology, and left quickly with the guard.

As soon as the door clicked shut, I turned to Zarek. “Something about her felt… off, I didn’t even ask for a maid and you didn’t either.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know.” I rubbed my arm. “I didn’t remember calling a maid to come into my room while I was walking through the hallway, I saw lots of maids but I didn’t call any of them. You didn’t assign any maid to me either, or do they automatically work for every Luna?” I asked, my gaze locked on Zarek.

“Never had one before.” He said firmly.

“I think I still need to know much about this pack, you can’t be the only one I would be close to, don’t you have sisters or—.” I paused and then continued. “Wait, don't you have a beta?”

“Have a rest, I will handle everything or better still assign a maid to you.” He said.

I nodded slowly and then he left the room.

I lay down on the bed, but I couldn’t sleep properly. Today I had been officially named the Luna of the Darkvale Pack — a pack I knew nothing about.

——

Back in Evelyn’s quarters, she turned her gaze back to the maid kneeling on the rug.

“You failed? What do you mean you failed?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper. But her face was filled with anger.

Anna knelt on the rug, head bowed. “I’m sorry, Beta. I tried.”

“You tried?” Evelyn shot back at her, her tone was low, very low to avoid being heard by the warriors outside her room. “Is that what we’re calling failure now? Trying? You couldn’t even poison a newbie”

“I was caught,” Anna said quickly. “Alpha Zarek came in before—”

“Before you could murder the Luna?”

Anna’s mouth opened, then she closed them again. 

Evelyn rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. “This is the second time I’ve attempted to kill her. Both times, you all have found new silly ways to screw it up for me.”

Anna trembled harder. “Please…I suggest you don’t do anything anymore or it might backfire on us”

“I should have you killed too,” Evelyn said calmly. “But I won’t do that. Because I need someone to clean the blood when I finally deal with her myself.”

She stood in anger and walked over to the mirror behind the vase. Her reflection stared back with the same cold confidence behind her voice.

“Beta…” her other maid, Karina, stepped forward slowly. “The Alpha doesn’t know you’ve returned yet.”

“I’ll tell him I came back not long ago and decided not to let anyone know,” Evelyn said with a smile. “I’ll spin it into some emotional excuse. Missed my pack, missed my Alpha. That sort of thing that would make him believe me.”

Karina didn’t say another word. She just bowed her head.

Evelyn turned, she picked up her bag from her table, and walked out. “He thinks she’s worthy to be Luna? Let’s see what happens when his new Luna learns that I am the beta the Alpha once proposed to.”

——

I was just about to doze off when Zarek returned.

He closed the door quietly behind him, then walked to my side and sat at the edge of the bed.

“Feeling better now?” he asked.

“Yeah, I am okay now.” I murmured.

“Good,” he said. Then glanced at the door. “You have another guest and that’s me, because I am sleeping here tonight.”

Before I could even sit up, the door opened, a young lady walked in, she was dressed in a cream colored gown, her hair long and curly, and beside her were her maids. I hadn't seen them before, they both gave the impression of working exclusively for her.

“Alpha,” she said smoothly.

“Didn’t know you came back,” Zarek said, standing up a little too quickly.

“I wanted it to be a surprise for you,” Evelyn said, eyes darting between I and Zarek. “But imagine my shock when I return and find out a Luna celebration happened without me being invited.”

She reached out and grabbed his hand lightly. They were too close.

He shifted uncomfortably.

“Evelyn, this is Selene,” Zarek said, his voice deep and husky.

I stood. “Nice to meet you.”

Evelyn looked at me, she really glared at me from head to toe, and then she smiled widely.

“Is she the new Luna?” she asked, her eyes still fixed on me. “Isn’t she the former Luna of the Silvermist pack? I mean the Luna that was exiled?”