chapter 5

~~~~~~~~Layla~~~~~~~

The warm sunlight slipped through the window and landed directly on my face.

I groaned, feeling an uncomfortable weakness throughout my body. My eyelids felt unusually heavy as I struggled to open them.

Where the hell was I?

I slowly moved my hand across the surface beneath me. It felt soft, although I could tell I was lying on the floor.

Wait.

The floor?

My eyes flew open, and I immediately pushed myself upright. Unfortunately, the sudden movement made my head spin.

Memories of the previous night came rushing back.

The long walk through the woods, my injured knee, the unbearable exhaustion, and that stupid man who had practically forced me onto a horse before knocking me unconscious.

I looked around.

I was in a room.

A very small room.

I stared at the walls, the tiny window and the miserable-looking bed. Was this supposed to be a bedroom?

I had seen servants' rooms bigger than this.

Was this how the Blood Moon Pack treated their Luna?

I tried to stand, but my legs felt too weak to support me. I stumbled slightly before managing to steady myself.

"Leah!"

I called inwardly, hoping my wolf would at least have something useful to say.

"Are you still sleeping?" I asked when she didn't respond immediately.

To my surprise, she answered almost at once.

"Nope. I'm awake. What happened to you?" she asked.

I frowned.

"Are you shouting at me now? I only wanted to tell you that I'm feeling weak. Can you help me remember what happened last night? I can't remember everything. Did that stupid man do something to us?"

"Calm down. He made us lose consciousness, but it was your fault for refusing to cooperate with him," she replied.

I blinked.

Excuse me?

"So you're taking his side now? After everything he has done to us?"

"I didn't say that. I'm only telling you what happened."

I rolled my eyes.

Wonderful. Even my own wolf was beginning to disappoint me.

I finally managed to stand properly, although my legs still felt weak. I hated showing weakness, especially in a place where I knew absolutely nobody. Someone could walk in at any moment, and I wasn't about to let them see me struggling.

I approached the door and grabbed the handle.

I pulled.

Nothing.

I tried again, this time using more strength.

Still nothing.

I stared at the door in disbelief.

Was I locked inside?

"Just go and sit down," Leah suggested. "Our mate isn't wicked. I'm sure he has his reasons for doing this."

I opened my mouth to argue.

Before I could say anything, the door suddenly swung open.

I wasn't prepared for it.

The force sent me stumbling backwards, and I landed on the floor with a painful thud.

What was wrong with everyone in this pack? Didn't they know how to knock?

A young woman stepped into the room, dressed in a beautiful blue robe. The front of her outfit revealed a generous amount of cleavage, and her face was covered in what looked like several layers of makeup.

She wore a warm smile, but something about it made me uncomfortable.

The moment I heard her voice, Leah let out a low growl inside my head.

Interesting.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you, Luna," the woman greeted, stepping further into the room.

Luna?

Who said I was anyone's Luna here?

Then I remembered the mark on my neck.

Of course.

According to werewolf tradition, once an Alpha marked his fated mate, she automatically became his Luna, even without a formal ceremony.

I slowly pushed myself off the floor, brushing away the dust from my clothes.

"And why is our Luna sitting on the floor?" she asked, covering her mouth with one hand as though she had just witnessed something shocking.

I stared at her.

Was she genuinely concerned, or was she enjoying herself?

"Who are you?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

"Oh, pardon my manners. My name is Lady Zoey. I'm a childhood friend of the Alpha."

She placed particular emphasis on the words childhood friend.

I raised an eyebrow.

A childhood friend?

And what exactly was I supposed to do with that information?

I already disliked her.

"And what should I do with that information? I thought you were his mistress," I replied, giving her a small smile. "Anyway, allow me to introduce myself."

I straightened my back, refusing to let her intimidate me.

"My name is Layla Draven, daughter of the Alpha of the Obsidian Pack. And, as you already know, I'm the Luna of this pack and the Alpha's fated mate."

I lifted one hand and fanned myself, pretending to be completely unbothered.

Zoey stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Oh, I see," she said, still smiling.

I narrowed my eyes.

What exactly was so funny?

"Can you take me to my room? I already hate this place," I said, glancing around the tiny bedroom.

Zoey's smile widened slightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but this is your room. The Alpha personally gave the order."

I stared at her.

For a moment, I wondered whether I had heard her correctly.

"This is my room?"

"Yes."

I looked around again, hoping the walls would somehow expand if I stared hard enough.

Absolutely not.

"My room at home is at least fifty times bigger than this place. You cannot expect me to sleep here. Take me to see the Alpha. I need to speak with him."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. The Alpha cannot simply be seen by anyone who wishes to meet him."

I slowly turned towards her.

"Anyone?"

I placed a hand against my chest.

"Did you just call me anyone? I'm the Luna here. I have authority too, you know."

I moved towards the door, intending to walk past her, but she immediately stepped in front of me.

"Please, Luna. You cannot just walk into the Alpha's private quarters."

I tried to move her aside, but she held me back and pushed me away.

That was it.

I raised my hand, intending to slap some sense into her.

But before my palm could even touch her, Zoey suddenly stumbled backwards and fell to the floor.

I froze.

What?

I hadn't even touched her!

She immediately covered her face, and tears began rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry! Please, Luna, what have I done to deserve this?" she cried.

I stared at her, completely confused.

Was this woman serious?

I was still trying to understand what had just happened when I heard approaching footsteps.

I turned towards the doorway.

Ryker.

Of course.

The one person I didn't want to see had arrived at exactly the wrong moment.

He walked into the room, his expression darkening as soon as he saw Zoey sitting on the floor.

He didn't even look at me first.

Instead, he immediately moved towards her and helped her stand.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice noticeably different from the one he usually used with me.

I watched them, my eyebrows almost reaching my hairline.

Oh, so he knew how to speak gently after all.

Interesting.

Zoey lowered her head, pretending to wipe away her tears.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset her. I was only trying to help."

I opened my mouth.

"That's a lie! She—"

"Silence!"

Ryker's sharp voice cut through mine.

I stared at him.

Did he seriously just tell me to be quiet?

He turned towards me, his eyes filled with anger.

"I know you're wicked, but I never expected you to be this cruel."

I blinked.

Wicked?

Cruel?

Was he talking about me?

I looked between him and Zoey, trying to understand how this ridiculous situation had turned against me so quickly.

"Are you seriously going to believe whatever she tells you without even asking what happened?" I demanded.

His expression remained cold.

"Do you think I need to listen to your excuses?"

I clenched my fists.

"Excuses? I didn't even touch her!"

"Enough."

He turned towards the guards standing outside.

"Take her to the dungeon. Lock her up for two days. No food, no water, and when you feed her, give her nothing but dog meals."

My mouth fell open.

What?

For a moment, I couldn't believe what I had just heard.

Was this man completely out of his mind?

"WHAT?"

I stepped forward, but two guards immediately grabbed my arms.

"Are you crazy? I'm your Luna! You have no right to lock me away because of this bitch!"

I struggled against their grip, trying to free myself.

"Let go of me! Do you know who I am?"

The guards tightened their hold and began dragging me towards the doorway.

I turned my head towards Ryker, glaring at him with every bit of anger I could gather.

He stood beside Zoey, looking completely unmoved by my protests.

I couldn't believe it.

I had barely arrived in this pack, and I was already being treated like a prisoner.

And all because of a woman who couldn't even pretend to fall convincingly.

I swore under my breath as the guards dragged me away.

This was not going to end here.