Chapter 3

Luna's POV

I remained frozen in the bathroom, refusing to say a word. I was forced to open, when someone softly knocked. 

A petite woman with similar blonde hair smiled at me, and I was forced to think if she was somehow related to Alara- this person that I was supposed to be living as. I didn't know who had the voice in my head, and I wanted to just know more about it. Only if I had some more time alone. 

“I'm glad nothing happened to you,” the woman said, touching my cheek. I was forced to smile, compensating for the flinch that I did reflexively.

“You don't have to worry,” she whispered. “The other pack members want to meet you. Just like me, they are having a hard time believing that you have returned, completely untouched.”

She took my hand, leading me outside the room. That was when I felt the pain in my feet, from when I was in the woods. It was already wrapped up and bandaged perfectly. 

“What's your name?” I asked, and she frowned. 

“Diane,” she ended up saying. 

She slowly pushed open the doors, as she led me out to the terrace, where people had gathered, looking right at me. I could barely do anything. I was staring back at the hundreds of heads that wanted to see me. 

“Wave,” Diane said, and I did so, earning cheers from people. 

“I don't think that's her,” one of them said, and I was shocked that my sense of hearing was that sharp. 

“The Alpha would finally go back to his normal self,” another one said. “He was practically going mad.”

“Do you think she's a ghost?”

Countless questions were flying, and I could only look back at Diane. I wanted to be back in that bathroom. Alone. 

“I think I need some more time to rest,” I said, and she looked at me with concern, while leading me inside. 

I was still extremely weak. My feet were shaky. 

“I will let you rest, Luna Alara. Let me know if you need anything.” Diane said as she left the room. I hurried back to the bathroom before she even shut the door. I stared at my reflection again, running my hands through my face. I didn't know who I was supposed to explain things to, or how I was supposed to explain it to begin with. 

“Who are you?” I asked my reflection. “Why am I here?”

“You are Luna. Living in my body,” the voice from earlier replied. “I am Alara. The moon goddess has given you a second chance. You and I now own this body. You will have to live my life. You can't tell anyone that you aren't me. You have to promise. Please.” She was begging, and the sound of it brought tears to my eyes. 

“Then what happens to you?” I asked, and she didn't reply again. I didn't know how I was supposed to be living a life that wasn't mine. How was I supposed to fit in? How long could I keep the cover?

I heard the door burst open, and I hurried to the main room, taking in the sight of the man that stood in front of me.

He looked at me from head to toe with his green eyes. He was putting on a black shirt, with the first two buttons undone. There was blood around his arms, and his eyes looked wild. His black hair was wet, covering a part of his face. He seemed to be frozen in a spot as he watched me.

With two strides he was in front of me, wrapping his hands around me as he brought me in for a delicate hug. He was running his hands in my hair, in ways that made me want to rest against him and inhale all of him. 

“Goddess, you're safe,” he whispered in my hair, kissing it. “Do you know how long I've been looking for you?”

I was looking for words to say, but I couldn't find them. He slowly pulled away from the hug, with his eyes locked on mine. 

My hands were fisted at my side. I tried as much as I could, not to react. There was a surge of energy around me. Something overpowering. The mate bond pulled me towards him, but something was off. 

This had to be the Alpha. He was Alara's mate. 

He demeanor had changed as he looked down at me. His index finger was under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. Something about him had changed. He didn't look as soft as he did a few seconds ago. His eyes were now narrowed into slits. 

Cold.

He went from calm and loving, to dangerous within a second. 

“You aren't Alara,” he said, and I felt my heart skip a beat. 

For a second, I thought about telling him the truth once and for all. But how could I trust that he wasn't going to kill me at once? I could have easily been seen as an invader at that point. This man was obviously dangerous. 

“I am,” I said firmly.

This was a lie that I was starting to live up to. 

“What's your favorite color?” He asked, and I blinked twice. That was the last question that I expected him to ask.  

“White,” I said without thinking, and he took a step closer. One that made me feel small underneath his gaze. 

“It's black,” he said. 

“I change with time, Alpha” I lied. The tension in the room was unavoidable. 

“What happened to you? We've been looking for you the whole time.” His tone was cold. If I was winning him over before, I had totally lost him this time. He didn't believe me. Or he was trying to. The look he gave me made me want to hide. It wasn't the same with when he walked in.

“I can't remember. Everything is still hazy. Can I just rest?”

He watched me as I laid back on the bed, pretending to sleep. I could still feel his eyes on me. 

I wasn't about to tell him that my own husband has injected me with poison, before kissing my sister while I died. 

The Alpha still had his eyes narrowed. Hell, I didn't even know his name yet. I might be able to lie to the others. But how long was it going to take until he found out?

I felt his warm breath against my face, and I tried not to open my eyes. He leaned in even more. “You may look like my wife but something in your eyes tells me you're not her.”