The Alpha's Unexpected Luna

SOMAI’m starving.My vision sways as I begin the long trek to the palace, and my stomach tightens from the pangs of hunger. I returned home late yesterday, which meant no food for me. And now, I’m headed to the palace to assist the maids with the decorations for tomorrow’s ceremony.Sheila promised Princess Sienna that I would be there. She didn’t even ask me before making that decision. Not like I could have refused, but it would have been nice to have a day to myself. I know Sheila is doing this to curry favor with Sienna. Sienna is the Alpha Princess, and my cousins are among the fortunate few who run in her circle.As I draw nearer to the palace, I notice a stream of girls my age and even younger moving in the same direction. Their laughter trails behind them as they chatter excitedly.They must be going to the Luna selection rehearsals. Sheila and Maeve were glowing with anticipation when they left earlier. No one wants to miss the chance of being chosen as our next Luna.My leg

SOMATension thickens the air. But Mason’s shock only lasts a few seconds before he’s speaking again.“I mean no disrespect, Your Highness,” Mason mutters. “But surely the Alpha princes of Shadowspire are not above being apologetic when they wrong their subjects… unless there’s a separate set of laws, which the elites live by.”“You’re quite cheeky for a servant,” Kade murmurs.His eyes shine brightly with mischief as he smacks Mason’s cheeks twice. He’s baiting him, and it works.“I’m not a servant,” Mason growls.There is another collective gasp. I react faster this time. “Mason,” I say in a weak voice, trying to drag him away before this escalates. “Please. Let’s go. They—”A scream cuts me off. I stagger as Mason doubles over in pain, both hands clutching his stomach. Brynne towers over him, his fist ready for another punch.How are they so fast?As he aims for Mason’s stomach, I blurt, “Wait. He didn’t mean it.”His attention doesn’t waver from Mason. “What was that?” he asks in

SOMAWhen Lilith and the Rybak brothers disappear into the house, my shoulders collapse in relief. There’s no time for rejoicing as I rush to Mason, pulling his head onto my lap. He twitches and trembles, and I wipe his face with the hem of my dress.Someone drops a towel and a bowl of water at my feet. I look up to see it’s one of the decorators, but she walks away before I can offer her my gratitude.“That was so stupid of you, Mason,” I mutter. Nausea rises in my throat, and I push it down. “You shouldn’t have done that. Everyone knows better than to argue with the princes.”Tears well up in my eyes, falling onto his cheeks. The others resume the work, cleaning up the mess the princes made. I dip the towel in the water, wring it, and wipe the blood on Mason’s face. His eyes are nearly swollen shut, and claw marks stretch across his cheeks.But they look to be slowly healing. Thankfully, he’s not an omega like me.Mason groans, his lips move, but I hear nothing until I bring my ear

SOMASheila and Maeve’s cars are parked in the driveway when I reach home. That puts my senses on high alert as I tiptoe to the back door, hoping to get inside without any trouble.But luck has never been on my side. The second I open the door, a hand smacks right into my face. My vision blurs, and I stumble backward, blinking a few times before Aunt Helen’s angry face comes into view. She always hits harder than my cousins, and this time is no different. She yanks me into the kitchen, and someone shuts the door behind me, blocking out my escape. When she lifts her hand again, I collapse to the floor, my body curled in on itself, with my hands raised to protect my head.“Pathetic,” she

SOMAI wake up to something firm pressing down on me. For a terrifying second, I forget where I am. My eyes snap open to pitch