Chapter 6

Anastasia’s POV

I was devastated. I had managed to escape one capture just to fall into the hands of another. I felt so defeated. I thought that I was finally free. That I could reunite with my coven and that I would be able to see my little brother again. He would be fourteen now. After our parent’s death, we were all we had left.

I had already missed two years of his life, and I had no idea how long I would be stuck here before I could escape again. The pain felt like daggers to my heart that I would have to miss more time with him.

But this was my fate. To be locked away again by another monster. What made things worse was that even the Moon Goddess was in on this.

Why would she pare me with a beast? Was this punishment from all of the people I’ve hurt? Doesn’t she know it wasn’t my fault? I had no choice! Didn’t she know I was already punishing myself for it? Tears began to pool in my eyes as the faces of those who I was forced to hurt filled my head.

The memories of it all flashed before my eyes. My heart felt as if it needed to be ripped from my chest. I sobbed into my pillow. What would my new capture make me do now? Kill more people? Allow his people to take turns torturing me? Make me into a community trash can? What?

I hated the fear of the unknown. I also hated that through all of this mental turmoil, I wanted to be near him. To hear his voice. I had never taken the Moon Goddess as cruel, but given my current situation, that was the only explanation for this horrid union. A knock at the door pulled my attention to reality.

A small elderly woman dressed in maids clothing stood in the door frame with a trey of food in her hands.

“My Luna, I have lunch for you.” She walked into the room slowly.

I watched as she sat the trey on the bed side table. Her eyes looked calm and nurturing. Was she one of those creatures too? Her aura didn’t look like theirs. As if she could read my thoughts she spoke.

“I’m not a lycan, just a human.” I relaxed.

“The king thought that it might make you feel better if you had a human hand maid. I may be old, but I still have a lot of miles on these tires.” She chuckled.

Why was he being so considerate? What was his game? Did he really want me to believe he cared for this sham of a mate bond? I took the tray and thanked her.

It had been so long since I had eaten a proper meal, I wasn’t able to eat as much as I wish I could.

“No worries, my Luna, we will get your appetite back to where it should be.” She stated as she gently took the tray from me.

“Why don’t you get some rest, and I’ll be back in a few hours to get you all cleaned up?” I nodded.

She reminded me of High Priestess Sage. Their spirits resembled each other. Calm and nurturing. It made me feel as though I could trust her. High Priestess Sage was like a mother to me. She had taken over the role of caring for my brother and I after our parents.

She had been so kind to have let us into her home, and even taken my little brother under her wing, training him to be a fierce warrior. The moon goddess blessed him with the fire element. It was perfect for battle and after our parent’s death, Aron needed the distraction.

I tried to sleep, but my thoughts kept me awake. The room I vacated was actual quite cute. It was a lot brighter than the previous room. The windows let in a comfortable amount of light , and the color of paint on the walls reminded me of the sea. It was comfortable, but that’s what made my stomach turn even more.

After the silver moon pack captured me, they also place me in a room of comfort. Alpha Cane spoke as if he was a friend and didn’t mean me any harm. That was when he thought he could manipulate me in to doing what he wanted. Once he realized I wouldn’t, the torture began.

After a while, he couldn’t care less for my comfort. I was tossed into his dungeon and left there forgotten for a week before he sent his pack members to torture me some more. After days of torture, I was broken. I submitted to his requests and hated myself since.

A knock at the door brought my attention back to reality. The maid from earlier stood in the doorway again with folded fabrics in her hand that resembled the colors I would wear back home.

“It’s time to wash, my Luna.” She walked through the threshold and towards a set of double doors across the room.

I followed her as she walked into a beautiful bathroom. There was a tub that sat in the center of the room and the counter covered an entire wall. It was gorgeous. She began to fill the tub and rolled a tray from across the room towards the side of the bath. There were different bottles of shampoo and body washes along with loofahs and many other things.

Once the bath was filled, she dropped in a few bath bombs. They sizzled until a variety of herbs surfaced. The smell was amazing. I could feel what was left of their lives buzzing in the air despite the bracelets, and I silently thanked them for their sacrifice.

“Get in, my Luna.” She stated, gesturing towards the bath.

“Must you be in here with me?” I asked, feeling uncomfortable with the idea of a stranger watching me bathe.

“I’m sorry, Luna, the king ordered me to wash you. I can’t go against his order.” She bowed her head slightly to me.

Anger filled my chest. Who was he to force this one me? I’m not a child! I don’t need anyone washing me. I could wash myself!

“As your Luna, wouldn’t I be equal to your… king?” I asked, testing her.

“Well… yes, but it is my job as your hand maid to bathe you.”

“I can wash myself. I always have since I was a small child.” Her brows furrowed slightly as she tried to find the words to say.

“But-“ she began but I cut her off.

“I’ll wash myself. You can tell that king of yours if he has a problem with it, he can shove it up his ass!”

I stood my ground, refusing any help. After she left, I undressed and stepped into bath. I was greeted by the warmth of the water, and the comfort of the herbs. It had been years since I had a proper bath, and I intended on savoring every second of this.

I relaxed into the water and embraces natures hum on my skin. Being a green witch was a truly magical feeling. I was able to experience the world in a more intimate way. My skin was countlessly greeted with natures comforting warmth and accepted by it.

After I was fully bathed, I dressed myself in the clothes the maid had left for me. Once I exited the bathroom, I froze in place. The man who put the bracelets on me was standing inside of my room.

He wore a stoned face. He stood erect, and he barely made eye contact with me.

“It’s time to go, Luna.” He spoke and before I could react, he walked towards me and grabbed hold of my arm.

“Let go of me!” I demanded, but he ignored me.