Chapter Two

Freda’s P.O.V

The chill of the dungeon clung to my skin, but nothing slapped me harder than Nina’s words.

“It has been decided. I will be marrying Adrian.”

For a moment, I didn’t breathe.

Her voice echoed along the stone walls—and then again inside my chest, punching through me like a blade.

My fingers tightened around the iron bars until the metal bit into my palms. The stench of stale urine hovered thickly in the air, but all I could focus on was her calm expression, her perfect hair, her steady breathing.

“What do you mean?” The words slipped out of me in a whisper that felt too small, too broken. “Adrian is my mate. He would never—”

Nina tilted her head, the corners of her lips lifting with a cruel ease I had never seen before.

“Does it make sense,” she said slowly, as though speaking to a child, “that the future Alpha marries a cursed woman?”

Heat rushed to my ears.

The curse.

My curse.

It had appeared barely two hours ago—burning into my thigh like a punishment from the gods. I hadn’t even processed it. I still believed it would fade. That someone would help me. That Adrian would hold me and tell me everything would be fine.

“How…” My voice strained. “How did he know?”

She gave a small laugh, flicking her long brown hair back like this was nothing more than a performance she had rehearsed for years.

“Mother told him.”

The words hit me harder than any slap could.

“Mother?” I whispered. “But she—she was happy for me.”

“She pretended,” Nina replied simply. “Just like I did.”

Her eyes hardened.

“Why would she let a bastard become Luna when her real daughter could? Think, Freda.”

Bastard.

She spat it so easily, like the word wasn’t a blade.

My breath trembled.

Last night, Mother hugged me. She cried. She said she had always prayed this day would come.

“You celebrated with me,” I said, my voice cracking like brittle glass.

“I pretended,” she repeated, shrugging. “Mother said I should be satisfied because your success was the family’s success.” She paused, her nose wrinkling in distaste. “But why should I celebrate your luck? Adrian was supposed to be mine.”

She stepped closer, lowering her voice to a vicious whisper.

“I’ve loved him since forever. And guess what?” She smiled wickedly. “Now he loves me back.”

My stomach twisted violently.

Last night, Adrian held me in his arms, tracing my skin gently as if I were something precious.

Last night, he whispered promises—soft, tender, forever-shaped promises.

“What about last night?” I asked, my voice barely audible. “Adrian wouldn’t leave me. He wouldn’t—”

Nina rolled her eyes.

“Oh, please. You think one night matters? Once he heard you were cursed, everything changed.” She brushed imaginary dust off her sleeve. “I guess the Moon Goddess finally chose correctly.”

My heart hammered painfully against my ribs.

“You’re lying,” I said, but the denial felt weak, fragile, desperate.

Nina scoffed loudly.

“I don’t have time for pointless arguments. My Alpha awaits.”

My Alpha.

She said it proudly, like she had earned the title.

As she turned away, her heels clicked against the stone floor—sharp, arrogant, triumphant. The two guards behind her didn’t even look at me. They simply followed, escorting their future Luna out of the dungeon.

Panic surged through me.

“Nina!” I grabbed the bars until my knuckles whitened. “Come back! Tell me this is a joke! Nina!”

But the only response was the heavy door slamming shut.

A sound that felt final.

Permanent.

The silence that followed stretched itself around me like a shroud. For a moment, I just stood there, gripping the bars, waiting for someone—anyone—to return.

Nobody did.

The dungeon was small and suffocating.

A rusted pan lay in the corner.

The floor was uneven, filthy, and cold enough to seep through my bones.

I pressed my forehead to the bars, trying to steady my breath.

“I didn’t do anything,” I whispered to the empty room. “I didn’t deserve this.”

My own voice trembled too much to believe.

Minutes blended into hours.

I screamed.

I begged.

I pounded my fists until they ached.

“Let me out! It’s my wedding day! Please!”

But no footsteps approached.

No guard.

No mother.

No father.

No Adrian.

The silence eventually won.

I sank to the floor, hugging my knees, my breath hitching as the faint sound of singing drifted down from above.

Joyful.

Bright.

Celebratory.

My wedding ceremony.

A celebration that wasn’t mine anymore.

Tears slid silently down my cheeks as I curled tighter into myself, the cold biting my skin until I felt numb.

Somewhere above, they celebrated my wedding day—without me.