Chapter Two

“You must have made a mistake,” Isabella said, her voice dripping with an almost childish certainty. She stepped forward, her expensive gown rustling, a confident smile gracing her lips.

“The prince would never choose… her. Not when I’m right here.” She extended a graceful hand towards the captain.

“I’m Isabella Morgan. Perhaps you got us confused?”

My mother, recovering from her initial shock, quickly chimed in, her voice too bright, too nervous.

“Yes, Captain, that must be it. My apologies. It’s an easy mistake to make, mixing up names. Everyone in the pack knows Isabella is destined for greatness. She’s far more suited to become Luna, you see.” She beamed at Isabella, then shot me a worried glance.

“It’s just… Elara is hardly the type.”

The captain’s expression remained unreadable. He reached inside his tunic and pulled out a scroll, the royal crest emblazoned in gold. With a deliberate motion, he unfurled it. The parchment crackled in the sudden quiet. He cleared his throat, his voice deep and resonant as he read,

“By the command of Alpha Sebastian Pierce, Elara Morgan, fated mate of Prince Nathan Pierce, is to report to the palace at sunrise for the royal mating ceremony preparations.”

He lowered the scroll and met my eyes. “There is no mistake. The future Alpha specifically requested Miss Elara Morgan.”

A fresh wave of silence crashed over us, heavier than before. Isabella’s smile, so radiant only moments ago, vanished completely. Her jaw tightened, and her eyes, usually sparkling with mischief, turned cold.

My mother stammered, “But… surely you should check again, Captain? Are you certain? This is… highly irregular.”

My father, who had been an unmoving statue until now, finally spoke, his voice unusually quiet. “Did the Prince himself… confirm her identity?”

The captain nodded, his gaze firm. “Prince Nathan identified her himself. The moment the Moon Goddess revealed his mate, he named her to the Alpha. Elara Morgan.”

The words hung in the air, undeniable. The truth settled over our living room like an incoming storm.

Isabella shattered.

“No!” she shrieked, the sound raw and desperate.

“You stole my future! You plotted, didn’t you? Behind our backs!” Her eyes, blazing with fury, darted to me. 

“You tricked him! How else could he possibly choose you? No powerful Alpha would willingly choose a fat pig for a mate!”

Her hand shot out, grabbing the ornate porcelain flower vase from the mantelpiece. Before I could even flinch, she hurled it across the room. It exploded against the wall, ceramic shards and water raining down, soaking the framed family portraits.

“I… I don’t know,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over my racing heart. 

“I didn’t do anything. I swear.” I held my hands up, a desperate gesture of surrender.

“Don’t lie to me!” Isabella screamed, her face contorted with rage..

“You’re an embarrassment! This is a joke! You’ve ruined everything for our family!” She took a step towards me, her fists clenched.

My mother, instead of calming Isabella, turned on me, her own face pale with anger.

“Elara, tell me the truth. Did you meet Prince Nathan in secret? Did you approach him without consulting us?” Her voice was laced with an accusation that stung more than Isabella’s shouts.

I shook my head, my throat tight. “No, Mother. I’ve never spoken to him privately. Not once." 

The captain chose that moment to intervene, his voice cutting through Isabella’s frantic breathing and my mother’s accusations.

“Enough,” he commanded, his tone sharp. 

“May I remind you that insulting the future Luna is considered disrespect toward the royal family? If this continues, I will be forced to report the incident to Alpha Sebastian.”

The warning hung heavy in the air. The authority in his voice was unmistakable, and it instantly changed the atmosphere. My parents fell silent, their faces etched with a wary fear. Even Isabella, her cheeks still flushed with anger, bit back her next retort. But her eyes, cold and filled with hatred, remained fixed on me.

The captain turned his attention back to me, ignoring the lingering tension. He produced a sealed envelope with the heavy weight of the royal crest impressed in wax. 

“This is your formal invitation, Miss Morgan.” He handed it to me. My fingers trembled as I took it. The paper felt impossibly smooth. 

“Royal servants will arrive before sunrise to escort you to the palace. From this moment until the ceremony, you are under royal protection. Any harm that comes to you will be considered an attack on the future Alpha himself.” He gave one last, sweeping glance at my family, a silent warning. 

Then, with a curt nod, he turned and strode out, his guards following in formation, leaving the shattered vase and the even more shattered silence behind.

As soon as the front door clicked shut, the house erupted again.

“What just happened?” My mother’s voice was high-pitched, almost frantic, as she began to pace.

“How could this happen? This wasn’t… this wasn’t supposed to be you! What went wrong?” She wrung her hands, her eyes wide with bewilderment and something akin to betrayal.

My father, who rarely asserted himself against my mother, said quietly, “Perhaps… perhaps the Moon Goddess truly does have her reasons for choosing Elara.”

My mother whirled on him. “Reasons? What reasons, Robert? To humiliate us? To make us a laughingstock? Has she seen her? She’s too… too everything!”

My father visibly flinched, and then shut up, retreating into his usual silence.

His words, meant to be conciliatory, only seemed to fuel Isabella’s fury. She stared at me, her eyes glinting with a frigid, predatory light.