Chapter 10

Selena’s POV

Sis was still clinging to me

I was scared that she could feel how much my hands shook.

I had done it

For Eleanor and for aunt.

Just a few years of pretense wouldn’t hurt.

“Sisi,” Cassian called, drawing me out of my thoughts, “to your room now,”

I stood there, my arms crossed to my back, wondering what the heck i was meant to be doing now.

I could feel his eyes in me tho.

Like he was accessing me.

I hated how condescending it felt.

But it wasn’t like I had a choice either way

“I knew you would come back,” Cassian’s voice rang out again, but this time it was directed to me.

Of course I couldn’t tell him that my entire existence was riding on this, so instead, I smiled, looked him dead in the eye and told him something else.

“You can think whatever you want, Cassian. I’m here for Sisi.”

What?

That was the best I could offer

I mean, I’ve seen how attached he is to that kid.

He chuckled, the kind that made him appear more handsome.

I just noticed that his nose looked a little bit crooked when he chuckled… not like I had a emu business looking at it.

“Spare me the noble act, pauper.”

Pauper.

The word shattered whatever delusion I had conjured about him seconds ago.

He wanted to get on my nerves.

To have me commit an offense.

To give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten to me. Sick weirdo.

I didn’t.

Instead, I tilted my chin slightly and replied, “And yet the pauper is the one your daughter clings to in her sleep.”

He didn’t even look surprised.

He just stood there, on the last stairs of the staircase, his arms crossed like he had been waiting for this moment all along.

“You couldn’t possibly refuse an offer as handsome as mine,” he continued, lips curving in a smirk

A smirk that I wanted to rip off his face real bad.

“Not with your aunt gasping for air in that rundown excuse of a hospital. Not when your sister has dreams you can’t afford. You’re predictable, Selena. Desperation suits you.”

I held his gaze, refusing to blink.

He wanted a reaction. He was baiting me.

But I wouldn’t give him one.

Guaranteed that it pays the bills, I’d gladly be called a pauper

ten times over

A million maybe

I don’t care

At least it was better than watching my sister lose her shot at a better life. Than watch my aunt die alone because I couldn’t scrape together enough money to help her breathe.

So I straightened my back and said calmly, “You win, Alpha. I’m here.”

He smirked, stepping closer. “Don’t worry. You’ll find your place eventually. Or be crushed under the weight of your own pride.”

“If I have to crawl through fire for the people I love, I’ll do it,” I said, voice steady. “With or without your approval.”

He paused then, only for a second. Maybe because he didn’t expect me to talk back. Maybe because there was something in my tone that reminded him—I hadn’t come to play servant. I came to survive.

Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked away.

I was led to this enormous room

Grey

Ofcourse

Just like the owner

The room they gave me was… enormous.

There was a table in the center. On the table was an entire breakfast buffet laid on it.

Toast, sausages,bacon and tea.

I didn’t touch it

Everything here felt like a test and I couldn’t be sure if this wasn’t one of it.

Instead, I paced slowly, taking it all in.

I was no longer a prisoner. But this wasn’t freedom either. I was a paid presence. A signed signature on a contract. A substitute mother.

I reminded myself again: It’s for Sisi. It’s for Eleanor. It’s for Aunt Myra.

You can do this.

This was way better than working a thousand shifts and still not making ends meet.

Plus getting a job would be really stressful

Geez, thanks Zevran.

A knock came just as I sat on one of the chairs..

Before I could answer, the door opened.

Two people stepped in.

The first person was a woman, in tailored suits, with her hair packed in a bun.

I tried my best to avoid staring at her for too long

But it was difficult, especially when she looked at me like I belonged in the trash can.

So much for being welcoming.

The second was a tall man with a lazy smirk and hands in his pockets.

The woman spoke first.

“Selena, I’m Adeline. Head of training. You’ll answer to me.”

She didn’t blink. Not once.

“And this,” she added, turning to the man, who seemed like he wad having a hard time hiding his grin, “is Conrad. Your second handler. Between the two of us, you’ll be trained in the customs, manners, and responsibilities expected of a Luna. If you make it through.”

Conrad grinned and waved. “Morning, pauper. Ready for torture?”

I felt my shoulders tense. “Excuse me?”

“Relax,” he winked, his lips curving into a smirk

Was every male around here too confident or I was just tripping?

“I mean Luna etiquette training. Same difference.”

I looked at both of them, heart already sinking. “So this is the Luna program?”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Adeline called with a roll of her eyes. “This is the easy part. Wait till the ceremonies start.”

Ceremonies?

“I thought I was just here to help with Sisi…”

Conrad raised a brow. “That’s cute. You really thought the Alpha would let his so-called mate walk around untrained? You have no idea how much attention this place gets. You’re a symbol now.”

“A symbol of what?”

“Complication,” Adeline said, already turning toward the hallway. “Now get dressed. Your first lesson begins in ten minutes.”

**

Ten minutes later and I was thrown into utter chaos

Because explain to me why i'm being shown how to walk without making a sound.

How to bow without breaking eye contact.

How to introduce myself to an Alpha’s guest without appearing too humble or too proud. How to speak firmly but not aggressively. How to correct a subordinate without looking insecure.

Heck, most of it didn’t even make sense to me.

Conrad wasn’t actively involved. Thank the goddess, cause I didn’t think I could stand one more smirk from him.

But he did make his presence known by offering sarcastic remarks here and there.

“Too stiff, Sel,” he sighed at one point, lounging in a high-backed chair. “Loosen up or you’ll scare the omegas.”

I glanced at him. “I thought I wasn’t here to be liked.”

“You’re not,” he replied, chewing on something. “But if you walk like you’re in pain, no one’s going to follow you into battle.”

Battle. That word made something tighten in my chest.

Because it already felt like a war.

By midday, my arms ached from posture correction and pageantry training.

I was escorted back to my quarters by a silent maid

More correctly, Cassian’s room.

I was expecting that by now they might have probably moved in a second bed

But no.

It was still just his king size bed in the room

The room was beautiful

But none of it felt like mine.

i swallowed the bile that had formed in my throat, stepped inside and—

“Sisi?” I blinked.

There she was, curled up on the bed, hugging a stuffed wolf.

“I waited for you,” she whispered.

I shut the door gently behind me.

“You can’t sleep here every night,” I said, walking toward her. “What if your dad—”

“I don’t care,” she said quickly. “He doesn’t scare me.”

I paused. “Does he scare you?”

She shook her head. “But he looks at you like he wants to.”

That made my stomach twist.

I sat beside her, brushing her hair off her forehead.

She looked up at me with those big, dark eyes. “Did they make you do scary stuff?”

“A little,” I admitted. “But I survived.”

She smiled sleepily and climbed into my lap. “You always survive. You’re strong.”

I hugged her tight. “So are you.”

We stayed like that, wrapped in quiet.

And I knew—no matter how harsh the palace, how cold the Alpha,

Hiw march change I would have to adapt to

I found myself developing another reason for for staying here

And it was crazy because it was barely twelve hours

But—I’d stay.

For her.

Because somewhere between surviving and pretending…

I was starting to feel like a Luna.