CHAPTER 5: The Maid Frame

Elara woke up slowly as the System chimed softly inside her head.

*[QUEST COMPLETED: SURVIVE NIGHT ONE. YOUR MATE'S WOLF HOWLED AFTER ONE YEAR OF SILENCE. REWARD: +50 WOLF AWAKENING POINTS. YOUR WOLF IS ALMOST AWAKE.]*

*[NEW DAILY QUEST: EAT BREAKFAST WITHOUT BEING POISONED. WARNING: ELDER ROWENA CONTROLS THE KITCHEN. SHE WILL TRY TO MAKE YOU LOOK BAD TODAY.]*

Milo knocked softly at the bedroom door, his hands holding a wooden tray with steaming porridge that smelled strangely familiar.

"Luna, good morning, I brought your breakfast from the kitchen, but Rowena made it herself today."

Milo's voice shook, his round face nervous, his eyes darting around as if he was afraid Rowena would appear behind him and punish him for speaking.

Elara took the tray, her soft hands steady, her nose sniffing the sweet smell of the porridge that reminded her exactly of Lyra's special teas in Red Moon.

System screamed inside her head, its voice sharp and urgent, flashing bright red warning words.

*[POISON DETECTED: GLUTTON ROOT - CAUSES SWELLING, MIND FOG, AND BLOCKS WOLF AWAKENING. THIS IS THE SAME HERB LYRA USED ON YOU FOR THREE YEARS IN RED MOON!]*

*[QUEST: EXPOSE THE POISONER IN FRONT OF THE PACK. REWARD: THE CURE CODEX PAGE ONE.]*

Elara pretended to take a big spoonful, her cheeks puffing out as she made loud happy noises, while actually letting the porridge slide back into the bowl.

"Milo, this porridge smells so delicious and sweet."

Elara stood up, her body swaying slightly, her hand clutching her head as she pretended to feel dizzy from the poison she never actually swallowed.

"Oh, oh my head, oh my belly, Elder Rowena's special porridge is making me so dizzy and sick, I think I am going to faint right now!"

Milo gasped, his small hands reaching out to catch her, his voice panicked as Elara stumbled dramatically toward the open bedroom door.

"Luna, Luna, are you okay, should I call Alpha Silas?"

Elara winked secretly at Milo, her voice loud enough to echo down the hallway, making sure every wolf in the mansion could hear her dramatic collapse.

"Take me to the main hall where his Betas are meeting, because I want everyone to see what happened."

The main hall was full of tall strong Betas and warriors, all dressed in black, listening seriously as Silas stood at the head of the table with his mask back on.

Silas's grey eyes snapped up, his cold ruthless aura flickering as he saw his new Luna stumbling into the hall, her face pale and her hands shaking.

"Little Luna, what happened to you, why are you pale and shaking, did someone hurt you?"

Elara collapsed dramatically onto the floor, her body shaking, her hands clutching her belly as she pointed weakly at the bowl of porridge Milo held.

"Alpha Silas, Elder Rowena's special porridge made me dizzy and sick, just like my sister Lyra's special teas used to make me chubby and foggy in Red Moon."

Rowena rushed into the hall, her face sharp and cold, her eyes narrowing as she saw Elara on the floor and the bowl of porridge in Milo's hands.

"What is this nonsense, you fat gold digger, I made that porridge with my own hands and it is perfectly fine, you are just acting to get attention."

Vivian stood beside Rowena, "Oh my, our new Luna is so dramatic, maybe she is just too fat and weak to handle normal pack food after eating Red Moon's cheap dirty food for years."

Elara's eyes snapped open, her cold smile returning, her voice suddenly clear and strong, not dizzy at all, as she lifted the bowl of porridge high.

"Really, Elder Rowena, then let us test this perfectly fine porridge."

Rowena's thin face paled, her hands shaking as she stared at the bowl.

Elara stood up slowly, her eyes locked on Rowena's guilty face.

"Glutton Root causes swelling and mind fog and blocks a wolf from awakening, and it is the same herb Lyra used to keep me chubby and wolf-less for three years."

Silas's grey eyes turned to black ice, his cold ruthless aura exploding outward like a black storm, making every Beta in the hall drop to their knees instantly.

"Rowena, is this true, did you poison my Luna's breakfast with the same herb that kept her weak, because if you did, I will rip your heart out today?"

Rowena dropped to her knees, her thin body shaking violently, her sharp face crumbling as she realized her secret was now exposed.

"Alpha Silas, please forgive me."

Vivian gasped, her face twisting with shock as she stared at Rowena,

Elara tilted her head, her voice calm and cold, "Alpha Silas, do not kill her, because killing her is too easy, and my sister Lyra taught me that rejected girls make very good personal maids, right?"

Silas stared at her, his eyes wide with pure obsession, because this chubby brave Luna was ruthless just like him, not soft like everyone thought.

"Little Luna, you want her as your maid, you want the woman who poisoned your breakfast to become your personal servant who scrubs your floors every day?"

Elara nodded, her cold smile sharp as glass, "Yes, Alpha."

Silas laughed, a low dark possessive laugh that made every Beta shiver, his large hand reaching out to pull Elara against his massive chest protectively.

"Granted, from today onwards, Elder Rowena is no longer housekeeper, she is personal maid to Luna Elara Moon, and she will eat what she tries to feed my Luna."

Rowena sobbed, her thin body collapsing onto the floor, her sharp face twisted with humiliation.

At that exact moment, a massive black messenger raven crashed through the open window, its wings flapping wildly, a small black paper tied to its leg.

A Beta grabbed the paper, his face paling as he read the message, his voice shaking as he handed it to Silas with both hands trembling slightly.

"Alpha Silas, message from Red Moon border patrol, Alpha Kade Stone is at our border with his Betas, demanding to see Luna Elara immediately."

Silas's arm tightened around Elara's waist, his eyes turning cold as he pulled her closer.

The second paper from the raven fell to the floor, and Milo picked it up, his voice reading aloud the second message that made everyone freeze.

"Second message says Lyra Moon confessed she was never pregnant, and Red Moon crops are dying without their true Luna's presence."

Silas leaned down, his masked face close to her ear, "Your ex-Mate is at my border to grovel, my Luna, he is bleeding and begging to see you, do you want me to kill him or make him kneel and beg?"

Elara looked up at Silas, her eyes burning with cold brave fire.

"Open the gates and let him in, because I want him to see with his own eyes what he rejected and what you accepted.”