Semua Bab Betrayed Luna: The Alpha's Claim : Bab 71 - Bab 78

Elenas pov The walk from the gate to the castle was long. Eerie. And far too quiet. The air shifted the moment I stepped past the rusted gate. It was heavier—cloaked in something old, oppressive. Like the ground itself remembered every scream ever buried beneath it. The stench came next. It does not rot, exactly. But close. Damp stone, mildew, sweat, and something metallic, probably blood. And beneath all that a stench from when I first visited mixed between. My boots crunched lightly on the gravel as I passed several small, crooked sheds, their windows shuttered, their doors creaking with the weight of silence. Then, voices. I crouched low, pressed myself against the side of a crumbling wall, and peeked around the corner. A row of people all in plain clothes, faces drawn and tired stood shoulder to shoulder beneath a flickering torchlight. Most were women. A few older men. Their expressions were blank. Trained. Maids. Servants. I adjusted my hood, dirtied my cloak a bit

Elena’s POVI was assigned to clean the rooms.Luck was on my side. With Lykan’s temper, I probably only had a week or less here before he blew up the castle gates himself.I took the rag and started wiping the floor with a speed I hadn’t used since the days of harvesting with the Moirea. A girl worked beside me. Quiet, efficient, eyes always down. Like a ghost trained to breathe without being noticed.“Hi, I’m Elia,” I said softly enough that only she could hear.She blinked, startled. Her wide blue eyes locked on mine as if I’d just committed treason.“I’m Aria,” she whispered back after a beat, voice barely audible. “But… we aren’t allowed to talk. You’ll be in trouble.”I glanced around. No one is in sight.“It’s just the two of us. And I’m very bored,” I said with a faint smile.She hesitated… then gave the smallest nod. Like her silence had cost her something, and this was the first breath of rebellion she’d dared take in years.“Why aren’t you girls allowed to talk?” I pressed

Elena pov "What are you doing here?" The voice froze me in place. Lady Dimitri. Sharp. Cold. Lethal. She stood at the far end of the corridor, arms crossed, her black robes swirling around her ankles like smoke. Her eyes were narrowed, calculating, and even from this distance, I could feel the oppressive weight of her presence. Think fast. She didn’t recognize me from yesterday. I dipped my head slightly and gave the smallest, most innocent curtsy I could muster. “I got turned around, my lady. I was delivering a tray from the kitchens and took a wrong turn.” Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she approached, every step deliberate. “You’re new,” she said, circling me like a predator. “I don’t recognize your face.” “I just arrived this morning,” I replied, voice calm, face blank. “From the southern outposts.” She stopped in front of me, just inches away, her hand lightly tapping the edge of a golden ring on her finger. “I wasn’t informed of any new additions.”

Elena pov They ordered me to the royal dining chambers before sunrise. The moment the command came, I knew two things: 1. The Alpha would be there. 2. I was walking into the lion’s den. 3. This was a test. The slightest slip-up, I would die. I had changed my appearance before entering the castle dull blonde hair tied low, brown lenses masking my violet eyes, no makeup, no scent. I made myself look small. Plain. Forgettable. But inside, my blood pulsed like thunder. Because the man who sat at that table? He killed my mother. And I planned to kill him. The doors opened, and I was led in by a silent guard. The room was massive. Columns of black stone stretched toward the ceiling. The table was long, dark, carved from obsidian, polished like a mirror. Gold cutlery. Silver plates. Silence. At the head of the table sat Alpha Valric. The man who burned the Moirea to ash. And beside him? Cael. His little legs dangled from the seat, kicking idly until his face lit up when h