Ella’s

My knees pressed into the cold marble floor. The chill of the stone seeped through my thin dress as I knelt before the Queen. I could not bring myself to meet her eyes. My heart was pounding so hard that I thought it might shatter my ribs.

I kept thinking about what happened in the garden. I remembered falling onto Noah, the warmth of his body beneath mine, and the way our eyes locked. For a second, he didn't look broken at all. He looked like a man who wanted me. Now, I was here in the throne room, waiting for the Queen to judge me for touching her son.

Was she furious? Was she disgusted? I did not know, and the uncertainty felt like a knife twisting in my stomach. I swallowed hard and forced my voice to work.

“I am so sorry, Your Majesty,” I said. My words were trembling. “It was an accident. I slipped on a root and fell. It will not happen again, I swear. I will take whatever punishment you give me.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. I glanced up for just a second. I saw the maids, Cara and Lila, lurking in the corner of the room. Their smirks were as sharp as claws. They were enjoying this. They were waiting for the Queen to tear me apart and throw me out of the mansion. My hands shook, but I kept them clasped tight. I braced myself for her wrath.

But then the Queen spoke. Her voice was not cold or angry. It was warm and surprisingly soft.

“Stand up, Ella,” she said. I could hear a smile in her tone.

I blinked in confusion. My legs were unsteady as I rose to my feet. I wondered if I was hearing things correctly. The Queen stood up from her throne. Her silver hair caught the light as she walked toward me. Before I could process what was happening, she pulled me into a hug. Her arms were firm but gentle.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Her voice sounded thick with emotion.

I pulled back and stared at her. My mouth felt dry. “I… I do not understand,” I stammered. “You are not angry with me?”

She smiled, and the corners of her eyes crinkled. For a moment, she did not look like a scary Queen. She looked like a mother who was hopeful.

“Angry? No, Ella. I am happy. My son—Noah—he is reacting to you. I saw it in the garden. I have prayed to the Moon Goddess every night that he would find someone to bring his spirit back. He needs someone to help him become the powerful Alpha he was meant to be.”

My chest tightened. I felt a mix of relief and a heavy weight that felt like guilt. I forced a small smile. “I want him to be whole again, too,” I said. It was not a lie. Even though Noah was cold and silent, there was something about his handsome face and his quiet strength that was starting to matter to me.

The Queen’s expression shifted. Her smile became sharp and full of purpose. “I have made the arrangements,” she said firmly. “The full moon is in three days. You will be crowned as the Luna of this pack. You will be mated to my son in the sacred rite. I believe the Goddess will grant him clarity and heal him once the bond is sealed.”

My breath caught in my throat. My mind was reeling. Three days? To be crowned as Luna? To be mated to Noah forever? I had not even decided if I could survive a week in this house, let alone a lifetime.

I looked over at Noah. He was sitting in his wheelchair near the throne. He was staring at a map on the wall, his finger tracing the lines of the territory. Could I really do this? Could I tie my soul to his forever?

I saw Cara and Lila in the corner. Their smirks were gone now. They looked angry and shocked. They never expected a low-rank girl like me to actually become their Luna. I looked back at Noah. His jaw was set tight, and he looked like a king in exile. Something softened in my heart. He was a man who had lost his power, and I felt a strange urge to protect him.

I turned back to the Queen. My throat was tight, but I made my voice sure. “I accept,” I said. “I will do it.”

The Queen’s smile widened. She clasped my hands in hers. “I am so happy to hear that, Ella. You will be a fine Luna for our people.”

The maids glared at me as the Queen dismissed us. I walked out of the throne room with my head spinning. Three days until I was bound to Noah. Three days until I took on a life I never chose for myself. My heart felt like it was caught in a trap. Part of me wanted to run away, but another part of me wanted to believe that Noah could truly be the man the Queen described.

I went back to my room and stood in front of the cracked mirror. I looked at the stranger staring back at me. I pulled up my sleeves, looking at my arms. They were crisscrossed with small scars. They were jagged reminders of the years Carol and Gerald spent hitting me and shoving me.

I traced a scar on my forearm with my finger. This was who I was—a girl who had been beaten down, now about to become the most powerful woman in the pack. It felt like a dream.

The door creaked open behind me. I quickly pulled my sleeves down to hide my scars. Cara and Lila stepped inside. Their faces were twisted with disgust.

I straightened my back. “What do you want?” I asked sharply.

Lila laughed. “The Queen sent us to look after you,” she said. Her voice was full of mockery. “She said we have to make sure the gold-digger looks like a real Luna in three days. We have to clean you up.”

I forced a smile, though my jaw was tight. “Thank you for your help,” I said flatly. “You can leave now.”

Cara stepped closer. “You think you are special now, don’t you? Just because you are wearing a ring? Becoming Luna does not give you real power. You are still just a stray. You will never be one of us.”

I took a deep breath. I didn't want to show them my anger. “Keep talking,” I said. My voice was low. “It does not change the fact that I am staying here. I am not going anywhere.”

They looked at each other and sneered, then they turned and walked out. I stood there alone, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The walls of this mansion felt like they were closing in on me. I was about to be mated to a man who was a mystery, surrounded by enemies. But as I thought of Noah’s green eyes in the garden, I wondered if I could actually make this work. Maybe I could find a way to survive this hell and turn it into a home.