Ella’s

I yanked on my dress, my fingers trembling so much that the fabric caught on my skin. I rushed down the long hallways of the mansion, my heart in my throat.

Ahead of me, the Queen’s voice echoed through the house. She was sharp and frantic, screaming for someone to find the pack doctor immediately. Noah was in the throne room, and the word was that he was shivering like a leaf in a storm.

I pushed through a crowd of maids and guards. Their faces were a blur of panic and whispers. When I finally reached the room, it was total chaos. Servants were scrambling, the Queen was barking orders, and Noah was lying on a cot in the center of the room. He looked pale and fragile, his eyes closed tight.

I stood frozen. My chest ached as I stared at him. Was this my fault? Was I really the curse that everyone said I was? The photo, the drugged drink, Mara’s smug smirk—it all swirled in my head like a storm of guilt.

I sank to my knees on the cold floor. Tears burned my eyes. “This is all my fault,” I whispered to myself. My voice broke. “I did this to him.”

I began to crawl toward Noah. I just wanted to hold his hand and tell him I was sorry. I wanted to tell him that I didn't betray him. But before I could reach him, the Queen’s hand shot out. She shoved me back with a force that sent me sprawling.

“Get out!” she snapped. Her eyes were blazing with a terrifying light. “You have done quite enough!”

I opened my mouth to protest, to beg her to let me stay, but her glare silenced me.

“Out, Ella!” she shouted, pointing her finger toward the door. “Now!”

I saw Cara and Lila lingering in the corner. Their smirks were barely hidden behind their hands. They were loving every second of my disgrace. I stumbled to my feet, my legs feeling like jelly, and staggered out of the room. Their whispers followed me out like poison.

I sank onto a stone bench in the hallway. I buried my face in my hands. The weight of everything—the canceled ceremony, the fake photo, the Queen’s hatred—was crushing the life out of me. What was going to happen to me now? Would I be banished? Punished? Or worse?

Hours dragged by. The mansion eventually grew quiet. Finally, a servant walked by and mentioned that Noah was stable. The doctor had checked him and said he would survive.

Relief flooded through me, but it felt bitter. I was still the outcast. I was the girl who had supposedly slept with another man on her wedding night.

When the guards changed shifts, I saw an opening. I slipped back into the room where Noah lay. His chest was rising and falling slowly. The new guards didn't stop me; they just looked away as if I wasn't even worth their attention.

I knelt beside his bed and took his hand in mine. It was warm—too warm. He was burning with a fever. “I am so sorry, Noah,” I whispered. My voice was thick with tears. “I never meant for any of this to happen to you.”

His eyelids fluttered. He looked at me, his green eyes cloudy and soft with fever. “Ella,” he mumbled. His voice was faint, but he knew I was there.

I gave him a small smile and brushed a lock of dark hair from his forehead. “Go back to sleep,” I said gently. “I will stay right here.”

He drifted off again. I closed my eyes and held his hand tight. I thought about the Moon Goddess. The Queen always prayed to her, but I had always felt a different kind of connection to her. I had a gift—a small spark of healing power I had never fully understood. I had kept it a secret my whole life.

“Goddess,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “If I have this power, let it mean something now. Heal him. Please.”

I didn't care what it cost me. I felt the spark inside my chest flare up. It felt warm and sharp, flowing down my arms and into my fingertips. A soft, golden glow flickered where my skin touched Noah’s hand. I felt my energy draining away, my body sagging with exhaustion, but I didn't let go. I poured everything I had into him until I couldn't move.

“It is going to be okay,” I whispered, hoping I was right.

…

The next morning, I sat in the garden. The air was heavy with the scent of roses. The maids’ whispers followed me everywhere. They said Noah was awake. But they said something else, too—they said he wasn't the same man anymore.

My heart leaped with hope. Had my power worked? Had I brought him back to himself?

I stood up, my legs still shaky from the night before, and ran through the mansion. I ignored the glares of the guards and the sneers of the servants. I needed to see him. I needed to know if he was okay.

I burst into the living room, my breath catching in my throat. I froze in my tracks.

Noah was standing there. He wasn't in his wheelchair. He stood tall and steady, looking every bit the Alpha he was born to be. His green eyes were sharp and filled with a terrifying intelligence. But he was not alone.

Mara was standing right beside him. Her hand was tucked into his arm, and she was wearing a smug, triumphant smile. My stomach dropped.

“What is going on?” I asked. My voice was barely a whisper.

Noah stepped forward. His expression was cold as ice. He didn't look like the man who had whispered my name in the night. He looked like a stranger.

“I was just speaking with my mother,” he said. His voice was deep and commanding. It sent a shiver down my spine. “We were deciding how to tell the pack that I have finally found my true Luna.”

I blinked, my mind spinning. “What?” I asked. My heart hammered against my ribs. “What are you talking about, Noah?”

He gave me a smile, but it was sharp and cruel. He lifted Mara’s hand and kissed her knuckles.

“The woman who healed me,” he said, his eyes locking onto mine with pure hatred. “She is going to be my Luna. Not some traitor who decided to sleep with another man on the night of our ceremony.”

The words hit me like a physical blow to the chest. I stared at him, then at Mara. Her smirk grew even wider.

“That is what they told you?” I asked, my voice shaking with rage. “They told you that I am a traitor? That Mara is the one who healed you?”

Mara laughed, stepping closer to Noah and leaning her head on his shoulder. “Do not act surprised, Ella. Everyone saw the photo. The evidence doesn't lie. You are finished here.”

I shook my head, tears of frustration burning my eyes. “I didn't do anything!” I shouted at Noah. “She drugged me! Mara set this whole thing up!”

Noah’s eyes narrowed. “Enough,” he said, his voice like the crack of a whip. “I do not want to hear your lies or your excuses. You betrayed me when I was at my weakest. Mara is the one who stayed by my side and brought me back to life.”

I turned to look at Cara and Lila, who were standing by the door. They looked smug, but I saw their eyes flicker with a tiny bit of guilt.

In that moment, everything clicked into place. The drink. The photo. The whispers in the halls. They were all in on it. They had helped Mara steal my life, my power, and my mate. And the worst part was that Noah believed them.