[12AM Midnight]

I was careful not to let any of the werewolf guards spot me. I took a veil belonging to Roan from her wardrobe which aided in my disguise. I strode towards the courtyard as directed in the note. Maybe this Claire lady would have an explanation for what was happening to me.

My heart raced as I heard footsteps come from the corner of the building. I had to maintain the aura the real Roan had. No one had to note me as Ashley, or being an imposter. I wasn’t even familiar with my wolf. I didn’t know if I had one.

The murmuring approached and I knew for certain I’ll have to hide, but I was already late. The next pillar was just a step ahead but I already felt the presence of the men behind me.

“Stop!” The deep bass voice echoed as I paused.

“Turn around, slowly,” the second man added.

As i turned around, my eyes widened with fear, my chest heaved rapidly, my heart pounding visibly beneath my shirt—eyes darting frantically, searching for an escape.

I exhaled and took off the veil.

“Forgive me, my lady. We were on patrol,” the first man apologized.

“Hmm. It’s alright, well, I just thought of having some fresh air. Decided to take a walk.” I faked a wry smile. “Carry on with your patrol…”

‘That was damn close,’ I muttered as I walked out of sight as my heart beat began settling.

The courtyard was beautiful. There was a garden just opposite. ‘That would be her spot,’ I mumbled.

Though it was midnight, I still admired the flowers and the vegetation. If this was her handy work, then she’d be a fine gardener. I stood at the center and observed. Several thoughts ran through my mind as I waited for a signal. ‘What if someone sees me? What if I’m caught by Boris or one of his relatives at this time of the night?’

“Such a nice dress,” a mild voice whispered behind.

I flinched as I turned and saw her—Claire.

“Don’t you ever do that again,” I voiced low.

She chuckled. “Of course I wouldn’t dare attempt that to Luna Roan James,” She kept a stare at me. It was at that moment I understood. She knew.

We both stood and kept on staring at ourselves for a few seconds before she broke the silence.

“Please, you’re still my lady. I mean—you’ve got the identity of the Luna and I’m putting on the vest of a servant,” She uttered.

I cleared my throat. “Look, whatever you have to say concerning what’s happening to me at the moment, you’d have to say it fast. I don’t have so much time down here, besides, I noticed security cameras at every corner of this premises.” I spoke with fright; a shiver ran through my spine as I watched her chuckle. She wasn’t feeling so concerned with the situation or the dangers involved.

She approached me and held my hands. “Say less, Luna, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about.” She giggled. I tried to feel calm but instead the nervousness in me increased.

“Come on. Let’s go grab a seat in my small farm house.” She paused. “And for the record, there are no cameras in this part of the premises, I disabled them for tonight.” She held me while I followed behind. My heart raced and I prayed whatever she had to say was quick indeed.

There was a building situated at the end of the garden, just before the fence. We both walked quickly and entered as she shut the door. The room looked arranged with a small bed and a fireplace. Plants and other agricultural materials were arranged on a shelf in front, ranging from, seedlings, flowers, and fruits.

“Where is this place?” I asked, looking so nervous. My eyes glaring at the walls and the nature paintings.

“It’s the place where you’ll get the answers to the things you find strange.” She replied and wiped her hands with a damp hand towel. “Welcome to my magical room, Luna.” She echoed and turned to me.

“Listen up! Lady, I’d prefer you go straight to the point. Why the hell did you place that note in the tray? I guess there must be some explanation for that, isn’t it?”

She smirked.

“I knew you weren’t Roan the moment I saw you. There were so many signs and I don’t know if the Alpha noticed any,”

“Notice what?!” I inquired sharply.

“You are right-handed, nervous, slow. Roan is the opposite of all that,” I saw the seriousness in her eyes while she voiced. My curiosity level increased.

‘Fuck,’ I muttered.

“Damn,” I felt stone cold. Series of mixed reactions engulfed me as I watched her concentrate on my face. I just needed to make sure she was someone I could trust.

“There’s no need to panic, Ashley,” She said, her voice—calm. “I just had to do some quick digging, after I saw served you that glass of water,”

It was getting rather weird that she even knew my real name. I couldn’t point my fingers at it. I felt so tense and needed to leave anytime soon, but the urge to stay and hear all she had to say grew.

“Claire, or whatever you call yourself, you’ve got to cut the suspense. Do you work with the FBI or maybe you’re a…”?

“Witch!” She cuts me.

“What?! How?”

“Look, Ashley, I know this would look so weird to you, but you’ve got to pay attention to every word I say, trust me, if the pack finds out that you’re not Roan…”

“They’ll kill me! I know. Look, Claire, I just need the fastest ways to adapt to the situation around here, at least buy myself some time to understand what’s really going on with me and I’d love you to help me out, please, it’s all I ask.” I clapped my hands and moved towards her while she gave me a pussy look.

“Listen up, the first thing you’d have to note is that you’re the Luna of the Pack. You’re Boris’s wife, you’d have to act like her. Showcase power, authority, not weakness. There’s a whole lot I would love to tell you about her and some other hacks to survive the Alpha’s sister—Monica. Remember? The lady who came into the room afterwards,”

“Claire! You’ve got to help me with some vital info concerning this mess I’ve found myself and not Boris’s sister!”

“But she’s basically the villain in the frame, and you’ve got to be be alerted,”

“Villain? If it’s the Monica who’s Boris’s sister, she seemed nice and offered to cook personally for me tomorrow,”

“No, that’s not it, Ash…” She persisted.

“And why should I care about her?!”

“Because she killed Roan! And she’s not going to stop till you—Ashley Wells, Who’s in Roan’s body is confirmed dead and this time, buried!”