Chapter2
1622 Words
Ravenna.
That explained why she had been staring at me all this time.
“W—what?” My lips trembled. I slid off the chair I was seated on in front of the counter. “You mean Ryder is in this clubhouse?”
She nodded firmly. “Yes. Upstairs, throwing a party.”
Then her expression deepened with pity, which I hated more than anything else.
The same pity they had used to stare at me since I even learned how to say my first word. The daughter of a maid who fell into the arms of my father when he was drunk. That one-night mistake defined me even before I was born.
My mouth parted. My stomach twisted. I wanted to scream down the entire bar… but no, I wouldn't let them make me a crazy woman.
Instead, a thought crossed my mind. I would ruin tonight for them, just like they did for me.
A devilish smirk spread across my face as I ordered, “I need five more shots of tequila.”
“What?!” she snapped, her eyes widening. “W—why?”
I glared at her in response, even though I shouldn't have.
“Alright.” She quickly turned away.
In less than two minutes, five glasses of tequila were arranged before me, and I started throwing them down one after the other, gasping as the drinks hit every nerve inside me.
When I was done, the ground beneath me tilted, and on the platform, it seemed like the Moon Goddess had joined the strippers on the stage.
I nodded.
Good.
This would make me reckless and give me the boldness to confront them.
Turning away from the bartender who was staring at me suspiciously, I walked toward the VIP lounge, shoving people out of my path. I heard some of them curse me for getting drunk and embarrassing the royal family, but I didn't mind.
In the corridor upstairs, it didn't take too long for me to locate the lounge because I could hear the voices of his friends throwing banter at each other.
I belched loudly, then twisted the doorknob and stepped in.
Inside, the room was thick with the smell of cigar smoke and alcohol. His friends sat around the table, and in a corner… there was Kate with a broad smile on her face. Ryder's lips were just inches away from hers, whispering whatever nonsense. They hadn't even noticed me yet.
“Wow…” I sneered, my voice dripping with mockery as I walked further in. “Why don't you just kiss already?”
Everyone stared up at me, shocked. Kate's grin only widened, placing her fingers possessively on Ryder's chest. Meanwhile, Ryder's smile disappeared, and he gave me the look that said… what the f**k are you doing here?
Then he eventually said it. “What the f**k are you doing here?” he thundered. “Shouldn't you be at the palace with my parents?”
“Oh… really? I should be at the palace with your parents, hearing your mother whine about how I can't give birth, while you are here with your mistress?”
“Don't you dare talk about my mother like that,” he warned. “And besides… Kate is not my mistress. She is the woman I love.”
I knew he loved her… but did he have to rub it in my face?
Kate waved at me like I was nothing but a stray cat. “Hey, sister,” her voice was disgustingly sweet. “It's been, what? Eight months since I last saw you, and you're still in that hideous dress. Oof!”
Oh… I did not mention that Kate was my elder sister. Yes, she was the legitimate daughter of the Wells family. Ryder had borrowed my father the money because of Kate until she suddenly broke up with him and left the pack.
“Yeah… you came back, and the first thing you did was snatch my husband away from me. On a night like this, when we should be celebrating love?” My voice was thick with pain, and I knew that was definitely the seven shots of tequila talking.
Kate's hand flew to her mouth before she let out a mocking laugh. “Your husband?” she repeated like it was the most ridiculous phrase she had ever heard. “Celebrating love? Which love exactly?”
Her words prickled my chest. She was right. There was no love between Ryder and me.
She continued, “He was never yours to begin with. I only left for a while, and now I'm back to take what belonged to me.”
I felt tears forming in my eyes, but I wouldn't break. Not in their presence.
“Then if you love each other so much, why doesn't he divorce me so you both can be together?”
Ryder hissed. “No, I won't divorce you. At least not yet. My father won't take me seriously if I do. Let's be in an open marriage instead.”
The pit in my stomach deepened. “Open marriage?”
“Yes. I want to be with Kate. So you too can f**k whoever you want. Although, I doubt anyone would want anything to do with someone pathetic like you. Besides… who would dare want to f**k the prince's mate, huh?” He c****d his chin at me like I was just a mutt in the gutter.
“Once I become the Alpha in the next two months, I will divorce you.” His eyes sized me up. “Because you are not qualified to be my Luna.”
“Yes, Ravenna,” Kate chipped in. “You think you will be his Luna? No, sister. You will only be a maid like your mother. My maid, like you've been for years. Once I become his Luna, you will resume your duties again.”
I shook my head frantically.
“I will become Luna,” the words slipped past my lips.
Fuck… this tequila was really making me delusional, wasn't it?
But at that moment, something shifted inside me. The desire not to be pathetic. Not to become my sister's maid again once he cast me away.
My voice did not shake as I continued. “With or without you, Ryder, I will become a Luna.”
There was silence… the room thickened as they all exchanged glances, and at the same time, they burst into laughter. Sharp. Cold. Mocking.
“Luna?!” Ryder stood. “Whose Luna would you become? Cut the crap, Ravenna. No man would ever desire a used product like you to be his Luna.”
My determination was unwavering now. “Just watch me, Ryder.”
“Wow…” one of his friends, Lucien, taunted, his voice mocking. “If you become Luna, I will eat grass.”
“I will dance naked all around the pack,” Jayden chipped in.
“As for me, I will exile myself from the kingdom,” Elias added.
“And me…” Ryder roared loudly. “I will kneel before you and lick your feet.”
“Me…” Kate gripped the collar of Ryder's shirt, pulled him closer, and kissed him. “I will become your maid instead.”
I nodded. “Fine… if I become Luna, you all can't go back on your words, okay?”
“Still being delusional?” He was irritated now. “Fine, we will never go back on our words. Don't embarrass me more than you already did, and just get lost already.”
Through my blurry eyes, I saw the way he gripped Kate's waist possessively, and I just couldn't withstand it any longer because I was sure I was going to break.
“Open marriage, right?” my voice was hoarse.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Let's do it. And I will make sure that you regret it. The open marriage and the challenge.”
That was my last word before I turned and walked out of the room, my legs threatening to give out, but I did not let them, and a promise echoed in my mind.
I WILL BECOME LUNA.
Anyhow. Somehow.
And I will make them pay back for all the humiliation they caused me.
Their mocking laughter cut through my retreating figure.
Once I stepped into the corridor, I started hyperventilating. The tequila seemed to be taking more effect now; my legs gave out.
Then I felt strong arms around my waist, catching me before I hit the floor. I felt myself trapped in his rigid frame before I could see his face. His sandalwood and wild pine scent mixed with expensive cologne wafted up my nostrils to intoxicate me, forcing me to lean into him and sending goosebumps prickling across my skin.
When I looked up, my breath instantly hitched because the man standing before me looked like a Greek god. He was too handsome—too strikingly young for his age, because if I was right, he should be in his late forties.
His jaw was sculpted to perfection. Stormy gray eyes that felt like they could see past my future, present, and past. His skin was fairer and smoother than mine. A broad chest with tattoos of dripping jaws all over it. Dressed in a leather jacket and pants that reeked of gasoline and danger. His aura… was dangerous, yet one couldn't help but be captivated by it.
Damn…
I f*****g stopped hyperventilating and just lost myself in the fantasy of him.
His voice was like velvet, stroking pla
ces I never knew existed in my body as he asked, “Are you okay, miss?”
- Writer
