The Ugly Luna

CHAPTER 2

ELLIE

The world has narrowed down to him.

He's tall—tall enough that he stands out even among the broad-shouldered wolves crowding the courtyard. He’s built like something meant to be obeyed, all lean muscle beneath a black-and-gold coat that fits him like it was tailored an hour ago.

His jaw is cut sharp, shadowed with the faintest dark stubble, and his hair is a deep, near-black, swept back.

A shrill voice cuts through

"No." Clara's staring between him and me, her face draining of color and then flooding right back with red. "No, absolutely not—" She rounds on him, one hand pressed to her chest like she's about to faint for effect. "This ugly freak can't be your mate. You're mine. You are here to marry me. No!"

Marry me?

The pieces fall into place all at once. He's Adrian Black. The Alpha of the Sun Wolf Pack. The man who's supposed to crown Clara as his Luna in a political mating tonight.

He ignores her completely, his gaze still fixed on me. His eyes are a deep blue, ringed darker, burning straight across the distance like he can see through every wall I've ever built.

A wave of whispers ripples through the crowd, spreading faster than wildfire.

"What happens to the marriage now? Does he just walk away from it?"

"Of course not. Bond or not, nobody is picking that thing over beautiful Clara."

"You're right. Only a madman would."

Every word lands like another stone against my chest. I don't have to look at their faces to know what I'll find. To them, the mate bond isn't the shocking part. The shocking part is that it chose me.

I keep my shoulders curled in, my expression carefully blank.

Bailey glides forward, her voice dripping with the kind of concern that's never once been genuine.

"Alpha Adrian, I know the bond feels powerful, but you mustn't be fooled. There are... old magics. Dark ones." She lets the words hang in the air, heavy with false dread, before flicking a look my way, her lip curling with barely concealed disgust. "Girls like her know how to trick a wolf's senses."

Wow. Dark magic. I almost laugh. I really should've seen that one coming from my dear stepmother.

Adrian doesn't even look at her. His gaze hasn't left me once, and when he finally speaks, his voice is low.

"I know my own mate when I scent her." He says it like a verdict. "This isn't magic."

The silence that follows crashes over the room, so complete it almost roars in my ears. Every pair of eyes darts between us, no one daring to breathe first.

I wasn't expecting that.

For a heartbeat, I'm too stunned to move. Warmth blooms in my chest, and a smile threatens to spread across my face at the look of utter disbelief on Bailey's face.

Nearly. Then a wicked little idea slips into my mind.

What fun would this be if I didn't stir the pot just a little?

What fun would it be if i don’t stir the pot a bit?

I take a slow step toward Adrian, letting my shoulders sag. My bottom lip trembles ever so slightly as I force moisture into my eyes. I give a tiny shake of my head, as though I'm overwhelmed by everything happening around us.

"Thank you..." My voice comes out small, barely above a whisper.

I hesitate before closing the distance between us, my fingers curling timidly around the sleeve of his jacket.

"I... I thought no one would believe me."

His entire body goes still beneath my touch.

Behind me, I hear Bailey suck in a sharp breath.

Good. Let her choke on it.

A burning gaze lands on me. I slowly turn my head, already knowing who it belongs to.

Clara. Her eyes lock on the way Adrian stands beside me. Her face twists with a mixture of disbelief and jealousy.

I let my lips curve. Just slightly.

Clara's cheeks flush even deeper, the color spreading across her face as her anger battles with the humiliation of watching everything she wanted slip right through her fingers.

"You scheming, bitch." Her voice cracks upward, shrill enough to hurt. "You planned this! You disgusting little piece of shit."

The vulgarity spills from her mouth without hesitation, stripping away the last bit of composure she was pretending to have.

Before anyone can react, she lunges toward me, her face twisted with pure rage.

"I'll rip that ugly face of yours apart!"

She doesn't get close.

Adrian turns his head, just slightly, and looks at her.

That's all it is. A look. But Clara stumbles back like she's been shoved, one hand flying to her throat. The courtyard goes dead silent around her ragged breathing.

Nobody moves or says a word. Even Bailey, for once in her life, doesn't have anything to add.

Then there's motion at the edge of my vision—two servants in Moon Wolf silver, moving toward me with careful, almost reverent steps. One of them dips into a small bow.

"My lady. If you'll come with us."

The title catches me off guard for a brief moment. My eyes instinctively find Adrian. He meets my gaze, and after a moment, he gives a small nod.

Of course. He must have mind-linked them over.

I let them lead me into a changing room at the side of the hall. My hands are shaking, though from what—fear, disbelief, the last dregs of adrenaline—I couldn't say.

I don't even know what to process first. That I have a mate or that he's Alpha Adrian. Earlier, I was just focused on making Clara and Bailey grind their teeth in anger, but now. Now I can actually think about what this means.

God. Why did I even follow them in here? I should've said no. I don't want this — I watched what being mated to my father did to my mother. How could I forget that?

"Hello, little wolf." The voice is so sweet and gentle that I nearly stumble.

I freeze, looking around even though I already know where it came from.

"Hello," I reply cautiously. A soft laugh echoes in my mind.

"I don't need to introduce myself, do I? It's rather obvious who I am."

"Yes," I answer. I'd imagined this moment so many times.

Meeting my wolf and feeling that connection. But I never imagined it would happen like this. Still...it's nice.

"I didn't speak earlier because you were a little busy," she says, amusement coloring her voice. "But now couldn't be a more perfect time."

A pause.

"I'm Queen."

"Hi, Queen.”

"I know you're worried about Adrian, little wolf."

My body stiffens.

"Trust the bond. I know what happened to your mother, and I understand why you fear it. But you are not your mother."

"I'm not, but—"

"No." Her voice remains gentle, but there's a quiet strength behind it.

"Trust, little wolf. For now, that is enough."

Before I can argue, her presence fades, retreating back into the corner of my mind.

I press my palms flat against my thighs and breathe. Should I really trust the bond? Wouldn't it burn me the same way?

But my mind drifts back to Adrian. The way he looked at me. The certainty in his voice when he defended me without hesitation. And somehow...For reasons I don't fully understand, it makes me want to believe Queen.

I turn back toward the maids waiting patiently nearby. They help me out of the rotted gray dress and into a new gown. The silver tulle settles over my skin like water, and moonstones catch the lantern light with every small movement, throwing soft pinpricks of glow across the floor.

When I step back outside, the fabric seems to breathe with me, shimmering like something not quite of this world.

The courtyard turns to look. All of it. At once.

Adrian is waiting exactly where I left him, and when I reach him, he doesn't say anything right away. He just studies me for a long moment, something unreadable moving behind his eyes.

Then he lifts the tiara from the cushion a servant holds out. It’s delicate silver, the crescent moon at its center surrounded by tiny gemstones that catch the light and scatter it like fallen stars. For a moment, I can only stare at it, at the weight of what it represents.

"There," he says quietly, only for me. "Now everyone else can see what I already know."

I hear the murmur roll through the crowd.

"Wait. Is he actually crowning her?"

"He can't be serious. Why would he crown someone so ugly?"

"I guess we'd better start remembering her name."

I guess we all do.