The Luna that escaped her alpha king.

The first thing I felt was the light. It hit my face all at once, too bright, too early, and I turned away, pulling the blanket over my head without thinking. “Get up,” my mom said. I groaned. “It’s too early…” “It’s not,” she replied, already moving around the room. “You’ve slept enough.” I slowly pushed the blanket down and blinked a few times, trying to adjust. The curtains were wide open now, sunlight filling the entire room like it didn’t care how I felt about it. For a second, I just laid there, staring at the ceiling, not really thinking about anything. Then I heard it. Voices. A lot of them. Footsteps, doors opening and closing, people talking over each other. The house felt… busy. Louder than usual. I frowned a little, still half asleep. “What’s going on?” I asked. My mom paused, then looked at me like I had said something strange. “You really forgot?” I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes. Forgot what? And then it hit me. Oh. Right. Today. My chest tightened a little, not in a bad way, just… a lot at once. “They’re already here?” I asked. “Some of them,” she said. “More will come soon. So you need to get up now.” I nodded, even though I didn’t move immediately. Today was the day. The day I met him. My mate. The Alpha King. I had heard so much about him growing up that it almost didn’t feel real anymore. People always spoke about him carefully, like he wasn’t just a person but something more. Strong. Fair. Calm. Kind, even. And… good looking, according to almost everyone who had seen him. I let out a small breath, not sure why my hands suddenly felt a little cold. I didn’t know him. Not really. And yet, by the end of today, everything about my life was supposed to change. I was leaving this house. Leaving my family. That thought stayed with me a little longer than I expected. “You can’t stay in bed all day thinking,” my mom said, softer this time. “Come on.” I finally pushed the blanket off and stood up. The room felt different already. Like it wasn’t mine in the same way anymore. My dress was laid out neatly on the chair across from the bed. I hadn’t seen it finished until now. I walked over to it slowly, running my fingers over the fabric. It was beautiful. For a moment, I smiled without meaning to. Then the feeling shifted again. Excitement, maybe. Or nerves. I couldn’t really tell the difference anymore. “Sit,” my mom said, pulling a chair behind me. I did. She started working on my hair, her hands gentle but quick, like she had done this a hundred times before. Maybe she had, just not for something like this. “You’re quiet,” she said. “I’m thinking,” I replied. “About him?” I hesitated. “About everything.” She didn’t say anything for a second. “That’s normal,” she finally said. “You don’t have to have it all figured out today.” I nodded, even though she couldn’t see my face properly from behind. I wanted to believe that. But today I didn’t feel like something small. It felt like a line. Like once I crossed it, there was no going back. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. For a second, I barely recognized myself. “You’ll be fine,” my mom said, almost like she could hear what I was thinking. I let out a small breath. “I hope so.”