Rise of a Luna

Chapter 3

The steady beeping of machines echoed in my ears as I weakly opened my eyes, harsh white lights blinding me for a moment. My vision blurred, then slowly focused on unfamiliar walls. Where am I? I wondered, panic curling in my chest as the realization struck—this was a hospital. But how had I gotten here?

My throat burned as if it had been scraped raw, and a dull ache throbbed relentlessly in my head. Every breath felt heavy. I tried to sit up, but my body refused to cooperate, weak and unresponsive, as though it no longer belonged to me.

“Anyone there…?” I called out, though the words barely escaped my lips, fragile and broken.

The door creaked open, and soft footsteps approached. A nurse stepped inside, her expression brightening when she saw my eyes open.

“Ma’am, you’re awake,” she said gently, a reassuring smile spreading across her face.

“What am I doing here?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The nurse opened her mouth to answer, but another voice cut in from the doorway. “You should be more careful when crossing the road.”

I lifted my gaze, startled. Standing there was a man who looked completely out of place in a hospital room—tall, broad-shouldered, and commanding without trying. He wore an all-black suit that clung perfectly to his frame, sharp and intimidating. His presence alone made the air feel heavier. I froze, momentarily forgetting the pain in my body.

“Who are you?” I asked, my heart pounding for reasons I didn’t fully understand.

He stepped closer, his dark eyes unreadable. “Your savior,” he replied coolly.

The words triggered a sudden rush of memory. Images crashed into my mind—rain-slicked streets, my chest burning with heartbreak, tears blinding my vision as I ran. Ace. Mika. The betrayal. I remembered not looking where I was going, remembered the sound of screeching tires, the impact, and then nothing.

My breath hitched as reality settled in. I had run straight into a car.

Slowly, my eyes drifted back to him, and guilt washed over me in a suffocating wave. If he was here, then he must have been the driver. The owner of the car I’d destroyed. The man whose life I’d unknowingly collided with in the worst possible way.

“I—I’m sorry,” I murmured, shame tightening my chest.

He studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable, as if deciding something important.

He said nothing.

Then the television mounted on the wall crackled to life, the news anchor’s voice cutting through the room before I could process what was happening.

“Alpha Ace Steel proposes to his new girlfriend, Mika Andrews, as the couple sets the date for their wedding. According to the Alpha, the Moon Goddess has blessed him with new love after his ex allegedly betrayed him—”

The words slammed into me like a fresh impact. My chest tightened, breath hitching as the screen flashed images of them smiling, happy, untouched by the damage they’d left behind.

“Turn it off,” the man said sharply.

The nurse moved quickly, muting the television. Silence fell again, heavier than before. I slowly lifted my gaze, only to find his eyes already on me—steady, observant, as if he understood far more than I had said aloud.

I looked away, shame and pain twisting together in my chest. “I’m sorry for putting you through the stress,” I said quietly. “All of this… it’s my fault.”

He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stepped closer, his presence calm but unyielding.

The nurse will be attending to you. If you need anything, let her know,” he said, placing a sleek card gently on the bedside table.

He turned to leave.

“Wait,” I called out quickly. “Can I know your name?”

He paused at the door. Slowly, he looked back, a faint smirk curving his lips—one that sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. There was something about him, something both magnetic and unsettling, as if his presence pulled me in while warning me to stay away.

“You’ll find out soon,” he said calmly.

Before I could ask what he meant, he was gone, leaving behind silence and more questions than answers.

Days passed.

I adjusted to the slow, repetitive rhythm of hospital life—meals, medications, checkups, and long hours of staring at the ceiling. No one came looking for me. No calls. No visitors. It was as if my existence had been erased, and I was certain they were all happier that way.

Even the man who saved me never returned.

Once, I asked the nurse about him, trying to sound casual. She hesitated, then shook her head, refusing to say anything more.

That only deepened the mystery.

At night, my fingers would brush against the card he left behind, and I wondered who he really was—and why I had the strange feeling that our paths were far from finished.

Today felt different. Something dark and restless stirred inside me—an ache sharp enough to become resolve. I was tired of being weak, tired of being the one everyone discarded. The urge for revenge burned deep, a desperate need to make them feel even a fraction of the pain they had inflicted on me.

I pushed myself to stand, steady despite the lingering ache in my body. I was done lying here, done waiting for someone to remember I existed. I reached for the door, ready to leave this place behind, when it suddenly opened.

He stepped in.

The stranger who had saved me looked nothing like someone who belonged in a hospital corridor. Dressed impeccably, confident, effortless—he looked like he had walked straight out of a runway show, sharp and untouchable. His presence filled the room instantly.

I said nothing, watching as he approached with calm, measured steps.

“Going somewhere?” he asked, his voice smooth but knowing.

“None of your business,” I replied coolly. “I appreciate you saving me, but it’s time I leave.”

I reached for the door handle.

“No one wants you, Annie Cooper.”

I froze.

Shock rooted me in place as I slowly turned back to face him. My heart pounded, anger and disbelief crashing together. How did he know my name? How did he know my deepest fear?

Then he spoke again, his tone steady, almost dangerous.

“Marry me,” he said. “And I’ll help you get revenge.”

My breath caught.

“I’ll make you rise as a Luna,” he continued, stepping closer. “No one will ever look down on you again. The ones who broke you will kneel, and they won’t even realize how it happened.”

My mouth went dry, words stuck in my throat. The offer was insane. Impossible. And yet… terrifyingly tempting.