The Luna Queen Is Reborn

Caged

It had been two weeks since the full moon and ten days since Healer Valerius stitched me up fine. What was left of the wound were two bundled-up lines that ran from underneath my left brow down my cheek—pink and hard when touched.

Today, I would be looking in the mirror to see what was left of me.

Summer vacation had ended, and today school was resuming. I had been stalling all morning until the final moment, when all that was left to do was grab my bag. Then, I finally turned to look in the mirror at the vanity. The reflection looked just as bad as I had feared. I trailed my fingers down the thick, raised skin before lifting my hoodie to tuck the scars away.

I turned the knob, but the door remained shut. I had been locked in. Hot anger burned my throat. I banged on the heavy wood, and a moment later, I heard footfalls drawing closer. They had to be Lydia's.

"Lia, good morning," she said, unable to hide the nervousness in her voice.

"Is there anything good about this morning?"

She paused for a moment before clearing her throat. "Your father wants you home today."

"Oh. Does he now?" I couldn't help the sarcastic dip in my voice.

Regardless, she responded, "Yes, and I think it is best if you stayed home today, too." I could easily imagine her wringing her hands on the other side of the wood.

"Of course you do. Is your son at home?"

A sharp gasp resonated through the door. She stammered, trying to prove her sincerity. "I... I... I was just being concerned."

"Unneeded. And do not call Alpha Logan my father."

"Lia..."

"Don't!" My tone carried a final, razor-sharp edge.

"Okay. Okay."

Helplessness gripped me. It was like waking up to see that the life I had was nothing but a dream. I wanted out. I needed any kind of distraction I could get.

"I... I... I need my phone. My laptop... whatever."

"You know they've been confiscated, Lia."

"Then grab them for me!" My chest heaved as I tried to keep the rising fear at bay. The room was closing in on me. I was going to lose my mind. I had stayed indoors all those weeks, but the day I finally wanted to leave, I was locked in. This was different. I was being restricted, cornered, until nothing was left but myself.

I had been so sure that after Summer's threat, he would allow me this. What was it that had given me such foolish assurance?

Lydia must have sensed my spiraling emotions. Regardless of me being wolfless, I was still a member of her pack.

"Calm down, Lia. You need to—"

"Don't tell me what to do," my voice came out weaker than I wanted. "Just get them for me... please."

I waited for her to decide. It was hard for me to admit that I was making things difficult for her.

"I can't do that," she said, her voice still so soft that it felt like nothing in the world could ever make her raise it.

Shame flushed my cheeks pink, and I spoke before I could stop myself. "What can you ever do?"

I heard a broken sob, muffled by the heavy wood of the door, before her footsteps shuffled away. Guilt—cold as a frozen lake—chilled my blood.

The silence that followed her departure was suffocating. The cold guilt rapidly turned back into a restless, burning energy. I did not want to be left alone with my thoughts. I wanted her to come back; I wanted to take the words back, to pound on the door and tell Lydia I was sorry, but the heavy wood felt miles thick now.

If they wouldn't let me use the door, I’d find another way. I strode over to the window and pushed open the glass, looking down at the drop below. But there they were, guarding the perimeter. Logan had posted sentries under my window.

I sank onto the edge of my bed, burying my face in my hands. The silence of the room only made the memories louder. Two weeks ago, under that full moon, everything changed. And Summer... I had truly believed her threat would keep Logan at bay. I had been an i***t to think an Alpha would ever let a wolfless daughter tarnish his reputation at a public high school.

My gaze drifted back to the glass. Sunlight filtered through, mocking me with the promise of a crisp, normal Monday morning. The first bell would be ringing at school in less than an hour. My friends would be gathering by the lockers, looking around, wondering where I was. Or worse—maybe they already knew what had happened to me under the full moon.

I didn't know how long I sat there. All I noticed was that twilight had eventually replaced the bright rays that had escaped into the room.

Heavy, confident steps approached my door. They weren't hesitant. The handle of the door didn't just rattle; it shook as a key turned in the lock. The door swung open, and there he stood, blocking the light from the hallway.

"I was informed you haven't eaten in two days," Alpha Logan said, his voice commanding. "It will do you no good. Eat."

He made way for the omega behind him. With her head bowed, the girl pushed in a cart filled with a variety of my favorite foods.

"Courtesy of Lydia," Alpha Logan added, gesturing to the cart.

The omega bowed once again before shuffling away, making almost no noise at all.

I was starving, but my pride and anger were stronger. I refused to accept anything that came from Logan, even if it meant starving a third day.

The smell of grilled chicken and rosemary potato soup hit me, a cruel reminder of how empty my stomach actually was. My mouth watered, but the sight of the cart only made the knot in my chest tighten.

I didn't move from the bed. I didn't even look at the plates. I kept my eyes locked on Logan’s shadow.

"Take it back," I said, my voice flat, stripped of the panic from this morning.

Logan didn't flinch. His jaw tightened, the slight flare of his nostrils telling me he was catching my scent—tasting the pure spite rolling off me. "Lydia spent hours making sure the kitchen prepared exactly what you like. Don't be a fool, Lia. You need your strength."

"For what?" I challenged, leaning back against the headboard, crossing my arms. "To sit in this cage? If I'm going to be your family's little secret, you can feed me when I'm dead."

His jaw clenched, and his eyes briefly clouded over, as if he were recalling something from the past—some distant memory he couldn't quite shake.

"So be it." Without another word, he turned, strode out, and shut the door with a finality that nearly shook it off its hinges.