Rejected Luna, Vampire Queen

chapter 11

"Wake up, Luna! Wake up!"

A voice yanked me from the depths of a suffocating dream. I felt like I was drowning in lead. I forced my eyes open to see Ava looming over me, her silhouette framed by a morning sun that stung my vision.

"Nooo," I groaned, diving back under the silk blanket. My voice sounded like it had been dragged through gravel. "I’m exhausted. Leave me alone, Ava. I want to hide in this bed until the world forgets I exist."

Ava didn't budge. The sharp slide of the curtains filled the room with blinding light. "I heard about the hall, Luna," she murmured, her tone dipping into pity. "But hiding in the dark won't fix anything. The pack is at the training grounds. If you show up and watch, they’ll see you aren't the monster they think you are."

"I don't care about my reputation," I whispered into the mattress. My heart felt like a cold stone. "In my old pack, I was a maid. Here, I’m a liar. But the way the Alpha looked at me... his eyes were just like my father’s. Disappointed. Like I’m just a little girl who ruins everything. I can’t face that again."

Ava ignored my wallowing. She reached down and ripped the blanket off me. "Get dressed. No more hiding."

"He doesn't even like me, Ava!" I snapped, sitting up with a bird’s nest of hair and eyes red from a night of crying. "He thinks I’m a disaster!"

Ava hauled me out of bed with surprising strength. "He doesn't like anyone, Amanda," she noted with a shrug. "That’s just who he is. Don't take it personally."

She dragged me toward the bath, the warm water finally easing the tension in my muscles. Later, as I sat before the gold mirror, I watched her hands weaving my hair into place.

"Remember the plan," Ava instructed, her eyes meeting mine in the reflection. "Smile. Be kind. Assist with the training. If they see you being helpful, the 'spy' rumors will die out."

I tried to pull my lips into a grin, but it felt like a cracked mask. "Well, that shouldn't be hard," I joked, trying to mask the tremor in my hands. "Who could hate this face? One look and their bad impressions will be erased forever, right?"

Ava smiled back. "That’s the spirit!"

"It’s irony, Ava." My smile vanished. "Everyone hates this face. I wish I were a witch. I’d cast a spell and erase every memory of last night. I’d make them all forget I ever stepped foot in that hall."

"You don't need magic to change things." Ava squeezed my shoulder. "You have a strength inside you that you haven't even touched yet."

"Easier said than done." I stared at my lap. "Words are cheap."

"Nothing worth having is easy," Ava countered, her face turning solemn. "Be consistent. Let time do its work. You’ll achieve the impossible if you just keep moving."

"That’s a good line." I felt a flicker of hope. "You should be a philosopher, not a maid."

Ava’s laugh brightened the room. "I’d love to be an adviser, but you’re going to need an assistant who knows pack politics. I’ll be right here to tell you who to trust."

I bumped my shoulder against hers. "You flatter and insult me in one breath! You’re lucky I’m not a real Alpha yet. I’d give you my scariest face and say: I, Alpha Amanda, reject you, Ava! Your jokes are too mean!"

Ava burst into laughter. "You’d be a very funny Alpha, Luna."

I laughed with her, but the thought of Damon dampened my mood. "I wonder what he thinks of himself. When he talks, he sounds like he’s perched on a throne in the clouds. Like he’s a god among men."

"That’s the reputation," Ava said, her voice dropping as she tidied the vanity. "But he’s almost always alone. In all my years here, he’s spoken to me maybe five times. He’s a lonely man, Amanda."

A sharp, heavy thud echoed through the room. It wasn't a request; it was a demand.

I froze. Ava hurried to the door, revealing a tall guard clad in black armor. He didn't spare her a glance. His cold, metallic eyes locked onto mine.

"Luna Amanda." The words were like a frozen blade. "The Alpha has summoned you. He is in his private study. D

o not keep him waiting."