Chapter 3: The Hidden Real Luna
1051 Words
ANNA'S POV
She pulled her hand back, but her eyes promised murder when they landed on me. "Of course, Alpha. My apologies, Luna."
The word dripped with sarcasm.
After she left, I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. "She hates me."
"She hates anyone who has what she wants." Dominic returned to his desk. "But she's the best tracker in my pack. If there's a traitor, she'll find them."
"What if she's the traitor?"
He looked up sharply. "What makes you say that?"
"Intuition." I met his eyes. "She wasn't at our wedding. The assassin got past your security. And she looked way too happy about me almost dying."
Dominic was quiet, considering. "You're observant."
"I'm a survivor."
"Good. You'll need to be." He pulled out a thick file. "These are all the people who attended our wedding. Study them. Figure out who wants you dead and why."
"That's impossible."
"Then narrow it down. Start with who gains if you die." He slid the file across to me. "Because whoever hired that assassin isn't done. They'll try again."
I took the file, our fingers brushing. That electric shock hit again, stronger this time. We both pulled back like we'd been burned.
"What is that?" I whispered.
"The mate bond." His voice was tight. "Trying to form."
"But you said..."
"I said if I mark you, you'll die. I didn't say the bond wouldn't try to form anyway." He stood abruptly. "This is why you need to stay away from me. The closer we get, the stronger it becomes."
"Then why did you marry me?"
"Because I didn't know about the bond until I saw you at that altar!" His control cracked. "I looked at you in that ridiculous dress with terror in your eyes, and my wolf claimed you instantly. No warning. No choice. Just pure recognition."
My heart hammered. "So you feel it too. This pull."
"Every second." He turned away. "Which is why this arrangement stays purely business. You help me find the cure. I keep you alive. That's it."
"What if I don't want to be kept alive by someone who hates me?"
"Then you're an idiot." He moved to the door. "Dinner is at seven. Dress formally. I'm introducing you to the pack as my Luna."
"What if I refuse?"
He looked back, and something dangerous gleamed in his eyes. "Then I'll drag you there myself. Your choice."
The door slammed behind him.
I sat there, clutching the file, my mind reeling. This morning I'd woken up thinking I was human. Now I was apparently some ancient supernatural being with people trying to kill me, married to an Alpha I couldn't touch without risking death.
And the worst part? The absolute worst part was that despite everything, despite his hatred and his coldness and the fact that he'd married me for revenge, I wanted him.
The mate bond pulsed in my wrist, as if confirming my thoughts.
I opened the file and started reading. If someone wanted me dead, I'd figure out who and why. Then I'd figure out how to survive this nightmare.
One way or another.
By seven that evening, I was dressed in a midnight blue gown Eva had brought, my hair swept up, looking every inch the Luna I didn't want to be.
Dominic waited at the bottom of the stairs, devastating in a black suit. His eyes swept over me, and for just a moment, hunger flashed across his face before he locked it down.
"You look acceptable," he said coldly.
"You look like you want to murder someone."
"Several someones, actually." He offered his arm. "Shall we?"
I took it because I had no choice. The moment our skin touched, that electric current ran between us. His jaw clenched, but he didn't pull away.
"Tonight, you smile and play the devoted wife," he said as we walked toward the dining hall. "Tomorrow, we start hunting for answers."
"And if I don't want to play devoted?"
"Then they'll sense weakness and come for you faster." He stopped outside the large doors, where I could hear voices and laughter inside. "I know you hate me, Anna. But right now, I'm all that stands between you and death. So put on a show, or we both lose."
He pushed open the doors.
The dining hall fell silent. Dozens of pack members stared at us. I recognized Elizabeth standing near the head table, her eyes narrowed. Other faces watched with curiosity, suspicion, or outright hostility.
"My pack," Dominic's voice rang out. "I present to you Anna Black, my Luna and wife."
He led me to the head table, pulling out my chair. As I sat, whispers erupted around the room.
"She's so young."
"I heard she's human."
"Why would he marry a human?"
"The Alpha's lost his mind."
Dominic's hand came down hard on the table, and the whispers died instantly. "Anyone who questions my choice questions my authority. And we all know what happens then."
The threat was clear. Silence fell.
Dinner was torture. Dominic sat beside me, close enough that I could feel his heat, but he might as well have been a stranger. He spoke to his advisors, discussed pack business, acted like I wasn't there.
Until Elizabeth stood up.
"Alpha, might I have a word? I've discovered something about last night's incident."
Dominic's eyes sharpened. "Speak."
"Perhaps somewhere more private? It's... sensitive information."
I felt his hesitation. Then he nodded. "My office. Ten minutes."
Elizabeth smiled at me as she walked past. "Congratulations on surviving your first day, Luna. Let's see if you make it to the second."
As soon as she was gone, the pack member to my left leaned in. A young warrior with kind eyes. "Don't let her get to you. Elizabeth's just bitter she didn't get chosen as Luna."
"She seems like more than just bitter."
"She's dangerous." He lowered his voice. "Last year, a she-wolf caught the Alpha's eye at a gathering. Elizabeth made sure she had an accident the next day. Fell down the stairs. Broke her neck."
Ice ran through my veins. "Did anyone prove it?"
"Didn't need to. Everyone knows." He glanced around nervously. "Watch your back, Luna. Elizabeth doesn't share."
Dominic returned before I could respond. "We're leaving."
- Writer
