Reborn Luna： Guardian of Alpha

Chapter 2 - Hot Coffee (Part 2)

Finally, Hassun returned with a towel, waving it frantically in the air as he did so. “Imala, Imala! Come, let me see your injuries,” said Hassun gently, gesturing for her to take a seat on the couch. But before Imala could pick herself up to go over to the couch, Luna kicked her to the ground and stepped on her head, forcing her face into the ground. This enraged Hassun, who rushed toward Luna, screaming.

“Luna! What the hell are you doing? Get off her!” yelled Hassun in a frenzy, about to push her with all his strength. “If you dare touch me, I’ll tell on you to the Alpha,” warned Luna just before his hands could graze her skin. Her words worked like a charm, and Hassun froze. He could only gawk at Luna in disbelief and shock, wondering how the girl he once had wrapped around his fingers now disobeyed and threatened him with Alpha Matwau, the one man he feared most. He missed the control he had over Luna. Luna returned his gaze with a look of condescendence and contempt, the corners of her mouth curving up as her foot crushed Imala’s head harder and harder.

“Say it again, Hassun. Say it was my fault that I ordered her to take that coffee for me,” challenged Luna. “I’m surprised. I thought it was just my delusion, but I guess it's not. You are almost as vile as she is,” continued Luna spitefully when Hassun did not reply. “You grew up amongst rogues yourself. Although we were kind enough to accept you into the Green Forest Pack, it will never change the fact that you are lowborn. Listen to yourself speak! You were blaming me for the actions of a maid,” burst out Luna. She knew that these words would hit Hassun in the spot where it hurt most, and was satisfied when she saw a wave of gloom spread over his expression. What Hassun considered his greatest disgrace was the fact that he was adopted by a rogue couple, and he cared tremendously about how people viewed him. He was ridiculed because of his status, and Luna knew that this was his insecurity. However, Luna was not referring to only Hassun’s birth background when she called him a lowborn, but instead it was a jab at him as a person. His heart was filthy and evil, and had no ounce of purity in it.

"Since you are well-aware of how clumsy you are, you shouldn't have come to Naesbrey Castle to be a maid. Do you know how many people want to work here? There are throngs of highly-qualified people that would do a better job than you here, so you are more than welcome to leave if you consider yourself incompetent!" snarled Luna as she continued applying pressure on the foot pressed against Imala’s head, ignoring Hassun’s protests. It was clear that Imala was in pain, so much so that her tears never even flowed out anymore. She was more scared for her life, fear clearly expressed in her eyes as they looked over at Hassun, begging for help.

Working in Naesbrey Castle was the dream of many people. They would not only enjoy the benefits of having their tuition fees and basic living expenses of their families paid for, but their descendants and younger siblings would also be entitled to the best education available. Not to mention, they would gain the respect of the whole pack. Indeed, employment in Naesbrey Castle was highly sought after.

Hassun realized that they had completely irritated Luna, albeit a little too late. He suppressed his anger and said in a soft voice, "Lu—Luna Chenoa, I didn't expect you to be so angry. How about I make it up to you? Didn't you say that you wanted to go hunting? Let’s go hunting, shall we?" Hassun gave an awkward smile and reached out a hand toward Luna as he said this, hoping she would accept this proposal of his. The Luna I know would jump at this opportunity, thought Hassun to himself. But he could not help but still feel a sliver of doubt as the Luna tonight has been behaving in ways completely opposite from the Luna he once knew.

"No," replied Luna curtly. Hassun’s hand froze, and he stared back in surprise. Luna removed her foot from Imala’s head and bent down, giving her cheeks a pinch. She admired her handiwork; red cheeks, bleeding nose, and a missing front tooth. The once beautiful and attractive Imala was now ruined beyond recognition, and Luna heard Hassun let out a wail when he saw the state Imala was in. Imala did not dare to say a word, instead stayed on the ground as she looked at Luna nervously, afraid of what she might do next.

Luna snaked her fingers into Imala’s hair before giving it a tug, forcing Imala to once again look into her eyes. Luna felt powerful when she saw the raw fear in her eyes, happy that she was finally allowing Imala to feel a portion of the pain and humiliation she made her go through in their past. “Can you behave well in the future?” Luna asked sweetly, a sick smile playing on her lips while she waited for Imala to reply. Imala’s mouth was glued shut and all she could do was nod violently. “Are you still daring enough to want to spill coffee on me?” she asked again, smiling sinisterly. To this, Imala shook her head violently, biting her lip in fright.

“Clever girl. If you make the same mistake again, guess what I’m going to do?” asked Luna, leaning forward intimidatingly, eyes scanning over Imala’s face. It brought Luna great joy to see her suffering like this, like a rat caught in a mousetrap. Trapped with nowhere to go. Taking Imala’s silence as a response, she continued, “I’ll pour boiling water down your throat and watch you squirm in agony as it scalds all of your internal organs. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?” said Luna, voice laced thick with sarcasm and menace.

Imala trembled. She had never witnessed this side of Luna before, as she only remembered the Luna that was gullible and always forgiving. The same could be said for Hassun, who was visibly taken aback. He looked at Luna with an expression as though he was seeing the devil in person. He watched on quietly as Luna turned around and walked back to her seat, and gestured quickly for Imala to get up off the floor and to leave.

Luna sat down, only now realizing her exhaustion. The events of the night had definitely started taking a toll on her. Tehya came forward to pour Luna a new cup of coffee, noticing her fatigue. She nodded her head in acknowledgement and appreciation as she took the cup from Tehya, her fondness of this maid growing. She observed Hassun and Imala over the rim of her cup as she took a sip, finding it humorous that they were now the ones afraid of her.

Hassun cleared his throat and stepped toward Luna, paying attention to her body language to check for any signs of disapproval of his advance toward her. “Luna Chenoa, I do not wish to waste your time further so I will be direct with you. I came to you today to discuss the event we talked about last time,” started Hassun, twiddling his thumbs together. His tone was no longer casual, but it was now wary and on-guard. Hassun was picking out his words more carefully now, as he was afraid that Luna might take it out on his dear Imala yet again. Seeing that Chenoa did not reply, Hassun continued tentatively, "You know, the Werewolf Sacrifice?"

This question evoked strong emotion in Luna as she leapt up from her seat. “What time is it?” she asked, eyes darting across the room. This abrupt change in her behavior gave Hassun a shock, and caused him to look up at her in surprise. “It’s night,” replied Hassun, looking at her with a blank expression. Imala stood at the side of Hassun still, hands clutching her face in a futile attempt to hide her injuries. “Where is Alpha Matwau?” asked Luna to Tehya, completely ignoring Hassun. Tehya was surprised, but replied respectfully, "You made him go to the Schwarzwald to help you find the antidote."

Upon hearing this, Luna immediately stood up with one hand pressed against her chest, rushing out of the meeting room. She completely disregarded the presence of her two guests in the room, and hurried away.

It had already been over ten years, so she had already forgotten what happened at this exact time in her previous life, but Hassun's mention of the Werewolf Sacrifice reminded her. She had been poisoned since she was a child. When she turns 25, her body would age five times faster than normal werewolves. Alpha Matwau had been helping her with her treatment, but she never trusted him and threw away the medicine he found through countless hardships, instead taking the medicine she was given by Hassun. However, the medicine given by Hassun caused her to become extremely susceptible to chronic snake venom, and Matwau went to the Schwarzwald to help find her the antidote to treat her condition. But alas, little did they know it was a trap set to kill them and there existed no antidote.