Reborn Luna： Guardian of Alpha

Chapter 3 - Past Hatred (Part 2)

By the time Chenoa had taken care of everything, it was dawn. The entire Green Forest Pack were talking about the red moon last night, and the servants in Naesbrey Castle were occupied with performing their duties. Things were as normal as they could be, and nothing could have prepared them for what was about to happen.

There was a loud c***k like thunder that came from Luna’s room, and the whole room was soon ablaze. Flames licked the furniture, spreading across the vastness of Luna’s room rapidly. Dense smoke filled the air, escaping into all the hallways in Naesbrey Castle. The wail of the fire alarms only added to the chaos, and all the workers in the castle rushed in the direction of Luna’s room to put out the fire.

Staff members were screaming at each other in a panic, and grabbing whatever they thought would be useful in helping to extinguish the fire. However, the unsaid question lingered in everyone’s minds: Where was Luna? Both Luna and her bodyguard were nowhere to be found, and so it was only plausible that they were both caught in the fire.

As though answering everyone’s question, Etu emerged from the room, carrying Luna in his strong arms. She sputtered and coughed, her golden hair scorched at the ends and clothes stained with soot. The maids rushed in after they exited to try and extinguish the raging flames in the room, some carrying buckets of water and others carrying fire extinguishers. Her room was in a complete mess; and her furniture was all burned to a crisp. Nothing was salvageable.

The servants watched in silence as Etu placed Luna gently on a couch, afraid of what might happen next. They knew it was not an accidental fire, and they feared what the Alpha might do if he finds out his woman almost died of arson. She coughed a few times as Etu patted her back, making a motion with his other hand to signal the maids to bring over a cup of water. Luna propped her upper body up with her elbows, and took deep breaths before speaking.

“Who dared to do this?!” shouted Luna angrily, fists clenched as she glared around the room. The servants all averted her gaze, looking everywhere else except at her eyes. No one dared to respond, keeping their heads hung low. “No one? Brave enough to attempt murder but you don’t dare reveal yourself?” snarled Luna, narrowing her eyes. “Very well,” said Luna as she looked over to the guards before continuing, “block the entire Naesbrey Castle from now on. This will only be lifted once the arsonist is caught! I will make sure he burns, and taste the flames of hell!”

The guards bowed toward Luna before leaving to carry out their master’s order. “Luna Chenoa, since your room is now temporarily unavailable, shall I arrange another room for you? I will make sure to have your room fixed up soon enough,” said Etu, turning toward his master. “I’ll live in my Alpha’s room,” replied Luna, wanting to add emphasis to the crowd gathered that their Alpha was hers, and that she was to be respected as such. “I do not permit any of you to disturb me in my room unless you have already caught the arsonist. Got it?” warned Luna fiercely. With that, Luna stood from her seat and strode arrogantly to her Alpha’s room, slamming the door shut.

The living room still remained quiet, nobody daring to make a move as though Luna was still watching them through the closed door. “You heard her. Get back to work and do not disturb Luna Chenoa, and just make sure to deliver food to her door on time everyday,” commanded Etu, clearing his throat to break the silence. The servants all heaved a sigh of relief before scurrying off to their duties, desperate to escape the tension in the room.

Once he had dismissed everyone, Etu walked toward Alpha Matwau’s room and knocked. When he heard her approval, he swung open the door and walked in. He saw Luna sitting on the quilted velvet sofa at the corner, carefully going through the equipment in her backpack. “There you are! Hurry, we should get going soon,” said Luna, beckoning to him. “But what is your next plan? Even if the servants do not disturb you, whatever is supposed to be done with the food left outside your door daily?” asked Etu in confusion.

Luna grinned cheekily when she heard Etu’s question, and clapped her hands twice, spinning around to face the bathroom door. Like clockwork, Tehya stepped out from the bathroom, biting her lip in shyness. She was wearing a long dress, and a golden wig. It was undeniable that she resembled Luna, due to her petite figure and slender frame. “Good, you look beautiful,” complimented Luna, visibly proud of herself for finding a successful doppelganger. Tehya, however, did not feel comforted by her master’s complement. She had never worn a dress as luxurious as this before, and felt somewhat ill at ease; not mentioning the fact that she was essentially impersonating her master! Not just that, I’m in the Alpha’s room impersonating his lover! groaned Tehya inwardly, feeling faint.

“You do not have to worry, you saw how I flew into a rage today. They would not dare to come for me. Just make sure you eat on time everyday,” said Luna, in an attempt to reassure Tehya after noticing how worried she was. “Besides, this is Alpha Matwau’s room, they would not dare to break in. Listen, I will even leave a bodyguard to keep you safe and you can turn to him if you need help,” comforted Luna, to which Etu nodded in agreement.

Luna and Etu changed into their sportswear before approaching the window in their Alpha’s room, the back of which was connected to the exit of Naesbrey Castle. Given that the whole of the castle was now blocked by her guards, they could only rely on escaping through this window. This was the reason why Luna specifically chose to stay in her Alpha’s room.

The two of them shared a look before Etu jumped out of the window, landing smoothly. Luna turned to give a final nod and small smile toward Tehya before leaping off into the night. Etu had just brushed himself off and was about to stretch out his hands to catch Luna when he realized that she was already beside him, and he couldn’t help but be impressed by her unexpected nimbleness and dexterity. Luna saw how impressed he was and let out a giggle, tossing her hair over her shoulders and stalking off proudly. She smiled to herself knowing that it was the result of rigorous training for revenge back in her previous life. Guess it was all worth it, she thought to herself.

Hassun marched through the gates toward Naesbrey Castle angrily, blissfully unaware of the events of the night. He planned to persuade Luna to hand over authority for the Werewolf Sacrifice tonight, so that he could arrange and sneak rogues into the castle. This was to achieve the purpose of slandering the Alpha’s name, leading to mass boycott. They would not hesitate to kill him, and I would become the new Alpha of the Green Forest Pack, thought Hassun greedily. Just the very thought of this was enough to make Hassun titter audibly, and there was a spring in his step as he approached the main doors of the castle.

Alas, his bliss was short-lived, as the smile was soon wiped from his face when he found himself stopped by two of Luna’s guards. “Halt!” they bellowed in unison, holding their swords in front of them to barricade Hassun’s way in. Hassun frowned, looking at both guards angrily. “Do you know who I am? Why are you obstructing my way?” snapped Hassun. “Naesbrey Castle is under lockdown by order of Luna Chenoa, and no one is allowed to enter nor leave the castle unless granted special permission by the master herself,” replied the taller guard coldly, staring off into the distance without meeting Hassun’s eyes.

Hassun demanded a full explanation, and the taller guard delivered a summarized version of the night’s events in a bored tone. After hearing the whole story, Hassun’s frown deepened. “But surely you cannot treat me like an ordinary civilian, right? You must let me in, I have something urgent to discuss with Luna Chenoa!” whispered Hassun, putting down his airs for the first time because he desperately needed them to let him through. He simply could not risk his grand ploy failing. Not at this critical moment.

The younger guard furrowed his brows, sizing up Hassun. “No one is allowed to enter or leave castle,” he repeated firmly, “besides, are you not a human?” he continued with piqued interest. Hassun’s posture stiffened when he heard this, and longed to land a punch on the warrior’s face if not for his position right now. Instead, he let out a snort and turned to leave.

*

Back in the mountains, Luna Chenoa and Etu shifted into their werewolf forms—one golden and the other brown —and moved fast toward the Schwarzwald. The golden werewolf led the way into the night, with the brown one following closely behind.