Taming My Vengeful Luna

CHAPTER 9:THE QUIET LUNA

**Reika/Zara**

I spent most of the night perched near the window, my stare glued to the pale outline of the moon as it sank below the hills, giving way for the golden glow of dawn.

My body was still, chilly, but my mind raced, unable to shake the feel of gloved hands bruising my chin, the stifling presence of the stranger, the chilling mention of a captain, and the whispered accusation that Zara had gone rogue.

Who the hell was I inside?

And what had Zara gotten herself tangled in?

What was her main aim for coming close to the Alpha and how many others are involved in this?

As morning light crept over the manor, I pushed myself off the window sill, my eyes landing on the various corners of the room and began tearing through like a woman possessed.

I opened drawers, lifted rugs, slid my fingers along the carved baseboards—anything that could hide something, anything that would offer even the smallest clue to who Zara was and what secrets she died with.

I flipped through the books arranged against a shelf, checked behind and between each creak of the cupboard.

I found nothing. Nothing except a worn leather pouch tucked beneath a false panel in the wardrobe floor.

Gold coins.

Neatly stacked, wrapped in a faded strip of silk.

I stared at them, heart hammering and my mouth going dry.

Not the kind of money a simple mistress should have lying around. It seemed so absurd for anyone to have this amount of money hanging around.

What the hell have I gotten myself into? Why did the moon goddess put me here and how much will Zara's past affect my mission?

I purse my lips and buried the pouch back beneath the floorboard and pushed the panel into place, using my heel to tamp it down.

Footsteps approached. Light. Reluctant. Feminine.

I grabbed the hem of my gown, smoothed it down, and turned as a soft knock echoed at the door.

“Come in.”

Arya stepped in, her usual pleasant smile twitching as her eyes took in the chaos of the room.

“Is everything alright, my lady?”

I gave a tired, sheepish smile. “I…woke up confused. Things don’t feel right. I’m sorry, I know this sounds strange, but I don’t remember much about…myself. About how I got here. I slipped in the bath last night and brushed it off.

I guess it affected me more than usual.”

Her brows lifted, a flash of worry in her eyes. She stepped closer, closing the door behind her.

“I should get a doctor.”

She made to rush out of the room but I grabbed her arm, shaking my head slowly.

“A doctor has been in to check me. I just need to remember some things.

Can you help?”

If she was growing suspicious of my constant memory loss, she didn't show a sign.

She wrung her hand between her apron, a conflicted look on her face.

“You don't remember anything at all?”

I nodded slowly. “I remember my name and recent events but everything else is a blur. Has it been very long since I came to the Alpha Manor?”

“Yes,” she said slowly, her voice cautious now. “You arrived almost a year ago. The Alpha summoned you from the border towns. You’ve always been quiet, very…compliant. You don’t speak to many people. Never did.”

Never did?

That didn’t match the girl I’d met last night—the one who’d gone behind the Alpha’s back and made secret deals. The one entangled with secret men and a plan that probably endangers the Alpha.

“Did I have any enemies? Friends? A lover, maybe?” I asked, watching her face carefully.

Arya shook her head. “None that I know of. You mostly stayed in your quarters. You did what was expected. Polite. Obedient. Sometimes it was hard to tell what you were thinking.”

My stomach twisted.

So Zara was the perfect ghost. Invisible but noticed just enough to stay in her place.

A perfect pawn.

A knock interrupted the conversation.

Stephan entered without waiting, his scent curling around the room before his footsteps fully crossed the threshold.

Arya bowed quickly and slipped out.

His gaze raked over me. It wasn’t hungry or cruel this time—just assessing. Cold.

“The elders have summoned you,” he said flatly.

My heart jumped. “Why?”

“They’ve decided it’s time to determine whether you're fit for your new role.” He paused, stepping closer. “You are to remain quiet. Do you understand me? No matter what they ask. No opinions. No outbursts. You answer only what you’re asked. Nothing more.”

My chest grew tight. “Is it that serious?”

His lips curled in something that resembled a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Let’s just say if they don’t like you, you won’t be here much longer and that will leave me with more stress.”

Before I could respond, he was gone, leaving the door open.

I dressed in a navy gown, pinned my hair into a low bun, and forced my heart to still. If the elders were the gatekeepers of my fate, then I needed to become something they could tolerate—silent, careful, strategic. I couldn't afford to screw this new position up.

Breakfast was served in the main hall. I sat at the far end of the long wooden table, mostly ignored by the guards and other pack members bustling about. A few stared, whispering behind half-covered mouths.

A sickly mix of perfumes filtered into the hall, proceeding the clipped footsteps of someone familiar.

Just what I needed.

Sofia was dressed in a red and deep green silk gown that clung to her like a second skin, her face painted just enough to appear flawless.

She glanced at me with dead brown eyes, her lips curled in a malicious grin.

The glint in her eyes as she picked up the ceramic coffee jug and made her way down the table indicated she was up to no good.

“Here, Luna,” she said sweetly. “Let me pour you something to clear your foggy little head.”

I didn’t even get the chance to speak before the scorching liquid splashed across my chest and arm.

Pain bloomed instantly. I gasped, biting down a scream as heat licked through the thin fabric and seared into my skin.

“Oh dear,” she gasped with mock concern. “How clumsy of me.”

I locked eyes with her, the agony clawing up my arm. My fingers twitched, tempted to slap the smug look off her face, but before I could move, two guards stepped up beside me.

“The elders request your presence, Luna.”

Now?

I stared down at my soaked dress, the material clinging to my chest, the raw, red patch of skin peeking through. My face flushed—not just from pain, but from humiliation. I looked a mess.

“I need to change—”

“No time,” one guard said firmly. “They’re waiting.”

I clenched my fists, ignoring the sting as the scorched skin stretched. Fine. If this was a test, then I’d pass it. Not by groveling, but by showing them what resilience looked like.

I walked with my head high, pain radiating from every step as the coffee-soaked fabric grew colder against my skin.

The council room was colder than I expected. A half-circle of ancient wolves—all in human form, some with amber eyes and graying hair.

Stephan stood near the side, arms folded, watching me like a bomb he’d planted but had no control over.

When I stepped in, his eyes flared. His nostrils flared.

And then—

“What the hell happened to you?” he snapped, stepping forward, his eyes mirroring the dark patch on my dress.

His voice echoed against the stone walls like a whip crack.

I didn’t speak.

Couldn’t.

Not just because of the warning he'd given earlier, but because my throat was tight. Because the moment his eyes fell to the coffee stain and the angry welt on my chest, something feral passed over his face. Rage. No—something darker. Possessive, dangerous rage.

“She spilled coffee on herself,” Sofia’s voice chimed behind me, her perfume adding to the choked atmosphere.

This b***h! But I couldn’t protest. Not when the hawk-like gazes of the elders rested on me.

Stephan turned, his gaze drilling into Sofia like arrows.

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

One of the elders, a gaunt woman with hair like Snow and withered fingers that tapped against the wood of the table, cleared her throat.

“Alpha Stephan, we didn’t summon you to bicker. I'm sure your mistress can endure a coffee soaked dress for a few minutes.”

He blinked, jaw clenched tight, then moved back to his place.

I turned to face them all. Silent. Still. My gaze pierced the elder who just spoke.

They studied me like a prey, like a craftsman trying to know which of his instruments will serve him well.

Another elder leaned forward. “You’ve made quite a mess since your new title, haven’t you?”

I said nothing.

“Fighting with the court ladies and now this disgraceful appearance. Do you believe this is how a Luna carries herself?”

Silence.

I bit down every word, every sharp retort on my tongue. No one likes the mistress.

Another elder—a bearded man with a jagged scar across his brow—grunted. “Are you mute, girl?”

Still, I said nothing.

But my spine remained straight. Stephan can do all the talking. I wasn't going to give them more ammunition against me.

One by one, the elders began to murmur among themselves.

“She’s docile.”

“At least she knows her place now.”

“Perhaps we can work with this one…”

Their words spun around the room like smoke. I caught Stephan’s eyes once more. He wasn’t looking at them. He was looking at me.

Watching.

Like he’d just witnessed something he didn’t expect.

Like I’d stopped being a puzzle and started becoming a threat.