The Alpha's Ruthless Luna

Chapter 12

"Girls... We've got a visitor!" Sheila mockingly announced, with Diana behind her.

"And we were asked to be nice to her!"

Her voice went even higher on the last sentence.

Diana felt ambushed.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood erect as more women emerged from the corners, like ants drawn to sugar.

Her heart hitched, but she refused to show any anxiety.

She was supposed to be their Luna, even though she hated the title and everything that came with it. Still, the thought gave her some sort of courage.

Inside, the cottage had a huge living room with several rooms covered by curtains. It was cozy, almost like a whorehouse filled with women.

They were all beautiful.

Scarily beautiful.

All five women looked like sisters, with jet-black curly hair, delicate features, tall frames, and supermodel bodies.

Except Sheila.

She stood out, carrying herself with a leader's aura.

"So you're number six, and I am number one. That's number two, three, four, and five."

She introduced the women awkwardly, pointing at each of them as though they were pieces of furniture in her living room.

"It's my pleasure, number one to five. I'm Diana..."

She paused.

"Your Luna."

Her own brain screamed for a full minute.

Her palms instantly became sweaty, her throat went dry, and a thick silence fell over the cottage.

Even Sheila was dumbfounded by her claim.

"Are you mad?!" Sheila exploded after finally getting herself together. "Do you know you can be punished for that claim? I am Aiden's Luna. How dare you—"

Diana's fear was quickly replaced with amusement.

It was funny how desperately this woman wanted something she didn't have.

She almost wished she could exchange places with Sheila out of pity.

"Oh? Really? Because he f***s you?"

She tilted her head.

"Then I guess he has five Lunas. Now, I would have said six, except I've not been stupid enough to let him open my legs."

She didn't even know why she was doing this.

Why was she being so rebellious?

Why was she trying to match Aiden's ruthlessness with her own newfound madness?

She was supposed to be a doctor!

Helping people.

Saving lives.

Yet here she was, looking for a fight and deliberately pushing buttons.

The other women were clearly angry, but none of them dared to speak while Sheila was handling the matter.

"Oh..." Sheila drawled. "You mean he's not attracted to you."

She smiled smugly.

"I mean, considering how ugly you are..."

Diana hated the way she said it, but she maintained her stoic expression and simply rolled her eyes.

"Do you really believe that, number one?"

"It's Sheila!" she snapped. "Or Luna..."

She added the last word through gritted teeth.

Diana gave her a mockingly pitiful shake of the head.

"Right. Whatever..."

Sheila was furious.

She could barely contain her rage as Diana ignored her completely, making her feel small and stupid in front of the other girls.

This was a huge threat to her position.

So she decided to regain control.

She scoffed before making a beeline towards Diana, raising her right hand to slap her across the face.

Diana saw her coming.

She saw the anger burning in her eyes.

She predicted Sheila's move far too easily.

She dodged the angry woman's slap, causing Sheila to lose her footing and fall face-first onto the floor.

It was humiliating.

The other ladies winced.

Some even chuckled.

Apparently, they didn't like Sheila either, but they endured her because they knew her, and in this place, survival came first.

"Oops... Sorry."

Funny enough, Diana actually meant it.

She hadn't meant to embarrass Sheila like that.

Except...

She kind of deserved it.

"You b***h!" Sheila screamed, already preparing to shift and tear Diana apart.

But before she could do anything, the entrance door opened. The sound instantly distracted her, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

Everyone dropped to their knees at once, bowing to whoever had entered and causing Diana to turn around curiously.

She had been facing away from the door, although she suspected Aiden was the visitor.

Except she froze when she saw someone else.

A woman.

An elderly-looking woman with an uncanny resemblance to Aiden.

There was something about her that seemed strangely familiar.

Then Diana remembered.

She was Aiden's mother from that night. The woman Aiden had disrespected the night Diana challenged him.

Her heart immediately went out to the woman.

For a moment, she imagined herself kneeling beside her as an act of sympathy. The woman had given birth to such a monster, and that alone seemed like a pain beyond comprehension.

Diana wanted to hug Aiden's mother and tell her that everything would be alright.

But then she realised that might be too much.

"Oh, please get up, girls."

Elena's voice was gentle.

"Thanks for the respect, but you should reserve it for your Alpha. I am just an elder now."

She spoke with so much gentleness that Diana couldn't help but question her relationship with Aiden.

The women slowly stood, their heads still bowed.

All except Diana.

She couldn't help but look directly into Elena's eyes, studying the woman who had birthed Aiden.

Elena was studying her too.

But there was recognition in her eyes.

"I see you have a new girl."

Her gaze moved over Diana, addressing the other women.

"Aiden's newest...?" She paused. "Ah, Diana, is it?"

Diana was surprised that she knew her name, but she played it cool and nodded.

She wasn't ready to start explaining who she really was or how she had ended up here.

Besides, she wasn't sure Elena would recognise her from that night because of her new appearance.

"She's not worth your time, Elder Elena. She's just a little..." Sheila started.

Elena raised one finger, silencing her immediately.

"Take a walk with me, Diana. Please..."

Diana was surprised again, but she was grateful for the invitation.

She would do anything to get some fresh air and escape that stale room.

"Of course, ma'am."

She accepted and followed Elena outside.

Two gammas followed behind them, and with one grotesque squint, Diana recognised them immediately.

They were the same gammas who had been guarding her room.

Did Aiden send them here?

Were they spying on Aiden's mother too?

Elena noticed Diana's awareness of the guards and, with a nonchalant wave of her hand, ordered them to stop following.

They walked in silence for several minutes until the cottage was no longer in sight.

The guards were gone too.

Diana was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the silence and the cold night air, so she started rubbing her arms covered with goosebumps.

"It is an honour to walk with you, ma'am..." She forced herself to speak.

"Elena."

Diana glanced at her.

"Call me Elena."

"You mean Elder Elena?" Diana asked shyly.

"No. Elena." She smiled. "And it is an honour to walk with you, not the other way around."

Diana chuckled uncomfortably, totally consumed by confusion. She couldn't understand why Aiden's mother was being so strangely friendly.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I don't think that's right. I'm just a..."

"Bravest werewolf of our pack." Elena cut her off.

"One who possesses a courage I haven't seen in a very long time."

Diana blinked.

"You challenged my son that night after seeing how he treated his brother and me." Elena paused.

"And you escaped."

She looked at Diana with admiration.

"Only to come back for your mother." Her smile widened.

"You are one of a kind. The bravest in our pack."

Diana's heart swelled with pride.

She felt so seen, so understood, that she couldn't help herself.

She threw her arms around Elena.

Gotcha. Elena's lips curved slightly.

It had been a hassle locating Diana in Aiden's mansion, especially since she had been locked out of it.

Only for her loyal gammas to reach out to her while she was asleep, telling her that Vincent had transported Diana to Aiden's harem cottage in the most embarrassing manner.

Perfect, she'd thought.

She had rushed all the way out in her pyjamas before remembering that she needed to make a powerful impression.

So she had rushed back home, changed into something more elegant, put on makeup, and made herself presentable.

It worked.

She had gotten Diana to like her.

Now it was time to forge ahead.

Enter into Diana's head completely.

"Thank you so much, Elena."

"You have no idea how much your words mean to me."

Her voice became softer.

"He wants me to be his Luna. I don't want it, but I'm doing this for my mother. She's in that dungeon because of me."

She swallowed.

"I hate myself so much for challenging him..."

"Diana."

Elena gently loosened the embrace and brought Diana's face towards hers, cupping her cheek like a mother cradling her child's face.

"Never say that."

Her voice was firm, but comforting.

"You were glorious."

Diana stared at her.

"He's scared of you. Don't you know that? No one has ever challenged him."

Diana's eyes widened slightly.

"As for your mother, you have nothing to worry about." Elena paused deliberately. "I can actually help her escape."

Diana's breath caught, eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"Or..."

Elena smiled.

"I know someone who can." She leaned closer.

"You just have to follow my plan to get that tyrant out of our lives."

Diana's face instantly lightened with purpose.

"I'll do it."

She didn't hesitate.

"Whatever it takes."