Chapter 3

A NEW REALITY 

The first rays of sunlight filtered through the heavy curtains, casting a dim glow across the unfamiliar room. I blinked, disoriented, as the events of the past twelve hours came crashing back. My body felt heavy, weighed down by exhaustion and an overwhelming sense of dread.

I pushed myself up, the silken sheets sliding against my skin. The room was vast, easily three times the size of my old bedroom. Polished wooden floors stretched out before me, leading to a large bay window that overlooked a manicured garden. It was beautiful, but all I felt was a deep, gnawing anxiety.

"This can't be real," I whispered to myself, my voice sounding small in the cavernous room. "How did I end up here?"

My mind raced, replaying the events of the night before. The Ceremony. The crowds. And then... him. Zephyr Dalton. My mate. The most feared Alpha in all the packs.

I hugged my knees to my chest, trying to make sense of it all. Everything I'd learned at the Academy about The Raven Pack came flooding back:

"They're ruthless," I mumbled, ticking off points on my fingers. "Dangerous. Power-hungry. And now I'm mated to their Alpha." A hysterical laugh bubbled up in my throat, but I choked it back down.

Desperate for a distraction, I grabbed a book from the nightstand. It was leather-bound, its pages rough against my fingertips as I flipped through it. But the words blurred before my eyes, refusing to make sense.

A creak in the hallway made me jump, the book tumbling from my lap. My heart pounded as I stared at the gap beneath the door, watching for any sign of movement. A shadow passed by, and I held my breath, straining to hear any sound.

"Get it together, Thalia," I muttered, wrapping my arms around myself. "You can't hide in here forever."

Summoning what little courage I had left, I slid out of bed and grabbed a plush bathrobe from a nearby chair. It was soft against my skin, a small comfort in this strange new world. I cinched it tightly around my waist, as if it could protect me from whatever lay beyond that door.

My hand trembled as I reached for the doorknob. I took a deep breath, steeling myself, and stepped out into the hallway.

The corridor stretched out before me, lined with ornate paintings and gleaming sculptures. My bare feet sank into the lush carpet, muffling my steps as I made my way towards the grand staircase I'd glimpsed the night before.

As I descended, I couldn't help but marvel at the sheer opulence of the mansion. Intricate chandeliers hung from vaulted ceilings, casting prismatic reflections across the polished marble floors. Through tall windows, I could see a sprawling backyard with a fountain at its center.

"Wow," I breathed, running my hand along the smooth banister. "This place is..."

"Impressive, isn't it?" a voice called from below, making me nearly jump out of my skin.

I whirled around to see a young woman standing at the foot of the stairs. She was strikingly beautiful, with flowing golden hair and dark blue eyes that reminded me uncomfortably of Zephyr.

"I didn't mean to startle you," she said, her lips curving into a friendly smile. "I'm Billie, Zephyr's sister. And you must be Thalia, our new Luna."

I felt my cheeks flush at the title. "I... yes, that's me. It's nice to meet you, Billie."

Billie's smile widened as she gestured for me to join her. "Come on, let's get some breakfast in you. You must be starving after all the excitement yesterday."

I followed her into an enormous dining room, trying not to gape at the massive table that could easily seat twenty people. Ornate candelabras lined its length, and at the far end hung a painting of a man and woman with glowing wolf eyes. I shivered, averting my gaze.

"So," Billie said, pulling out a chair for me, "how are you settling in? I know it must be a lot to take in."

I sank into the chair, grateful for its support. "It's... overwhelming," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "Everything happened so fast, and now I'm here, and I don't really know what I'm supposed to do or—"

"Hey, breathe," Billie interrupted gently, placing a hand on my arm. "No one expects you to have it all figured out right away. Even Zephyr's still learning, and he's been Alpha for years."

At the mention of Zephyr's name, I tensed. Billie must have noticed because she leaned in, her voice dropping conspiratorially.

"I know my brother can be... intense," she said with a wry smile. "He's got this whole brooding Alpha thing down to an art. But between you and me? He's just a big softie underneath all that gruff exterior."

I blinked, struggling to reconcile the image of the terrifying man I'd met with Billie's description. "He didn't seem very... soft... when we met," I mumbled.

Billie laughed, a warm, genuine sound that eased some of the tension in my shoulders. "Oh, trust me, he's a handful. Just the other day, he nearly bit the head off one of the pack members for bringing him the wrong kind of coffee. You should have seen—"

"Billie." A deep voice cut through the room like a knife, making me freeze in my seat. "I see you're already filling our Luna's head with nonsense."

Zephyr strode into the room, his presence immediately dominating the space. I kept my eyes fixed on the table, my heart hammering in my chest.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine," Billie quipped, seemingly unfazed by her brother's glower. "I was just giving Thalia here the inside scoop on what a ray of happiness you are in the mornings."

Zephyr's eyes narrowed. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Nope," Billie replied cheerfully, popping the 'p'. "My schedule's wide open. Unlike some people, I don't have to terrorize the pack every waking moment."

I watched their exchange with a mixture of fascination and fear. There was clearly a deep bond between them, but also an undercurrent of tension I couldn't quite understand.

Zephyr's gaze finally landed on me, and I felt pinned in place by the intensity of his golden eyes. "I have business to attend to in town," he said, his tone clipped. "Billie will show you around the mansion and grounds. Try not to cause any trouble."

Before I could even think of a response, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. The silence he left in his wake was deafening.

Billie let out a low whistle. "Well, that was positively cheery for him. I think he likes you."

I stared at her in disbelief. "That was him... liking me?"

She grinned, reaching over to pat my hand. "Don't worry, you'll get used to his... unique charm. Now, how about that tour?"

As we walked through the mansion, Billie kept up a steady stream of chatter, pointing out various rooms and sharing amusing anecdotes about pack life. But my mind kept drifting back to Zephyr, to the weight of expectations that now rested on my shoulders.

"Billie," I said finally, as we paused in a sun-drenched conservatory. "How... how am I supposed to do this? I'm not cut out to be a Luna. I can't even shift, and now I'm mated to the most powerful Alpha in the region. I'm terrified."

Billie's expression softened. "Oh, honey," she said, pulling me into a unexpected hug. "No one's cut out for this at first. Not even Zephyr. You don't have to love him right away, you know. Get to know him first. Give it time."

I pulled back, blinking away tears I hadn't realized were forming. "But what if... what if I never love him? What if he never loves me?"

"Then you'll cross that bridge when you come to it," Billie said firmly. "For now, just focus on finding your place here. The rest will follow."

As Billie continued the tour, her words echoed in my mind. Find my place. It sounded simple enough, but as I looked around at the grandeur of the mansion, at the life I'd been thrust into overnight, I couldn't help but wonder: Was there really a place for someone like me in this world of power and politics? Or was I doomed to always be the outsider, the weak link in a pack known for its strength?

Only time would tell. And time, it seemed, was the one thing I had plenty of in this gilded cage.