Chapter 5: Who’s Wicked?

 

Clara

“Luna, wake up!” Donna’s crying voice echoes through my ears continuously.

“How dare that ugly useless woman take her life inside the Packhouse?! If she wanted to die because she’s tired of living her awful life then she could have run to the woods and gotten herself eaten by rogues!”

“Can you please stop and just call for help? Call the Pack doctor.”

“Do you really think someone here would help this woman to live? She took her own life, so she wanted herself dead. Don’t waste your time and energy on this helpless woman, Donna,” the woman's voice Donna was arguing with bitterly chuckled.  

“But she really doesn’t have any shame left, huh? She even did this here! Alpha Samuel and Luna Alice’s wedding will happen in just a day. Her death would cause their wedding trouble!”

“Luna Clara, please, don’t die,” Donna’s weep grew louder. “Please, wake up.”

With just one shake from her, my eyes automatically opened up wide. I caught my breath as I coughed, taking out water from my chest.

I wandered my eyes around, and thinking I had successfully died, I felt relieved. Even my death had to cause them trouble.

Instead of feeling sorry for me, all they could think of was how it could affect the wedding of their beloved Luna Alice.

“Luna! You’re alive!”

My eyes lit up not only with shock but disappointment upon realizing I was alive. I survived.

Donna immediately put her arms behind my neck and back as she helped me sit upright. She caressed my back before more water came out of my mouth.

Seeing that only Donna with one of the female butlers with me, another set of piercing pain crossed my heart.

I know I should have given up on Samuel a very long time ago, but here am I still hoping he’d be here at least for caring as someone fated to be his mate.

He wouldn’t even care any less if I died at the moment.

“Are you feeling okay, Luna?”

I simply nodded in response to lessen Donna’s worry about me. I consider myself lucky to have a servant like Donna who also stands as my friend in the Packhouse. Unlike everyone here, she sees me as a person worthy of respect.

She removed her robe and wrapped it around my wet clothes and body before helping me to get up.

“How come you didn’t just die,” the butler took out a deep breath, rolling her eyes at me.

Just like what I’ve always done, I ignored her. With Donna on my side, we both stepped to leave when the butler purposely pushed me. Before I lost my balance, Donna stepped up in front of me.

“You see. Luna Clara isn’t as weak as everyone here thinks. She’s stronger than you think!”

“I don’t give a fuck. You should make your useless awful Luna out of here because we have a wedding to arrange. The wedding of Alpha Samuel and Luna Alice that has been looked forward to by everyone,” she boastfully remarks, smirking at Donna.

She blew out a sigh before assisting me back inside the Packhouse. She pushed the main double doors and my lips parted in surprise upon seeing Alice standing not far away from it.

Her hands were crossed against her chest, looking straight at me.

Since the day I got here, she never talked or even came close to me. I don’t know the reason why, but perhaps she doesn’t want to make any connections with me. After all, his fiance was my mate.

Realizing she didn’t have any further plans to look away, I shifted my eyes away and took a step forward to walk past her. However, just when I was right beside her, I felt her soft hands reach for my wrist to forcibly tug me back.

“So, you want to die?”

I remained silent, watching her beautiful angelic face turn into a crumpled one.

“And kill yourself inside the Packhouse? For what? To get Samuel’s attention, gain his sympathy, and ask him to postpone our wedding?” Alice bitterly snickers.

“That’s not what I wanted—”

“Then what the hell do you want?!”

“You’ve got Samuel, Alice. He chose you over me and you are getting married to him very soon. I don’t understand why you’re being like this.”

Her jaw clenched, gritting her teeth in anger,  which I had no idea where is coming from. Walking up to me, she grabbed my jaw.

“Because you are his first wife! I should be that, but you came along and ruined our wedding!”

“Luna Alice, please don’t hurt Luna Clara, she just got—” Donna was caught off guard when Alice shoved her aside.

I tried fleeing away from her grip, but she’s way stronger than I am.

“Being mated to Samuel was one thing. But you can’t use that against me,” she hissed, grasping the jaw to the point of pain.

“Our wedding will happen tomorrow and don’t you dare show yourself to ruin it! Do you understand?!”

Left with no other options, I nodded. She threw my face away, running her fingers through her long hair before walking away.

Why does she make it sound like I was at fault for being mated to Samuel? If I only knew I would end up with this kind of torn situation, I shouldn’t have prayed to Moon Goddess every single day to be Samuel’s mate.

“Come on, Luna. You need to rest,” Donna spoke behind me.

I sat by the mattress, deeply thinking about everything while Donna dried my hair.

Even I, myself couldn’t believe how far I endured everything here. I had every means to leave him and go back to our Pack, but I chose not to because I was hoping Samuel’s heart would change.

But, perhaps I had already tried changing someone not willing to. I wished for myself to unlove Samuel, and maybe the only thing that was holding me back was myself.

“Please don’t ever try to kill yourself again, Luna. Whatever you do, they will still see you as the one who’s at fault. So please don’t listen to them.”

Looking up at Donna, she forced a dejected smile.

She was right. I got tired of following everyone’s word, keeping my silence, hoping they’d come to accept me. Either way, follow them or not; I will always look the bad ones into their one-sided eyes.

“Donna, can you go out and get me these herbs and medicines?”

If I’m going to be an antagonist in their eyes, then why don’t I give them a good reason to treat and look at me that way?

And good for them, especially Samuel, that I know exactly where to start to get the respect I deserve as the Alpha’s mate and first wife.

I wouldn’t let them enjoy their awaited wedding that easily.

Chapter 6: Healed

Clara

Donna’s forehead wrinkled. “Herbs and medicines, Luna? Why are you sick?”

“No, I’m fine. I just need them tonight so I can be ready for tomorrow.”

Hesitating, Donna still ended up just nodding. “Alright. Whatever you need, Luna.”

I opened up the little compartment on my drawer and began listing everything I’ll be needing in a piece of brown paper.

“You can get the help you will be needing.” I handed her the paper which Donna immediately examined. “I need those here as soon as possible, before tomorrow.”

Donna nodded, placing the paper onto her pocket. “But aren’t you going to rest, Luna? It’s been a long night for you.”

“No, I’m good.” I shook my head. “And I’m sorry for keeping you up this late.”

With an assuring smile, she shook her head before heading out, leaving me all alone inside my room.

The silence filling the atmosphere didn’t bring me peace of mind. And instead, doubt starts to crept inside me.

After knowing Samuel was my mate on my eighteenth birthday, I already had tried doing this same thing. To remove the scar I did. But I had failed tons of times, making me give up.

I came across Samuel and really thought I was accepted for what I have and who I am. But seeing my situation right now, I was wrong.

Regret was everything I could feel at that moment. Regret, but not because I shouldn’t have believed Samuel’s lies, but because I shouldn’t have done this scar to my face in the first place.

I may have trusted myself back then too much that I could for sure make that scar vanish whenever I wanted to. But I knew I wouldn’t have that much trust in myself, if I can’t do it. After all, I knew myself better than everybody else.

And today, I will make sure it will work and no other way around. There would be no room for self-doubt.

Discovering that I’m a good healer started after my teenage years. The first person I have proven my ability to was my father. Being a Beta, he always went to fight and hunt. And when father told everyone my ability, no one believed him or even wanted to be treated by me. My goal was to help, but they saw it as a threat.

Two hours had passed and still Donna hadn’t gone back. I kept peeking through the window, but all I could see was how everyone was busy, happily arranging the place for the celebration of Samuel’s second marriage with Alice.

Each minute that was passing by, made my anxiety grow bigger. I may run out of time if Donna doesn’t make it on time.

Dawn arrived and just when I was about to leave my room, the door pushed open. Donna went in, panting as she made sure to lock the door before heading to my place.

“Some guards out there didn’t want to let me in, Luna. They were questioning where am I going to use all of these,” she caught her breath, placing down a black cloth bag.

“What did you tell them?” My eyes were fixed on her sweaty face, worried what she said might alarm them.

“Don’t worry about it, Luna. I’m a good liar,” she chuckled, tapping my left shoulder.

Digging into the bag, I was glad to see everything I have listed was here. Looking up at the wall clock, I saw that I’ve only had almost six hours to make it before the wedding officially starts.

With adrenaline rushing through, I swept everything away from my table and began placing every herbs and medicine down. Seeing many of them overwhelmed me. It has been months since I have last done this.

I took a deep breath before starting to mix the ingredients onto the small porcelain bowl I was holding.

Beads of sweat fell down on my forehead, but I was too busy to even wipe them. My eyes were fixed onto the mixture I was trying to make when a sudden knock appeared by the door.

Donna, who was standing a meter away from me, was shocked. “I will attend to the door, Luna. You continue what you’re doing.”

Mix after mix, and all I could feel was nervousness. Grabbing the last herb that will make this mixture complete, I swallowed hard before tearing its leaves into pieces before mixing it.

At exact four in the morning, four hours before the wedding, I was done creating the mixture. Satisfaction and fear was consuming me.

I cleaned the surface of my scar first before dabbing the mixture onto my skin. I was too preoccupied that I didn’t notice Donna had gone back. She was carefully watching my every move with a hopeful look in her eyes.

“I see it now, Luna. The herbs and medicine was for your scar,” she mumbled.

“If fate was on my side this time, my scar would finally vanish, Donna.”

“I wished you all the best, Luna. It’ll work!”

This scar has been with me for years, yet the thirty minutes of waiting for the mixture to sink into my skin, felt like forever.

My hands were relentlessly shaking, grabbing a piece of clean cloth to wipe the mixture out of my face.

Too many what ifs were lingering in my mind.

What if it didn’t work? What if I’m going to have this scar for eternity? What if it turns out worse?

Hence, all of those questions instantly fade when another knock interrupts which Donna hastily attends to.

“What do you need?” Donna asked, keeping the door open narrow and small.

“Alpha Samuel sent me to guard Luna Clara’s room to make sure we won’t be able to leave until the wedding ceremony is finished,” a man’s voice responded.

“Is she inside?”

“Y-yes,” Donna stuttered.

“Move aside. I need to see her inside myself.”

With a quick glance, Donna instructed me to turn around and face my back onto the door. I immediately looked back, hiding my face from the guard.

“All right,” the guard uttered lastly, before moving back.

Shutting back the door, Donna faced me with a torn look on her face.

It seems like Samuel’s doing everything just not to see even my glimpse on his important day.

Well, it’s so unfortunate of him because if my scar was successfully removed, then my will to ruin his wedding day will be way stronger than my fear of disobeying him.

My hands that were shaky turned colder as I continued to wipe the remaining mixture. I was firmly biting my lower lip with my eyes locked at my reflection through the mirror.

The moment I took off everything that was covering my scar, I gasped a breath away upon seeing my face without it. This is for the longest time I’ve ever got a chance to catch a glance of myself without the burden that caused me hell.

Running my fingers onto my left cheek, the feeling was bizarre.

“It worked, for real,” I puffed, my eyes peeling open as I couldn’t get them off into my reflection through the mirror.

Pure joy and excitement were the only things I could feel. A strange feeling from what I have been having: regret and disgust.

“Oh, my! You are so beautiful, Luna! A real Goddess!” Donna beams excitedly.

A drop of tear fell down my left eye which was followed by an amused giggle.

My first step into my plan worked. So what else could stop me from doing the rest of my plan?

“Get me my dress, Donna. I will attend my mate’s wedding,” I announced, keeping my gaze on the mirror as if I were memorizing every inch of my features.

“You’re gonna get back what’s yours, Luna,” Donna remarked, nodding. “Alpha Samuel will definitely love you now that you’re even prettier than Luna Alice,” she added, grinning from ear to ear.