I closed my eyes as I heard the Lunas gasp and the Alphas scream. When my eyes opened, Elijah still stood, but the apple had fallen from his head.I noticed Elijah was holding the arrow that had almost hit his eye, broken in two. Damn it! Why didn’t the arrow aim slightly higher and just hit the apple? I put Elijah in danger with my inaccurate shot. I felt the urge to run, but I was shaking so badly I could barely stand.“My king!” the royal alphas rushed over to Elijah.“Are you all right, my king?”Elijah threw the arrow to the ground, looking calm. I froze, once again guilty of a fatal mistake. Surely, Elijah would scold me.Elijah’s footsteps approached, and I panicked even more. Quickly, I bowed deeply to him.“Forgive me...” I choked out.“Good,” Elijah told me. He smiled. “I didn’t expect you to aim your arrow at such a vital spot.”I stood up again, confused. “But you told me to shoot the apple, my king.”“You don’t aim at the apple at a critical moment, Delilah.”The royal
"Isn't she lovely?"Mom looked at me in awe, and I immediately felt shy. I was wearing a long white dress, off the shoulders. Earlier, Mom had said I looked like a moon goddess.Then Mom turned me around and showed me off to my two step-siblings, Benson and Tracy. They both smiled as we exchanged glances."Beautiful," Benson complimented, giving two thumbs up.Tracy quickly slipped her arm through mine. "Come on, don't keep Jeremy waiting."I felt so lucky to have a mother and two step-siblings who cared so much about me. They had been there for me through the hard times and the happy times of the past few years.Dad married Mom four years ago, and my life has been magical ever since. The loneliness I used to feel was gone, with Benson and Tracy always there to support me. Especially now that Jeremy had chosen me to be his Luna. And now, the moment I had been waiting for had finally arrived."You go ahead, Mom will catch up with you at the ceremony," Mom said. She stroked my cheek. "I
I don't know how long I had been unconscious, but the sky was still dark when I opened my eyes and felt pain all over my body. I could smell blood, though I wasn't sure what part of me was injured. My body lay on broken branches and twigs that had miraculously saved me."Oh... my Goddess," I whispered hoarsely.I didn't dare move, the pain was unbearable. Maybe I had broken bones, I wasn't sure. If I had been a normal human, I would have been dead.Then everything that had happened came rushing back to me and I felt a deep shock. Benson and Tracy—I never thought they would betray me like this. We cared for each other all this time.If they had been cruel to me since our parents got married, I wouldn't be surprised to end up in this terrible condition. But they were so kind, which made their betrayal even more heartbreaking.My body sensed something else. There was a powerful insting, sharp and almost intoxicating. The aura felt strange, exuding strength, passion, sadness, and yet a se
My answer was only tears streaming down my face because I didn't know how to convince Elijah.Elijah brought his face closer, then forcefully lifted my head. His lips locked onto mine, taking my breath away. His kiss was so intense that it scared me to my core. Then he released my lips, almost pushing me away.Elijah licked his lips. "Even your taste isn't like a Luna's. Any Alpha would be attracted to his future mate, would admire her, and she'd have an everlasting scent."Was that true? I'd seen other Lunas; they seemed calm and warm, some even wise and strong.Had all that been taken away from me when Jeremy chose Tracy to be the Luna of our pack? Was I really just an outcast wolf now? Where did I belong?"You're useless to me, Delilah," Elijah said as he stood up.So he was going to end me, just like that? He could just discard anyone who wasn't valuable? How cruel!"It's decided, you're going to be my slave."What did he say? A slave? No, I won't be anyone's slave. I'd rather die
Elijah arrived at the boutique right on time, and without saying a word, he took me away. We rode in another car, a black limousine, and I had to sit next to him, feeling very uncomfortable.William's pack lives in another part of Alderwood. Elijah had separated from his family, though his reasons remain a mystery. I didn't dare ask, of course.From his brief explanation, I learned that his full name was Elijah William. He was a descendant of the royal pack, twice my age. I would never have guessed that this 38-year-old man looked at least a decade younger."By the way, how old are you?" Elijah asked.I cleared my throat. "I turned 19 in May.""You didn't shift, yet?""Last year.""Your wolf?"What was going on here? Why was he interrogating me like this? I couldn't calm down at all."I didn't..." I choked out. "My wolf. I don't have it.""That's strange. Maybe it's still hidden somewhere. Or maybe... you're just not worthy of having one."His words tore at me, but I remained silent, c
I returned to Elijah's mansion, greeted by the silent stares of lifeless objects that only added to the place's suffocating loneliness. Elijah gestured for me to follow him to his study, and with a heavy heart, I followed.Returning to the mansion, I held back the sadness that was welling in my chest. I didn't dare cry before him, but the tears finally spilled over when we were alone."Stop crying!" Elijah ordered sharply.I began to shake as his intimidating presence filled the room. He walked over to the window and exhaled deeply."Were you intending to sacrifice me?" I asked, gathering my courage."Listen, I told you to be quiet and do as I say. Remember, you are nothing but my slave!""What kind of king are you to make me your Luna, condemned to the same fate as the last one? You're a tyrant!" I shouted.I didn't care if he tore me apart in his rage. A quicker death might be better than being haunted by a curse."I won't be your next victim!"Even as an Omega, I still wanted my li
Nothing significant happened after we made our deal. I wasn't confined to my room; I could walk around the mansion only in certain rooms. I hadn't seen Elijah in a week, only Vincent occasionally.I never ate in the dining room, preferring to eat in the kitchen with three other Omegas who worked here as maids: Flo, Kat, and Tris.They'd all been working here for almost two decades since Elijah became Alpha King at twenty. The same was true for Vincent, who served as Beta and hadn't left Elijah's side in all those years.They were careful with their words, and none mentioned the rumored curse on Elijah's former Luna."Hurry up with your meals," Kat urged her two friends. "We have a lot of work to do before tomorrow."Tomorrow, the mansion will host a grand banquet to which all the families and alphas under Elijah's rule will be invited. The event will introduce Elijah's Luna, which is me.A feeling of dread filled me. First, I couldn't eliminate my fear of the curse despite everything.
My eyes slowly opened as waking came to me. My whole body ached; even after sleeping, I still felt exhausted, as if I hadn't rested enough. Sunlight streamed through the large window where the curtains had already been drawn. What time is it? The sound of a spoon clinking against a cup woke me. I peeked out from under the covers. Elijah was sitting on the daybed, dressed in a black kimono, his legs crossed quietly as he sipped his coffee. The aroma wafted over to me. "Wake up, sleepyhead!" Elijah ordered. I didn't answer, instead burrowing deeper under the covers. I wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing, so how could I get out of bed like this? I heard his footsteps approaching, and I grew more alert. Suddenly, he yanked off the blanket, and a rush of cold air hit my entire body. "No!" I yelped, immediately covering my sensitive parts even though it felt pointless. "I'm embarrassed." "I explored every inch of you. What's there to be embarrassed about?" He snorted. After everythin