Anita's POV I woke up the next morning feeling the sharp ache in my leg, a throbbing reminder of everything that had happened the night before. I glanced down to see my leg tightly wrapped in bandages, immobilized. The pain was unbearable, making me wonder if I had broken more than just my ankle. My mind flashed back to last night, remembering how Maya had taken care of me despite my anger and constant refusals. She didn’t have to do that, I thought, a pang of guilt crossing my heart. I had pushed her away, shouted at her, yet she had stayed. Maybe she really did want to be my friend, but that didn’t mean I could trust her. I wasn’t ready for friendship. Not when I knew what it felt like to be abandoned, to be betrayed. Slowly, I forced myself up, rubbing my face to clear away the grogginess. I had chores to do, despite my injured leg. I couldn’t afford to stay in bed all day. Madame Betty wouldn’t allow it. And though my leg screamed in pain, I managed to put on my slippers, dragg
Luna Nora POV As I slowly made my way back to my room, my thoughts were racing, each one more troubling than the last. Could I have heard Alpha Orion correctly? Could the maids be right? The idea of Alpha Orion declaring that Anita is no longer a slave shook me to my core. That can’t be true. If he strips her of her slave status, then my position as Luna is under threat. I’ve worked tirelessly to maintain my place, to solidify Darius’ position as the rightful heir. I will not step down. Not for Alpha Orion, not for anyone. I felt a mix of anger and fear as I reached my bedroom, shutting the door behind me with a heavy thud. I sat on the edge of my bed, my hands trembling as they clenched the sheets. How could this be happening? How could Alpha Orion so blatantly disrespect me, stripping me of my power in front of the entire palace by elevating Anita? He was undermining everything I’ve built, everything I’ve sacrificed. I clenched my teeth, thinking of how Madame Betty had been humi
Luna Nora POV I don't know why Darius keeps acting this way. Why does he refuse to see the truth? Why can’t he understand that if we don’t act now, we’ll be forgotten? He’s acting like it’s impossible to take his brother's place, like we’re powerless in this situation. I wanted to scream at him, shake him until he understood the urgency of what I was saying. “Why are you acting like this, Darius?” I muttered under my breath. “Do you want us to fade into obscurity, to be erased from the history of this palace? To become a footnote in the lives of these wolves while Anita takes everything that should belong to us?” My voice trembled with frustration as I watched him, hoping, praying that something would break through his thick skull. He simply stood there, shaking his head. His calm demeanor drove me to the edge. “Mom,” Darius said with a tired sigh, “you can’t force me to change. You can’t keep telling me that Alpha Orion will push us out. He wouldn’t do that. He’s my brother too, r
Darius POV I know I’m not supposed to listen to my mother’s words. I’ve promised myself countless times that I wouldn’t let her manipulations sway me. I’d told myself I would act with my own mind, with my own principles. But something about the way she sounded last night…it made me worried. There was an undeniable desperation in her voice, a warning that I couldn’t shake off. It felt like she could see something I couldn’t—that we were about to lose everything. But how could that be possible? We’re royalty. We’ve always been royalty, and we always will be. I willingly gave up my chance to become Alpha so that my brother, Alpha Orion, could lead the pack. I trusted him to hold that position with honor and keep the family intact. But then my mother’s words echoed in my mind again. "Why would he want to dethrone her from being Luna? Why now?" I couldn’t shake it. Why would Orion strip my mother of her position as Luna just to make Anita Luna? Why couldn’t he marry Anita and still leav
Anita POV “How can they just come to me and expect me to believe whatever they say?” It had been hours now since the change in my life. No work, no chores, no orders—they’d moved me from the slave quarters to one of the concubine’s chambers. I was stunned. Confused, really. Why was this happening? What did I do to deserve this sudden elevation? They said I was now "privileged." Madame Betty had dropped that word like a gift at my feet, but it felt more like a trap. I don’t trust it. I can’t trust it. It didn’t feel real, like none of this was real. I sat down for dinner, alone at a private table, away from the other maids. They treated me differently now. Even the way they looked at me had changed—some with jealousy, some with confusion, but most with judgment. I didn’t want any of it. I didn’t ask for any of it. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn’t stay like this. This wasn’t me. I’m not meant for this. All I wanted was peace, but here I was, getting caught
Alpha Orion POV I don't know why, but no matter what I do, Anita always finds a way to annoy me. Every word, every action—it's like she's determined to push me to my limits. I try to offer her a higher position, a life beyond the chains of servitude, yet she dares to drag her feet, insisting she doesn't want it. She even asked to go back to the slave quarters! Can you believe it? After all I've done to lift her from that wretched place, she rejects me. I know I wasn’t supposed to yell at her. I know I wasn’t supposed to lose control. But how could I not? Frustration burns through me like fire, and she stands there, defiant. Every word she speaks is like a thorn in my chest. I’m trying to give her a life so many others would kill for, yet she throws it all away like it's nothing. She stands there, eyes filled with something I can’t quite place—hurt? Anger? Fear? And still, she defies me. I remember watching her get harassed by Luna Nora, feeling powerless, but now I'm taking action—
Alpha Orion POV Anita wasn’t rejecting the idea because she liked being poor or because she didn't want a better life. She was rejecting me because she was slowly losing feelings for me. That realization gnawed at my insides like poison. The blame—no, the fault—rested solely on Darius. My fists clenched tightly, and I had to hide my hands behind my back so Anita wouldn’t see how angry I was. The thought of Darius slipping into her heart, taking what was rightfully mine, made my blood boil. I wanted to crush him—to destroy him—but I knew I couldn’t let that rage show. Instead, I had to be strategic. Luna Nora. That was the key. I’d take everything from her. She’d lose her position, and with it, Darius would lose his power too. They both thought they could stand in my way? They were wrong. I looked at Anita, offering her a forced smile. She looked puzzled, unsure, but there was relief in her eyes. I placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “You don’t have to worry, Anita. I won’t stress
Luna Nora POV The moment I walked into the council room, my stomach churned with anticipation. I knew Alpha Orion was about to make his move—his betrayal. And as I sat there, waiting for it all to unfold, I steeled myself for the inevitable. I was about to lose everything I had worked for, everything I had sacrificed for this pack. But I couldn’t show my fear. I couldn’t let anyone see that this moment terrified me to my core. Not Darius, not the council members, and certainly not Anita. Alpha Orion cleared his throat, his voice echoing across the chamber, and the council members bowed respectfully. I refused to move. He didn’t deserve my respect. Not after what he was about to do. His gaze softened as it landed on Anita, and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was the moment he would announce my downfall. I clenched my fists under the table, feeling the weight of his betrayal like a noose tightening around my neck. I waited for him to speak, each word from his mouth like