CHAPTER 6

Lyra (Mia) POV

“You can’t treat me like this. I am the Luna of this pack,” I tried to defend the little dignity I had left.

“Are you still talking? Do you want to find out what happens to people who test my patience?”

This was the same man who had been sweet to me initially. Which abyss had that caring individual been pushed into?

I looked at him, and for a brief moment, something other than rage flashed in his eyes. Just kidding. That was my mind giving me a fantasy to console my cheeks, which throbbed with pain.

The last time I had seen so much rage on someone’s face was when Xander had walked in on me with another man. That traitor!

Damion’s eyes were even more reddened. It felt like another slap was lined up, so I moved back for my safety. Another one of those would surely cripple me.

Don’t get me wrong—I had heard the tales about the great Alpha Damion! How he was fearless in the face of danger and how he slayed anyone who so much as breathed wrong in his path.

But I hadn’t met that side of him. I had met the gentleman who had pulled me aside from the crowd just to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into.

When did he switch skins with a monster? When did he become heartless?

“Luna of this pack?” His mother asked rhetorically. Her answer was a scoff. “That is just a title meant to deceive everyone else in the pack. In this circle, we all know that you’re nothing but a coward who quits when things get tough. Like father, like daughter!”

“That is not who I am!” I cried out.

I was the girl who had been betrayed by her sister and her lover. I was the girl, strong and determined, who sought revenge for how she was treated in her past life.

I wasn’t a coward… Sigh! Oh, right. I was the girl with a different face and life. Why couldn’t the Moon Goddess have sent me into a body without so many problems?

“Yeah, right. Pathetic little girl!” Mrs. Byers said, rolling her eyes. “Do something, Damion. Don’t let this girl disrespect you and get away with it.”

His attention spun from his mother to me. It was like she worked the words into his mouth.

“I intended to be humane with you, but you’ve just proved to me that you don’t deserve any mercy. From now on, you might be a Luna to the rest of the pack, but here, you’ll be a prisoner!”

I gasped. So my life could get even worse. They say words are key—well, let’s see how effective they’ll be in getting me out of these cuffs I’ve put myself into.

“Please, I don’t want to be confined,” I pleaded.

How was I going to sneak out and execute my revenge plan on my sister and Xander? How else was I going to find out why the royal family despised my new identity, Mia, so much?

“You’ve brought this on yourself. Your movement around the palace will be restricted. You’ll be in your room until I have a need for you or it is time for dinner.”

“But that will not be possible. I will have to move around the pack and perform my Luna duties.”

“You’re just a title holder, Mia. If you think that just because everyone calls you Luna, you’re above me, think again!”

“Let me handle this, Mother!” Damion scolded.

His mother bowed. Now you understand what it feels like to be taunted, I wanted to say. But I made silence my best friend. If I wanted to help my case, it was a necessity.

He turned to me, picking up where he left off as if he had never stopped.

“You will not leave your room unless I give the order, and that’s final. If you try to disobey me, I will know, and I will make you regret ever agreeing to marry me!”

“But you said you loved me. Why did you go through all these processes to marry me if all you wanted to do was treat me like a slave?”

“Love? Why would I ever profess love to such a lowly individual like you—a traitor’s daughter? What we have is a contract marriage. You signed over your life to me when we were joined at the altar. In case you weren’t aware, the main goal of this marriage is to make your life a living hell.”

That was not something you wanted to hear from someone you were going to spend the next two years of your life with. Not only were my days going to be spent in captivity, but they were also going to be made miserable.

And please, don’t make the mistake of calling his bluff. The man had a record of keeping his word. There was no turning back for him.

“Please don’t ruin my life like this.”

“It’s already ruined. Now go up to your room. Your punishment for talking when you weren’t asked is that you’re not going to have dinner. Now get lost before I give you an even harsher punishment!”

I scurried out of the room. I could feel their eyes on me, but I doubted there was even the slightest bit of pity in them. They were chuckling amongst themselves as I made my way out.

The maid was done putting things together when I retired to my room. The room was as terrible as I had envisioned.

The paint on the walls had peeled in most places, the space was cramped, and the bed made a creaking sound as I sat on it.

“Sorry, Luna. I overheard the verdict Alpha Damion passed on you.”

The last thing I wanted was pity. I wanted a way out of my dilemma. I just nodded to acknowledge her. She bowed and made her way out of the door.

This was my fate now. I was a prisoner in my matrimonial home.

But not for long. I intended to find a way to get out of this bondage.