Selene's Point of View.
Lucian didn't come near me throughout that day.
He didn't send for me and for the first time since the ceremony, I felt what I could almost call peace.
The room he'd assigned me was far removed from the throne hall, the war chamber, and most importantly, him.
*
The following morning, I rose early and dressed myself.
I wore pale ivory linen, belted at the waist with soft leather. My hair was braided down my back, simple and tight, no ornaments, makeup, or silk, just me as I was, and always had been.
When I stepped into the garden court for the morning meal, the sun was already cresting the eastern towers. Birds chirped among the high trellises, and warm golden light bathed the marble terrace in a gentle glow. A breeze stirred the air, carrying the scent of lemon blossom and something sweeter, freshly baked bread.
The long marble breakfast table sat under a canopy of vines and white blooms. Silverware gleamed in perfect rows, goblets caught the sun like glass spun from starlight with cushions had been arranged for each seat.
Every seat except mine.
I stopped walking.
My gaze swept the table twice.
There was clearly no mistake.
My chair, the one I'd sat in the morning after the binding ceremony, was gone.
Erased like I'd never existed.
My hands curled slowly at my sides. I turned to the nearest servant, a young woman with trembling hands and a tray of fruit slices.
"Where is my seat?" I asked, quietly, evenly.
The girl startled, nearly dropping the tray. "I…I'm sorry, my lady… I…I was only following orders…" she stammered.
"Whose orders?"
The air changed before she could answer.
Boots struck the marble path with cruel precision.
Lucian.
He strolled into the garden with the effortless arrogance of someone who believed the sun rose because he commanded it. He wore a dark grey tunic that clung to his frame, embroidered in faint crimson sigils.
He stopped at the end of the table, eyes sweeping the scene.
Then he smiled.
That cold, practiced smile that wasn't meant for charm, it was a weapon.
"I assumed," he said, voice silked with mockery, "you'd prefer the servants' table, less pressure for someone so… simple."
The table fell silent.
My face didn't move.
I felt the heat crawl up the back of my neck, but I refused to let it touch my expression.
My pride was louder than his cruelty.
Without a word, I turned to the maid again.
"Bring my breakfast to my chambers."
The girl gave a small, eager nod, relieved to obey.
But Lucian's voice cut through the air like a blade. "No."
She froze, so did I.
"If she won't eat with the servants," he continued, casually pouring himself a glass of wine, "then she doesn't eat at all."
His words dropped like stones in water, ripples of silence followed.
Eyes turned to me, some were startled while some amused.
My stomach twisted, not from hunger, but humiliation.
I said nothing.
I wouldn't beg for crumbs.
I turned and walked out of the room, my steps steady, every inch of my body trembling beneath the weight of unseen chains.
The moment I reached my room and closed the door, I leaned against it, exhaling slowly.
I picked up a pillow and placed it on my face.
"Argh!" I screamed inside it.
Rage burned behind my ribs, not just from his insult but from how easily he'd done it, like I was less than a person.
Just a name.
"A mistake!" I muttered.
I had barely caught my breath when there was a knock.
A single soft tap-tap at the door.
I turned sharply. "Who is it?"
The door creaked open, and a maid entered with a silver tray cradled in her arms.
Steam rose from the food, sliced fruit, still-warm bread, and a cup of spiced tea that made my mouth water from across the room.
I blinked. "You… brought this?"
The maid nodded quickly. "Yes, Luna. It was sent by Beta Cassian."
My brows lifted. "Cassian?"
She dipped her head, glancing toward the hallway before continuing. "He instructed us to bring it immediately and to say nothing to the Alpha."
My chest tightened with something I couldn't name.
She added, almost in a whisper, "Cassian is not only the Beta. He is also Alpha Lucian's cousin, he can make quiet requests that must be honored. This one…" Her voice dropped. "This one was for you, just you."
I looked at the tray again, not because I was starving, but because someone had remembered I existed.
Someone had seen me.
The maid left as quietly as she came.
I sat at the small table near the window, pulled the cloth over my lap, and ate in silence.
*
By midday, another knock came.
This time it was a different maid.
She curtsied, her expression neutral as she bowed "Luna, you've been assigned a task this afternoon, a royal duty."
"What kind of duty?" I asked calmly.
"You're to assist with the grain stock review for winter storage. The Alpha's orders."
Of course.
No councils, no ceremonies, or dignitary visits.
It was just manual labor, befitting for a rogue.
I was to work out in the sun, luckily, I was used to such treatment already.
"Give me ten minutes," I said.
She bowed and left.
I changed into fitted linen trousers and a light tunic, braided my hair into a crown to keep it off my neck, and walked through the castle with my head held high.
We passed balconies where noblewomen laughed beneath parasols. Where Lunas from allied packs sipped herbal wine and planned seasonal banquets, no one looked at me, and I didn't look back.
*
The grain storeroom was hot, heavy with the scent of dust, flour, and old wood.
All the sacks were taken out in the open field.
Barrels were stacked to the ceiling, sacks of wheat and oats lay in towering piles, some marked for inspection, others for weighing.
"Here luna." The maid said as I was handed a tally sheet and a marking stick.
I got to work without complaint.
The sun burned through the open arches overhead, my arms ached within the hour, but I counted every sack, noted every tear, every spoiled grain.
It was hard, honest work, and I did it well.
That didn't stop the guards near the entrance from whispering.
"She doesn't look much like Luna," one said with a sneer.
The other scoffed. "She's more mule than mate, a rogue luna"
Their laughter scratched down my spine.
My hand paused, pressed hard into the scroll as I chose to ignore them.
My wolf stirred in anger, growling low inside me.
"We are Luna," she hissed.
"Not to them," I muttered bitterly.
The heat was relentless.
Sunlight poured through the high, arched windows of the grain field, thickening the already dry air. Dust clung to my skin, my hands were chalked with flour from lifting and counting sacks of wheat, barley, oats. I had tied my sleeves up to the elbow and knotted my braid at the nape of my neck, but it did little to stop the sweat pooling along my spine.
Still, I worked.
I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me falter.
One breath at a time.
Luna, they called me, but Lucian had made sure no one forgot what I was beneath the crown.
A sharp voice rang out behind me, startling me enough that I almost dropped the chalk board I was marking.
"Well, this is a surprise."
I turned swiftly, wiping my hand on the back of my trousers.
It was Cassian.
He stood a few steps away, arms folded across his chest, dressed in a tailored black vest and open linen shirt that clung slightly to his chest with sweat. The heat hadn't spared him either, though he looked far more at ease with it than I did.
A soft smile tugged at his lips, but his eyes betrayed something else.
They glittered with surprise, confusion, and maybe even concern.
"You're doing a stock inspection?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's work we usually reserve for servants or warriors being punished."
I didn't bother with a polite lie.
I bent to lift another sack of grain and grunted softly. "Who else would assign this to me but Lucian?"
Cassian's smile faded.
He exhaled slowly and stepped closer.
"Selene," he said gently, his voice a few degrees lower, "don't take everything he does to heart. My cousin… he's not good with bonds or control, he lashes out when he's unsure."
I looked up, arching a brow. "So this is what unsure looks like? Humiliation and starvation?"
He didn't flinch, but he sighed again.
"He'll come around eventually, he always does, just… on his own time."
I straightened, brushing the chalk dust from my hands. "I'm not here waiting for him to come around, Cassian. I'm not here because I love him or want him."
He studied me quietly.
I held his gaze and said clearly, "I'm here because of the mate bond, nothing more."
Cassian nodded slowly. "Understood."
I hesitated, then added, softer, "Thank you… for the meal this morning."
His brows lifted slightly, surprised, but pleased.
"Ah," he said, smiling. "So my treason wasn't in vain."
"It was the only moment of dignity I had all day," I admitted, voice low.
He gave a small bow, hand to chest. "Then I'm glad I broke the rules."
Then his expression shifted, a spark of playfulness lighting his eyes. "Still, you have to admit… you made quite the entrance."
I blinked. "What?"
"The first day you arrived, in front of the entire court. The whole 'I-don't-want-you-either' speech?" He grinned. "Goddess, Selene… I've never seen Lucian look that stunned, I thought he was going to spit blood."
A laugh escaped before I could stop it, a short, surprised sound that startled even me.
It wasn't loud or long, but it was real.
Cassian's grin widened. "There it is," he said. "The elusive Luna smile."
I rolled my eyes, but I didn't deny it. "Don't get used to it."
He mock-bowed. "Too late."
He stepped back, wiping his palms on his trousers. "I have to go, a patrol's returning this afternoon, and Lucian will want a full debrief. Don't let this place bury your spark, Selene, it's needed here more than you know."
I gave a small nod, watching as he turned and strode out of the storeroom, sunlight catching the edges of his dark hair.
Something about him made the air feel lighter.
I turned back toward the stockpile, reaching for the next sack, only to feel the hairs on my neck rise.
Someone was watching me.
I slowly lifted my gaze, and to my surprise, across the courtyard, just above the storeroom, stood a narrow stone balcony.
And on it was Lucian.
He leaned forward slightly, his forearms resting on the railing, golden eyes locked on me with that same unreadable stillness he always wore when he wanted to look powerful and unaffected.
There was no heat in his stare.
No pride or guilt, just that blank, carved mask, but something beneath it stirred, something he didn't want me to see.
When he realized I was looking back at him, he turned sharply and walked away.
Vanished like the coward he was.
"Unbelievable!" I said aloud as my blood boiled.
How long had he been standing there?
Watching me work like a servant while his court whispered behind my back?
I clenched my fists at my sides, forcing myself to breathe.
"Let him watch," I muttered under my breath. "Let him choke on his silence."
My wolf stirred faintly, her voice a low rumble.
"He sees us now."
"Too late," I thought bitterly.
*
The war chamber smelled of smoke, wax, and cold steel.
Iron sconces glowed dimly along the stone walls, casting long, flickering shadows across the map-covered table. Warriors stood in tight formation around it, men with hard eyes and clenched jaws, each of them murmuring strategy over parchment and territory lines.
I walked into the middle of it all… carrying a tray of scrolls.
A handmaid's task.
Something low-ranking and forgettable.
Something meant to remind me where I stood.
The polished tray trembled slightly in my hands as I approached, the thick scrolls tied in red twine rolling gently with each step. I kept my head high, though every part of me wanted to throw it all into the fire and walk out.
As I neared the table, one of the older councilmen lifted his head, his lips twitching with amusement.
"Ah," he said with a grin. "The Luna becomes our new courier?"
Laughter rippled softly among them, short and sharp.
Lucian didn't so much as glance in my direction.
He didn't reach for a scroll nor say my name.
He just spoke without looking up, his voice slow, cruel, and casual.
"Let her be useful for once."
The words landed harder than a slap.
I froze in place, my fingers tightening around the edge of the tray. My jaw locked as I turned my head, met his gaze full-on, sharp, steady, and proud.
But he didn't return it.
He looked through me as if I were nothing but a shadow cast by someone else's light.
I set the tray down on the table with controlled grace and walked out without saying a word.
That night, I sat before the fire in my chambers, arms folded around myself, the glow licking across the floor in gentle waves of amber. My gown was still wrinkled from the day I hadn't bothered to change. My braid had loosened, strands falling across my face as if even my hair had lost the will to stay put.
The room was warm but I felt cold.
I stared into the flames, willing them to devour the humiliation sitting in my chest like iron.
"This is not what mates are," I whispered.
My wolf stirred, unsettled and sharp.
"We should leave," I said, "This is not a bond, It's a cage."
"No, we can't leave." my wolf dismissed the thought.
I know, I thought bitterly, but a cage locked by fate still holds.
She fell silent, so did I.
The flames snapped louder, like they had something to say.
Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door, it was soft and I almost missed it.
I frowned because I wasn't expecting anyone.
"Come in."
The door creaked open just an inch, and a maid stepped inside, her eyes darting around nervously. She held a stack of folded linens against her chest, but her posture was tense, fidgeting.
"My lady…" she said in a whisper. "Forgive me… I wasn't sure if I should say anything."
I turned my head slightly. "Say what?"
She stepped further in, voice even lower. "I thought you should know that he's Alpha… he's seeing someone."
My breath caught, but I kept my expression still. "What do you mean by seeing?"
The maid swallowed hard. "Anothdr woman, he's been writing to her for some time. Private messages through royal riders, some of the kitchen staff say she's a noble from the southern border, a princess. The news is that she's coming to the pack tomorrow."
I rose slowly from the chair, the heat of the fire forgotten. "Coming here?"
She nodded quickly. "Yes, my lady, for a private bouquet in the royal garden at dusk."
A bouquet.
Not an official meeting, or a court-arranged.
It sounded very intimate, and planned.
My heart didn't ache, not the way a lover might, there was no jealousy in my blood but my wolf growled in anger.
I was confused.
Why now?
If he had someone already, then why did he bound himself to me?
Is it because of the mate bond?
Nothing made sense to me.
"I have to go now, Luna." The maid's words drifted me back into reality and I nodded.
The maid bowed and left quickly, leaving the door closed behind her.
I walked to the window, the hem of my gown whispering along the stone floor. Outside, the sky stretched wide and dark, the moon just beginning to rise above the castle walls.
Silver light spilled across the balcony, soft and quiet.
I watched it with a hollow stillness, my mind spiraling.
He was bringing someone else into the palace.
Another woman.
While I was still bound to him by the will of the goddess and this stupid mate bond.
He could reject the bond, ignore, and starve it, but it still lived inside me.
Tomorrow, the Alpha would bring another woman into the palace, and I would be there to watch it happen.
"Another woman, more humiliation to come."