Donna's POV
My body felt heavy, like stone pressing against me. For a moment, I thought I was dead — that the darkness that swallowed me at the auction had finally taken pity and kept me forever.
But then, warmth.
Soft linen brushed against my skin, the faint scent of herbs and honey filled the air. Voices murmured somewhere close — hurried, nervous, alive.
When I forced my eyes open, the light almost blinded me, and I flinched. The ceiling above me wasn't the cold, cracked stones of a dungeon, but a canopy of white craving of beautiful patterns. The bed beneath me felt soft, the air very clean.
"Luna! She's awake!" someone gasped.
Luna?
The word didn't sound right
I blinked rapidly as a blur of movement filled the room. Maids at least half a dozen scurried around like startled birds. One fanned cool air against my face, another dabbed something warm along the bruises on my wrists.
Two women stood near the foot of the bed, whispering anxiously to a man in a white coat who looked like a pack doctor.
They all looked worried. And when I finally sat up, the chatter broke into gasps.
"How is this possible?" One of the maids said in a gasp.
"She's even more beautiful now that she has opened her eyes." Another pointed out.
"The Alpha will be thrilled! he's been waiting." The chatter continued.
"Careful! Don't startle her!" The doctor said in a rather calm voice.
"Wait—what… what are you talking about?" My throat dry; the words came out hoarse. "Where am I?"
Everyone started talking at once.
"You fainted on your way, Luna"
"Our Alpha bought you himself"
"He carried you all the way here"
"You're in the Shadowfang territory, the safest place in the north"
"Shadowfang?" I whispered, the name scraping something deep in my memory. My stomach twisted.
That voice. The one that silenced a crowd. The man whose aura felt like a storm breaking through my bones.
Before I could ask anything more, the door opened, and silence fell like a blanket over the room.
A tall woman stepped in — poised, silver-haired, and regal enough to command a pack without speaking a word. Her presence made everyone bow immediately. Even the doctor retreated to the corner, head low.
"Out," she said simply.
Every maid hurried out without protest, the room emptying in seconds until only the woman and I remained. Her eyes were a deep storm-grey, like the Alpha who bought me, but gentler, touched with time and grace.
"You must be confused." Her voice carried warmth wrapped in authority. "I am Leona. Dane's mother."
Dane. The name struck me like lightning. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless, remembering that impossible pull from the slave market, that connection that shouldn't exist.
Leona smiled faintly, though her eyes were studying me, weighing me. "You are safe here, child. Everything will be explained to you once you've fully recovered. For now, you must rest."
I swallowed hard, my fingers curbing into the sheets. "The man who brought me here… where is he?"
For the briefest moment, something flickered across her face — hesitation, maybe guilt. Then it was gone.
"My son has gone out," she said smoothly. "Pack matters. But he will be back soon."
Gone. The word settled in my chest strangely — a mix of relief and disappointment.
Leona turned toward the door and clapped once. A young girl entered — she couldn't have been older than eighteen, her eyes wide with both curiosity and fear.
"This is Clara," Leona said. "She'll be your personal maid from now on. Whatever you need, she will see to it."
Clara bowed quickly, clutching her apron. "It's an honor, Luna."
Luna. There it was again. The title I had lost — stripped from me in front of my entire pack. Now strangers whispered it like it was already mine again.
"I think you have mistaken me," I murmured. "I'm not—"
Leona raised a hand, silencing me with a look that was firm but kind. "No more talking for now. You've been through enough."
She turned to Clara. "Run a hot bath for her. And send it to the kitchen — light soup, some bread, and fruit."
"I don't need food," I said quickly. "Please, I'm fine."
Leona's expression softened but remained unyielding. "You will eat, dear. You'll need your strength."
There was something maternal in her tone, the kind of gentleness I hadn't felt since my own mother passed. It broke something inside me. I nodded, unable to argue.
Leona smiled faintly. "Good. I'll come back soon. Rest, Donna."
She left with the grace of someone used to being obeyed, her scent lingering — faint lilac and command.
The room went quiet again. Clara busied herself near the corner, preparing water in a wide brass tub. I leaned back against the pillows, staring at the sunlight streaming through the tall windows.
It painted the room gold, too beautiful for someone like me — a castaway, a disgrace, a slave bought by a man whose name made even Alphas tremble.
My fingers drifted to my chest, to the place where the bond had burned the night before. I could still feel it there, pulsing softly beneath my skin — the echo of something impossible.
Dane.
The cursed Alpha of Shadowfang.
My… mate.
My heart trembled at the thought. The Moon Goddess had rejected me once — torn my womb, my title, my mate, my dignity and yet… she had bound me again? To him?
Tears pressed behind my eyes, but I swallowed them back. Not here. Not in this strange bed surrounded by people who thought I was some Luna reborn.
Clara turned, her cheeks flushed from the steam. "Your bath is ready, Luna. Would you like me to help you undress?"
I shook my head quickly. "No. I can manage."
She smiled timidly, bowing her head before retreating to the corner to give me privacy.
As I slipped from the bed, the cold marble floor kissed my bare feet. My reflection in the tall mirror stopped me — pale skin marked by fading bruises, dried blood along my collarbone, hair tangled and wild. The once-proud Luna of Ironclad looked more like a ghost than a person.
But in my eyes, beneath the exhaustion and pain, something new flickered.
Fire.
Maybe it was the bond. Maybe it was defiance. Or maybe it was simply the realization that I was finally no longer in chains.
When the warm water touched my skin, I closed my eyes and let myself breathe.
Somewhere beyond these walls, Dane waited — or watched. The man who boug
ht me, the mate I didn't choose.
And whether this fate was a curse or a second chance, I intended to face it on my feet.