Chapter 25
Liana’s POV
Alaric stepped closer to me.
I took a step back.
A mistake.
Because he followed
Slow, Purposeful.
I swallowed hard, my back pressing against the rough stone of the training ground wall. His towering frame blocked everything else out, his piercing blue eyes watching me like a predator waiting for its prey to make the wrong move.
“You’re here,” he murmured, voice low. “Because you want to be my Luna.”
It wasn’t a question.
“But…” He tilted his head slightly, studying me. “Do you have something else in mind?”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
Should I tell him!
Should I keep it to myself?
1 had been alone in my suffering for so long. The betrayal. The torment. The lies.
No one had ever asked me what I wanted.
No one had ever cared.
Alaric didn’t care either. Not in the way that mattered.
But he was listening.
I licked my lips, inhaling slowly. “I want revenge,”
His expression didn’t change. But something flickered in his eyes.
I exhaled sharply, my chest tightening. “I was accused of something I didn’t do. Beaten. Whipped. They took everything from me. I had. a little bookstore, but it was destroyed. My home destroyed because the people found out I was my sister’s mate. Now I think my sister just set me up for disaster so I can fully depend on her. I was always accused of one thing or another and being a woman with no wolf, I was ostracized and left alone. Like a plague.”
Alaric didn’t move.
He just waited.
So I continued..
“They called me a murderer. A liar. They laughed while I bled in front of them.” My voice wavered, but I steadied it. “And then, just. when I thought it was over, they took the one person who ever cared about me.”
I
my
I felt my breath hitch, the memory of Olivia’s lifeless eyes flashing behind my vision.
The way she had tried to speak.
Tried to hold on
The way I had screamed for someone to help-
1/5
9:23
Chapter 25
No one ever did
Alaric was close now.
Too close
His scent wrapped around me–spiced cedarwood, smoke, something distinctly him.
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “I don’t care about being your Luna. I don’t care about ruling. I don’t care about your curse or what it may do to me. I don’t care about anything except making them pay for the years of pain. Four years of being alone, of being lost. I lost my family through a fire that Amira caused. She said it was a mistake. She was angry that day when she burnt paper but knowing her, she did it on purpose. I hate her and I just want her dead. Not just dead but to go through everything I went through ten times worse. To make her lose everything slowly and know how it feels.”
The tears flowed freely now, like an open dam. My lips trembled, I sniffled trying to hold it back but it was too much.
Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.
Then
Alaric lifted his hand.
Alaric
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like he was testing a boundary neither of us understood.
His fingers brushed along my jaw, tilting my chin up slightly.
My breath caught.
His touch was warm. Too warm.
I should have pulled away.
I didn’t
Instead, my body betrayed me, leaning into it Just slightly.
Just enough for him to notice.
His thumb traced the corner of my lip, his gaze darkening “Revenge,” he murmured. “That’s what you want?”
I nodded, unable to speak.
His lips curled, the ghost of a smirk. “Then we’re not so
so different after all.”
His hand slid lower, down my throat–just barely grazing my pulse before retreating.
I inhaled sharply, my body betraying me once more.
I hated him.
But my body hadn’t gotten the message,
Alaric’s eyes met mine, something unreadable flickering in their depths.
“Il help you, he murmured, voice dipping into something dangerous.
His fingers trailed down my arm, lingering just a second too long before he finally stepped back.
“If you help me.”
I frowned, heart still unsteady from whatever just happened between uns.
“Help you how?” My voice was quieter than I tended, laced with something I didn’t want to name.
Chapter 25
Alaric exhaled slowly, tilting his head. “Imagine having a mad king as your king
My brows furrowed. “What d
does that mean?”
He didn’t answer.
Of course he didn’t.
Instead, his eyes flickered over me once more before his expression hardened. “You have training with Knox.”
I scowled. “So that’s it? No explanation?”
His lips curled slightly, but there was no humor in it. “You’ll learn soon enough. Somethings are better shown than said.”
I clenched my fists. “You’re infuriating.” I cleaned my face.
He ignored me, stepping past with a quiet command. A governess will come to you later for proper training. You may not care about being my Luna, but you will learn to act like one.”
I turned, glaring. “What if I refuse?”
Alaric glanced over his shoulder, amused. “Then you’ll fail at your own game, little wolf. To deal with power, you have to be powerful”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he was already
Tready walking
gaway.
Leaving me standing there.
Fuming.
Confused.
And damn it will feedin
still feeling the heat of his touch.
I sighed, still fuming from my last conversation with Alaric. Mad king, my ass, What did he even mean by that? And why did he always have to be so cryptic?
Before I could dwell on it further, I bumped into a woman that I have never seen before.
She was tall, with a round face and bright green eyes that practically sparkled with mischief. Her curly blonde hair was pulled into a loose bun, and her dress–though formal–was cheerful, with floral embroidery along the sleeves.
The moment she saw me, she beamed.
“Oh, thank the Goddess, you don’t look completely hopeless,” she said, clapping her hands together.
I blinked “Excuse me?”
She stepped forward, her energy almost too much for this dull castle. “You must be Liana.”
I crossed my arms. “And you must be..?”
“Cecilia,” she said brightly, “Your governess for the next three months before your coronation and marriage to the king.”
I frowned. “Right. The governess.”
Cecilia tilted her head, studying me. “You don’t look excited.”
I shrugged. “Should I be?”
She gasped dramatically. “Of course! I’ll be teaching yo
tyou everything you need to know to be a proper Luna. You’re about to become royalty, dear. If you don’t start acting like it, people will eat you alive.”
Dexhaled through my nose. “People already try to”
Cecilia wagged a finger. “Then it’s my job to make sure you bite back.”
Chapter 25
1 raised a brow. “Alaric actually hired someone with personality?”
She laughed. “Oh, he hates me
I smirked. “I like you already.”
Cecilia grinned, then pulled a parchment from her satchel, handing it to me.
tit
“This is your itinerary,” she said. “Your mornings will still be spent training with Knox, but after that, you’re mine.”
I unfolded the parchment, scanning the list.
Liana’s Daily Itinerary:
Dawn: Combat Training with Knox
Morning: Political Tutoring & Royal Etiquette with Cecilia
Midday: Language & History Lessons
Afternoon: Strategy & Diplomacy Discussions
Evening: Public Speaking & Court Conduct
I made a face. “This looks awful.”
Cecilia rolled her eyes. “It’s necessary. A Luna is more than just a pretty face.
I scoffed. “Trust me, no one here thinks I’m that either
She narrowed her eyes. “And why is that?”
I hesitated.
Cecilia studied me before sighing. “Right. The council hates you, the staff whispers behind your back, and you probably feel like an intruder in your own home or soon to be home.”
I blinked at her bluntness.
She smiled sweetly. Im not wrong, am D
I exhaled. “No. You’re not
Cecilia patted my shoulder. “Then we’ll change that.”
I stared at her. “And how do you suggest we do that?”
She grinned. “By making them see you,”
I frowned. “I don’t follow.”
Cecilia gestured for me to walk with her, and I reluctantly fell into step beside her.
“You’re not just going to sit inside this castle and wait for people to accept you,” she said. “You need to meet them. The court. The nobles. Your people.”
I hesitated at the word your people.
She continued. “Which means, we’ll be going into town.”
Itensed: “What?”
Cecilia nodded. “You need to be seen. Right now, you’re just a name they whisper about. A rumor. A scandal. But if they see you, talk to you, watch you walk among them–you become real.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. “And you think that’ll help?”
Cecilia smiled knowingly. “I know it will.”
Chapter 23
I inhaled slowly.
Going into town… it wasn’t a bad idea
If I was going to survive here, I couldn’t just be Alaric’s Luna. I needed to be their Luna too.
Cecilia gave me a pointed look. “Besides, you need new dresses”
1 blinked. “What?”
She gestured at me. “No offense, but you dress like a ghost.”
I scowled. “I dress practically and comfortably.
She sighed dramatically. “And practically won’t make people love you.”
I exhaled. “Fine. We’ll go..
Cecilia clapped her hands together. “Excellent!”
As we continued walking, my gaze flickered to the far end of the hall.
Eliza was standing there.
Watching me.
Her expression was unreadable, but something about the way she lingered made my stomach twist.
I forced myself to look away, turning my attention back to Cecilia.
Visiting town would be good.
It would be a distraction.
And right now, I desperately needed one.
AD
