Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 2 Celebration

Ally's POV

"Today will be different," I murmur to the silence, more out of habit than anything else.

I need to prepare for the evening's national celebration. It's not just any festival; it's a showcase of power, of unity under Nathan's rule. My role is clear- uphold the image of the devoted Luna.

My hands tremble as I select a gown- emerald green to complement my hair, lavish enough to honour the occasion yet modest enough for a queen.

"Ally Cardenas," I remind myself of the name I was born with, a name that holds the remnants of a life untouched by Nathan's cruelty.

I am ready to take my place in the opulent hallways of the palace, to perform for an audience who are blind to the truth. My parents and brother will look upon me with pride and ignorance, unaware of the price their Luna daughter pays for the peace they cherish.

The door creaks open, and a figure looms on the threshold- a guard dispatched by Nathan. "Her Majesty will not be in attendance at the celebration tonight." The voice is detached, devoid of emotion, and as cold as the decree it delivers.

"Excuse me?" I freeze, fingers knotted in the fabric of my dress.

"King Nathan has decreed it so. You are to remain here, confined to your quarters." The guard's eyes, a dull steel grey, offer no sympathy.

"Confined? But why?" My voice cracked, the plea was barely audible.

"These questions are not mine to answer, Luna Ally." The guard steps back.

The door shuts with a resounding thud, sealing my fate. I sink to the floor, my mask crumbling instantly.

Tonight, the kingdom will celebrate, but above them, in the solitude of my luxurious prison, I will mourn the life I once knew and the freedom that slips further from my grasp with each passing hour.

I press my palm against the cool glass where I seek refuge and a stolen glimpse of the world below.

The world swells with life, a vivid tapestry of colour and sound unfurling beneath the setting sun. The Luparian Kingdom celebrates another year of false unity and prosperity. My heart pangs with a longing so giant it feels like claws scraping inside my chest. There they are- my parents and my brother James, wrapped in finery befitting their status, their strides confident as they join the throng of guests arriving for the evening's festivities.

My mother wears a gown of midnight blue that makes her silver-streaked hair seem luminescent. Father's broad shoulders are draped in a cloak that shows his power and pride. And James... James looks every inch the future Alpha he is meant to become, his expression one of barely concealed disdain for everything around him, including, I suspect, me.

I draw back as Nathan makes his entrance, the crowd parting before him like a sea. His presence commands attention, his charisma a veneer that hides the brutality of his reign. Then I see Nathan's new mistress, clinging to his arm with possessive glee, her laughter a sharp noise that cuts through the rest of the crowd.

"Where is Luna Ally?" A voice rises above the noise, curious and tinged with concern.

My gaze locks on Nathan as he pauses, his face a mask of concern he sculpted with lies. "My beloved Ally is unwell," he announces, and the crowd murmurs with sympathy. "She sends her deepest regrets for not being able to attend tonight's celebration."

She presses closer to him, her hand boldly sliding up his chest. The audacity of her touch sends a ripple of shock through the onlookers, but it's the smirk she aims at a space- an invisible target- that stirs the whispers. They speak about me without speaking, their gossip a noose tightening around my neck.

"Such a shame, the Luna missing out on such an occasion." The words, dripping with insincere pity, reach me even here, in my place of exile.

Nathan's arm encircles his mistress's waist, pulling her flush against him in a display that borders on indecent. They laugh together, revelling in the attention, to the scandal they are causing with every brazen gesture. As I watch, transfixed, the last remnants of my dignity bleed away, leaving behind a raw and hollow ache.

A tear escapes my eye, tracing a hot path down my cheek, and Dawn whimpers within me, her distress a mirror of my own.

The floorboards creak, a symphony of old wood lamenting the weight they have to bear. I curl tighter into myself, a ball of misery tucked away in the dust and shadow of the attic. My breaths come out in shuddering gasps, each one fighting through the tightness wrapping around my chest.

"Ally?" The voice is soft, a whisper, so soft I can barely hear it over the sounds of celebration.

Elliot. Why is he here?

"Elliot," I choke out his name in confusion. He steps forward from the dimness, his presence a stark contrast to the cold surrounding me. His eyes, a stormy grey mirroring Nathan's, hold none of the cruelty of his brother's; instead, there's an ocean of compassion within them.

"Shh, no more tears," he coaxes, kneeling before me. Elliot Chambers, the forgotten twin, the quiet shadow to Nathan's blinding light.

"Ever-" my voice breaks, "Why are you here?"

"I... I worried about you," he murmurs.

I flinch at the reminder of the party I was barred from, the humiliation Nathan has put me through. Elliot reaches out, hesitating mere inches from my skin as if afraid contact might break the fragile state that I'm struggling to hold onto.

"Please," I beg, "Don't..."

His hand retreats, and he nods, understanding- or at least pretending to. "I thought you might need a friend," he murmurs.

"I don't exactly have friends." I choke out in reply.

"Ally, not everyone in the Luparian Kingdom is blind to your suffering." His voice is a balm.

"Your kindness will get you killed," I tell him, the warning raw in my throat. Nathan's wrath knows no bounds, and Elliot isn't exempt from his twin's brutality. "Go," I whisper, turning away. "Enjoy the celebration."

Heat rises to my cheeks, I can't bear the weight of his gaze.

"Please," I plead again, my voice trembling with the effort of holding back fresh tears.

"Be safe, Ally," he says, his voice as soft as it was when he arrived.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter