Chapter 5: Luna Selection

Anastasia's pov

I sat up, holding my head in my hands. The headache was splitting enough to take my life. I noticed a figure at the far end of the room, and my confusion increased.

Why was I in a well-furnished, magnificent room with a man fully clad in a guard uniform? The confusion suddenly changed into fear, and he held a pillow in front of me like it was going to protect me in case he started to come closer.

"Who are you, and what am I doing here?" I inquired in the calmest tone ever, not the tone I was aiming for.

He began to walk closer at the sound of my voice, and my shaky hands pushed the pillow forward.

He paused, and I lowered the pillow, still in the air but low enough for me to see him.

"Please remain calm; you were found unconscious and were rescued by the guards of the Lupartica Kingdom and this room." He looked around, and so did I. The room was beautiful—the most beautiful I had ever breathed in. It had white walls and soaring ceilings, and all the surfaces were polished with fine marble.

"This is one of the rooms in the palace." He finished.

"Am I in a palace? Lupartica? Lupartica," I whispered, just audible enough for me to hear. I knew I had heard the name of the kingdom before I fell silent, trying to remember why this name sounded familiar, and I immediately remembered that it was the neighbouring kingdom to mine.

Home wasn't far away, and I was worried that Raven and the others might come this far looking for me. I couldn't bring myself to imagine the drastic consequences I would face if I got caught.

But then again, I am immediately relieved because it is unlike Raven to venture into the territories of other kingdoms to capture me, and seeing the level of my importance in her life, it was very unlikely.

I smiled.

My momentary smile was immediately washed off my face at the thought of what kind of guard would have such a luxurious room. Was the kingdom too rich that anyone could own such a room?

He just stared blankly at me as the puzzled expressions appeared and disappeared from my face simultaneously.

Slowly, he began to close the distance between us. I had completely let go of the pillow, and now I felt safe. The moment the distance was short enough to make out his face, I was captivated by the entirety of him.

His warm blue eyes that reminded me of the sea and curly auburn hair made me clench the hem of my threadbare dress as I admired his perfect chiselled jawline and pale lips. Everything about him was breathtaking.

He doesn't look like he was fazed by my existence, and honestly, I didn't expect him to be.

"Have you gotten your wolf yet?" He asked, and my sorrows returned. I totally forgot that I had lost connection with Evelyn and haven't tried calling for her since then.

"Yes," I whispered and nodded slowly. I didn't tell him that I'd lost connection with her; there was no need for me to give a stranger such information, even if he was the most captivating strotesque of a human being I'd ever seen.

"Do you have a mate?" He asked further, and I could feel my throat burn immediately as I reminisced about my rejection. What was he bent on reminding me of my bitterness? In fact, what was the reason for all these unnecessary questions?

I expected a question like, What is your name? Where are you from? How did you end up in the forest? But none of them were forthcoming; it didn't look like he cared at all. I began to perceive him as a lunatic.

"I do not," I replied, trying my best to evade further questions. It wasn't entirely a lie. I was going to make sure no one knew I was a princess or anything related to the royal kingdom.

He cleared his throat and took a step closer. My fingers rested on the pillow.

"Well, the palace is holding a Luna selection ceremony today; you might as well make yourself available," he said, and I scoffed.

Me? A Luna? I didn't have wild dreams like that; even in an alternate universe, such things can never happen.

"In the meantime, we need to do something about your appearance," he pointed out, and I went red in shame. I was covered in filth, wearing rags, and my hair was in bad condition.

I noticed my bruises were already attended to, and my heart melted. I had never received such care in my life, even if it was just for a little while.

"Did you do this?"

"No, but it was taken care of by the royal physician."

The royal physician? I was starting to feel like an actual princess. Starting to get wrapped in the facade of a perfect life, a bubble that could pop at anytime.

After a few minutes, I began to consider it. I was rejected by my mate; if my new mate happened to be the king and I became the Luna, then I'd be able to take revenge.

It was obviously almost impossible, but some part of me wanted to sign up for it. I imagined the look on the faces of all the people who treated me like trash when they heard that I had become a Luna in such a rich kingdom.

"How do I sign up?" I smirked.