CHAPTER FOUR

DELORA'S POV

The moment my hand touched the door, I hesitated.

I should go in, face him, do what I was brought here for. But my feet wouldn’t move. Something in me resisted, and I didn’t know why.

No. Not now.

I turned away and made my way outside, deciding to take a look around the premises. The backyard was empty, just as it had been earlier. I stood there for a long time, staring at the darkened walls of the estate.

A voice in my head whispered, What are you waiting for? However, I ignored it and walked towards the field.

Sitting on the ground, I hugged my knees to my chest and began to think about everything.

'' Zibah. I can't believe you died just like that.'' Tears slid down my cheeks, but I wiped them off, sniffing loudly. There's no need to cry over a spill of milk.

My mind was a mess, but exhaustion was stronger. I didn't mean to sleep; I wanted to keep watch until the guards returned, but at some point, my body gave in.

When I woke, it was already late in the night. ''Ahh!'' I winced as I felt a dull ache in my neck and back, a result of sleeping in such a place.

I glanced around, expecting to see someone looking at me, but to my surprise, the yard was just as empty as before.

'' Does this mean that they're not back? If it was Zibah, would they have gone out like this?''

I heaved a deep sigh and shrugged before heading inside. '' Well, I don't blame you two. But I pray the moon goddess keep me safe.''

As I walked through the hall, the thought of Alpha Luther slipped into my mind. I recalled that Wesley had given me the order to serve him a liquid diet, but how could I go in when there was no one else around?

What if he kills me?

“Tomorrow,” I whispered to myself. “Tomorrow, I’ll go to him.”

But for now, I just needed to find a place to sleep.

The storeroom became my refuge. It was cramped, filled with dust and forgotten things, but at least it was quiet. I cleaned it up the way I could, before finding myself on a wooden chair. That's where I slept, leaning my back against the wall.

Morning arrived too soon.

I woke with stiff limbs and an ache deep in my bones, but I forced myself up. My role as Luna. No, as a servant masquerading as Luna, demanded I perform my duties without fail.

Thanks to the goddess, I found the kitchen easily.

After preparing breakfast, I made my way to Luther’s chambers, hesitant but determined. The moment I pushed open the heavy wooden doors, a rancid stench assaulted my senses, thick and suffocating. I staggered back, pressing a hand to my nose.

“Goddess mercy,” I muttered, swallowing the bile in my throat.

The room was in shambles. Filth coated the floors, discarded scraps of food rotting in forgotten corners. The once-grand furniture was covered in dust and cobwebs.

I looked around, and then I saw him. Alpha Luther is lying on a bed.

The man once hailed as the most handsome in the kingdom was barely recognizable. His body lay motionless, sunken into the unkempt bed, tangled in stained sheets. His dark hair was long and matted, his beard unkempt. His skin, pale and sallow, clung to his bones as if he was dead.

For a moment, I stood frozen, my heart hammering in my chest. This was the man I was to serve. The man who had once been feared and admired.

I took a shaky breath and stepped closer.

“Alpha Luther?” I called slowly, but there was no response.

I hesitated, then tried again. “Luther.”

A faint, hoarse sound escaped his lips, too weak to be a word. My throat tightened. I can't leave him like this.

Gritting my teeth, I set to work. First, I opened the windows, letting in fresh air. Then, I fetched warm water and a clean cloth. I started with his face, gently wiping away the grime, revealing traces of the man he had once been beneath the filth.

As I worked, something strange happened.

I felt him shift.

It was faint, barely more than a twitch of his fingers, but I saw it. A flicker of movement. A sign that somewhere within, he was still there.

Encouraged, I continued. I cleaned his arms, his chest, and his legs. I murmured soft reassurances, though I wasn’t sure he could hear me.

“You should wake up,” I whispered. “You can’t stay like this forever.”

No response.

When I began washing his hair, he let out a weak, almost inaudible sigh.

My breath hitched. Was that… relief?

Something tightened in my chest.

“Can you hear me?” I asked.

His lips parted as if to speak, but only a rasping breath escaped.

I leaned closer. “Luther?”

His throat bobbed, and then, barely above a whisper, I heard it.

“…Why?”

I swallowed hard. Confused at his outburst. What does he mean by why?

His eyelids fluttered at the same time, but they didn’t open. He didn’t speak again. I sighed, wringing out the cloth before continuing to clean his arms. The filth was stubborn, but I kept at it, my mind drifting away.

This was my life now. A servant to a broken Alpha. A Luna in name only.

As I worked, the morning light shifted, casting long shadows through the open window. I paused, stretching my sore shoulders, but suddenly, a loud scream caught my attention.

However, everywhere became silent again, and when I thought I might have been hallucinating, the sound came again.

I dropped the cloth, my heart leaping into my throat.

'' What's going on?'' I couldn't help but ask, realizing it was coming from outside.

I got up and rushed to the window, gripping the sill as I peered down.

My stomach twisted instantly. At the far edge of the courtyard, near the treeline, a body lay crumpled in the dirt.

Who could that be?