Chapter 3 A Slave

Her laughter was cruel. “Friends? Oh, Ella, you were never more than a pawn. I’ve always been stronger, smarter, and more deserving. Kaden should have been mine from the start, but then you were chosen by the Moon Goddess.” Her eyes flashed with hatred. “You, with your pathetic, weak wolf. It was an insult. A mistake I had to correct.” I stared at her, realization dawning. “You knew... you knew the Moon Goddess chose him for me. And you still did this?” She released me, standing up and brushing off her dress. “Of course. Fate can be rewritten. I just had to make him see what a worthless creature you are.” She tilted her head, her smile widening. “And it worked beautifully.” My hands trembled, rage boiling inside me. “You poisoned him against me. You lied... and he believed you.” Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “He loves me now. He’s marked me, made me his Luna. Soon, I’ll bear his heirs, and no one will even remember you existed.” My chest tightened, a pain sharper than any physical wound. She had taken my place. Stolen my destiny. Lila leaned in one last time, her voice a venomous whisper. “Give up, Ella. Accept your fate. You’re nothing but a weak wolf, a slave. You’re better off dead.” With that, she turned and walked out, her laughter echoing down the corridor. The door slammed shut, plunging me back into darkness. Her words echoed in my mind, over and over again. Better off dead.... Maybe she was right. Maybe... it would be better to end this suffering. But as the darkness closed in around me, I remembered the vision—the brief flash of white light, of Kaden kneeling before me, begging for forgiveness. It didn’t make sense, but it had felt so real... Hope flickered within me, fragile but persistent. The Moon Goddess didn’t make mistakes. She had chosen Kaden for me. There was a reason, a purpose. I just had to survive long enough to find out what it was. Lila wanted me dead, and Kaden wanted me broken. But I refused to give them that satisfaction. I would survive. And one day, they would all pay for what they did to me... Few days later, I was dragged out of the dungeons, my body frail and battered from weeks of starvation and darkness. My legs buckled beneath me, but the guards didn’t care. They hauled me up, their grips bruising my arms as they forced me through the hallways. The sunlight was blinding after so long in the darkness. I squinted, my eyes burning, and stumbled as they pushed me into the center of the pack house courtyard. A crowd had gathered, their faces twisted in scorn and disgust. “There she is,” someone sneered. “The traitor who tried to ensnare our Alpha with dark magic.” “I heard she used potions to trick him,” another whispered, her voice dripping with malice. “That’s why he rejected her. She’s nothing but a filthy witch.” My heart sank as the rumors spread like wildfire. Lila’s lies had taken root, poisoning their minds against me. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but a sharp slap across my face silenced me. Lila stood before me, dressed in elegant robes, her emerald eyes gleaming with triumph. “Silence, slave,” she commanded, her voice ringing with authority. “You no longer have the right to speak.” Slave..?. The word cut deeper than any wound. She had taken everything from me—my mate, my name, my dignity. And now, she would make sure I never rose above my place again. Kaden appeared beside her, his golden eyes cold and detached. He looked down at me as if I were nothing but dirt beneath his feet. My heart ached at the sight of him, but I forced myself to stand tall, refusing to cower before him. “From this day on,” Kaden’s voice boomed, echoing through the courtyard, “Ella is no longer a member of this pack. She is nothing but a slave, stripped of all rights and privileges. She will serve in the pack house, answerable to Luna Lila.” Luna..?. The title hit me like a slap. Lila had truly taken my place by his side. She had won. The crowd cheered, their eyes gleaming with malice. They believed her lies. They saw me as a traitor, a witch who deserved to be punished. “Take her to the servants’ quarters,” Lila ordered, her voice sickeningly sweet. “Make sure she learns her place.” The guards dragged me away once more, shoving me into a small, windowless room at the back of the pack house. The air was stale, the walls stained with grime. A thin, tattered mat lay on the floor, my new bed. I collapsed onto the mat, my body trembling with exhaustion and grief. I had lost everything—my family, my status, my mate. The Moon Goddess’s gift had become my curse... A sharp knock startled me. The door creaked open, and an older woman entered, her face hard and unsympathetic. “Get up,” she snapped. “I don’t care who you were before. Here, you’re just another servant. You work, you obey, and you keep your mouth shut. Understand?” I nodded weakly, too tired to argue. “Good. Your first task is to clean the dining hall. And don’t even think about slacking off, or you’ll go back to the dungeons.” She tossed a rag and a bucket of water at me. “Get to it.” I forced myself to stand, my legs shaking as I made my way to the dining hall. The grand room was immaculate, the polished floors reflecting the sunlight streaming through the tall windows. I dropped to my knees, scrubbing the floor until my fingers were raw and blistered. My body screamed in protest, but I kept going, knowing that failure meant punishment...