The sickened luna’s last chance

Ella

The morning light streaming through the bedroom windows was too bright, and my head was pounding worse

than any hangover. | blinked slowly, trying to remember what had happened. Slowly, far too slowly, it

all cback to me.

The charity auction, Sophia destroying Lilith’s locket, the bracelet Alexander had given me, returning

home...

And then the moment that everything had gone black.

| tried to sit up, wincing as my body protested. Every muscle ached, and there was a dull throb behind my eyes

that madewant to crawl back under the covers and sleep for another week.

“You're awake.”

| turned toward the voice and found Gabriel sitting in the chair beside the bed, his arms crossed and that familiar

disapproving expression on his face. Not exactly the person I'd been hoping to see when | first woke

up.

“Where's Alexander?” | asked, my voice coming out as a croak. | reached up to touch the bandage on the

side of my head where | had hit the tiles and winced as a lance of pain shot through me.

“He had to leave this morning. Trade dispute with a neighboring pack. He'll be gone for a few days.”

The disappointment hitharder than | expected it to. Deep down, I'd been hoping Alexander would be

here when | woke up. Maybe sitting beside the bed like he had in the hospital, maybe even looking worried

about me. But of course he wasn’t. Of course he'd found something more important to do.

“Oh,” | managed. “Right.”

Gabriel leaned forward, and something in his expression made my blood run cold. There was something dark and

predatory there, like a wolf licking its chops before it went in for the kill. “Ella, everyone knows

now.”

| stiffened. “Knows what?”

“Don’t play dumb. We all know about your so-called ‘condition”.” He maid air quotes with his fingers like the

condition didn’t really exist. “Your little secret is out. Did you really think you could hide it forever, or did you

hope we would all find out so you could finally get what you've always wanted?”

My heart jolted. No. No, no, no. No one was supposed to know about it. | had begged the doctor to keep it a

secret. All | wanted was to get through the next few months and have Alexander rejectwhen it was all over.

“Who told you?” | breathed.

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“Does it matter? The point is, now we all know how weak and pathetic you really are.” Gabriel stood up, his

figure blotting out the morning sunlight and turning him into nothing but a silhouette as he loomed over me.

“Alexander was right about you all along.”

“What do you mean?”

“He toldyou'd try anything to manipulate him. Even faking an illness to get his attention.” Gabriel's eyes

glittered with malice. “He said you were desperate and weak, and that he'd never mark someone like you.”

The words felt like individual knives in my heart, twisting and stabbing over and over. Alexander had said that?

He'd calleddesperate and weak? He still didn’t believe me, even after everything?

“That's not-1 wasn’t faking anything,” | whispered.

“How convenient that you suddenly develop this mysterious illness right when your marriage is failing. How

convenient that the only cure is Alexander's mark.” Gabriel shook his head. “He saw right through you, Ella.

He knows exactly what kind of person you are.”

My chest felt tight, like | couldn't get enough air, like | was fucking drowning. Had Alexander really said those

things about me? Was he really so... cruel?

“He won't mark you,” Gabriel went on, tilting his head. “He made that very clear. You'll have to wait for the

divorce like the contract says. A contract is a contract, after all.”

“But I'll die,” I choked out.

“Yeah, right. We all know you're full of shit.”

| stared up at Gabriel, anger warring with the hurt and confusion in my gut. | wanted to use my Luna Voice,

perhaps make him grovel at my feet for the way he was speaking to me... But the pain just outweighed the

fury.

“Get out,” | said quietly.

“Excuse me?”

“I said get out.” | turned my head away, “I don’t want to look at you anymore.”

Gabriel chuckled. “Ah, no Luna Voice this time?”

“I'm just asking you to leave. Please.”

For a moment, | thought he might refuse just to spite me. But then he shrugged and headed toward the

door. “Oh, before | forget. Alexander arranged for you to have shelp during your... ‘recovery’. A new

maid.”

He opened the door and gestured to someone in the hallway. A young woman stepped into the room, and |

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Chapter 63

immediately felt every one of my insecurities crushing back.

She was gorgeous. Probably no older than nineteen, with long brunette hair and bright blue eyes. Her figure was

perfectly proportioned, and she moved into the room with graceful ease like she belonged here.

And worst of all... She looked just like fucking Sophia.

“This is Sarah,” Gabriel said. “She’ll be taking care of you while you're allegedly indisposed.”

Sarah smiled and curtsied, although her eyes remained locked on mine. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Luna.”

The way she said my title made it sound like a joke. It didn’t take a genius to know that this wasn’t a maid to

helpduring my recovery, but someone to mock and belittle me. A humiliation.

“I'll leave you two to get acquainted,” Gabriel said, and | could hear the amusement in his voice as he left.

The room felt smaller with just Sarah andin it. She stood by the door, staring atfor far too long until |

squirmed slightly under her gaze.

“So,” she finally said, “what do you need?”

| was starving-I couldn’t remember the last tI'd eaten anything. “Could you bringssoup, please?

Something light.”

“Of course.” Sarah’s smile was all teeth. “Anything else?”

“No, that's fine. Thank you.”

Sarah left, and | was alone with my thoughts. The cherry blossom bracelet Alexander had givenwas still. on

my wrist, catching the morning light. Just looking at it madewant to retch.

He thought | was weak. Manipulative. He'd rather watchdie than mark me, and he had even hired a Sophia

clone just to kickwhile | was down.

Without thinking, | tore off the bracelet, not caring that | broke the clasp, and threw it across the room. It hit the

wall with a soft clink and clattered to the floor behind the dresser. Good. | never wanted to see it again.

When Alexander cback, | wouldn't beg him to mark me. | wouldn't play the pathetic, dying wife anymore. I'd

demand he rejectimmediately so | could at least die with sdignity intact.

Sarah returned about twenty minutes later carrying a tray with a bowl of soup and scrackers. She set it on

the nightstand beside the bed.,

“Here you go,” she said sweetly.

| tried to sit up further to reach the tray, but my arms were still shaky. “Could you helpwith that? I'm having

trouble-"

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Chapter 63

“Oh, of course.” Sarah picked up the bowl, but instead of handing it tocarefully, she let it tip. Hot soup

spilled directly onto my lap, soaking through the thin fabric of my nightgown and scalding my thighs.

| screamed, the burning pain immediate and intense. “What the hell!”

“Oh my Goddess, I'm so sorry!” Sarah said. “How clumsy of me!”

The bedroom door flew open, and Lilith rushed in. “Ella! What happened?”

“She spilled hot soup on me.” | reached for a nearby napkin. “It’s alright, I'm fine-"

Lilith, however, wouldn't be convinced. “Get out,” she ordered the maid. “I'll take care of this myself.”

“But | was told to-"

“I don’t care what you were told. Get out of this room. Now.”

Sarah sighed and threw her hands up in the air. “Fine. If that’s what you want.”

Shaking her head, Lilith rushed over and practically shoved Sarah aside, helpingdab at the hot liquid.

Sarah walked past us toward the door, but as she reached it, she turned and looked atover her

shoulder. The sneer she gavewasn’t exactly subtle.

And then she was gone.

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