Chapter 3: The Imprisoned Luna
Hilda Kane POV
My father slapped me hard across the face. My head snapped to the side, ears ringing, and immediately my cheek burned with searing pain.
The first slap of my life—and it came from my own family.
His face was ashen with fury. "Take back your rejection."
I spat blood onto the floor, then raised my head to look at Stuart. A remnant of shock still lingered on his face, his hand frozen in midair.
"Stuart Dormer, listen carefully. I will not share my mate with anyone. So I will not take back my rejection, and I will never forgive your betrayal."
Pain clawed its way out from the mark on my neck, like countless needles driving into flesh. My face went white.
Sonia growled low in my mind. 'Hold on!'
I tore the Luna bracelet from my wrist and hurled it to the ground.
"From this moment, I am no longer Luna of Northwind. I, Hilda Kane, sever all ties with the Northwind Pack. I will leave this place and never return. From now on, Northwind's glory, its rules, its Alpha and Beta—every last one of them—have nothing to do with me."
Stuart's red eyes turned terrifying in an instant. One hand clamped down on my arm.
"Let go of me!"
My free hand struck at him wildly, nails raking across the back of his hand. But his grip only tightened until my arm felt starved of blood.
He dragged me through a concealed door beside the living room. Beyond it, a staircase descended into damp cold that hit my face like a wave. I was hauled downward, my ankle slamming against the steps, pain so sharp my vision went black.
My father didn't follow. I turned to call for him—and saw him standing in the doorway, arms crossed, watching me being dragged away.
The basement held only a single dim bulb. The air reeked of rust and mildew.
Stuart shoved me inside and I crashed onto the freezing concrete.
"You need a few days to cool down." He crouched, seized my collar, and whispered against my ear, "When you've come to your senses, we'll talk. You're not going anywhere. You can only be my Luna."
"Let me go!"
I swung at him with everything I had. He dodged effortlessly.
"Hilda, don't push me. My patience with you is running thin."
The iron door slammed shut. The lock clicked into place.
Soon I could hear nothing but the drip of water in some dark corner.
My heart was as cold as the concrete beneath me.
One day. In a single day, I had lost my husband, my father, my brother, and my freedom.
'He's trying to break us,' Sonia's voice was tight with agitation.
'I know. All anyone sees is the pack's interests. No one considers how I feel.'
Stuart got everything an Alpha could want—including me, the "perfect Luna." My father secured his Beta position. My brother gained the Alpha's protection. Everyone got exactly what served them best. And I was supposed to enjoy the glory of being Luna. I was supposed to be grateful.
What a joke. Yet silent tears slid from the corners of my eyes.
I didn't know how much time had passed before the iron door clanged, jolting me from half-sleep.
I pushed myself up off the floor immediately.
In the dim light, Stuart walked in first, Gareth trailing behind him. Gareth kept his head down. The corner of his mouth was bruised, his cheek swollen.
Someone had beaten him.
"Hilda," Stuart closed the door, his voice deliberately gentle—nothing like the man who had just told me his patience was running out. "I brought Gareth to apologize to you."
Gareth stood in place, silent.
Stuart frowned. "Speak."
Gareth's hands clenched into fists, veins bulging across his knuckles. The basement was so quiet I could hear his rapid breathing.
"I'm sorry," he finally said.
I stared at the injuries on his face.
"You hit him?" I asked.
Stuart's expression didn't change.
"He made a mistake. He deserved to be punished. He's not a child anymore—he should face the consequences of his actions."
Punishment again.
I'd never realized my husband was the kind of Alpha who loved using violence to "discipline" others.
For a moment I felt disoriented. Did I truly know my mate and husband at all? Sonia had never liked Stuart or his wolf—she'd only tolerated them for my sake. And the situation Stuart and I had reached now—was it the Moon Goddess's mistake, or had I simply loved the wrong person?
"What exactly did he do wrong? Seducing the Alpha, or being the Alpha's secret lover?" I fixed my gaze on Stuart.
Gareth's head snapped up. A flash of panic crossed his green eyes, his lips parting slightly.
Stuart's expression darkened further. "He upset you and hurt you. You are my Luna—I will never allow anyone to harm you."
I twisted my mouth into something that wasn't quite a smile. The one who truly hurt me is you, Stuart.
"You love your brother too, don't you?" Stuart took a step toward me. "Hilda, he's your family. We're all family. Don't make things difficult for him."
My body began to tremble. He was threatening me. In this entire mess, my husband saw no fault in himself whatsoever. What he called love was nothing but the fiercest kind of control. In his mind, I had to submit. I could only submit—just like my brother.
"Stuart, are we truly mates? I'm starting to doubt it." My voice shook.
His red eyes darkened.
"I have never doubted it."
I stood, pressing my back against the wall. "You've simply never doubted that I'd be a good Luna—the perfect Luna you need."
"Hilda, you are my Luna."
I lifted my chin and looked him in the eye. "I refuse. Let me say it again: I refuse to acknowledge you as my mate."
Sonia growled in my consciousness. 'Well done.'
Stuart suddenly let out a deep, guttural snarl. His eyes turned completely red—no white visible at all. His wolf Farren had taken over. Instinctively I pressed closer to the wall, cold sweat soaking through the back of my shirt.
Behind him, Gareth's face went paper-white, making the bruises look even more horrifying. His lips trembled, forming silent words: No, no.
The next second, Gareth lunged at me like a young panther, grabbing my collar—but shielding me with his entire body.
"No, you can't do that! Are you insane? Apologize to the Alpha now! You have no idea who he is!"
Over Gareth's shoulder, I saw Stuart's massive silhouette casting its shadow over my brother's head. A scream hadn't yet left my throat when Stuart's fist came down. I squeezed my eyes shut in despair.
Crack!
Gareth was punched into the wall, letting out a strangled grunt as he slid to the ground.
"Don't yell at her." Stuart's voice had changed—heavy, panting.
Farren was in control now.
I edged sideways toward the far corner of the basement.
In the dim light, Gareth clutched his face, blood streaming from his mouth.
"You're nothing. A worthless little pup who can't even protect himself." Farren took another step forward, nostrils flaring, each exhale thunderous.
"If my human weren't so insistent on liking you, I'd have torn you apart long ago. Behave. If I ever hear you raise your voice at her again, I'll rip out your throat."
'Stay away from him,' Sonia's voice was taut. 'He's unstable.'
Farren turned toward me abruptly. His gaze settled on my face as he moved closer. I pressed myself flat against the wall.
"Sonia, do you know how obsessed I am with you? I don't want to betray you. There's no need to be this angry. It's just a small problem between me and my human. Come back to me, won't you?"
Sonia surged forward violently—the fury of my wolf spirit slammed against my temples until they throbbed.
'Get lost!'
Farren's red eyes went cold. The air in the basement turned to stone, pressing down on my shoulders. I couldn't breathe. My brain screamed with pain from lack of oxygen.
"Farren!"
My father's voice came from the top of the stairs. He descended quickly and placed a firm hand on Stuart's shoulder.
"Farren, calm down. Relinquish control," my father ordered, his voice like ice. "Now."
Stuart's body swayed.
His hand pressed against his forehead, breathing turning ragged. The murderous glow in those red eyes struggled for several seconds before slowly fading. After a long moment, he raised his head.
My father's gaze moved to Gareth slumped against the wall, and his expression hardened.
"Hilda, look at what you've done."
I was still gasping for air. "What did you just say?"
"I've made myself perfectly clear: as long as you're willing, we can all remain a harmonious family. You've lost nothing. And look what you've done—you've driven a wedge between Stuart and Gareth, gotten Gareth hurt."
My father looked at me, his eyes as cold as a stranger's. "Are you being a good sister?"
A roaring filled my ears, so loud I thought I must be hallucinating.
My gaze swept over the three men before me, and I realized that nothing I said would matter.
In here, the only one at fault was me—because I refused to obey.
My father turned and walked to the door.
"Think carefully about Stuart's offer," he said. "For Northwind, for your brother, and for everyone who loves you. If you can't see reason, you'll stay right here."
Stuart gave me one last look, then hauled the crumpled Gareth off the floor and followed my father out.
'Hilda, do you want to stay?' Sonia asked me.
'How could I? Staying here would be worse than death.'
