The Luna They Used Chapter 03

The Luna They Used Chapter 03

The guards grabbed the sack and hauled me into the alley. I’d worn a hat and a mask when I left — Noah had never seen my face.

I thrashed inside the bag, but a boot pinned me flat by the spine, and something hard — a metal baton — cracked against my body. They beat me like it was nothing — chatting between swings like they were killing time.

“Alpha Noah really doesn’t mess around when it comes to Clara, huh? One little bump and he loses it. Meanwhile, Luna Ashley doesn’t get half of that from him.”

“Right? And get this — those fifty lashes Ashley took back then? Noah was the one who brought it before the council.”

“He’s the one who told them to switch it to the wolfbane whip. Said she deserved it for dragging out the rejection and upsetting Clara.”

The words hit like a silver bullet shattering my skull.

The fifty lashes that nearly killed me — Noah had ordered them himself. And I’d spent three years believing he saved me.

Something behind my eyes went black, and this time, the darkness swallowed me whole.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital bed. Through the glass panel on the door, I could see a row of guards kneeling outside.

“Useless — every single one of you! You can’t even recognize your own Luna?”

Noah pushed the door open and stepped in. The cruelty still hadn’t left his face.

The moment he saw I was awake, he crossed the room in long strides. His voice softened instantly.

“Hey — you’re up. I’ve already dealt with those guards. How are you feeling? Still hurting?”

He reached to brush the hair from my forehead. I turned away before he could touch me. His hand hovered there for a heartbeat, then dropped. He exhaled.

“That was on me. It all happened so fast — I didn’t realize it was you. I’m sorry you went through that.”

“You’ve wanted to go to Crescent Valley for a while, right? I moved some things around — I can take you. How does that sound?”

My throat was raw. “Don’t bother.”

“If Clara matters that much, go sit with her instead.”

Noah’s jaw tightened. “I know you don’t like her.”

“But her father sits on the Northern Territory council. Black Thorn still needs support from allied packs for crucial border treaties. If she’s unhappy, that blows back on all of us.”

“She’s carrying a pup now, Ashley. Whatever happened between her and Julian — it should’ve been buried a long time ago. You’re not seriously still hung up on that, are you? Not when there’s this much at stake?”

Impatience slipped into his voice. Inside his head, he was telling his wolf I was being an unreasonable bitch.

My wolf surged under my skin, clawing to get out.

My claws were one heartbeat from breaking through when the phone on the nightstand buzzed.

“Everything’s set. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

Noah caught every word with his enhanced hearing. His eyes narrowed. “Pick you up? Where are you going?”

I lifted a finger to stop Noah, spoke into the phone — “Got it” — and hung up. Then I turned back to him, face blank.

“That was Ava’s enforcer — from the pack next door. She invited me to see their new territory estate. He’s picking me up in the morning.”

Noah bought it without a second thought. All he said to his wolf was: [What a pain in the ass.]

I pretended I hadn’t heard a thing.

The next morning, I was trying to slip out of the hospital when Noah blocked me in the lobby. His eyes were burning with possessive rage.

“Ashley, how many times do we have to go through this? The past is over. So why are you still chasing after Julian?”

“Let go of me!” Pain shot through my arm where his fingers dug in. “Throwing myself at him? I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

I didn’t get to finish. A hand cracked across my cheek so hard my neck snapped sideways.

Clara was already there — I hadn’t even heard her walk up. Disgust and satisfaction twisted together on her face. Her phone was raised, the camera pointed at me. She was live-streaming to the pack network.

“Still denying it? Fine. Let everyone see exactly what kind of Luna you really are.”