LEAH'S POV
"Welcome, welcome!" Luna Mary's soft, polished voice booms across the courtyard, dripping with high-class charm.
The sound hits my ears like a sharp smack, pulling me right out of the dark shock of my regression. I stand frozen near the bottom of the grand stone steps, my heart still pounding wildly in my chest.
Alpha Everest nods approvingly, stepping forward to clasp Augustine's hand in a firm grip. "As my mate said, you are all welcome to our home."
"Thank you, Alpha," Augustine replies, bowing his head slightly in respect, his chest swelling with deep pride.
"And here is our star!" Luna Mary exclaims, sweeping down the stone steps with her arms outstretched toward Willow. She pulls Willow into a brief, heavily scented hug, beaming at her as if she were her own blood daughter.
"The brilliant girl of the hour. We are so remarkably proud of you, Willow. You did well to be admitted to Eclipse Academy on your very first try!"
"Oh, Luna Mary, you honor me too much," Willow sweet-talks, ducking her head with exaggerated, false modesty. "I only did my best to bring pride to the Rosante name."
"And you have!" Asher chimes in quickly, his eyes shining with open adoration as he gazes down at her. "You are going to eclipse every single wolf in that academy, Willow. I have no doubt about it."
They turn and usher us into the grand foyer, their high laughter and endless praise echoing against the tall stone ceilings. The only names falling from their lips are Willow and Asher.
They talk as if the two of them are the only young wolves in the entire region who achieved anything worth celebrating.
They talk as if I did not get accepted into Eclipse Academy too.
They completely ignore the fact that my official admission letter arrived on the exact same morning as Willow's. But of course, in their eyes, my acceptance was just a fluke, an unmerited stroke of luck for the daughter of a disgraced villainess, while Willow's was a divine blessing from the Moon Goddess herself.
We are led through the high-arched corridors into the grand dining hall. A massive, polished wooden table sits at the center of the vast room, laid out with glittering silver plates, tall crystal glasses, and towering silver candelabras flickering with warm candlelight.
Augustine and Bea take their seats near the head of the table on the left side. Leonardo sits right beside them, his posture stiff. Asher quickly pulls out the chair directly across from his own seat, motioning eagerly for Willow to sit down next to him.
I walk calmly toward the lower end of the long table, intending to take a seat at the far edge, out of everyone's direct line of sight.
I don't care about their fine food, and I certainly don't care to participate in their mindless chatter. I just need a seat in this room so I can watch them lay the trap for themselves.
Before my fingers can even graze the carved back of the wooden chair, a sharp, cold voice cuts through the room.
"Why are you standing there?"
I pause, slowly raising my head.
Luna Mary is standing near the head of the table, her hand resting on the back of her husband's tall velvet chair. She's staring down the length of the table at me, her lips twisted in a sharp, violent curl of pure contempt.
Her cold eyes rake over my simple green dress, scanning me as if a dirty stray rat had just wandered into her clean dining hall.
I stare back at her, keeping my face entirely expressionless.
I remember this woman so clearly. Years ago, before the bitter truth about Clara's diary came out, Luna Mary used to pull me into soft, motherly hugs just like the one she gave Willow tonight.
She used to hold my hands, stroke my hair, and whisper in my ear about how eager she was for me to officially join her family. She literally tried to get me to call her 'Mother-in-law' before I was even nineteen years old.
Now, she looks at me like I am a smudge of dirt on her carpet.
I say nothing. I stand completely motionless beside the empty chair, waiting. I wait to see if anyone in this room will raise a voice on my behalf, because as a disgraced omega in the Alpha's house, this is clearly not a place where I can speak up for myself without giving Augustine an excuse to hit me for disrespect.
The silence in the dining hall turns deafening.
I look at Bea, the woman who I once thought was my mother. She quickly averts her eyes, fixing her gaze intensely on her napkin as if it is the most fascinating object in existence.
I look at Leonardo. He stares down at his empty crystal glass, completely unbothered, calmly swirling the faint reflection of the candlelight.
I look at Asher. He does not even glance my way. He's busy leaning over to whisper something in Willow's ear, smiling broadly while Willow giggles softly behind her small hand.
And Augustine simply sits straight in his chair, his broad chest rising and falling, deliberately ignoring my presence to signal to the Alpha that he does not care how I am treated.
I'm an eyesore to every single person sitting at this table. A villainess's spawn with no allies, no defenders, and no voice.
Luna Mary lets out a soft, disgusted huff, waving her hand dismissively in my direction.
"Take a seat in the kitchen and eat there," she orders, her tone flat and completely devoid of human warmth. "The staff will provide you with a plate. You will be called out when everyone is finished dining."
Like a servant.
She's ordering me out of the main room like a lowly maid who isn't worthy to share the same air as her family.
I don't move. I just stand there, my body free of tension, waiting for the predictable play to unfold.
And right on cue, it happens.
Willow gasps softly, putting on her absolute best impression of a benevolent, merciful heroine. She quickly reaches out, clutching gently to Luna Mary's sleeve, looking up at the older woman with wide, pleading eyes full of sweet concern.
"Oh, Luna Mary, please!" Willow begs softly, her voice trembling just enough to sound deeply sympathetic. "Please don't send her away. Leah is part of our family, no matter what happened in the past. It would break my heart if she had to eat alone in the kitchen while we celebrate. Please... let her sit at the table with us."
It's a masterclass act in social manipulation.
In one single move, Willow paints herself as an angelic saint who protects the very girl who supposedly hates her.
She gets to look gracious, kind, and overwhelmingly merciful, while making sure everyone at the table remembers that I'm only being tolerated because of her endless charity.
I stand near the end of the table, watching her play the hero without saying a single word.
I don't snap. I don't defend myself. I do not shed a single tear.
Let her talk. Let her put on her little performance for the Luna. Let her play the benevolent savior all she wants.
Because before I leave for Eclipse, I intend to make sure this is the absolute last time Willow will ever be able to talk so gently to the Luna.
Yes, that's right. Before I leave for the academy, I'll give everyone in this room a taste of what is to come.
Starting with the 'bond' between Willow and Luna Mary.
