Chapter 2 Two

MAYA'S POV

The dungeon smelled of damp walls and rotten food.

I sat on the cold floor with my back against the wall, my knees pulled to my chest. My wrists still hurt where the guards had dragged me through the corridors. Dirt stained my clothes, and my hair stuck to my face.

I hadn't cried since they locked the door.

Not because I was strong.

I simply had nothing left.

Lucas had thrown me into the dungeons. The same man who had kissed my forehead before I left for the academy. The same man who had promised to wait for me.

I pressed my palm against my chest.

The mate bond throbbed beneath my skin, a cruel reminder that my wolf still recognized him.

Stop thinking about him, I told her.

She gave a weak whimper.

A metallic sound broke the silence.

Keys.

I lifted my head as footsteps approached. The guard unlocked the door, stepped aside, and bowed.

"Miss Selena."

My fingers curled against the floor.

Of course.

The woman who had stolen my boyfriend couldn't wait to enjoy her victory.

Selena walked into the cell with two maids behind her. She wore a fitted cream dress that hugged her waist, and a diamond necklace glittered against her throat. Her hair fell in soft curls over her shoulders.

She looked like a queen visiting her prisoner.

I looked away.

"Oh, Maya." Selena clicked her tongue. "Look at you."

Her heels tapped against the stone floor as she approached me.

"Three years at the Elite Luna Academy, and this is what you have to show for it?"

I didn't answer.

She stopped in front of me and tilted her head.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Where's that sharp tongue of yours? The one you used whenever you thought someone wasn't good enough for you?"

I kept my eyes on the floor.

My body ached. My throat burned, and my stomach twisted with hunger. I didn't have the strength to deal with her.

Unfortunately, Selena hadn't come to check on me.

She had come to watch me suffer.

She crouched in front of me, careful not to let her expensive dress touch the dirty floor.

"You know what I've always hated about you?" she asked.

I closed my eyes.

"You always wanted to be the best."

Her voice sharpened.

"Best student. Best fighter. Best Luna. Everything had to be yours."

She laughed under her breath.

"Even Lucas."

My eyes opened.

Selena smiled when she saw me look at her.

"There she is."

She leaned closer.

"You really believed you could leave for three years and come back to find everything waiting for you? Did you think Lucas would spend every night missing you? Did you think he wouldn't need someone beside him?"

She pointed at herself.

"I was here, Maya. I was the one who listened when he was tired. I was the one who sat with him during pack meetings. I was the one who stayed when he needed company."

Her smile widened.

"And now, he's mine."

I stared at her.

She said it with such pride, as though stealing another woman's mate was some great achievement.

"You're welcome to keep him," I muttered.

Her smile slipped.

"What did you say?"

I rested my head against the wall.

"You heard me."

For a moment, she simply stared at me.

Then she laughed.

"You're still pretending you don't care?"

I didn't respond.

She rose and brushed an imaginary speck of dust from her dress.

"Well, you should start caring about something. Because your life is about to change."

She turned to the maids.

"Bring it in."

One of them stepped forward with a folded piece of paper.

Selena took it and waved it in front of my face.

"Lucas has agreed to make me his Luna. The coronation will take place in three days."

My stomach tightened.

Three days.

The pack would gather beneath the moon, and Lucas would stand before everyone with Selena at his side.

The woman who had betrayed me would wear the title I had spent three years preparing for.

Selena watched my face.

"Doesn't it make you sick? You trained for years, and all that effort was for nothing."

I looked away again.

"Are you finished?"

Her nostrils flared.

"No. Not yet."

She stepped closer and pressed the paper against my chest.

"Since you won't be Luna anymore, I've decided to give you another position."

I didn't move.

"You can be my personal maid."

Silence settled between us.

Then I let out a dry laugh.

Selena's mouth tightened.

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

I raised my head and met her eyes.

"Get the fuck away from me."

Her smile vanished.

One of the maids gasped.

Selena stared at me as if she couldn't believe I'd spoken to her that way.

Then she slapped me.

SMACK!

My head snapped to the side.

Pain spread across my cheek, but I barely moved. I had expected her to do something like this. What surprised me was how little I cared.

I slowly turned my face back towards her.

"Feel better?"

Her hand trembled.

"You ungrateful bitch!"

I wiped the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand.

"You're standing in a dungeon wearing stolen glory, and you want me to be grateful?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"Hold her down."

The two maids exchanged glances.

Selena spun towards them.

"Did you not hear me? Hold her!"

They hurried forward.

One grabbed my right arm. The other seized my left and pulled me away from the wall.

I tried to wrench myself free, but my muscles shook from exhaustion. I had barely eaten since arriving, and the pain in my wrists made it difficult to fight.

"Let go of me!"

The maid behind me tightened her grip.

"Stop struggling," she whispered.

I drove my elbow backwards.

She cried out and stumbled.

For one second, I nearly broke free.

Then the other maid caught my shoulder and shoved me down. My knees struck the stone floor, sending pain shooting through my legs.

Selena stepped in front of me.

"You should have accepted my offer."

I spat at her feet.

Her face twisted.

"That was your last mistake."

She raised her hand.

SMACK!

My cheek burned.

She struck the other side.

SMACK!

My head jerked backwards.

I clenched my teeth as the maid holding my left arm dragged me upright.

Selena moved closer.

"Look at me when I'm speaking to you."

I forced my eyes open.

She slapped me again.

SMACK!

The sound bounced off the stone walls.

My ears rang. I tasted blood where my teeth had cut the inside of my cheek.

"Do you still think you're better than me?" she demanded.

I said nothing.

Another slap landed.

SMACK!

My vision blurred for a moment.

She grabbed my chin and forced my face up.

"Answer me!"

I stared at her swollen with rage, my breath coming in short bursts.

"No."

She released my chin.

"Good."

Then she slapped me again.

SMACK!

Six.

Six slaps, three on each cheek.

My face throbbed. Tears gathered in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall in front of her. I would not give Selena the satisfaction of watching me beg.

She stepped back and examined my face.

"Now you look more like a servant."

I pulled against the maids' grip.

"One day, you'll regret this."

Selena burst out laughing.

"Is that a threat?"

"No." I swallowed the blood in my mouth. "It's a promise."

Her laughter stopped.

She stared at me for a moment before turning towards the door.

"Bring the clothes."

One of the maids hurried out and returned with a large basket. She dragged it across the floor, then tipped it over.

A heap of clothes spilled onto the dirty stones.

Dresses. Shirts. Sheets. Towels.

The pile landed at my feet.

I looked at the clothes, then at Selena.

"What is this?"

She folded her arms.

"Your first assignment."

I stared at her.

She pointed at the heap.

"Those are the clothes I'll wear during my coronation celebrations. I want every piece washed, dried, and folded before tomorrow morning."

I let out a disbelieving laugh.

"You want me to wash your clothes?"

"Not just my clothes. Some of Lucas's are in there too."

She bent down and picked up a white shirt.

Lucas's shirt.

I recognized it immediately. I had bought it for him before leaving for the academy. I had saved for weeks to afford it.

Selena held it up, examining the collar.

"He wore this when we spent our first night together."

My stomach turned.

She dropped the shirt onto the pile.

"Make sure you wash it properly. I don't want to smell you on it."

I lunged forward.

The maids caught me before I could reach her.

"Don't you dare speak about him to me!"

Selena stepped back, then laughed.

"Why? Does it hurt?"

She gestured towards the clothes.

"Get to work."

I looked down at the pile.

My hands curled into fists.

"I'm not your maid."

Selena raised an eyebrow.

"Then you can stay in this dungeon until you change your mind. No food. No water. Let's see how long your pride keeps you alive."

She turned towards the door, her maids following behind her.

At the threshold, she stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"Oh, and Maya?"

I kept my eyes on the floor.

"Lucas wants you to remain here during the coronation. He doesn't want you embarrassing him in front of the pack."

She smiled.

"While we're celebrating upstairs, you'll be down here washing our clothes."

The door began to close.

"Enjoy your new position."

The lock clicked.

Silence returned.

I sat motionless on the floor, staring at the clothes scattered around me.

My cheek pulsed with every heartbeat. My wrists ached, and my stomach growled so loudly that I pressed a hand against it.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to tear the clothes apart and throw them against the walls.

Most of all, I wanted to go upstairs, find Lucas, and ask him how he could do this to me.

But I already knew what he would say.

He would defend Selena.

He would blame me.

He would remind me that I was no longer the woman he wanted.

I lowered my head.

A tear slipped down my cheek and landed on the white shirt at my feet.

I wiped it away quickly.

No more.

I had cried enough over a man who watched another woman slap me without being there to stop her.

I had sacrificed three years of my life for a title he had handed to Selena like a gift.

And now they expected me to kneel.

I picked up the shirt and held it between my fingers.

The fabric smelled faintly of Lucas's cologne.

Once, that scent had made me smile.

Now it turned my stomach.

I threw the shirt away from me.

Then I pushed myself to my feet.

My knees shook, but I stood.

Selena wanted to see me broken. She wanted to walk into her coronation knowing the woman she had betrayed was scrubbing her clothes in a dungeon.

She wanted me to accept my place beneath her.

I looked at the locked door.

"Enjoy it while you can," I whispered.

My voice sounded rough, but the words came out clear.

"You can take my place beside Lucas. You can wear the Luna crown. You can make the whole pack bow to you."

I picked up the first piece of clothing and dropped it back onto the pile.

"But you'll never make me bow to you."

My wolf stirred beneath my skin.

This time, she didn't whimper.

She growled.

I pressed my bleeding lip between my teeth and looked towards the narrow window high above the wall. A thin line of moonlight slipped through the bars.

Three days until Selena's coronation.

Three days until Lucas stood before the pack and declared her his Luna.

I had no idea how I would get out of this predicament but I was sure I was going to make them pay.