Arranged To The Beast Alpha
BURIED PART

LEAH

Two Days later...

I sighed, glancing around the dark, gothic room that felt like a cage. Damien's taste was... well, intense. The black walls, the heavy gray curtains, the dark wood furniture it all felt so heavy, almost smothering. But the worst part wasn't the decor. It was that I couldn't leave. Ever since I woke up here, the only people I had seen were Andy and Cleo. No fresh air, no direct sunlight, just these same four walls.

A part of me wished I hadn't woken up at all after the attack. Maybe it would've been easier. But then, another part of me rejected that thought, that dark little voice whispering that escape would come eventually.

I looked over at the bookshelf across the room, crammed with old, leather-bound books that I couldn't touch. I almost wanted to go over, run my fingers along the dusty spines, but after the last... "incident" with Damien, I didn't dare. His temper was sharp and quick, like a blade, and I had no intention of getting too close to it again.

Still, I couldn't deny that I owed him. He had saved my life that night, pulling me from what should've been certain death. I understood why he wanted me here, shut away from anything that might threaten me, but I didn't have to appreciate

it.

The door creaked open, breaking me from my thoughts. I tensed, my gaze snapping to the doorway, but relaxed when I saw Andy carrying a tray. Lunchtime already? Not that it made much difference. Breakfast had been horrible and dull, and I wasn't expecting lunch to be any better.

"Hey." Andy's voice was soft as she set the plate down on the little table by the bed. She always spoke to me like she was handling glass like I might shatter if she was too loud.

"Thank you," I said, forcing a smile. I knew my tone was distant, and I saw the way her face fell, just a little, as she noticed.

"It's for your safety, you know," she said gently. "Lunas are always targets for rival packs. Hopefully, this was the first and will be the last attack." She offered me a kind smile, but it only made me feel worse.

I tried to smile back, a little less forced this time, and picked up the bowl of chicken fried rice. I took small bites, letting the familiar, savory taste ease some of the tension in my chest.

But I was still worried, a gnawing fear that sat heavy in my gut. Would this be my life now? Locked away, a prisoner in someone else's home? Worse, what if I can't get the information he needs? What if I failed and left my sister to suffer alone? "Overthinking doesn't solve problems, Luna. Why don't you spend some time doing something you love?" she suggested, her voice calm. "Cleo told me you paint."

I shook my head quickly, brushing the thought away. "Not anymore. That was just... something from when I was a kid. I don't paint. I have more important things to do now. And pretty soon, there'll be even more to handle." My words came out brisk, sharper than I intended.

Andy sighed, giving me a faint smile. "I don't think you're going to be buried in work like you're imagining, Luna." Her voice was warm, a gentle nudge against my anxiety. "My mom worked here as the head maid back before Damien was born. She took care of him, you know? And Luna Calanthe made her his nanny. A lot of things happened, and that's why I say this: you don't have anything to worry about. Your safety comes first, before any duties."

But that wasn't how I'd been raised. "My mom taught me to be an obedient wife," I told her, my voice low but firm. "She said a Luna's job is to be the pack's mother. Take care of the pack, bear children, and meet the needs of her people and her Alpha. These are my responsibilities now, and I have to live up to them." The words felt heavy in my mouth, a weight that had settled in my chest long ago.

"You can only take care of everyone else if you take care of yourself first." Her tone was blunt, but with a soft edge, as if she was trying to reach some buried part of me that wasn't ready to listen. "It's a luxury you have, Luna," she added, her eyes serious.

She reached for my hand, and before I realized it, she'd placed it on my head. I winced as my fingers brushed the spot where that guard had struck me; the ache was still there, a dull reminder of how fragile everything was.

"A luxury," she repeated softly as if there was something she was trying to tell me without really saying it.

A chill ran down my spine. She was right-I could've died then. But no, that wasn't it. The truth was darker, more tangled. I wasn't dead, which only meant one thing: they'd keep coming back, over and over, until they got what they wanted until they succeeded. Like my mother. Like Luna Calanthe. Like Luna Everly, and Luna Diana. All these women who'd worn the title of Luna, who had given everything in the name of duty, only to be swallowed up by it.

Dread crept into my bones, settling like ice in my veins. Damien didn't want me to be his Luna. It was cruel, a cosmic joke. I wasn't here to be his Luna-I was here on my father's orders, to replace the weakness that would bring Damien down and make my father the most powerful Alpha in the realm. And if I failed, I'd lose everything. I might even lose my life.

Andy's hand on my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts. "Luna? Are you okay?"

I forced a smile, pulling myself back from the edge. "I'm fine. Really. Thank you, Andy. I'm... I'm grateful."

When lunch was over, Andy stood up to leave, but I stopped her. "Wait. Can you call for Cleo? I need to see her."

Andy raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised, but didn't argue. "I'll have her stop by right away," she said assuringly before taking her leave.

An hour crawled by before Cleo finally walked in, her usual bright spirit noticeably dimmed. She tried to smile, but it came off sad like she was wearing a mask that didn't quite fit. Seeing her like that only made the walls feel even closer. I pushed myself up from the bed, brushing crumbs off my lap. "Let's make some changes around here," I said, gesturing around the room. If I had to stay here, I wanted it to feel more alive, not dead.

Cleo's eyes widened. "Luna Leah, but... Alpha Damien..."

"He granted it," I lied smoothly. The relief on her face was instant, and I felt a tiny spark of triumph.

"Well then, let's get to work!"