A Slave Became A Respected Luna

CINDY'S POV

"Breaking news: Alpha Luis Fenrir, leader of the respected Fenrir Pack, turned thirty today! It's time for him to choose a Luna, and his mansion is reportedly overflowing with single women vying for the position. Who will be the lucky lady to become the next Luna of the Fenrir Pack?"

The radio reporter's announcement filled the room as I mopped the floor.

"Move it, Cinderella!" my adoptive mother, Aunt Jezel, snarled, kicking the bucket of water.

The black water splashed, soaking the thick living room rug. This enraged Aunt Jezel further, and she ordered me to clean it immediately.

I spent the entire morning cleaning the house and scrubbing the rug. Her twin daughters, Stephany and Jenny, were occupied with frivolous activities. Stephany slept most of the day, while Jenny was out flirting in the park.

They're twenty-five, my age, and should be helping with the housework, but Aunt Jezel tolerates their laziness. I do all the chores—cooking, cleaning, washing, and grocery shopping—as if I were their maid. It's physically and mentally exhausting, but I can't leave.

Every day is like slavery. I wake before sunrise to boil water for their baths, chop wood for the fire, and carry buckets of water. Then I clean the house, only to have it dirtied again by Aunt Jezel's judgmental friends who lounge around all day. Her daughters devour everything I cook, leaving me with only scraps. At night, I sleep not in the large bedroom my father built for me, but in the stables, amidst the smell of horse manure.

After my father's death and his marriage to Aunt Jezel, she seized his money and manipulated him into leaving his will in her favor, ensuring I received nothing. She even manipulated him into giving her ownership of this house.

The bottom line: I'm broke and have nowhere else to go.

"When will my luck change, little mouse?" I whispered to my only companion, a white mouse.

Like the mouse, I feel like a pest in this house, an unwanted guest. I cry myself to sleep every night. Despite the pain and heartache, there was this one boy I truly loved: Henry Fenrir, our neighbor and Alpha Luis' nephew.

We were friends for three years, lovers for two. But Jenny seduced him one night during a large celebration at Henry's mansion. Everyone in town was invited, including me, but Aunt Jezel forbade it.

"Why would a trash like you be welcomed in the Fenrir mansion? Stop dreaming, brat. You'll end up dead like your mother, unloved."

Her cruelty was so hurtful I didn't try to sneak out to attend the party.

The next day, I snuck out at 3 p.m. to meet Henry at our usual spot at the forest's edge, where he taught me to control my wolf, use my strength and be intimate with each other.

But he didn't show up for five days. Worried, I secretly went to his house and found him in the garden with Jenny sitting on his lap. Worse, when Jenny saw me, she smirked and kissed him—and he kissed her back.

I ran home and cried on my straw bed in the stables.

The next morning, I was surprised to see Henry at our house, dressed in a formal suit, a stark contrast to my ragged clothes and messy bun. I thought he was visiting me, but then Jenny appeared, caressing her flat stomach.

"I'm pregnant with Henry's heir," she announced.

Everyone rejoiced, but not me. I wanted to confront them. My wolf urged me to transform in anger, but I controlled myself. I have no right to demand anything from him. I'm nothing.

The cheers were interrupted by a knock. Aunt Jezel opened the door to a messenger in a cloak who handed her an envelope.

Aunt Jezel opened it and read aloud: "Congratulations, Lunaris family. You are invited to a party at Alpha Luis' mansion to participate in the Night of Finding the Luna. Please wear formal attire and present any eligible young ladies in your household for the Alpha's selection. You might even be the one he seeks."

Stephany and Jenny squealed, saying how much they wanted to attend. But they abruptly stopped when I blurted out that I also wanted to go.

"What?" Aunt Jezel asked, disbelief written on her face. "Clean the house and cook. A slave couldn't be the Alpha's Luna."