The Banished Luna's Awakening.

Overnight, everything had changed.

I was no longer allowed to sleep in the bedroom I once shared with Matteo. Instead, I was ordered to move to the maids' quarters. I had less than three days to gather my belongings and disappear from this pack forever.

When I reached the small, dimly lit room, I paused at the doorway, my heart heavy. It was cramped and simple - just three bunk beds squeezed into a narrow space. Two of the lower bunks were already occupied by sleeping maids. Their breathing was soft and steady. They didn't even stir as I stepped inside.

I quietly set down the few things I had managed to carry: a worn bag stuffed with clothes, my toothbrush, and one pair of shoes. The rest of my belongings were still back in Matteo's room. Deep down, I knew they would probably be thrown away or burned before I could ever return for them.

The top bunk was empty. I climbed the creaky wooden ladder slowly, careful not to make any noise that might wake the others. Once I lay down on the thin, lumpy mattress, the weight of the day finally crashed over me.

I closed my eyes tightly, but the tears refused to stay hidden. They slipped out anyway, hot and silent, trailing down my temples and into my hair. Everything hurt - my chest, my pride, my future. The life I had known was crumbling around me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

That night, the only sounds in the quiet room were my muffled sobs and the painful cracking of my shattered heart. Sleep came slowly, and when it did, it was shallow and restless.

---

I had only managed a short, fitful nap when a sudden shock of freezing water slammed into my body.

I gasped sharply and bolted upright, nearly losing my balance on the narrow top bunk. The icy water soaked through my clothes instantly, cutting straight to my bones. Violent shivers wracked my frame as I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, trying desperately to hold in what little warmth I had left.

"About time you woke up, lazy bum," one of the maids sneered.

The other girl burst into loud, mocking laughter as they watched me tremble in confusion and cold.

"Sleeping until eight in the morning?" the second one taunted, her voice dripping with disdain. "What, did you think you were still the Luna? That you could laze around like before? Get down here. You have a lot of work waiting for you in the laundry room."

Anger flared inside me, hot and sudden. For a moment, I wanted to snap back at them - to remind them who I had been. But the truth settled heavily in my chest. I wasn't the Luna anymore. I had no wolf. No power. No protection.

Reacting with pride would only make them target me more.

So I swallowed the bitter words, climbed down the ladder on shaky legs, and quickly changed into the plain, faded clothes I had brought. Without saying a word, I followed them out of the room.

When we reached the laundry room, they led me to an enormous pile of white sheets. It was clearly too much work for one person - the kind of load that was usually shared between four or five maids. Sara and Clara stood back, arms crossed, watching me with smug little smiles.

They had done this on purpose. They wanted to break me on my very first day.

Their eyes dared me to complain. They knew I couldn't fight back. A wolfless girl like me was easy prey.

I lowered my gaze and began working without protest.

The hours dragged on painfully. My fingers grew raw and swollen from the harsh soap and endless scrubbing. Every time I straightened my back, it cracked loudly, sending sharp aches through my spine. Sweat trickled down my forehead, stinging my eyes. My arms trembled with exhaustion.

I couldn't remember ever feeling this drained. Back when I was Luna, even when I spent long hours doing paperwork in my office, Matteo would always appear with a tray of warm food. He never allowed me to skip meals. His care had been quiet, but constant.

Now, I hadn't eaten. I hadn't bathed. My stomach ached with emptiness, and my throat felt painfully dry.

Finally, I couldn't bear it any longer. I straightened up slowly, my vision spinning for a few frightening seconds. My voice came out hoarse and weak as I turned toward the two maids who were casually sitting on stools, chatting.

"Excuse me... I've washed almost all the sheets. Only three are left. Please... can I take a short break to eat something? I'm so tired."

Each word felt like sandpaper in my throat.

Sara, the blonde one, looked at me with open contempt. "You're not even finished, and you already want food?" She let out a cold laugh. "Don't make me laugh."

My hands shook as I clenched them at my sides. "But I've done most of it... This is too much. It's maltreatment."

Clara, the brunette, threw her head back and laughed loudly, as if I had told the funniest joke. "Maltreatment? This is nothing. I was even given the choice to send you to the brothel to sell your body, but I didn't. You should be thanking me instead of complaining about a little work and food."

The humiliation burned deep in my chest. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. Instead, I bit down hard on my lip and bent over the washbasin again, continuing in silence.

That was when the door to the laundry room opened.

Sara and Clara instantly dropped to their knees, bowing low with exaggerated respect.

"Greetings to the Luna!" they called out in unison.

Even without looking up, I knew who had entered.

Selene.

I kept scrubbing, my raw fingers moving mechanically, refusing to acknowledge her presence. Her elegant heels clicked slowly across the floor until they stopped directly in front of me - close enough that I could see the expensive leather clearly in my line of sight.

She said nothing.

She simply stood there, looking down at my soaked, exhausted, broken form.