The Cursed Luna Beyond Alpha's Desire

Atasha's POV

The next day, I noticed that my eyelids were a little too heavy. I couldn't get a good night's sleep because I was worried about the test that I had to take before being accepted as Elijah's soon-to-be Luna. Most importantly, I couldn't stop thinking about my loved ones, especially my twin sister Astrid. It had been days since I had last seen them, and my chest was clenching in pain from the agony of fear.

Elijah and I went to their manor's study, which was quite spacious. If this had been a typical day in my life, I would have wandered around the bookshelves, looking for good books to binge read. But this wasn't just an ordinary day as this situation I had was starting to get more serious. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop myself from being consumed by my dread. I know I would be unable to function properly if I didn't have even the most basic knowledge of my family's whereabouts.

I looked at Elijah, who appeared very preoccupied as he collected a few books. I leaned my back on one of the bookshelves and observed his every move carefully.

"Elijah?" I called him.

"Hmm?" He read the front page of the book he was holding before he glanced at me. "What is it?"

"Do you have any news about the Silver Moon Pack after the battle that happened days ago?"

I wasn't sure whether I was dreaming or hallucinating, but I saw a ghost of pity straight through his eyes, and I was not sure why.

"There has already been an end to the conflict between our packs. In the event that you're worried about your family, I'm sorry to say that I have no information or knowledge of their whereabouts."

My emotions of sadness and rage began to whirl within my chest. I couldn't help but be disappointed that he didn't care enough to look into what had happened to my family, especially given that he was attempting to take advantage of me. But what rights do I have to feel this way? After all, I didn't have the right to request that he find them. Then, I glanced down with a sigh of despair and quietly hoped that my family was in a secure location. I hope Astrid remembers how much I love her, no matter where she is.

His lips twisted up in an attempt to grin. His head was cocked to the side as he moved towards the study table, gesturing for me to follow him. The fact that he dropped so many books from his hands made me feel completely overwhelmed.

"So, in order to get started, you'll need to be a serious bibliophile," he said in his authoritative voice. He handed me a sizable gold-colored book. "That book will teach you all you need to know about becoming a Luna. You will better understand your fundamental obligations as my wife if you read it. You also need to study social etiquette and, of course, leadership concepts which is the essential thing you must learn."

I examined each page of the book and saw right away that I was going to have a problematic period of learning. "Do I have to read all these books that are sitting in front of me? We have only five days to prepare. Do you think I can do this?"

He couldn't keep a smile off his face. As I stood there watching him giggle like a kid, my mouth remained open. He'd never laughed like that before, and it was my first time seeing him do so. But no— this wasn't the right time to fancy his happy version, Atasha! Was this an amusing circumstance for him?

"Really?" I came off annoyed this time. I felt insulted, and he probably thought that I was too stupid to learn all of this in five days. As expected from the soon-to-be Alpha, he didn't know that our packs were too poor to be in school, and I could not finish my studies because my father kept me at home for years.

"You're so miserable." He then shook his head, still wearing that boyish smirk on his lips. "You have nothing to worry about, and I already have someone who could help you study."

My forehead creased as I looked at him. What did he mean by that?

"You'll have a tutor so things would be easy for you, slave," he added.

I was about to ask him who would be my tutor when the door banged open that stole our attention. When I saw the familiar face of a lovely lady in a white long-sleeved top and an apricot-colored pant, my eyes widened a little. Because she had her hair pinned back, it accentuated the form of her little yet captivating face.

"Oops, did I interrupt something here?" She walked gracefully and stood next to Elijah with an alluring smile.

I knew who she was. I've seen her face before. I tried to remember where I first saw her. “Right! That's why you look familiar to me. You're the beautiful lady that I collided with from the banquet!" I then realized that I was becoming too excited that I sounded so informal in front of her. "I-I apologize if I was too talkative."

She smiled at me. "You look very interesting. That answers my question why Elijah's investing so much time with you." She then glanced at the werewolf beside her. "So, did you inform her already?”

Elijah nodded, his gaze still fixed on me. "Atasha, I would like you to meet Veronica. She will be your tutor for the next 5 days and will help you digest these books quickly and effectively."

“R-Really?” I asked in awe, then looked at the lady named Veronica.

She raised one brow and crossed her arms against her chest. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Atasha. As your tutor, I would like to inform you that I will be strict and that I expect you to grasp each learning as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you'd end up losing your head because if you don't succeed, the Alpha will decapitate you in an instant."

Her remarks were almost as though they were cutting me to the core. The surge of excitement that had rushed through my veins had gone away. By this point, the only emotion I could muster was terror. I was terrified that I would fail since failing would mean that my existence would be lost forever. The truth was, it wasn't easy for me to fake these emotions in my head, realizing that too many lies would be hard for me to distinguish what is real and not in the very end.