The Human Luna They Betrayed

EVELYN'S POV

Slowly, my eyes fluttered open, darting around in a single glance.

I sat upright, trying to make a sense of where I was.

The large room, and extra comfortable bed. Even the large mirror to my left. None of them seemed familiar.

“Where am I?” The words slipped through my lips, fear etching deep in me.

The door creaked open. A tall man with broad shoulders strolled in, his eyes fixed on me.

“You're awake,” he muttered. A smile spread across his face.

I frowned, my eyes narrowing with interest, and fright. Who was this man? What was he doing here?

He seemed different from other men too. There was something about him I just couldn't figure out.

“Thank goodness you're awake now. The maids tell me you've been unconscious the whole of yesterday.”

“How do you feel now?”

“Who are you? Where am I?” I asked as I began to panic. Could I have been kidnapped?

No! That's not possible. I wouldn't be in this big room and comfortable bed if that was the case.

He smiled and sat at the edge of the bed. “Two nights ago, I saw you on my way to an important meeting. You were so weak and frail. I couldn't leave you there, so I brought you home.”

“Home?” My brows furrowed. He couldn't have brought me back to Silas's, could he?

I recoiled, my heart rate tripling.

“Yes. I brought you to my house. Do you have a problem with that?”

I relaxed then, glad I wasn't back to Silas's house. I wanted nothing to do there, even if that was the only place left in the world.

“I'm glad to see you're in a better state. The doctor should be here soon. I had sent for her earlier.”

“Thank you,” I muttered, grateful to him. I probably would be dead if he didn't arrive when he did, two nights ago.

“You're welcome. If I may ask, where were you heading that night? It was quite an odd time for a woman to be out.”

I exhaled, my shoulders stooping low. “I was leaving my home… my family, and the life I had come to cherish for over seven years.”

He stared in confusion, eyes flickering. Still, no words slipped through his lips.

“I was returning to the human world where I truly belonged, since my husband and son decided I wasn't good enough for them.”

“I'm sorry,” he muttered, his hand wrapping tightly around mine. Hard, yet so tender and cool.

“At first, I was worried you might not make it, but returning to see you're in a better condition leaves me with so much joy..”

Then without warning, his hand rubbed against my hand, gently caressing it.

I felt calm and much more relieved than I had been in a long time.

“Let me help you up,” he offered as I tried adjusting myself.

“Thank you.” I smiled weakly, grateful. Silence fell for a while, the ticking clock the only sound to be heard.

“Can I know your name please? You've been so kind to me and I don't even know your name yet.”

His eyes widened as he leaned forward. “Wait, you really don't know my name?”

I nodded, confused. “Am I supposed to automatically know who you are?”

“No, not at all. I'm surprised, because on the night we met, I did tell you my name.”

“Oh…” Colours flashed across my face. “I'm sorry, I must have forgotten.”

“It's fine. I'm Ryan… Ryan Smith,” he answered, flashing a smile at me.

Such a cute name.

“And I'm Evelyn.”

“Gosh! A perfect name for a damsel like you.”

I blushed, then laughed, so hard my ribs hurt. In years, I hadn't laughed this way. It just never happened.

A middle aged woman strolled in shortly after, looking all serious. She halted a few paces away, hands clasped to her side.

“You didn't learn to knock?” Ryan snapped, his nostrils flaring.

“I'm sorry, my king,” she bowed, rising only when he asked her to.

I was surprised. Did she just bow to him and then call him her king? And the way he snapped at her too. It definitely took me aback.

“What brings you here?”

“The doctor is here to attend to her,” she announced, signalling towards me. “The Alphas from all the packs have also begun arriving for tonight's meeting.”

I was stunned. Why would all Alphas gather for a meeting with him? Who was he exactly?

He snorted, his lips still pressed against each other. “Alright. Make sure they're all settled in and very comfortable.”

She bowed again, gently taking her leave after that. Silence fell upon the room, leaving me rather uncomfortable.

“Do you have something to say?” Ryan asked abruptly. Was my countenance so obvious that he had noticed at once? Or perhaps, he read my mind.

“Not… really..” I began, then paused. “Why are the Alphas having a meeting with you? Who exactly are you?”

He smiled, nestling right beside me. I could feel his breath all over me, leaving my heart thumping hard against my chest.

“I am the Lycan king, Ryan Smith.”

I froze, dumbstruck. This had to be a joke. My eyes blinked rapidly, lips parting.

“Wait… This is a joke, right?”

He chuckled. “And why would I joke about that? Doesn't my name ring a bell?”

Oh.. my.. goodness! Now that I thought about it, his name really did ring a bell. How come I didn't realize before now.

I had heard the name Ryan Smith more than I had been happy in Silas's home, but I had never seen who it was.

“I didn't know it was you sir,” I muttered, immediately bowing to him. “Please forgive me.”

He held me swiftly, his brows creased. “Come on, you don't have to act this way. It's alright.”

He smiled, almost charming me.

“I must admit.. I do like you.”

The words felt like bombs. Abrupt! Harsh. Unbelievable.

I tried to speak but no words made it through my lips.

“Huh?”

He smiled. “Nevermind. You should concentrate on getting better.”

SILAS'S POV

The house felt too quiet for my liking. It felt so wrong and out of place.

I tried to wrap my arms around it but to no avail. I moved quickly, my eyes darting around as I tried to see what it was.

It snapped right then. No smell of fresh food nor was the usual warm light from the kitchen to be seen.

There were no soft human footsteps moving around too, cleaning, organizing and fixing things.

My eyes rested on Leo who sat in a corner, his head buried in his gadget.

“Dad?” He called abruptly. “Isn't Mom going to make dinner for us?”

He was right. By this time, food would have been ready and Evelyn would have called us for dinner.

“Hey you!” I called the butler, watching him scurry towards me.

“Yes sir,” he stuttered, hands fiddling against each other.

“Why isn't dinner ready? And where's Evelyn? Didn't you take her to the hospital earlier?”

“Yes I did sir..” then he hesitated. “She hasn't returned sir.”

I felt irritation rise within me. “Call her immediately!”

The butler swallowed hard, not moving an inch from where he stood.

“Didn't you hear me or are you starting to lose your mind?”

“Sir… madam.. has..,” he stuttered, irritating me the most. “She left already, sir.”

My heart skipped a beat, confusion nesting within me.

“Left for where?”

“I don't know sir. But her bags were packed already.”

I gasped in disbelief.

******

I walked upstairs without realizing when my feet started moving.

My steps were fast, filled with impatience and annoyance.

Evelyn always did this. She threw tantrums, sulked for a while, then came back once she cooled down.

That was how it had always been. She was human and was emotional. Soft… way too soft.

She would return.

That was what I told myself as I pushed open the bedroom door.

The room was empty.

The curtains were neatly tied back and the bed was made, too neatly. The wardrobe doors were wide open, revealing nothing but hollow space.

Half the hangers were gone and even her vanity table was cleared. No comb, no creams, no floral scents lingering in the air.

My chest tightened hard.

I stepped inside fully, scanning the room as if she might suddenly appear from the bathroom or the balcony with a smile on her face.

“Evelyn?” I called.

No answer.

I checked the bathrooms and drawers. All gone, except for the cold order.

I pulled out my phone and dialed her number.

Once. Twice, and even thrice.

No answer. I clenched my jaw, storming downstairs as quickly as I could.

“Where is she?” I demanded from the servants gathered in the living room, my voice raised.

They exchanged nervous glances, hands flickering against each other.

The head maid stepped forward carefully, fear burning in her eyes. “Madam packed her belongings before she left, sir.”

“Packed?” Bile gathered in my throat. “Why would she pack?”

“She.. had already sorted them days ago,” the maid admitted. “We thought you knew.”

I didn't. I freaking didn't.

My irritation deepened as my fists tightened hard. “What else?” Silence. “Are you all deaf? I asked, what else?” I yelled.

The butler hesitated again, clearly struggling.

“Speak.”

“Sir,” he said quietly. “Absolutely everything in the house was handled by madam.”

I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“The meals, sir. The groceries, the kitchen schedule and all, madam personally checked ingredients because of Sir Leo's preferences. Even the servants’ rotations were approved by her.”

My heart skipped. “And Leo's routines?”

He nodded. “Yes sir. She woke him up, prepared his meals and even supervised his training times. Special soups were always made by her whenever he was down with fever.”

The words piled up, one after another, hitting me in strange places.

I had never noticed. Not even once.

I waved my hand dismissively. “It's fine. I'm sure she's tired. She'll surely come back. She will.”

I typed a quick message, my hands swiping quickly across my phone screen.

Where did you go? When are you coming back?

Then I waited. Minutes passed, then an hour. Even two.

No response. Just my messaging sitting there.

The annoyance in me turned to discomfort.

Later that night, we sat down to have dinner. Oh, what a disaster.

Elena has insisted on helping. “I don't want to burden you,” she had said gently, wheeling herself into the kitchen.

“Evelyn usually does everything but I can try.”

The servants looked uncomfortable and displeased with her presence.

“Madam usually handles the seasoning herself,” One of them muttered.

Elena smiled sweetly. “I'll manage.”

She didn't.

Half the ingredients were wrong. Salt replaced sugar and the spices somehow managed to overpower everything.

Even the meat wasn't spared. It burned to a great degree while vegetables stayed raw.

Leo poked his plate and frowned. “This tastes weird.”

Elena’s smile faltered. “I… I followed the recipe.”

I swallowed a bit and grimaced. It was inedible. Slowly, I pushed the plate away, irritation surging through me.

I pulled out my phone again and called Evelyn. Straight to voicemail. I typed another message.

Come back. Dinner is a mess.

Still nothing. The frustration in me heightened, mixing with a strange feeling of unease.