Chapter 8

Isla POV

I keep my chin high as I climb the marble steps, to the house. I was trying to pretend as much as I could that I was strong and independent so no one would know but inside, my stomach twisted.

I could already feel the stares on me before I even step through the double doors. The first thing I noticed when I stepped through the doors of The Ridge was how small I felt and it was not just because the Alpha King’s mansion was massive—though it was.

Sprawling wings as far as the eyes could see, glass walls catching the afternoon light and reflecting it off like something out of a luxury magazine, it was a beautiful house and I was a little bit in love with it so no that was not the reason.

Why I felt small was —because every step I took onto its perfectly manicured grounds reminded me I didn’t belong here.

They were expecting Viviana and they got me instead.

The disappointment showed quite clearly on their faces.

The guards at the entrance bowed just enough to be considered polite, but their eyes gave them away.

Confusion. Disdain. Curiosity.

It was a ride of emotions and I didn’t need wolf senses to smell it.

The main doors opened before I could reach them, two maids standing side by side, both dressed in crisp black uniforms with white aprons bowed slightly before raising their eyes to look at me their gazes sliding over me like I was mud tracked across the marble floor.

Then the whisper started flooding the palace

“She’s the Luna?”

“An Omega? In this house?”

“They’re scraping the bottom of the barrel now.”

So much for respecting their Luna.

I was used to it though. I had heard it all before. Since I was old enough to understand that words were meant to cut.

I learned a long time ago that the best armor was indifference—so I keep walking, even as their voices followed me.

My whole life, I’d been the omega girl who somehow survived the constant sneers, the whispered insults, the “accidental” shoves in the hallway.

A Luna title wasn’t going to change that. Not when I was the wrong sister wearing the right dress. Still, I wouldn't lie that a part of me had hoped…

“This way,” one of the maids said, her tone clipped, she didn’t look me in the eye. The other didn’t speak at all, just sniffed faintly like she’d caught a bad scent.

I tightened my grip on my small suitcase and followed them . There was no point in arguing and I didn't have any allies here anyway so that wouldn't work out too well for me .

The marble floor gleamed, and for a while I was scared I'd slip on the glassy floors, the walls had oil paintings of past Alpha Kings on them—stern-faced men who looked like they’d never smiled in their lives.

The further she looked the more resemblance she saw to Tristan.

The air smelled faintly of cedar, leather, and a musk that made my wolf shift restlessly.

Tristan.

I forced my thoughts away from him, we were a pretend pair and there would be no mating ceremony so my wolf had better start getting used to it.

Halfway down the hallway, another maid appeared. She was younger than the others, maybe nineteen or twenty, with warm brown eyes and a hesitant smile. Her uniform wasn’t quite as perfect—one button slightly undone, her hair a little loose.

“ Take the madam to the Alpha room” the maid who'd brought me instructed and walked away before she received an answer in the first place.

The girl turned to me and bowed

“Luna Isla?” she said, stepping forward.

The title caught me off guard. No one had said it since the ball, and even then, it had sounded like a joke.

“Yes?”

“I’ll take you to the Alpha’s quarters,” she said softly, ignoring the way the first maid scowled at her.

“This way, please.”

There was no malice in her scent.

No judgment. Just… kindness. It was surprising to me because no one was kind to me for no reason it was an emotion that was so rare in my world it almost hurt to look at.

“Thank you,” I murmured, falling into step beside her.

We walked in silence for a moment before she spoke again, her voice pitched low.

“The staff… they’re loyal to the Alpha, but they’re also loyal to tradition. They expected Viviana.”

“I know,” I said flatly.

“They’re not alone in their annoyance.” I muttered and her cheeks flushed.

“You’ll win them over.”

I didn’t believe her, but I appreciated the attempt at making me feel comfortable and I really didn't have the heart to burst her bubble.

When we reached a set of tall double doors carved with intricate wolf motifs, she stopped and gestured.

“The Alpha’s room.”

“ Thank you very much– “ I started and huffed

“ I'm sorry what should I call you “ I asked and she smiled

“ I'm Lilly, Luna” she replied and I smiled back at her

“ Thank you Lilly and please call me Isla, Luna feels weird “ I mumbled and she flushed

“ Do you need my help packing “ she asked and I looked to my suitcase and shook my head

“ I'll see you with dinner Luna” she whispered and I smiled , that would take a while.

I stepped inside the room and froze.

Room was an understatement.

The space was enormous, the ceiling vaulted and lined with dark beams. Floor-to-ceiling windows let in the late sunlight, spilling gold over a bed that was big enough to fit five people and still have room to stretch.

A massive fireplace sat against one wall, unlit but there was wood in the forge so it could be lit if there was a need for it.

She stepped into.the room closing the door behind her properly and turned around,her heard flying when she noticed the bookshelves filled with leather-bound volumes.

The air was thick with that same scent—cedar, leather, a faint spice that clung to the back of my throat.

Tristan’s scent.

My wolf mewled lowly, she wanted me on the bed closest to where the science was coming from .

I turned in a slow circle, trying to take it all in. This wasn’t a room—it was a palace and a statement. Power. Wealth. Territory.

The Alpha’s den.

I was standing in it, but it wasn’t mine.

I dropped my bag and crossed to the windows. Outside, the Ridge’s grounds stretched endlessly, a blend of tamed gardens and dense wild forest.

Somewhere out there, Viviana was laughing at the mess I’d stepped into.

I turned away from the glass, my gaze landing on the bed. The thick comforter was a deep charcoal, the pillows perfectly arranged. I had a sudden, stupid urge to mess them up, to prove I could.

The door creaked behind me.

I spun.