CHAPTER 20: LUNA'S EYES

Ayla's POV.

The Alpha smirked as I helplessly stared into his eyes. I tried my best to convince him to stop, but he gave me no choice but to kneel in front of him and surrender to his plans.

"Listen, everyone!" He howled, and everything fell to dead silence.

"I am your Alpha, and letting the traitor's daughter kneel in front of me proves that our pack has conquered the last piece of the Creeze Bloody War!"

Alpha Liam's loud voice nearly caused my heart to fall out of my chest. I couldn't move and almost couldn't breathe so as not to make a disturbing sound in front of him.

"We are invincible! Strong enough to defeat our enemies and the rivals of this era!"

I have no other choice but to fix my eyes on the ground as I listen to his words. He was indeed using my presence to show his might and power to the Alphas and his pack.

"And this woman who officially became my Luna is the proof that we are the strongest pack in the state!"

I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I heard the crowd cheer and celebrate Alpha Liam's declaration.

As much as I wanted to stay in this position, my hands suddenly felt exhausted, and my muscles weren't coordinating with my mind.

One more cheer, and I know, I'll end up kissing Alpha Liam's shoes.

"Do you need my help, Ayla?"

A lone tear rolled down my eyes upon hearing my wolf's voice. And instead of giving her a nod, I stubbornly shook my head in response.

"No, Dara. I have no plans of quitting. Not now."

"But this is too much, Ayla!" Dara protested. "You shouldn't have to go through this kind of shame just because you became his Luna. This is unacceptable!"

"Calm down, Dara."

I tried my best to hold her still.

Unlike me, Dara didn't have the patience and wouldn't hesitate to fight whenever we were in trouble.

She could smell fear and danger, which led to our survival until now.

"Look at your eyes! You're on the verge of crying!" She growled inside my head.

My fragile hands trembled, but I did my best to hold still, adding a lot of pressure to my wrist to gain force.

"Don't worry, Dara. Whatever humiliation or suffering I’ll endure will soon fade away. Just trust me," I assured her.

While trying to hide the pain that was bursting inside my chest, a hand suddenly popped up in front of my eyes.

"You cried."

Alpha Liam gazed at me, and for a second, I saw the image of the same young boy with deep ocean eyes that held the same look as the man in front of me.

I had to take a deep breath to remind myself that I was in front of the Alpha's pack, and at the same time, I got humiliated in front of everyone.

"No, I didn't, Alpha Liam."

I did my best to be convincing despite feeling my knees wobbling from where I stood.

"Really?" He smiled at me. "Then I guess it's ineffective. Should I do more?"

My breath escaped upon hearing his playful tone.

It makes sense now. This is all a game for him to win without any fear of losing his marionette's head.

He has the same eyes as the young boy in my vision, but I know they're exactly opposite in all aspects.

The young boy has a heart, and Alpha Liam doesn't.

"You just captured a criminal in front of the public, Alpha. You should be proud and satisfied enough."

A few minutes later, I found myself sitting next to the Alpha. He devoured his exquisite meal like nothing happened, while I didn't touch even a small portion of my food.

"Eat up. The show isn't over yet, my Luna. You need to gain enough strength to face the Alphas later." His lips curled into a manipulative smile.

I sighed. "I've previously met them at the party, Alpha Liam."

He gave me a stern look. "Not enough. I need to push them to their limits, and you'll help me do that. Finding your opponent's weakness is the key to victory."

His plan made me exhale my breath. "You don't even need my assistance, Alpha. I know you can do it even with your eyes closed."

Despite what happened, I was able to regain myself beside him.

Alpha Liam didn't look concerned about my emotions, not until I saw his eyes pinned in my direction.

"Your hands are trembling. Scared to face another set of humiliations?"

I shook my head and attempted to take a bite, despite the fact that the food seemed tasteless to my eyes. If only I could ask him what will happen next, but I have no choice but to remain silent until I finish my meal.

My past and future were unlucky. I just caused trouble and suffered humiliation wherever I went.

A while later, Alpha Liam stood in front of me with a meaningful smile. He took my hand and placed an envelope in my open palm.

"It’s time for you to go and greet our visitors."

"You want me to greet the Alphas alone?" My voice came out a little shaky and anxious than I intended to be.

He looked at me silently and nodded. "Just pissed them off. Your presence itself is an eyesore to them, and they’re just here to show courtesy."

I wanted to protest, but his gaze suddenly became dark and devilish.

Silence enveloped my senses.

He just started at me.

As if his eyes were telling me to follow his order or else I'd lose my head in front of his pack.

So on, my body trembled as I made my way to the Alphas. Despite my anxiousness, I continued to move in the Alphas' direction.

"What are you doing, Luna?" It was Alpha Dale who spoke.

I looked down at my hands, which were clutching the envelope given by my precious Alpha.

"I guess she just wanted to say hi." A man with the almond eyes intervened.

"Cunt!" The next Alpha cursed.

He didn't look very pleased with my presence, thinking that he had the same expression as Alpha Isaac.

Ignoring my anxiety, I smiled at them.

Alpha Liam’s right, stepping inside these five Alphas was enough to sap all of my remaining strength.

"Thank you so much for attending our ceremony, my dear Alphas," I said, carefully handing the envelope to Alpha Dale.

For all I knew, his attitude towards us during the previous gathering could be a facade. I couldn't trust him, since he could be playing tricks like what Alpha Liam had been doing since the beginning.

Still, I couldn't approach anyone but him.

"Look who’s talking," the fourth Alpha said with a hint of mockery.

"A murderer?" The same insult echoed in my mind, making my chest tight.

"There’s no need to be polite now, Luna," Alpha Dale said while plainly looking at me. "I don't understand why you showed up here without your Alpha. You know it's risky. Anyone of us could hurt you if we wanted to."

"Get lost!" the second Alpha added.

I was about to step back when I heard Alpha Liam's groan.

My goodness! Is he using his mind link again? I gasped before pursing my lips together.

"Be careful! He’s staring in our direction, Alpha Jack!"

As much as I wanted to confirm it by glancing in Alpha Liam's direction, I suddenly felt a hand on my waist.

Our eyes met, and Alpha Jack’s stormy gray eyes threatened every inch of me.

"He must want to play games with us. Do you know what's going to happen to you now? You’ll be dead, cunt!"

A low growl came from the Alpha as I attempted to push him away.

When I tried to turn my gaze to Alpha Liam, I saw him having a breathy laugh.

"Do you need help, my Luna? He’ll get you knocked up before you can even blink."

My face turned pale.

When I felt Alpha Jack’s hand move up to my neck, the mind link I had with Alpha Liam got interrupted.

"Mind link, huh?" Alpha Jack turned to me with furrowed brows. "So, after all, he still cares about his Luna," he said with a serious face while his hand was busy rubbing my skin.

"Jack, be careful!"

I couldn't help but push the Alpha away as I felt my blood starting to boil from the sudden rush of heat.

It was the same sensation.

The same feeling when my wolf tried to defend me from Alpha Liam's seduction.

"Look at her eyes." Alpha Dale's voice broke with confusion painted all over his face. "SHE'S AN ALPHA JUST LIKE US!"