Chapter 76 Elara's POV
I looked at Ethan, an idea forming. "What if there was another way? A faster way
"What do you mean?"
"Selena's power comes from her connections. Her influence is the way people see her as the rightful Luna."
I straightened myself in the wheelchair. "What if we took that away from her?"
Ethan stopped pacing. "How would we do that?"
"By turning the pack against her not with accusations or charges. But by showing them who she really is."
"That's dangerous," Damian warned. "If she realizes what you are doing-"
"She won't because I will be a subtle patient. I will do exactly what you said to build a case but not a legal case ... .a social one."
Ethan was looking at me with new interest. "You want to destroy her reputation."
"I want people to see the truth to see how she treats others. How she abuses her power, how she's not fit to be Luna or anything else."
"That's ambitious and risky. Selena has a lot of supporters."
"She has people who are afraid of her, which is not the same as support. If we can show them they don't need to be afraid..."
I trailed off, thinking. "How do I do it? How do I overpower someone like her?"
Ethan pulled up a chair and sat across from me. "You start small you start where she is weakest."
"Where's that?"
"The servants, the staff, the people she has been terrorizing for months." He leaned forward.
"Selena's power comes from fear and intimidation. She makes people feel small. Worthless like they have no choice but to obey her."
"So I show them they do have a choice."
"Exactly you have already started, you stood up to her twice. Once when she was berating Lily, and again when she confronted you with the Luna aura incident. The servants saw that. They saw someone finally stand up to her."
"But I also nearly killed them with that power. They're terrified of me."
"Some are but some are grateful some see you as the first person strong enough to challenge her."
Ethan's expression was serious. "You need to build on that. Show the servants you're on their side, show them you care about their wellbeing, show them you are nothing like Selena."
"How?"
"Start by talking to them and learning their names. Asking about their lives small gestures that show you see them as people, not just staff."
He paused. "And when Selena mistreats them
….which she will step in. Every single time you make it clear that behavior isn't acceptable."
"That will make her angrier."
"Yes but it will also show the pack who you really are versus who she really is. Actions matter more than words, Elara. If you consistently treat people with kindness and respect while Selena consistently treats them with contempt, people will notice."
I thought about it about Kara, who had been my friend from the beginning. About Lily, the young maid who had been so terrified. About all the other servants I'd seen flinching when Selena walked past.
"The servants are the heart of the pack house," Ethan continued.
"They see everything, hear everything. If you win them over, they'll spread word about who you are. About what you stand for. And slowly, gradually, the pack's perception will shift."
"From seeing me as the dangerous omega to what?"
"To see you as someone worthy of being Luna. Someone who actually cares about pack members instead of just using them."
The idea was taking shape in my mind. It would be slow. Difficult. It would require patience I wasn't sure I had.
But it was better than waiting for Kaden to lose control and attack Selena. Better than sitting helplessly while she plotted my death.
"Start with the inner house," Ethan said.
"Win over the servants turns them against Selena. Once you have them, everything else will follow."
I looked at him. "And you will help me?"
"I will help you. Damian will help you even if Elder Miriam seems to be on your side."
He smiled slightly. "You are not alone in this, Elara you never were."
For the first time since remembering Selena's betrayal, I felt hope.
Not naive hope that everything would magically work out. But real, solid hope that maybe….just maybe….I could fight back.
That I could win.
"When do we start?" I asked.
Ethan's smile widened. "Tomorrow after you have rested and healed enough to move around. We start by having you join the servants for a meal. Show them you're one of them, show them you haven't forgotten where you came from."
"And if Selena interferes?"
"Then you stand your ground just like you did today."
Ethan stood. "You have already proven you can face down the elders. Selena should be easy by comparison."
I wasn't so sure about that but I nodded anyway.
Damian wheeled me back to my quarters. As I settled into bed, exhaustion finally catching up with me, I thought about what lay ahead.
A battle not with claws and teeth, but with words and actions and patient, careful strategy.
Selena wanted to destroy me, wanted to take everything I had and leave me with nothing.
But I wasn't the scared, memory-less omega she'd tried to kill anymore. I was stronger now smarter and I had people on my side.
This was war.
And I intended to win.