Chapter 14 Chapter 14: It was not a dream

Chapter 14 Chapter 14: It was not a dream

∆§∆ LUNARA'S POV ∆§∆

I woke up slowly, sunlight hitting my face too brightly and forcing my eyes open even when I didn’t want them to.

For a moment I just lay there, staring at the ceiling while my body ached in places I didn’t want to think about and my head pounded like something had gone very wrong while I slept, my mouth was dry, my throat tight, and the more I tried to remember what happened and why I was lying in my bed, the more my chest started to feel heavy.

Then it all came back at once.

The heat. Me hiding in the bathroom. And Goddess… Tyson.

Did he do something to me?

Shit.

I pushed myself up slowly this time and the moment I moved I felt how weak my body still was, like something had drained me completely, and when I looked around all four of my roommates were already awake, sitting on their beds, watching me in a way that made something unfamiliar twist in my chest.

"You're up," Bea said, her voice softer than usual.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice rough and dry.

They all looked at each other first before answering.

"You don’t remember?" Jade asked carefully.

"I remember the heat," I said, trying to piece it together, "after that… it’s not clear."

Wendy didn’t say anything, she just picked up her phone and held it out to me.

"You should see this, maybe you will understand better."

“I don’t think we should show her,” Bea said.

“Why not, she needs to see it,” Riley replies.

Something in Riley’s tone made my fingers feel cold before I even reached out for the phone.

The screen was already open to Claw and a video was playing. The video was dark and shaky but my breath caught when it became clearer showing Tyson and me in a compromise angle.

I watched myself grab him, press against him, kiss him like I needed him, and I couldn’t stop, my body kept moving against his while his voice kept repeating the same word over and over.

"Stop."

But in the video, I wasn’t stopping, I kept going. The video ended with me collapsing in his arms.

For a second, I just stared at the screen. Fifty thousand views.

And the comments…

"She fucking attacked him"

"What a desperate nasty human trying to trap a Cardinal!"

"She is so disgusting!"

"She should be expelled"

"Poor guy said stop and she didn’t listen"

My fingers tightened slightly before I locked the phone and handed it back.

"I was in heat," I said slowly, keeping my voice steady even though I felt like crying, "I wasn’t in control."

"We know," Bea said quickly, leaning forward, "we know that, it’s not your fault…"

"Then why are you all looking at me like I did something wrong?"

The room went quiet. When did I start caring what people thought of me?

But looking at them, I realized I did.

Riley spoke again. "Everyone else thinks you did. The whole academy is already talking about it."

I got off the bed, ignoring how weak my legs felt and forcing myself to stand straight anyway.

"I don’t care what they think."

I refuse to allow myself to start feeling now when I have not felt anything in forever, people can say whatever they want about me including my roommates.

"Lunara…" Jade started.

"I was in heat," I repeated, more firmly this time, "I will not hide because people want to shame me."

I didn’t wait for their response, I just walked to the bathroom, took a long shower, brushed my teeth, and got dressed slowly, giving my body time to settle even though the memory of that video kept trying to push forward.

When I stepped out, they were still watching me.

"You’re going to class?" Wendy asked, surprised.

"Yes."

"They’re going to tear you apart."

"Let them."

I picked up my handbag and walked out.

The moment I stepped into the hallway, everything felt different, people stopped mid-conversation when they saw me, some whispered, some laughed, some just stared like they were trying to figure me out.

I kept walking.

I refused to lower my head.

I didn’t do anything wrong.

By the time I reached Building D and stepped into Professor Reyes’s class, the reaction was worse, the entire room went silent for a second before the whispers started again, louder this time.

I ignored all of it and walked to my usual seat at the back.

Agnes and her group kept turning around, whispering and laughing under their breath, but I didn’t react.

The door opened and Roman walked in first, his eyes found me instantly and instead of anger, he smiled.

As if he expected me to show up and I didn’t disappoint him.

Blaze came in after him, his gaze stayed on me longer than necessary, not with disgust or anger but something else, something like interest, something that looked too close to hunger and it made my skin crawl.

Zeke walked in next and the moment he saw me, his expression hardened completely, I saw the anger and disgust clearly in his eyes.

Tyson came last.

He looked tired.

His eyes met mine for one second before he looked away like he couldn’t hold it.

Class started and Professor Reyes didn’t mention the video at all.

"Today we will discuss the Mate Selection Ceremony," she said.

The room came alive immediately.

"In 140 days, the Cardinals will participate in the traditional ceremony. Eligible females from Royal and pure-blood families will be presented. The Cardinals will choose. The moon goddess will make the final decision."

A list appeared in the air.

Princess Aurora Throneborn
Princess Celeste
Lady Agnes Whitmore
Lady Vivian Reese
Lady Kayla Winters

And many more. All pure-bloods. All elites. No humans.

Of course. I wasn’t even considered. Well, I didn’t want to be. But something about it still irritated me.

"Only approved candidates are eligible," Professor Reyes continued, "anyone outside this list cannot be chosen."

Meaning people like me didn’t exist. Class ended and I packed my things quickly.

"Lunara." I stopped.

I turned slowly and saw him standing a few steps away, tension written all over his face.

"Can we talk?"

"No."

"Please, I need to explain…"

"Explain what, Tyson?" I cut in, my voice cold, "That I forced myself on you?"

"You were in heat, you weren’t in control. The usual you would never do that."

"And did you tell them that?" I asked, holding his gaze now, "Did you correct them? Or defend me on Claw?"

He hesitated.

That was enough.

"So you let them say whatever they want without correcting them?"

"I couldn’t explain it," he said quietly, "they would question why you were in heat if you’re human and I…"

"So you stayed silent."

His jaw tightened.

"We’re done here."

I walked past him. He didn’t follow. I felt something twist in my chest but I ignored it.

The rest of the day didn’t get better, everywhere I went people whispered, stared, and judged.

At lunch, I sat with my roommates and the air around us was awkward.

I ordered a coffee cake, a whipped cream cinnamon roll, and a lemonade sweet juice, everything costing me 120 points. My roommates looked surprised but said nothing.

I started eating and the taste helped push back everything that had happened earlier.

"Blaze has been staring at you all morning," Wendy said quietly.

I looked up and she was right.

He sat with the Cardinals, not even pretending to eat, just watching me like I was something he wanted to understand or consume.

When our eyes met, he smiled.

I looked away immediately.

"I don’t like him," Bea muttered.

"I don’t care," I said, even though my hands shook slightly.

That night, I went to bed exhausted and sleep came fast.
Then I was standing in a dark space alone.

Roman suddenly appeared.

"Hello, Lunara."

My chest tightened immediately.

"This is a dream," I whispered.

"Is it?" he asked, stepping closer, "or maybe I am in your head."

My heart started racing.

"Get out."

Instead of leaving, he circled me slowly.

"You forget what I can do. In your sleep, your mind is open. Easy to access than when you are awake."

"No."

"Oh yes," he chuckled softly, "I saw everything before the video was posted. What I didn’t expect was how eager you were."

"I was in heat. I was not eager or anything you are saying."

"But you wanted it."

"I didn’t."

"You did."

His voice came from right behind me.

"Stop."

His hand touched my shoulder and I froze because I felt it. This was not just a dream.

I tried to move but he held me in place.

"You see?" he whispered, "this is real."

"Get out of my head."

He leaned closer, his breath brushing my neck.

"Next time, don’t fight me. I won’t ask you to stop like Tyson."

Once again, everything went dark and I woke up gasping, my heart racing.

It was just a dream. It had to be.

I got ready quickly and went to the cafeteria, trying to ignore it all.

"You look tired," Bea said.

"I didn’t sleep well."

The Cardinals walked in together. Roman looked straight at me and he smiled.

Then he winked.

My blood stopped flowing. That wasn’t a dream. He had indeed been inside my head.

I stood up suddenly.

"I need air," I said and walked out quickly.