A Cursed Luna

CHAPTER 2

SERAPHINA

I blinked and tried to make sense of what he had just said. What did he mean by me also being his mate? Did he already have another? My eyes went to Celestia as she straightened her clothes. The man was quickly zipping up his trousers. Heat rushed into my cheeks when I understood they had been doing more than kissing. I wanted to look away and could not.

Celestia's eyes burned as she looked at me.

"The other maids are helping with the banquet," she said. "So what are you doing here?"

"Maid?" the man spluttered. "You mean she is a maid?"

"Yes, she is. Look at her, Damien. What else do you think she is good for?"

Never in my life had I wanted so badly to tell the truth. I even opened my mouth. I wanted to tell him he was wrong, that I was not a maid, that I was someone worthy of being called his mate. The words sat on my tongue. Then I saw Celestia's face. Her look promised quick and cruel punishment if I said a single word against her. My mouth closed. Shame and fear mixed until I could hardly breathe.

"I cannot believe this." Damien shook his head hard and shoved his fingers through his perfect curls. He kicked one of the potted plants. Dirt spilled over the path. Then he glared at me as if he wished I were the plant.

"I cannot bloody believe this," he said again. "How can I have two mates? That is supposed to be rare. And not only do I get this rare thing, but the other one who is supposed to be my mate is a goddamn maid?" He gave a bitter laugh. "The Celestial Goddess must be playing a cruel joke on me."

Celestia slipped her hand into his. He held it tight. His face softened the moment he looked at her. He tucked a strand of windblown hair behind her ear.

"I mean, look at you, darling," he said. "And then look at her."

I did not need a mirror to understand the comparison. Celestia and I were twins, but we no longer looked alike. She had curves, glowing skin, and a perfect face. My meals were mostly scraps, so there was little flesh on my bones. Whatever shape I still had was hidden under baggy, poorly fitting clothes. My cheeks were hollow. It would have been hard for anyone to believe we had once looked the same.

Damien's sharp blue eyes ran over me again. He muttered that I looked like a stupid half-starved dog. The words cut straight through me and left a burning ache behind. I felt small in a way that had nothing to do with my size.

I supposed I did look a little foolish, standing there and staring at them. I was still trying to accept that Celestia and I shared the same mate, and that he was just as unkind as she was. The bond I had felt only minutes ago now felt like a bruise.

Celestia began to sob. He turned to her at once, held her shoulders, and pulled her close.

"What is the matter?" he asked.

She shook her head. Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.

"It is just that... I just realized something."

"What? Talk to me, please."

"Now that you have two mates, it means I will have to share you... with her."

She rested her head on his shoulder and broke into tears. It took him a while to calm her. He murmured to her and stroked her hair as if I were not standing a few steps away. I stayed frozen, afraid that any movement would make things worse.

"What is your name, maid?" he snarled.

He had to repeat himself before I understood he was speaking to me.

"S-Seraphina," I stuttered.

Damien put an arm around Celestia's waist, drew himself up to his full height, and said, "I, Damien Blackthorn, today reject you, Seraphina, as my mate."

"No!" I cried. The tears I had been holding back spilled over. "You... you cannot-"

He took a threatening step toward me.

"Who do you think you are to tell me what I can or cannot do?" he growled. "Say that again and it will be the last thing you ever say."

He looked so angry that I could not get another word out. My throat locked. He stepped back and turned to Celestia. She gave him a watery smile.

"Come on. Let us get out of here," he said. "The banquet starts soon."

"You go ahead. I just need a moment to compose myself." She sniffed and dabbed her wet cheeks with a handkerchief.

Damien did not look happy about leaving her with me, but he nodded and walked away. The moment he turned his back, Celestia dropped the act. Her face twisted with hate until it almost made her ugly. As I turned to leave, she grabbed my wrist.

"You," she said, her voice shaking. "You have been keeping secrets."

"Let go. You are hurting me," I cried.

Her long nails dug deeper into my skin.

"Tell me. Tell me when you completed your shift, or I swear I will make your life more miserable than it already is."

"Let go."

I yanked my hand free, lost my balance, and nearly fell. Then I was running, my sight blurred by tears. The garden path seemed longer than it had ever been. I stumbled and fell more than once. Gravel bit into my palms. I kept going until I reached my house. I curled up on the floor and cried harder than I ever had.

On top of everything else I had suffered, my mate had rejected me and my sister had threatened me. Celestia did not make empty threats. I knew my life was about to get worse. I cried until there were no tears left, then I just lay there and stared into the dark. The leak in the roof dripped somewhere above me. I listened to it because it was easier than thinking.

A long time later-I could not say how long-I shuffled to the kitchens for dinner. The halls were still busy with banquet work. No one looked at me except to get me out of the way. I had little appetite, so I took a hot cup of tea. The cook almost shoved it at me and waved me out. Back in my house I managed a few sips. The tea went cold in my hands. I was too sad and tired to crawl up to the nest of blankets I used as a bed, so I fell asleep on the cold stone floor.

Then I found myself in a dark, wide space. Part of me knew I was dreaming, but the dream felt real. A sharp pain stabbed through my head and grew until I thought my skull would burst. I screamed for help again and again. There was only darkness pressing down on me.

In my mind I heard Regina's howls of pain, and her voice saying in a rush, "Seraphina, we have been drugged. I feel... I am losing consciousness."

Her voice grew faint. The thought of losing my wolf was more than I could bear. She was my only anchor in this cruel world. She was the one who had kept me sane when the pack mocked me, laughed at me, and left me half starved.

"No! Stay with me!" I screamed.

"Run, Seraphina! You are in danger. Leave the Eldoria kingdom!" Regina cried.

Then she fell silent.