Why Moon Goddess? A Mute for a Mate

I groaned when I woke up. My eyes fluttered open but it was immediately met with a light radiating through a window. I adjusted to the light and opened my eyes again. That was when I realized I was in a dungeon.

How the hell did I get here?

I remember calling on Alpha Ricky when the wolves wanted to hurt me while the Alpha turned to look at me with shock registered all over his face. I knew the wolves were shocked too when they heard me speak but the truth is that I can make little sounds or voices when I'm in deep need of help. I knew I wasn't completely mute and that's why I needed my mate to love and help me heal.

I look around in devastation. Why bring me to the dungeon of all places? When he turned to save me from the wolves, I thought he was going to bring me to live with him. I remember many wolves passed by when I was struggling to break free from the wolves dragging me but none of them came to help and now even Alpha Ricky who helped didn't dim it fit to take me in with him but to put me in a dungeon? I am indeed alone.

I looked around and saw old women and even little girls in the dungeon. There was also a section where some men were kept. They must be the Alpha slaves. I could see a woman crying and tapping her daughter as if she wanted her to wake up and when I looked closely, I realized the little girl was dead. Why on earth will anyone subject women to this kind of torture? I wanted to go close to the woman to comfort her but I only cried knowing well that I couldn't do anything to help her. Most of the people in this place are subject to sexual abuse and the more I looked around the more I was determined never to allow myself to be used as one of the sexual slaves in here.

I sighed and facepalmed. I am not going to stay in a place like this. I gathered strength and at that point, I was planning on how to escape from there. I looked through the room and I saw a door leading out of the dungeon. I got up and walked as fast as possible, careful not to make any sound as I tiptoed towards the door. I saw some guards in the dungeon but I prayed silently not to be caught as I kept walking.

The key was right by the handle of the door. I'm sure the guards didn't bother to keep it away since they're sure nobody dared go near the door to escape.

"Stop trying to escape, no one ever escapes from here." The woman who was still grieving over the loss of her child whispered but I wasn't ready to listen to her. If I could get to the door successfully, I'd be out of here in no time.

Just when I was almost near the door, one of the guards held my wrist from the back. I spun around and he spat on my face, the warm saliva hitting my cheek like a slap. I recoiled, disgust and anger surging through me. The guard's breath reeked of rotting teeth and stale tobacco, making my stomach churn.

"Where did you think you're going? He asked and I frowned.

I wiped the spit off my face with the back of my hand, the stench lingering on my skin. The guard's eyes seemed to gleam with sadistic pleasure, and I knew I had to be careful not to provoke him further.

"What makes you think you can escape from here without our notice?" he sneered, his voice dripping with malice.

I tried to yank my hand free, but his grip only tightened. His claws dug into my skin, and I felt a searing pain as blood trickled down my arm.

I glared at him, my anger and fear simmering just below the surface. But I knew better than to react. Instead, I stood frozen, my eyes locked on the guard's.

"Answer the damn question and tell me why you think you can escape from here" he commanded but when I wasn't saying anything, he raised his hand to slap me, but a voice intervened. "She's a mute, she can't respond to anything you ask her."

The guard's gaze flicked to the speaker who happens to be one of the guards and back at me.

The guard holding me turned back, his eyes narrowing as he studied me. "You are a mute?" he asked, his tone dripping with disdain. "No wonder you act differently. Your disability must have affected your brain, making you think you can run away."

His words stung, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of reacting. Instead, I stood tall, my eyes flashing with defiance.

The guard snorted, his grip on my wrist tightening. "Let's get her out of here," he growled, dragging me away from the door.

I stumbled, my feet scraping against the cold stone floor as I struggled to keep up with the guard's brutal pace.

We passed through a large doorway and he kept dragging me along. But when he finally brought me to the entrance of the throne room, my heart skipped a bit. I couldn't express how happy I was knowing that I was about to see my mate. Surely, this was a sign that my mate had finally accepted me.

They opened the door and ushered me in as they bowed to the alpha and left. Alpha Ricky was sitting on his throne. I looked up to him and our gazes met and for a fleeting moment, I felt a chill run down my spine as I was caught in the frosty intensity of his gaze. I hastily looked away, unable to bear the weight of his piercing stare.

He approached me, I instinctively took steps back, my heart racing with a mix of fear and anticipation. But my retreat was halted when the back of my leg collided with a delicate flower vase, sending it crashing to the floor. The sound of shattering porcelain echoed through the room, and I froze, my eyes fixed on the broken vase as Alpha Ricky's footsteps stopped mere inches from me.

Alpha Ricky's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the shattered vase and I hurriedly bent to pick them.

"Leave it," he commanded, his voice firm but controlled. "I'll let it slide this time, but if it happens again, you'll be punished." He signaled to the guard at the door, who nodded and departed to summon a servant to clean the mess.

Alpha Ricky's gaze returned to me, his expression unreadable. "You've been here mere minutes, and already you're destroying things. It's a sign of the cursed life you've led, no doubt."

I felt a sting from his words and lowered my gaze, waiting for him to continue.

He moved to the table in front of his throne, poured himself a cup of wine, and took a sip.

"I'm grateful to the moon goddess that, despite being a mute, you can at least hear and understand me when I speak. That's...useful. For that reason, I won't reject you entirely."

My heart leaped with hope, and I thought to myself that perhaps Alpha Ricky had simply been shocked by my muteness the day before and had now come to accept me.

But before I could indulge in that hope, Alpha Ricky's expression turned cold. "Do not deceive yourself, mute. Whatever fantasies you're spinning in that dull skull of yours, dismiss them. They won't come to fruition."

My hopes crashed, and I felt a familiar sense of despair.

Alpha Ricky continued, his voice dripping with disdain. "You're the only person who is not affected by my aura, simply because we're mates. But you're nothing like the Luna I envisioned for myself. You're weak, mute, and will never have the chance to sit by my side, let alone be my Luna. The sooner you grasp that, the better for you."

He sipped the remaining wine from his cup and approached me, his eyes boring into mine. "It's not worth my time to converse with a mute like you, but there's something you need to understand and pay attention to."

"You'll serve me, not as my mate, but as my maid."

I gasped.