Chapter 28
Viola left the room dejectedly, and Zoe closed the door behind them, chatting warmly and telling her about things Viola couldn’t focus on, because she was too fearful of where she would end up next, and also unaccustomed to the kind of genuine kindness this Miss Zoe was giving her, with no reason at all to do so.
She-wolves were rarely kind to omegas, and even less to a wolfless, so Viola didn’t want to let her guard down, even though her heart was warming to the kindness of the young woman. With her height, the way she walked, and how she drew the attention of the male Deltas standing guard along the long hall, Viola couldn’t help but wonder who this woman was.
Zoe seemed to know almost everyone in the building, waving and greeting them as they passed. While people greeted Zoe warmly, they gave Viola scornful, disgusted looks that made her wish she could retreat back to her room, safe and far away from the world. Her fingers tightened around her crutch, and she used her sling hand to adjust the sliding glasses on her nose bridge before it made her stumble.
They entered the elevator that took them down, and soon they stepped out of the sprawling healing house. In every pack, there was a healing house for injured werewolves recovering from wolfsbane or attacks, but Moonwillow’s was nowhere near as large as this one, which loomed over the street.
Zoe made a call, and shortly after, a fancy car pulled up, the door opening for Viola.
Viola’s confusion deepened as she stared at the car. “Are you sure you want me to enter? I can walk to p>
“Nonsense. Not in your condition. Get in,” Zoe said, waving her hand dismissively.
Viola bit the inside of her cheek before stepping into the warm, sweet-scented car, its luxurious interior hitting her with a nostalgic pang, reminding her of a time when she had known something like this.
Zoe, noticing Viola sitting stiffly and uncomfortable in her present state, remained quiet throughout the journey, careful not to make her more restless.
Viola dreaded the unknown of her new place and wondered how she would ever get the chance to meet the Alpha again, to convince him to let her prove herself, even if it meant swallowing her pride and begging on her knees, she would.
Still, perhaps the Hollow quarters here wouldn’t be as bad as Moonwillow. The city felt like a paradise. Roads twisted above and below, connected by bridges that caught the nightlights and shimmered over the dark, glittering waters beneath. Towering buildings housed countless companies, their windows glinting with activity as goods were crafted and sent to other packs.
Moonwillow, by comparison, was frozen in time, stuck with old versions of everything because Alpha Kade had blacklisted them. Here, everything felt alive, vibrant, moving forward, a world full of opportunities she could only hope to survive in, let alone conquer.
When the car finally pulled up before a large skyscraper, Viola felt her heart lurch in dread. Was this the place?
Her door was opened by the Delta escorting them, and she stepped onto the night-lit street.
“We’re here!” Zoe announced, hooking her arm around Viola’s sling arm and assisting her forward despite her discomfort at being touched.
Was this their Hollow quarters?
“This building houses many of our important werewolves, including our Alpha’s meeting house and office. You’ll like it here,” Zoe said.
Viola’s mind was already racing with possibilities. If she was brought here to work, then she had the chance to meet Alpha Kade and speak with him civilly without insulting him, perhaps even convince him again.
Her dread eased slightly. At least it wasn’t the Hollow quarters, she thought. But she was unprepared for the surprise awaiting her when Zoe finally led her to her new place.
Viola hadn’t expected this at all. She had assumed she would be given a small storage room to work and stay in, but Zoe led her to a penthouse at the top of the skyscraper apartment building. A beautiful, sprawling penthouse that left Viola’s jaw hanging as Zoe announced, “This is your new place p>
Could it be that Miss Zoe didn’t know what she was saying? Wasn’t this too big and extravagant for her? It looked like a place an Alpha would live in, there was even a piano beside the glass wall overlooking the city!
“Am I going to stay here as a cleaner?” Viola asked, wanting to make sure there wasn’t a mistake. This looked too good to be real.
Zoe chuckled. “No. Alpha Kade ordered for you to be brought here until after the competition,” she explained.
Viola, unable to tear her eyes from the polished penthouse with its glass walls, finally turned to ask, “What competition p>
“The Luna competition, of course. Didn’t you agree to take part and compete with our she-wolves to be the next Luna and Alpha Kade’s wife?” Zoe asked, noting the confusion on Viola’s face. Didn’t she know about it? Everyone was already calling her a suicidal wolfless who wanted to die.
So that was it, Viola realized, understanding dawning on her face.
“Of course, I will join the competition p>
She had no idea there was a competition, but hearing it now, she felt her hope rise. At least she would have a chance. Though she didn’t know what competing with other she-wolves for the position would truly entail, Viola wasn’t the type to back out, not when it was an opportunity to make things right in her life.
Viola noticed Zoe’s eyes dim a little at her words, and the she-wolf looked at her with an expression close to concern as she spoke.
“I don’t mean anything offensive by this, Miss Linden, but are you sure you want to do this? I’m not saying you can’t, but do you know what comes with winning… or even what comes before winning?” she asked carefully.
“I learned the hard way in life that nothing comes easy, Miss Zoe,” Viola replied quietly. “And when you want something, you have to be willing to give anything it takes to have it p>
Zoe gave her a look Viola couldn’t quite interpret before the she-wolf sighed. “Hmm. I like how you think. But a little heads-up, you should know the history of the Silver Pack and anyone who becomes its ruler, and what they have to give up. I know you’re not ignorant about the rumors surrounding the previous Lunas. They all died the same way, and even the former Alpha lost three Lunas before he found the one who lasted long enough to give him children p>
Viola wasn’t ignorant of that history. It was said that every Alpha who ruled the Silver Pack lost three Lunas before finding one who stayed. Many believed it was a curse that ran through the Silver Pack Alpha bloodline.
Alpha Kade’s father had gone through it. The only one said to have escaped that fate was his grandfather, which was why many didn’t take the curse rumors seriously. If it truly ran in the bloodline, it shouldn’t have skipped anyone. But hearing this now, Viola couldn’t help the chill that slid down her spine. It seemed the curse hadn’t skipped Alpha Kade after all.
“Many didn’t think the fate of the previous Alpha would pass on to the current one,” Zoe continued, “but obviously he has already lost two Lunas. If you win, you will be his third. Are you really willing to risk it just to lose your life? I honestly don’t think it’s worth it.” Zoe shrugged slightly, giving Viola a look as though she expected her to back out.
Viola didn’t know whether the she-wolf was trying to discourage her or scare her, but whatever it was, it worked, just a little. Still, her fate was already sealed. If she didn’t become his Luna, she would eventually suffer until her death. And if she did, she could use whatever time she had to make amends for her past mistakes and make Evan and his entire pack pay.
Either path led to pain. And leaving the werewolf world, knowing her sister was still suffering somewhere, was never an option.
Viola’s face hardened with determination as she replied, meeting the she-wolf’s gaze as Zoe studied her closely, clearly waiting for her to say she wouldn’t participate.
“I will take part. Thank you for the heads-up, Miss Zoe p>
“Well, to do so, we’ll need to make sure you can walk without the crutch and that the sling is removed from your arm. It’s a month from now. But don’t worry, I’m here to help you and get you ready before the dinner tomorrow night, you’ll be presented to the elders and meet the other competitors,” Zoe said, sounding a little excited.
To her, Viola was now a challenge to be conquered, a project to mold into a beautiful and graceful presence before the elders, and perhaps even a way to surprise a certain someone who had said Viola Linden was a confused teen who didn’t know what she wanted.
One would wonder why Zoe was doing all of this, or even why she was trying to warn the woman at all, but she had her own personal reasons, reasons that had nothing to do with simply caring about her brother.
However, one of her main goals right now was to make sure Viola was at least transformed back into the woman she had once been, no longer the shadow of the confident Viola Linden she had admired years ago, before the month passed.
Otherwise, Viola would have no chance of surviving the competition, let alone getting through it to be the Luna.
“Dinner with the elders Viola mused quietly.
Everything seemed overwhelming to her. She hadn’t even digested the fact that she now had a penthouse, that there was a competition she hadn’t known about, and that she would soon meet the elders for dinner. Her stomach twisted in nervousness, and a deep anxiety crept over her, making her feel small and unprepared for what lay ahead.