Luna Battle: The Game

As the first snowflake drifts down and settles upon the cold earth, it seems to whisper secrets of a winter tale not yet told, a story waiting to unfold in shadows and frost.

I push the brush across the wooden floor even though there is nothing left to clean. They expect perfection, and perfection requires repetition, so I sweep again and again until the rhythm of the bristles becomes my only company. Dust must never linger, not even for a heartbeat. God forbid a single speck should fall and be missed because I only swept once or twice.

“Mut!” The sound of his voice slices through the silence and I freeze where I stand. “Mut!”

Sighing quietly, I set the brush aside and move quickly through the corridor into the next room. He turns in his chair as I enter, smiling at me with that expression he wears like a mask.

“Yes, Master.” I kneel immediately, lowering my head to the floor as I wait for his orders.

“We have company tonight. The tables must be set. There will be fifteen guests.”

“Yes, Master. Anything else?”

“These guests are important,” he continues, his voice steady and cool. “I trust you will behave appropriately and follow orders tonight.”

“I will, Master.”

I hear the scrape of his chair and the sound of his steps as he rises, though I keep my head bowed, still as a statue.

“Raise your head.”

I obey, lifting my chin to look up at him. He stands before me, his eyes sharp.

“What is your role tonight?”

I choose my words carefully, speaking softly. “To please you, Master, and your guests.”

“One guest in particular,” he says, leaning forward slightly. “Alpha Ethan. I need to ensure he agrees to this deal, so you will pay him more attention than the others. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Good. Prepare the room. Your outfit is waiting in your cell. I expect you to be wearing it before the guests arrive. You may leave.”

“Thank you, Master.”

I rise to my feet and leave the room, slipping into the one used for entertaining his guests. My hands move automatically as I begin to arrange the tables, wiping each surface until it gleams, aligning silverware with mechanical precision, and ensuring everything is perfectly ready for the cooks and servants to bring in the food.

When the tables are done, I walk back toward my cell, the small room that barely belongs to me. On my thin mat lies the outfit chosen for tonight, a silent signal of what is expected of me.

“Mut.”

I turn at the sound of the voice and kneel without hesitation.

“Yes, Sir.”

Beta Luca steps into the doorway, his presence filling the small space. I keep my gaze lowered, fixed on his polished shoes rather than his eyes.

“I expect your company tonight. Don’t be late.”

“Sir,” I say softly, “Alpha Draven has already requested that I attend the event and focus primarily on Alpha Ethan.”

He chuckles under his breath, and before I can brace for it, his hand fists in my hair and jerks my head back until I’m forced to look at him.

“Then you’ll be sure to have a long night,” he murmurs, his grip tightening. “My room, once Alpha Ethan is finished with your body.”

“Yes, Sir.” A small whimper escapes my lips as my scalp burns under his hold.

“Actually,” he adds after a pause, his tone carrying something darker, “I have the perfect idea. I’m sure Alpha Ethan will agree. You keep him company as Alpha Draven requested. I’ll see you at the event.”

He shoves my head forward and I remain kneeling, silent, listening to his footsteps retreat until they vanish completely.

I reach for the dress and slip it over my body, pulling my hair up and tying it high to keep it out of the way. Then I make my way to the great room, where the low hum of voices already rises like static. Guests stand and speak in clusters, filling the air with tension and expectation.

My eyes find Alpha Ethan immediately.

I approach him and stop at his side, lowering my head as I wait for his acknowledgment.

“Ah, Elara,” he says at last, his tone warmer than the others. “You’re my company tonight?”

“Yes, Sir.”

To be fair, Alpha Ethan is not as cruel as Alpha Draven or the Betas who circle this place like vultures. He treats me like a person—at least for now. But something inside me twists with unease, a sense that tonight will be different, that his relaxed manner will tighten into something sharper before the night is done.

It doesn’t matter. I will do as I’m told. The last time I fought back, I almost died.

I had to fight. Every touch from him made my stomach twist and heave, the sickness rising until it burned behind my eyes. So I fought, and still, he took what he wanted. He took it relentlessly, with even greater force, as if my resistance only stoked his hunger.

When I was sold to Alpha Draven, I was still a girl. They told me it was a blessing, a stroke of fortune. He was a strong Alpha with a powerful clan, they said. My life was secure, they said. But it was all lies, spoken softly enough to mask the truth of what I was being given to.

I curl in on myself now, shivering violently as I try to hold in the heat that keeps slipping away from me. The cold gnaws at me until it feels like fire under my skin. It’s a strange kind of pain, to be so frozen that you burn. Snow piles higher and higher around my body, swallowing me inch by inch, and I’m not sure I’ll survive this punishment.

All of this because I didn’t want him to touch me. All of this because I wanted to keep something of myself for my mate, a hope I once believed was sacred. But I’m not mine. I’m his. I’m theirs. I was so sure things would be fine when I woke this morning. I fought him off as best I could, but he still succeeded in his mission. The bruises and scratches across my body scream his victory louder than I ever could. And when the door finally swung open and Beta Luca dragged me out, throwing me naked into the snow, I understood the message. This was my punishment.

I don’t know how long I’ve been out here. It feels like hours, but maybe that’s only the cold stretching every second into eternity.

“Look at the mut,” someone sneers. I keep my head down, the weight of their laughter pressing me closer to the ground.

“Throw this at it,” Beta Paul says, laughing. A hard chunk of snow slams into my head. The impact knocks me off balance and I nearly topple into the drift.

“Don’t worry, Mut. We’ll warm you up after,” he taunts. Fingers clamp into my hair, yanking my head back so hard I scream. My tears streak down my cheeks but freeze before they can fall.

Beta Jones leans close, his breath warm against my freezing skin. “This will teach you never to refuse again, won’t it, Mut?”

I don’t answer. I can’t. My lips are numb, my body heavy and trembling, the snow clinging to my bare skin like a second punishment.

“That’s enough. Bring her in.”

Alpha Draven stands in the doorway, his shadow stretching long across the snow. They drag me inside, and the sudden change in temperature makes my body ache even more.

“Will you refuse or fight again?” His voice is smooth but coiled with threat. I try to speak, but my jaw only trembles.

“Answer, Mut.”

“N-n-n-no, Master,” I stammer, my voice breaking.

His smile spreads wider, slow and satisfied.

“Good. Go get in my bed.”

I nod weakly and stumble toward his chambers. Right now, obedience is the only warmth I have left. My cell is frozen, its thin sheet no barrier against the cold. At least in his room, there is plush bedding to sink into, soft enough to trick my body into thinking it is safe, warm enough to stop my shaking. For now, that is all I can want.