The sickened luna’s last chance

Ella

“Remember,” Lilith said as she stood besidein the dusty mirror, “always refer to him as ‘Alpha’, and always

curtsy when you enter and leave the room he’s in. Oh, and don’t look into his eyes for too long.”

| pursed my lips, turning this way and that to inspect the subtle blue dress Lilith had loanedtoday. It fit

perfectly on my new body, although it was still difficult to get used to being two inches taller and a little more

slender than before.

And although my new hair and eyes were striking, | didn’t like looking for too long because they were just

a reminder of the situation | was in now.

Once, | was the lady of this house. Even when Alexander and Gabriel had both treatedlike dirt under their

shoes, the staff had always deferred to me. | was the Luna of Ashclaw, whether anyone liked it or

not.

But now | was a nanny.

No. | wasn’t even a nanny yet. | was just a rogue applying to be a nanny. A face in a sea of other faces. Worst of

all was the fact that | still didn’t even fully recognize my own face. How could | be certain that

Alexander would chooseover someone else?

Taking a deep breath, | turned to Lilith. “I never realized there were so many rules to being a servant,” |

pointed out with a small, wry smile.

Lilith’s face softened. “I was in the sposition as you when | was reborn all those years ago. Having to go

from being a respected pack leader to the lowest of the low. But you get used to it, and it’s not all bad.” She

smiled forlornly. “Besides, it’s sort of nice going unnoticed. Less pressure.”

“I hope you're right,” | said softly. Frankly, | really didn’t care about fancy dresses or galas or titles anymore. All

that mattered tonow was being close to my son and being there to protect him if he

needed me.

Once | was ready, | carefully snuck out of the cellar and around to the front of the house, where, to my surprise,

lines of cars were parked in the driveway-and not for a funeral this time.

When | entered the house, | found that the parlor was packed full of women. All young, all beautiful, all

elegant.

This felt more like an application to be the Alpha King’s next wife rather than a nanny.

But truthfully, | couldn’t blthem. Alexander was young and handsome, and any woman with half a brain

would be flocking to him now in the hopes of him noticing her. | tried not to let my jealousy take hold ofas |

thought of any one of these women becoming the future Luna.

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For a moment, just a moment, | wondered if Alexander was truly even grieving me. The last twe had spoken,

he had made it abundantly clear that he didn’t trust me. He still thought | was a spy after everything, and he had

gone so far as to lockup in my own home.

Furthermore, | couldn't help but think about Sophia’s confession. She claimed that Alexander was truly a bad

man, that he had horrible intentions forand our child and even that he'd burned my childhood hdown

on purpose.

| didn’t trust Sophia as far as | could throw her, but I also couldn't entirely rule out her claims. Not until | had

tangible proof. So for now, | had to accept the notion that one of these women could take my place in a

heartbeat.

For right now, though, | needed to focus on getting this job so I could be close to my son. Nothing else mattered

until then.

| kept my head down as | made my way through the crowd of women, hoping to just get through the interview

without incident. No one seemed to notice me, and if they did, it was only for a moment-likely believing that |

was another servant and not an applicant.

But then a familiar voice drifted across the room, making my footsteps slow.

“Oh, Alex and | go way back,” Sophia was saying airily. “We've known each other since we were kids, and | love

his son already as if he were my own. But | insisted on going through the regular application process because |

wanted it to be fair. | told him he shouldn't play favorites.”

A gaggle of women cooed in response to Sophia’s words. | snapped my head up, spotting her sitting in the

window seat in the corner, dressed elegantly in a burnt orange dress with her brunette locks piled high on top of

her head.

She looked beautiful, even amongst the other finely dressed women here.

| furrowed my brow as | watched her smile and laugh with the other women. Sophia certainly didn’t need a job,

seeing as how wealthy her family was; was she really just applying because she loved Lucien?

| wondered, briefly, if she had been telling the truth that day after all. Maybe she was trying to stay close

to Lucien because she didn’t trust Alexander. The thought softenedsomewhat, but | still couldn't be

sure. | decided to keep one eye on her from now on just in case.

Sophia must have feltwatching, because she lifted her head before | could slip away and locked

gazes withfrom across the room. Her eyes swept over me, takingin from head to toe before her

lips curved into that familiar saccharine smile.

“It's not polite to stare, rogue,” she said. “And don’t even think about stealing my jewelry.”

Well then. | supposed Sophia was still her sold self at her core, whether she was telling the truth about

Alexander or not. A little bit of the softness I'd briefly felt quickly melted away.

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Chapter 236

+15 BONUS

The other women in the room snickered and whispered at each other behind their hands. I lifted my chin,

opening my mouth to tell her off, but a sharp voice cut through the noise before | could speak.

“Thank you all for coming.”

All heads turned at the sound of Alexander's voice. Even Sophia leapt to her feet, primping her carefully styled

curls and training her expression into a sweet, doe-eyed smile. | turned, too, finding Alexander standing in the

doorway with the baby still held in his arms.

The sight of Alexander holding a wriggling Lucien made my heart ache. | wanted to go to my son more than

anything and hold him close, but | couldnt. Not yet, at least. Maybe not ever if | didn’t play my cards right, which

was why it was probably for the best that Alexander interrupted before | could tell Sophia where to shove her

precious jewels.

“We're going to begin the first round of interviews now,” Alexander went on, green eyes scanning the room. |

straightened, feeling a glimmer of hope light in my chest when his gaze fell onand held. | hoped he would

callfirst.

But he looked away and gestured to another beautiful woman in a sleek black dress. “You're up first. Follow me.”

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