Chapter 1

• ROLOGUE
• She admired the width and exquisite artwork decorating the main gate of the palace as she stood in front of it. She scoffs as she moves closer to the fence, hoping to avoid drawing attention from the guards, and then she leaps inside the palace compound.
• Seventeen years have passed since she left this mansion. A day that is constantly a nightmare and one she will never forget. That day, she lost her parents at the hands of the pack's ruling family.
• Freya is the Alpha Princess whose parents were murdered seventeen years ago. She is the little girl who ran for her life after witnessing her parents die. She ran into the woods, having nowhere else to go, and ended up as a rogue. Freya has been living as a secret assassin for seventeen years, carrying out missions for people just so she can survive, and she has promised to avenge her parents' deaths at any time so she can reclaim her throne.
• She is now on a mission to eliminate the Alpha King of the Oasis Pack. Alpha Arthur is the son of the couple who murdered her parents, and now is her chance to exact revenge. She will not spare a single soul in that palace; every living soul from that family must perish.
• She opened the map again to make sure she had not missed the road, and when she lifted her face, she saw someone she had not expected to see this late at night.
• "Your face is unfamiliar; who are you?" His soothing voice echoed in her ear.
• She bit her lower lip. "I am a maiden in this pack. What else would you like to know?” She approached him more closely. “Are you the king or his Beta?”
• He gave her a mocking laugh. “Seriously!? Will you bow down to me if I tell you that I am the King?" He grabbed the ribbon she had used to hold her hair and pulled it down. “Wow! You look more beautiful with your hair in this style."
• She pushed her hair back and clenched her fist, glaring at her worst enemy. She had seen his photo before entering the palace to assess the situation prior to the attack, and she could attest that he was very different from what she saw in the photo.
• The man she saw appeared weak, making her think that her mission had no reason to be incomplete. However, based on his current appearance, he appears to be a strong warrior rather than an Alpha king. With his sword at his side as he walks around the palace, it only means one thing: he is constantly on guard and will most likely kill her if she makes a single mistake.
• He lightly tapped her on the shoulder. "A maiden from my pack! What brought you here at this hour of the night when you should be home? Don't you know how dangerous it is for a female to walk around the pack?”
• She let out a sigh. "I appreciate how caring you are, but I believe now is the best time to see how the palace looks." She spoke calmly so as not to appear suspicious.
• He gave a clap. “Wonderful! You mean you adore the palace and want to live in it? Don't you have a family that would stop you when you're leaving?”
• "As an orphan, I have no one to guide me." She snapped, her gaze fixed on him.
• He gave a nod. "Sorry about that." He moved closer and rubbed his palm against her hair. "Your life must be hellish; what if I make you an offer?”
• Her brow furrowed. "What is your offer?" She would do anything to get rid of him, even if it meant becoming his slave, because he appears to be a cautious king based on his abilities.
• "Be my Luna!"
• Her eyes widened upon hearing that. Is he alright upstairs? Walking up to a strange female and attempting to make him Luna?
• She finally smiled, but there is no doubt that it was motivated by hatred. "You must have been drunk to say that. I am too ordinary to be your Luna, and an Alpha king is not supposed to pick a random lady as his Luna." Her lips spread apart. "Let me see the palace just once, and I will leave without seeing you again. Please do not punish me with such an offer."
• "I actually mean it." He came closer. "Fine, I have never wanted a Luna, but my parents are pressuring me to choose the woman they brought for me, which I refuse to do. So, if you can be my acting Luna, I will crown you once you have an heir to the throne."
• Her brows arched. This appears to be a good deal.
• "And what will you do with her that your parents brought for you?" she inquired. It appears that she has a better chance of obtaining her desired outcome. By being his Luna, she will learn his ways and eventually discover his weakness. And when she attacks them, she will have no trouble seizing the throne for herself.
• And as for the heir to the throne, he will never be the father of the child. She already has a lover who trained her—and because they share the same goal, she will become pregnant for him and persuade Alpha Arthur that the child belongs to him.
• Immediately after she's crowned Luna, she will execute her plans.
• Alpha Arthur clasped her hands. "Elora will be my mistress, and you will be the acting Luna."
• She responded with a nod. "All right, I will be your Luna." Her eyes were stunning.
• He licked his lips joyfully. "I am Arthur!" He extended his hand for a handshake.
• She grinned. "My name is Freya!" She extended her hand as well. "I am the assassin who will end your life someday. I will reclaim everything that belongs to me—I will not leave a dime, and none of you will live to see me rule my people," she reflected, letting out a painful smile.
• His parents have caused her seventeen years of nightmares, and she will not let it go.
• She will be his Luna as well as the secret vengeful assassin starting today.
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• Councils of all ranks, from high to low, crowded the hall. They had been convened by the Alpha because he needed to inform them about his acting Luna, and his parents would be notified as well.
• Freya followed the King as he entered.
• The voices from Flarry's warning replayed themselves in her head as she went alongside him. "Are you sure becoming the acting Luna of the man you want murdered is the right course of action? Do you believe everything will turn out the way you had intended?” She tried pushing it out of her by pushing her head, but it persisted. “Remember that we share a goal and that you are mine, Freya. I will not spare any of you if you ever fall in love with him.” Having finally let those words go, she wiped her face.
• "Flarry, I refuse to fall for him. I will never fall in love with my enemy. This is my one chance to do the task you assigned me and exact my retribution.” She answered that way, and she meant it.
• She despises this man more than words can express, yet in order to obtain what she wants, she must appear composed.
• She was standing in front of the ministers, studying their faces intently to see if she recognized any of them. However, years have passed, and she can not seem to recall a single person from them.
• Placing his paw on her shoulder, Alpha Arthur stood in front of them. "I am here to tell you all that I have found a Luna,"
• The hall erupted into commotion at that announcement. Everyone is aware that their Alpha has never desired a Luna, and even if he did decide to alter his mind, he would not be expected to choose such an arbitrary woman as his Luna.
• The chief minister walked out and bowed to him. “Elora's suitability for the throne has been acknowledged by Your Majesty, your parents, and the councils of this pack. Bringing in another lady to be your Luna is pointless; you can only make her your mistress.” He said, bowing to him.
• Between them, Alpha Arthur moved forward. "Should I make the decision or do you all have to? Who will remain with this "Luna," anyway?
• “That is not relevant, Your Majesty. A lady fit for the role is all that the pack is looking for—it is not only about love.” The deputy chief minister elaborated.
• He looked at every one of them. "No one has the authority to defy my wishes, and I still stand by what I stated. I shall have Elora as my mistress and Freya as my acting Luna. The person who bears the heir will be crowned Luna, and the other will become my concubine.” He said as he approached his throne.
• Freya grinned to herself. She will be at the palace and will be able to access anything that would help her exact her retribution, even though something about what he said last night has altered.
• She felt uneasy about the whispers in the hall since she was not used to the commotion, but she had to put up with it. And as a not-too-old man and woman entered the hall with a young lady, everything turned into a cemetery. She gazed at them, realizing that the young woman had to be Elora and that they were Alpha's parents.
• The woman stood in front of the ministers, who bowed as they made their way to their seats. The mother did not sit down; instead, she approached her son and gave him a hard smack across the cheek, which made the already silent hallway seem even quieter.
• “How many times will I tell you not to misbehave?” She tightened her fist and yelled. "You are not entitled to select your Luna. Just sit tight and observe, and remember that you have no option; it is up to me and your father to carry out that plan.” She gave him a heads-up.
• “What sort of mother embarrasses her son in the presence of the councils? Being the Alpha King of the pack, she ought to honor him at all costs. How come they crowned him when they knew he could not make decisions on his own? This family seems strange for some reason.” With a scowl, she turned to face the woman.
• Their gazes met, giving each other a fierce look.
• That face, her mother's closest friend, was still fresh in her memory, and seventeen years ago, her husband had been her father's Beta. She still has memories of them even though they are becoming older. Their son is the one about whom she is unable to provide information on how he entered the show. Perhaps he was always indoors, or perhaps they had no children at the time.
• As the woman approached her, she could tell by the expression on her face that she was familiar with her.
• "It is illegal to enter the palace after dark, and an orphan cannot be the Luna of this pack." Freya squirmed her face as she blurted. She had no doubts that no one saw her. "You will have to explain to everyone how you entered the palace because the gate guards all confirmed that they never opened the gate for you."
• Her skin sprang out in goosebumps. Although it would not be difficult for her to swiftly decapitate them, the moon goddess may easily take away her rights if she behaves carelessly.
• She took a quick look at Arthur, who was observing her from his throne. "I apologize, but you too will bear the consequences." Gazing at the Alpha, she pondered. "There is a chance the guards will not spot me or recognize me because he let me inside and I was here before the palace's main entrance was shut." Her appearance made her seem credible even if she was lying.
• Elora took a step ahead. “Your Highness!” She bowed to Arthur's mother. “That's a fat lie. I caught her climbing inside the palace via the fence."
• "Which leg did I use to leap that high fence?" Freya chipped in. She was captured, based on what she stated. She arrived clothed like a woman, but all thanks to the moon goddess. She was wearing a gown for the first time as an assassin, which gave her a more feminine appearance. The only problem was that Arthur had to loosen her hair because she had forgotten to do so. "Look at me closely. Do I appear like a man who can leap the fence?"
• "What else do you guys want to know? She already mentioned that I invited her." Alpha Arthur got up from his throne. The agony from the smack seemed to have dissipated, and he was already used to such things. But if this is the case, it is difficult to accept that he is the old couple's biological son. "I welcomed her inside the palace, which is why she will be the acting Luna regardless of what you all say. I made my decision, and nothing can change it." He commented.
• In fury, his mother bit her lips. “Arthur!!!” She yelled his name, but he ignored her. “What do you think you are doing?” She approached him more closely.
• "No matter how much humiliation you cause me, remember that I am now the Alpha King and have complete authority to make a decision. I have the authority to determine what will be and what will be disregarded." Arthur descended from his throne. "As she mentioned, I invited her, and she will be my acting Luna and Elora my mistress." Grasping Freya's hand, he pulled her with him out of the hall.