*****CHAPTER 39

MAE'S POV
 
My friendship with the stranger at the bridge had officially ended. Alcot had made sure of that by breaking it off with a kiss. That kiss that completely threw me off my guard and made me feel like a completely new being was my first kiss, and it felt so magical that for a moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of the water glinting underneath our feet like it was celebrating us. It was happy for us.
 
Why was it happy when it knew that was the end of our friendship and we would never get to exchange letters at the bridge anymore?
 
I felt a mixture of happiness and sadness at the same time, but I was happy that we had kissed. It was sad that we had lost our friendship.
 
"Let's pretend we've never met each other." He had told me before we left the bridge. "No one in the castle should find out about what happened between you and me." "Do you promise me that?"
 
And so, I had promised him that I was going to keep it secret and never disclose the story of him and me to anyone else. It was a tough promise to make, most especially the part where we would have to pretend like we were strangers. I hated that we had to end like this. He was the only person who had ever listened to me, understood me, and made me laugh until my stomach hurt. And yet, the gods felt it right to take this one person who made me happy away from me.
 
How cruel.  How heartbreaking.
 
It had been almost a week, and I had done the best I could to steer clear of Alcot. I lowered my gaze whenever he passed, and he, as well, played the perfect role of pretending like I did not exist. Like I was just... air. Sometimes, I wondered if that was all he saw me as. Air.  It would break my heart to find out that I was right.
 
"Mae."  Miss Karen's voice broke me from my thoughts and plunged me back into reality. I paused chopping the vegetables and raised my head to look at her. As usual, she had her signature frown on her face, and her nose was snuck arrogantly into the air.
 
"Get Luna's order from Nora and deliver it to her chamber."
 
Oh, the gods! not the Luna. Not the Luna. That lady hated me like crazy, and I dreaded stepping an inch too close to her. Sometimes, I feared that she would shift into her wolf form out of the blue and rip me apart. She hated me. It was very obvious. But then again, I had no power or authority to say no or try to argue with Karen. I was now a servant in the castle, and my duty was to follow orders even if it would cost me my life.
 
I was collateral damage in most cases.
 
"Okay." I nodded, and she walked away again while I waited for Nora to finish setting the tray of food that I was going to deliver to Luna.
 
"Be careful." Taylor whispered creepily into my ears from beside me. "She bites."
 
Her warning gave me the chills, and I turned my head to look at her, sending a warning glare her way. If she was just saying this to make me feel on edge, I would not let her.
 
"Just some friendly advice." She added with a shrug that she had told me I was on my own. "Be careful around the Luna." That's all I'm saying.
 
I ignored her again and instead focused my attention on Nora, who had finished setting the tray and handed it to me. With a sigh, I headed out of the kitchen and made my way up the flight of stairs towards Luna's room.
 
In my heart, I prayed fervently to the gods for protection, not just protection against her but also that the gods protect her from me. I had learned to exercise a great deal of patience working in the castle, even though patience wasn't a good trait of mine. Sending a blow right against the Luna's face if her bullying persisted was something I was scared of doing. Even though I knew I was close to doing that.
 
And then, face execution thereafter. Very funny.
 
When I reached the Luna's chamber, her door was slightly left ajar. I debated for a moment if I should go in like that or if I should still go ahead and knock before stepping into the room. But I didn't delegate for long, as my eyes caught the most shocking sight ever.
 
Peering through the slight opening of the door, I caught the frames of a man and a woman pressed against each other in a corner of the room, making out in a passionate manner. The Luna's face was toward the door, but the man's face was blocking my view, and I couldn't see him clearly. As I watched them kiss, smooch, and touch each other in every corner of their bodies, I felt my heart bleed at the thought that it was the Alpha and the Luna making out. Alcot.
 
Even though there was nothing wrong with whatever they were doing because of course they were mated by the moon goddess, I couldn't control my emotion, and my lips trembled as tears threatened to spill out from my eyes, but my whole being paused instantly and the tears in my eyes frozen. The man's face turned to the side, and I realized that I was very wrong.
 
It wasn't the Alpha. It wasn't Alcot. It was some other man. The Alpha's beta. It was the Alpha's beta making out with the Luna in her chamber.
 
In shock, I did not know when the tray of food slipped from my hands, clashing noisily on the floor. The adulterers paused instantly, and both of their eyes immediately landed on me. The moon's eyes flew wide open in shock, mirroring my expression.
 
They had seen me. I was screwed.