The Luna Secret

Chapter 3

Lucia’s POV

The ride was an hour long, taking us into the affluent parts of the city. All through, Damien remained silent, staring out the window.

I caught myself staring at his profile a few times.

Had the moon goddess finally smiled at me? Had I found my mate?

As the Mercedes pulled up in front of the grand Mansion, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. This illustrious mansion in the heart of New Orleans was now going to be my new home, apparently. I clutched onto my small suitcase, taking a deep breath before stepping out.

Damien sat back inside the car, looking up at me, “I have business to attend to, my beta will be awaiting your arrival at the door, run along now.” He shut the door, the car driving away.

Shaking for a mad second, I contemplated dropping everything and running away immediately, but I knew I wouldn’t get far. The mansion was crawling with guards.

I walked up to the massive doors of the mansion but before I could knock, the massive, imposing double doors opened, revealing a tall, bald, thin man with black, beady eyes. This must be Horus, the beta to Damien. He exuded an air of arrogance and authority which made my heart skip a beat.

“I assume you’re the new servant?” He said coldly, eying me up and down.

I nodded, my voice barely a whisper. “Yes, sir. I’m Lucia Hale.”

Horus’ gaze shifted to my suitcase. “Put your things down and follow me.”

As soon as he turned around, I noticed the tattoo at the back of his head, on a single eye above a pyramid.

I chuckled quietly, in spite of my nervousness, as I realized what it was.

He spun around quickly, staring at me, his eyes searching my face.

“Is anything funny? “

I shook my head, “No.”

“Come on, share it,” he said, taking a step closer, an unassuming smile on his otherwise expressionless face, a smile that didn’t even get to his eyes.

“No sir,” I repeated, genuinely scared now. “Nothing is funny.”

He stopped his eyes staring again, almost as though he was searching for my soul. “Not another sound from you, get it? After me.”

I complied meekly, my footsteps echoing in the spacious entrance hall as we made our way through the mansion. My eyes widened at the grand chandeliers, massive staircase, and expensive paintings that hung on the walls.

They all seemed to exude the wealth that went into building this place. In my shabby rags and thin frame, I felt horribly out of place, like my very presence was a stain on the mansion.

He led me up the stairs into another hallway, even bigger and grander than the one downstairs.

This had to be Damien’s private quarters.

We entered a room filled with luxurious furniture, a grand piano standing proudly in the corner. Damien gestured to a small closet. “Your uniform is in there. Put it on and meet me in the main hall.”

I hurriedly changed into the maid’s uniform, feeling a sense of purpose as I buttoned up the crisp, black-and-white dress. Adjusting my collar, I glanced at my reflection, my blonde hair in a pony tail over my shoulders, my blue eyes staring back at me, but the timid girl staring back seemed almost unrecognizable.

Exiting the closet, I found Horus waiting for me in the main hall. “Finally, you’re ready,” he sneered impatiently. “Remember, you are only here to serve. You will do Alpha Damien’s bidding, no matter what he asks from you, you will refer to me as “Sir,” or “Master Horus” and you will only refer to him as “Alpha Damien.” Stay out of my way and do your job efficiently and we will have no problems." He took a step closer to me, bending his lean frame over to stare into me, again, sending nervous shivers down my spine.”Fail to do so, and you will be punished accordingly. Is that clear?”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding nervously in my chest, my mouth as dry as paper. “Yes.” I croaked.

“Yes, Sir.” He snapped.

“Yes sir.” I repeated, great only a few minutes in and I was already failing miserably.

I nodded, my heart pounding against my chest. “Yes, sir.”

“Come with me.”

Horus led me through a maze of corridors until we reached the kitchen.

A graying, elderly man sat there, on a high stool.

“This is Mr Reynolds,” Horus said, waving at me. He was an elderly man with a stooped back and a wicked smile.

Was there anyone normal in this mansion at all? What the hell had I gotten myself into?

“Ah, Lucia, welcome to the Nox Mansion,” Mr. Reynolds greeted me . “I’m sure you’ll do just fine with your duties. Just follow the schedule and don’t let Mr. Horus intimidates you.” He stroked his beard, “He can’t hurt you.”

“Careful, Reynolds” Horus growled, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“My apologies,” The old man said, raising his arms in mock surrender. “I didn’t mean to offend our mighty eh, second in command.” When he looked up, I noticed, for the first time, he was blind.

I felt Horus bristle beside me, gnashing his teeth in naked fury. The old man smiled.

The tension between both of them was palpable, filling the air with an almost electric quality. These were two men who absolutely despised themselves.

Getting up from his chair, he hobbled toward me, clutching an old, worn, walking stick, “Why child, I can’t sense your wolf.”

I froze, unsure of what to say. I hadn’t heard from Nysa since that night my family got murdered. My abilities had shrunken and gone along with her.

Horus looked at me, his brows furrowing. “What is he saying? Are you not a werewolf?”

I opened my mouth to answer but Reynolds interrupted me, “Oh, she is. I can smell it on her.” He got up to me, sniffing at the air, “What I cannot sense, is her wolf.”

“What is that supposed to mean, old man, stop speaking in riddles?”

I cleared my throat, drawing their attention to me. “There was an accident when I was little.” I said, “I lost my family, and since then I haven’t been able to talk to my wolf.”

“Ah,” Reynolds muttered, nodding. “I see.”

“Is there a good reason for these questions, Reynolds?” Horus asked, interrupting,”Or are you just being the nosy creep you usually are?”

The old man turned to him, smiling and showing a row of yellow, tobacco-stained teeth, “I am just getting to know our newest member, Master Horus.” He said, his voice smooth and calm, even as Horus’ aggression grew by the second. How the man didn’t cower in fear was beyond me.

“Why? You don’t think the background check I ran was enough?”

“I am sure you did your best, but one cannot be too… thorough, in case you have forgotten.”

Horus moved blindingly fast, before I could tell what was going on, he had closed the distance between him and Reynolds, grabbed the old man by the collar and pulled back, his hand balled into a fist, his eyes blazing in red hot rage.

The old man looked up at him, undisturbed, smiling as though he wasn’t one punch away from being sent into the afterlife.

Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing Damien standing there, a mix of surprise and anger flashing in his eyes.