Harley - POV
Buzz!
I glanced at the notification on my phone. The new update for Tyrant Luna had just been released. “Yes! I hope Luna Larissa pays the price for being such a b***h to Abigail Firefall, the protagonist of the book. Abigail is so innocent and deserves to be with Alpha Ren in peace. I wish Luna Larissa dies at the hands of Alpha Ren,” I muttered to myself. A fellow passenger on the subway looked at me in surprise as I rambled on about the book.
Realizing I must have sounded like a crazy nerd, I tried to explain myself to the stranger. “Sorry, I was just excited about the book and the characters, so...” But the guy distanced himself from me with an awkward smile, clearly not understanding my enthusiasm.
“Why am I even explaining myself to someone who doesn’t understand the joys of reading a good book?” I sighed talking to myself and got up from my seat, moving towards the subway doors as we approached the next station.
As part of my resolution to maintain a healthy diet, I opted for a green salad instead of a hamburger for dinner. On my way home, I checked my phone, knowing that taking a cab would cost me more than I could afford. I noticed I had missed a few calls from my parents and quickly called them back.
Buzz! Buzz!
Why was my boss calling me so late? I reluctantly answered the call, not wanting to face her wrath for missing it. “Hi, Sofia,” I said, trying to sound composed.
“You didn’t send me the document. I asked you about the Rolls Corporation. You knew we had to send the quotation for our products today,” she scolded me.
“It must be on your desk, Sofia. Maybe you put it in the top drawer,” I replied calmly, knowing full well that I had handed her the file before leaving the office.
“So you’re saying it’s my fault, then?” she snapped.
Before I could answer her, the loud honking of a car interrupted our conversation. I turned my head to see a bright light coming towards me, and in a split second, my body was thrown into the air before crashing onto the ground. A sharp pain shot through my body, and I felt warm blood seeping out of me. The surroundings blurred into grey figures, and slowly, darkness enveloped me.
*****
When I woke up, I lay on an old cot, and my eyelids felt heavy as I squinted to examine my surroundings. The moldy walls and cracked ceiling puzzled me, and I struggled to sit up and understand what was happening around me. As I peered around, I noticed a small water bottle and a kitchen next to a restroom.
As I washed my face, I caught sight of myself in the small mirror, and I gasped at what I saw. "No way!" I muttered as I touched my perfect face, sharp jawline, blonde hair, and blue eyes. "I am Luna Larissa." I observed my features, which looked younger, closer to twenty than thirty.
Pacing back and forth, I tried to make sense of my new surroundings. Suddenly, I heard a voice coming from nowhere. "Child," it said.
I looked around, frightened by the sudden change in the air. Blinding lights appeared out of nowhere, and I cried out in pain, "ouch, my eyes!" Gradually, I opened them to see a woman dressed in a white gown. She looked elegant.
"I must be dead, right? I don't know what is going on," I asked in desperation.
"It can be overwhelming at first, child. Let me explain. You are not dead yet," the woman said, extending her hand. The projection showed my body lying unconscious in the infirmary. My mother was crying next to me, and my father tried to comfort her, but I
could see the sadness on his face as he looked at me.
"Can you send me back? Why am I here?" I asked.
"You are here for a reason, child. The book you were reading, Tyrant Luna, is the reality of this parallel world, and I need a soul who can help stop the woman and man of demon powers, who will destroy it," the Moon Goddess explained.
"Luna Larissa, the evil one, is facing trials for infidelity and also for harming the innocent Abigail, Alpha Ren's true mate," I said, trying to make sense of what she was saying.
“The book doesn’t show you that the truth is hidden behind the curtains, and what you see isn’t always true, my child. I need your soul because you are the best fit to be Luna Larissa once you survive in her body for a year. I promise to send you back to your world,” explained the Moon Goddess.
“Did you put me in the car accident to get my soul? So I could work for you as a puppet?” I snapped.
“I didn’t; the script fates of humans are not in my hands but in the hands of the Fate Goddess. You were supposed to die in the accident, but I made a bargain with the Fate Goddess to keep you alive in exchange for giving her some power. However, you will die in the human world if you don’t accept this deal.” This was clearly extortion, but what if she was right? I had no choice; I wanted to return to my world and live everyday life.
“Fine, I will accept your deal. You keep my human body alive for a year.” The Moon Goddess beamed at me and snapped her fingers, and a scroll appeared, floating in the air. Wow, magic, in reality, looks fascinating.
“Read the document before you sign, as they say in the human world.” I took the scroll and read it for four hours, including the terms. I read the statement that if I die in Luna Larissa’s body, I can’t return to my original body. With no option to debate, I signed
the contract.
“Do you know about Luna Larissa’s powers?” I nodded in response. Before becoming Luna, Larissa was the weakest member of the pack and an orphan. Her powers could heal any disease and even bring the dead back to life. She later becomes the best fighter who can match Alpha’s skills.
“You will turn eighteen tonight, and your wolf will find your mate,” the moon goddess said, the goddess slowly fading away. I found myself back in the ghetto. Checking the skyline, I realized it was dawn, and I knew that as soon as the moon shone, I would be in great pain as I shifted for the first time.
I was no longer Harley but Larissa. I grabbed a book and pen and started writing about the future events of the book.
As soon as I meet my wolf, there will be a Luna selection ceremony, and during that time, I will sense my mate’s bond with Alpha Ren. He will reject me in front of the entire Pack, but Larissa refuses to accept it and proves to the Pack that she is the Luna worthy of Alpha Ren’s love for Abigail. From there, all problems occur.
I stopped writing in my journal and quickly hid it in a safe place as I sensed someone approaching my home. When I heard a knock on the door, I cautiously opened it and saw Abigail standing before me, dressed in a stunning red silk gown that complemented her fair skin, brown curly hair, and cold green eyes.
“It seems the poison I gave you to drink didn’t work this time either,” said Abigail, speaking like a villainess. I looked at her dumbfounded, shocked that my favorite protagonist was so cruel. She then slapped me hard across the cheek.
“Take this and die tonight before you meet your wolf, or else I will torture you to death and beg for mercy,” Abigail threatened as she gave the vial of liquid. I dropped it by mistake. I was confused, my eyes clouded with bewilderment as I struggled to understand what was happening.
“What are you looking at, jerks? Inject her quickly before she escapes like last time,” Abigail ordered. Two burly men held me down as a doctor walked in and injected me with poison, leaving me on the cold floor as my body went numb.
My eyelids grew heavy, and my breathing became labored as the light shone on my face. It was difficult to determine the source of the light, but I soon realized that the moon was glowing in the sky. I groaned as it set my body on fire, and I felt the numbness leaving my body. I could see fur coating my hands as I shifted into a wolf, but my body ached, and I stumbled out of the ghetto, looking up at the moon as I howled.
“I am Stella, your wolf,” a cheerful voice said.
“I am Harley...I mean, Larissa,” I introduced myself. I heard a soft chuckle in my head.
“Harley or Larissa, I like you already,” Stella replied.
“Why do you like me? You just met me,” I wondered.
“You remind me of my previous master, who was kind-hearted like you,” Stella responded.
“Who was your master?” I asked.
“The body you are in, Harley. Belongs to my master,” Stella answered.
“What happened to her soul?” I questioned.
“Larissa’s soul was shattered after the moon goddess reincarnated her again and again to save the world, but she couldn’t escape the devil’s traps,” Stella explained. We both heard a soft snap of a branch and the Black Wolf, much larger than me, stepped in front of us, staring at me with his golden eyes. I bowed my head in submission.
“This wolf is Alpha Ren’s. He is our mate,” Stella purred. The black wolf approached us, and I pushed Stella back to keep her calm.
“We need to flee from this wolf,” I whispered to my wolf. She seemed disheartened to hear my words.
“He’s our mate,” Stella insisted.
“I know, but he will kill us for his lover. I don’t want to die,” I hissed. We quickly distanced ourselves and ran away, but I saw the Black Wolf chasing us in the woods. What have I gotten myself into? f**k my life.