The Cursed Alpha's Fifth Luna

Chapter 42: Nobody Wants You

The silence of the dressing room was broken by the quiet, hurried movements of the servants as they prepared Nina for the coronation.

Moreen had knocked on her doors almost immediately after Nina woke up. When she had stepped out of the bedroom earlier, Rodrigo was already gone, and she had not seen him since.

Back in her own quarters, the dress chosen by the Matriarch hung on the rack, with the shoes and jewelry laid out beside it. The maids washed her quickly, bathing her in sweet-smelling oils and fragrance, before applying her makeup.

Next came her hair and dress. They had been pinning her hair for almost an hour while Moreen adjusted the back of the gown.

"Hold still, My Lady," Moreen said from behind her, a pin clamped between her teeth.

"I am holding still," Nina replied, holding her breath.

"You moved," Moreen said.

"I didn’t. I just breathed."

"Wait a moment, I’m almost done."

Nina pressed her lips together. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

After a minute, Moreen stepped around to face her, clasping her hands together. "All done. Wow, you are so beautiful, My Lady."

Nina smiled as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She looked ethereal. The gold dress accentuated her figure, making her blue eyes stand out sharply against the fabric. She crossed the room to get a closer look at her reflection. Suddenly, she froze, her eyes lifting to the roots of her hair.

The black had begun to show.

She stared at the dark roots for a few seconds, then straightened her spine. "Bring my shoes," she said.

No one replied.

Nina noticed the sudden silence first. All movement in the room had stopped—the adjusting, the smoothing, and the quiet chatter between the girls had vanished. She looked up and found all of them staring toward the entrance.

Moreen stepped out from behind her and froze. "My Lady," she whispered.

Nina turned around.

Standing by the door was a woman who looked exactly like her. She wore a simple brown dress, her black hair pinned up beautifully. The maids’ mouths hung open as they looked back and forth between the two of them.

Nina stared at her sister, her expression entirely calm.

Sabrina stood in the doorway, a smirk stretching her lips as she looked Nina up and down. Then, she walked in.

"Sister," Sabrina said, a small chuckle leaving her lips as she crossed the room to where Nina stood. "It didn’t take me long to find this place. The guards at the doors thought you were me. We really must look identical."

Nina looked at Sabrina’s hair, then at her dress, and finally at her face. Then, Nina smiled.

She turned to the rest of the room. "Leave us."

Nina’s eyes didn’t leave Sabrina’s face until the last maid pulled the door shut behind her. Complete silence settled over the room as they stared at each other.

Sabrina chuckled and walked past her to the mirror. She admired her own reflection before turning back to Nina. "The gold suits your skin," she said. "One would think you are actually the Luna."

Nina blinked, slowly tilting her head to the side. "What did you say?"

Sabrina crossed the room and stopped right in front of her—close, the way she always used to stand when she wanted to make Nina feel small. "I want to take my place back," she said.

The room remained deathly quiet.

Nina stared at her, her eyes holding her sister’s, her expression blank as though she had just heard something in a foreign language. A long moment passed, and then a loud laugh escaped Nina’s lips. She laughed as if Sabrina had just said the funniest thing she had heard in years.

Sabrina stared back, her face falling flat.

Nina stopped laughing just as abruptly and shook her head. "Did you hit your head somewhere?" she asked, searching Sabrina’s face with what looked like genuine concern.

Sabrina’s eyes narrowed as she closed the remaining space between them. "Did you not hear me?"

Nina shook her head again. "Did you think dyeing your hair would actually make you the Luna? Are you really that dense, Sabrina?"

"How dare you!" Sabrina’s voice came out high and sharp. "If the Alpha finds out who you really are, what do you think he will do to you?"

Nina paused. She blinked once, her expression giving nothing away.

Sabrina smiled, thinking she had won. "You cannot become the Luna, Nina. It’s not possible. The pack will not allow it, and you will be punished for deceiving the Alpha and the entire pack. Don’t you know that?"

Nina looked at her calmly. "So, what do you want?"

Sabrina exhaled, her eyes sweeping over Nina before she folded her arms. "Let’s switch places back," she said. "No one will notice. We look exactly alike, so no one is going to suspect a thing. You go back to being Nina, and I will take my rightful place."

Nina stared at her. "Why would I do that?" Her voice was soft, almost curious.

Sabrina’s jaw set. "Because it was never yours to begin with. The Alpha chose me, not you. I just let you switch places temporarily. Now I want what is mine."

Nina chuckled. "You’ve always wanted whatever looked good on me." She paused, her gaze hardening. "It was the same with Dante. Can you really not get a man of your own?"

Sabrina’s face paled. "How dare you..."

"No one wants you, Sabrina. That is why you keep trying to take what belongs to me—because you think you can." Nina laughed, scanning her sister from head to toe before meeting her eyes again. "It’s too late now, Sabrina. I am the Luna of the Vermont Pack. Why would I ever want to go back to being a servant?"

Sabrina’s lips moved, but no words came out.

Nina shook her head. "You think I would just switch places because you asked? If you wanted to be the Luna so badly, you should have taken the position when it was given to you. You had your chance," she said softly. "You gave it away. It’s not yours anymore."

Sabrina’s chest rose sharply. "I’ll tell everyone that you’re a fake. Who do you think they’ll believe? The real daughter, or the fake half-daughter who had to dye her hair just to impersonate me?" She let out a bitter chuckle.

Nina tilted her chin up. "Go on," she said.

Sabrina stared back at her, stunned.

Nina crossed over to where her sister stood, placing a hand on Sabrina’s shoulder and leaning down to her ear. "You see... I might have considered your offer if my husband were ugly. But he is handsome. Like, really, really handsome," she breathed, mockingly catching her breath. "I can’t let anyone else have him."

She raised her head to look at Sabrina, whose face had completely lost its color. "I’m so sorry."

Sabrina gasped for air, her eyes flashing with rage. "You will regret this, Nina."

A tight smile remained plastered on Nina’s face as she stared at her sister. She tilted her head and gave a small wave. "I’m late for my coronation. Can you leave so I can finish dressing?"

A bitter laugh left Sabrina’s lips as she glared at Nina. Then, she turned toward the doors and stormed out, slamming them tightly behind her.

Nina stood in the middle of the room for a long moment, the smile slowly dying on her face. She turned back to the mirror, her eyes finding her reflection before dropping down to the empty spot on her ring finger.

"Moreen," she called out.

The door opened immediately, and Moreen stepped inside. "Luna?" she replied. freewebnovёl.ƈom

"Find my ring."