Claiming His Luna

Maria’s POV

After the rigorous training session, Frank became eerily silent, almost to the point of being deafening. His sudden silence left me uneasy.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

I couldn’t help but feel frustrated with myself. The idea of beginner’s luck seemed absurd, as my stance, knowledge, and aim were all at an advanced level, possibly surpassing that of at least half of the trainees present.

Although I was still a mere child when I last trained, one skill in which I consistently excelled was marksmanship, the sole aspect that my father took pride in.

Supposedly, I was meant to be the clueless, innocent, poor slave, but I couldn’t resist my inclination toward archery. Years had passed since I had held or even laid eyes on a bow and arrows, yet the allure of archery retained its firm grip in my mind.

In a feeble attempt to initiate a conversation, I blurted out, “Wow, that tree looks green.” It was a rather silly remark, but I hoped to break through Frank’s unusual silence, which seemed to stem from deep thinking.

However, he didn’t even spare me a glance, his gaze fixed intently on the road ahead.

“Oh my god, is that a lion?” I exclaimed dramatically, pointing at nothing in particular. There was, of course, no lion to be seen.

“We don’t have lions here in the North,” he replied flatly, clearly unimpressed by my silliness. I inwardly cringed at my own foolishness, wondering how I could keep getting stupider by the minute.

“Right,” I awkwardly chuckled, but his solemn expression remained unchanged, provoking my annoyance.

“Could you please say something?” I asked him directly, my patience wearing thin.

“What?” He looked perplexed.

“Say something,” I repeated, my tone more demanding.

“Say what?”

“I don’t know. You’re being awfully quiet.”

“I’m not a blabber like you,” he hissed at me, and I was taken aback by his remark. What kind of attitude was that especially coming from a man?

“I’m not a robot like you,” I mocked, mimicking his low voice. He shook his head with disappointment, and I couldn’t help but pull a face and cross my arms in defiance.

If he wanted silence, then fine. I decided I wouldn’t bother talking to him again.

When we finally arrived back at the mansion, I hastily opened the car door even before he had a chance to unlock his seatbelt. It might have been a somewhat childish move, but what else could I do? He was becoming incredibly annoying. This was the first time I had ever felt interested in a man, yet he completely ignored me. I knew my marksmanship skills were impressive; shouldn’t he be at least slightly impressed?

I’m a unique individual, and if he refused to acknowledge that, then he could just go to hell.

“Maria.”

I halted my steps and turned to face him, pinching myself to ensure I wasn’t imagining things.

“You have a perfect aim. You should train more often,” he said, casually walking away.

My knees felt weak, and a wide smile spread across my face. My cheeks burned, and I probably looked like a love-struck fool at this moment.

“I should train more often,” I whispered to myself, my heart racing. Did that mean he wanted to spend more time with me?

I knew it! He liked me. Well, who wouldn’t? I’m a perfectly likable person.

With a blissful grin, I made my way back to my room, yes, I had a room here. Lucian had generously offered it to me when I chose to stay with Cercei rather than seek freedom elsewhere. Leaving wouldn’t grant me true freedom anyway; my father would find me and drag me back to lead our pack. I preferred to stay here, among people who accepted me for who I am, not just as some royalty or a princess meant to secure their future. Besides, I was starting to genuinely enjoy being here.

As I made my way back to my room, someone suddenly dragged me away. I was about to voice my protest when she swiftly covered my mouth and locked the door behind us. It was Cercei, and she seemed genuinely concerned.

“Where have you been? I haven’t seen you for days,” she asked, her eyes searching mine for answers.

“I was busy,” I replied awkwardly, not wanting to disclose the truth. In reality, I had been spending a lot of time with Frank, almost incessantly bothering him with my presence. But there was another reason I kept my distance from Cercei. I couldn’t risk revealing Vienna’s presence here. Lucian had strictly forbidden anyone from mentioning the war or anything related to it in front of her.

“Doing what? And why are you dressed like that?” she inquired, eyeing my sporty outfit – dark green cargo pants, combat boots, and a black racer-back top.

“I went for a walk,” I answered partially truthfully. After all, I did walk, but I couldn’t mention that I had been at Lucian’s training ground. Cercei wasn’t supposed to know about any of this for her own safety.

“Is my mother back?” she asked with a touch of hope in her voice.

“I’m afraid not yet,” I said, feeling guilty for hiding the truth. If only I could tell her where her mother truly was, but I had promised both Lucian and her mother that I would keep silent. It was for the best that Cercei remained unaware. I trusted her more than anyone, and it pained me to lie to her.

She sat down on her bed, disappointment written all over her face. I sighed and sat beside her, taking her hand in mine, attempting to offer some comfort. But she didn’t respond with a smile, and her eyes seemed troubled.

“I heard something earlier,” she said, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

“Heard what?” I asked, trying to act clueless.

“A voice,” she replied, and her gaze bore into me, searching for any sign of reaction.

“What voice?” I furrowed my brows, acting calm.

“Vienna, it’s somewhat Vienna’s voice,” she spilled it out, looking directly into my eyes.

My heart pounded in my chest, and I felt nervous, but I maintained a poker face. I gave a dramatic, feigned expression of confusion and chuckled lightly.

“What?” I replied, gaslighting her, hoping to make her doubt her own perception.

“It’s true, it’s coming from the other side of the hall,” she insisted, trying to convince me of the reality of what she had heard.

“Why would Vienna be here?” I asked, acting incredulous, making her feel like her words didn’t make sense.

She claimed to have heard Vienna’s voice. If only I could have shut Vienna up somehow. Cercei must not know she’s here; who knows what poisonous words Vienna might inject into her mind. Vienna’s words are toxic and manipulative.

Vienna had been lingering here for days, despite Lucian giving her a chance to leave. She didn’t wear any makeup or fancy clothes, and she had no phone. We couldn’t guess her true intentions, but we knew they couldn’t be good.