The Luna Queen's Rebirth (Ellie and Dominic) novel Chapter 477

Chapter 477

Vivian’s POV

The worst part about being locked in a cell wasn’t the cold, or the cot with its one moth-eaten blanket, or even

the bars.

It was the cheese.

The cell beside mine was stacked to the ceiling with wheels upon wheels of it, along with enough salted meat to feed the village through three winters, and after four days of breathing it in, I was fairly certain the smell had worked its way into my skin for good.

A fitting end for Lady Everheart. Frankincense and myrrh to cured pork.

Four days. Maybe five. It was hard to keep count when the only light came from a lantern at the base of the stairs and the only company was a rotation of guards who wouldn’t so much as look at me.

I spent most of that time fuming.

This was the last place I was ever supposed to end up. I’d had the sitting Alpha King in my corner. I’d had the Luna of Goldenveil handing me introductions and secrets like a trusted advisor. I had played every role to perfection, and one botched night in Ellie’s apartment had landed me down here eating cold stew twice a day while Monroe’s caravan rolled out of the gates without a single backward glance.

Worst of all, the tentative bond I’d formed with Dominic had died on my very first night down here.

I’d felt the exact moment it had happened. The threads I had worked so hard to force into place suddenly snapped. It wasn’t as painful as the day Colt, my fated one, rejected me. The bond with Dominic was only half- formed; it hadn’t had a chance to complete. But it still hurt like hell. Because he was supposed to be mine.

And yet, I knew he had marked her. The one person I’d spent all this time trying to keep her away from. The sister who had fucked up with him too many times to count. And he’d still chosen her in the end, even after a divorce, even after months of heartbreak.

Make it make sense.

I was sitting on my cot with my knees drawn up, head tilted back against the stones, on the fourth or fifth night, trying not to think about the sounds of the drums and laughter I’d heard on the first, when I heard footsteps on the stairs. They were far too light to be Terence, and it was too late for the guards to be bringing me my meager meal of stew and stale bread. I perked up a little.

When Stephanie stepped into the dim light, relief hit me so hard I nearly laughed. Finally.

“Took you long enough,” I said, rising off the cot.

“Careful, girl.” She set a covered basket on the floor and drew out a cup, filling it from a flask. “That’s no way to greet the only person in this village who’s still willing to look at you.”

She passed the cup through the bars, then half a loaf of bread. Real bread, still warm. I drained most of the wine in one go. It tasted a little bitter, but I didn’t care. I needed something to take the edge off.

“I know it didn’t go to plan,” I said around a mouthful of bread. “I moved too fast at the apartment. I let her get

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Chapter 477

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under my skin.” I stepped closer to the bars, lowering my voice. “But it’s not over. Get me out of here tonight, and I’ll finish it, I swear-”

“Do you know what your job was?” Stephanie cut me off. “Your one job?”

I swallowed the bread. “Ellie-”

“Ellie.” She nodded slowly. “I handed you the poison, the trader, the King himself. And you decided the schedule needed rearranging. Ellie was the job, Vivian. Dominic was the payment. And yet you decided you’d take the payment first. Because apparently, you’ve never understood the value of waiting for something in your entire life.”

“If I didn’t mark him before she died, his wolf would be weak,” I pointed out. “I can’t have a weak mate. Especially not if I intend to stand as Luna Queen beside him.”

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