My tortured Luna

Chapter 5

Sages POV

Valens gave a single nod before turning away once more. Without another word, he resumed walking, his pace steady enough that I could follow despite the dull ache still pulsing through my ankle. I stayed several steps behind him, my eyes fixed on the ground whenever they threatened to wander. The silence between us was almost unbearable, broken only by the crunch of leaves beneath our feet and the distant calls of birds hidden somewhere above the trees. Every now and then I caught the scent of rosewood and mint drifting towards me on the breeze, making Sia stir restlessly beneath my skin.

Mate.

No.

You feel it too.

I said no.

She didn't answer again, but I could still feel her quietly watching him with a curiosity I refused to share. The forest gradually opened around us until towering black iron gates appeared between the trees. They stood several metres high, framed by walls of dark stone that stretched farther than I could see. Beyond them rose an enormous estate, its pale stone glowing against the grey afternoon sky. It wasn't simply large. It was overwhelming. The building looked ancient, elegant and completely out of place in the middle of the forest, more like a palace than the home of an Alpha.

My steps slowed as guards dressed in black uniforms straightened on either side of the gates, silver wolves gleaming across their chests. The moment Valens came into view, every single one of them placed a fist over their heart and bowed their heads.

"Your Majesty." The words echoed through the courtyard, and something cold settled deep in my stomach. My eyes snapped towards Valens, searching for some sign that I had misunderstood, but he didn't react. He acknowledged them with the smallest incline of his head before continuing through the gates as though the greeting meant nothing at all. Because it probably didn't. Because this was normal to him.

King.

He wasn't just another Alpha. He was their King. Jack had ruled one pack with fear alone, and that had been enough to destroy every part of my life. He had broken wolves because no one had been strong enough to stop him, because his word had been law, because everyone beneath him had learned to lower their eyes and obey. But this man ruled them all. The walls, the guards and the iron gates no longer looked like protection. They looked like another prison, one built for someone far more powerful than Jack had ever been. If an ordinary Alpha had become my worst nightmare, I couldn't imagine what kind of monster a King could be.

Run, I whispered desperately. Sia was quiet for several long seconds before she finally answered.

There is nowhere to run.

For the first time since jumping from that hospital window, I realized she was right. I hadn't escaped one Alpha. I'd walked straight into the hands of a King.

The enormous gates closed behind us with a deep metallic groan that echoed across the courtyard. I flinched instinctively, glancing over my shoulder just in time to watch the heavy iron bars lock into place. Any lingering hope that I might simply turn around and leave vanished with the sound.

The palace was unlike anything I had ever imagined. White marble stretched beneath our feet, polished so perfectly that it reflected the light pouring in through towering windows. Everything looked expensive. Untouched. Wolves moved quietly through the corridors, conversations fading the moment Valens passed. One by one they lowered their heads, pressing a fist against their chest.

"Your Majesty." The words followed us wherever we went.

King.

The title echoed relentlessly inside my head as I walked behind him. Jack had ruled a single pack, yet he'd managed to destroy everything I was. He had never worn a crown, never commanded armies or ruled over territories beyond his own. He had simply been an Alpha. If an ordinary Alpha had become my worst nightmare, what kind of monster would a King become? Every corridor suddenly felt narrower, every guard another reminder that escape was no longer possible.

Valens stopped outside a large wooden door and knocked once before opening it.

"Thirty minutes," he said calmly as he stepped aside.

"Jayden will come for you." Without waiting for an answer, he turned and disappeared down the corridor.

"Deletio." My voice cracked the moment I saw him. My brother was already on his feet before I reached him. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, and for the first time since waking up, my body allowed itself to relax. I buried my face against his shoulder, breathing him in as if I needed proof that he was still alive.

"I thought I'd lost you." His voice was barely above a whisper as his hand rested against the back of my head.

"I'm okay." The lie came far too easily. He leaned back just enough to study my face. His eyes lingered on every bruise before settling on mine.

"He scared you." It wasn't a question.

"He hunted me." I looked away.

"He caught me." Deletio nodded slowly, waiting for me to continue.

"He's the King." Saying the words aloud somehow made them even more terrifying.

"Jack was only an Alpha."

"I know." He guided me towards the bed and sat beside me.

"Sage..." He hesitated, choosing his words carefully.

"I'm not going to tell you to trust him. I don't know him well enough to ask that of you." I looked up at him in surprise.

"But I also don't want you believing he's Jack before he's given you a reason." He squeezed my hand gently.

"He could've separated us, but he didn't. He could've locked you up after you ran, but he didn't. He could've refused to let you see me..." He smiled sadly.

"...but he didn't."

"That doesn't make him good." My voice came out sharper than I'd intended.

"No." He nodded.

"It doesn't." He fell quiet for a moment before meeting my eyes again.

"But it doesn't make him Jack either." I looked at him, not knowing if I should tell him. But Deletio always knows.

"He's your mate, isn't he?" He didn’t look surprised. And he didn't push for more. I didn't know what to say. Sia was so sure, but I'm not. He took my silence as the answer.

A soft knock sounded against the door before it opened just enough for a dark-haired man to lean inside.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." His warm brown eyes moved from Deletio to me before a small apologetic smile settled on his face.

"But I'm afraid your thirty minutes are up." Deletio stood first, pulling me into one last hug.

"You'll see me tomorrow." He squeezed me tighter before leaning back just enough to look at me.

"And don't convince yourself he's Jack before he's given you a reason." I wanted to argue, but the words refused to come. Instead, I simply nodded. Jayden stepped aside to let me leave first.

"After you." His smile never faltered, but unlike everyone else I'd met today, it didn't feel forced. It was warm. Genuine. I hesitated for only a second before walking past him. He didn't rush me or walk too close. He simply matched my pace as we made our way through the endless corridors.

"I'm Jayden, by the way." He glanced sideways at me.

"Valens' Beta." He held out his hand automatically before catching himself halfway there.

"Sorry." He let it fall again with a sheepish grin.

"Force of habit." I frowned at him.

"You're... not offended?"

"Should I be?" He looked genuinely confused.

"I didn't shake your hand." He shrugged lightly.

"You don't know me yet. I figured I'd earn that first." I found myself looking at him a little longer than intended. He wasn't trying to impress me. He wasn't trying to convince me he was kind. He simply... was.

"You've got that look." He smiled again.

"What look?"

"The one where you're trying to figure out if I'm lying." Heat crept into my cheeks.

"I wasn't."

"You absolutely were." He laughed quietly before lifting both hands in surrender.

"Don't worry. I'd probably do the same." The sound caught me completely off guard. It wasn't loud or mocking like Jack's wolves. It wasn't cruel. It sounded... normal. Like laughing was simply something people did instead of another way to hurt someone.

We continued walking, neither of us speaking for a while. Every time my injured ankle slowed me down, so did Jayden, but he never pointed it out. He never offered his arm or reached for me. He simply adjusted his pace without making a fuss about it.

"You don't have to slow down," I muttered eventually.

"I'm not." His lips twitched.

"You are."

"I just have very long legs." I rolled my eyes.

"That's not how legs work."

"So I've been told." Despite myself, the corner of my mouth twitched.

"There it is." Jayden looked ridiculously pleased with himself.

"I knew you could smile."

"It wasn't a smile."

"It absolutely was."

"It wasn't."

"I'll pretend I didn't see it then." By the time we stopped outside a pair of enormous double doors, his smile had faded into something gentler.

"He's inside." He nodded towards the doors before looking back at me.

"Take your time." My feet refused to move. The hallway disappeared around me, replaced by memories I had spent years trying to bury. Another bedroom. Another Alpha. Another door waiting to close behind me.

"I can't." My voice was barely a whisper as I stared at the closed doors.

"I can't go in there." Jayden followed my gaze before looking back at me. Understanding slowly settled across his features, and instead of asking why, he simply nodded. "Wait here." He knocked softly before opening the door just enough to slip inside.

The door closed behind him, leaving me alone in the silent hallway. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to slow my breathing as muffled voices drifted through the thick wood. I couldn't make out the words, only the low rumble of two men speaking. After less than a minute, the door opened again.

Valens stepped into the hallway. His eyes found me immediately. I hadn't moved. For a long moment, neither of us spoke. I couldn't bring myself to look at him for more than a second before dropping my gaze to the polished floor.

"I won't go in there." The confession escaped before I could stop it.

"I can't." Silence stretched between us. I waited for the order. For the command. For him to remind me that Kings didn't hear the word no. Instead, he looked at Jayden.

"Prepare the east suite." Jayden blinked once, clearly surprised, before nodding.

"Of course." Only then did Valens look back at me.

"You'll stay there." I frowned, certain I'd misheard.

"...Alone?"

"Yes." His answer came without hesitation. I searched his face for the trap hidden beneath the words, but there was nothing. No irritation. No disappointment. No attempt to convince me otherwise.

"I thought..."

My voice faltered.. I thought mates..." He understood before I finished.

"We don't share a room because the Goddess says we should." His voice remained calm, almost detached.

"Not until you choose it." The words left me completely speechless. He gave a single nod before turning back towards the bedroom.

"Jayden will show you the way." Without another glance, he disappeared inside, quietly closing the door behind him. I kept staring at the closed door for a second longer than necessary. A dull ache spread quietly through the center of my chest, so brief I almost convinced myself I'd imagined it. I frowned, pressing a hand lightly against my sternum before the feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come. Probably just the adrenaline. Or the fall. My body had been through worse.

"Are you alright?" Jayden's voice pulled me back. I lowered my hand before he noticed.

"I'm fine."

"Come on." He waited until I looked at him before adding,

"I think you'll like the east wing." For reasons, I couldn't explain... I believed him.