The Rejected Luna's Revenge

Chapter Three

AURORA

Kael says nothing after locking the door. He just stands there for a moment, his shoulders tensed.

“Was that someone looking for me?” The question sounds small in the space between us.

He doesn’t answer right away, without turning he says, “Not yet.”

The fire crackles behind me, its warmth now a poor match for the chill settling in my chest. He finally turns around and says “You should stay hidden, at least for now.”

“Hidden from whom?” I retorted

There's another pause and the tension coils tighter. His eyes meet mine. “Everyone.” he replied

Kael moves into the kitchen, grabs a pitcher of water, and pours it into a carved wooden cup. He offers it without a word. My fingers wrap around it slowly, It's cold despite the heat of the fire.

“You said I don’t remember anything because they took it from me.” The words feel heavier now. “Who are they, Kael?”

He leans against the kitchen table. “People you once trusted.” He's not being helpful. But there’s no lie in his eyes. “They were afraid of what you knew.” he completed

A million questions crowded my head, but none find their way out. The silence grows loud again.

“I had a family?” I queried

He nods, but there's something guarded in the way he says, “Yes.”

“Where are they?”

Kael looks away. “Gone.” The word lands like a blow. I don’t even remember them yet something inside me aches at the the new revelation

His voice drops. “Some are dead. Some disappeared and no one knows if they’re still alive.”

"And me?" I asked

"You vanished too, until now."

He turns away before I can respond and starts placing more logs into the fire. His hands are steady, but something in his posture feels tired.

There’s a question I don’t want to ask, but it slips through anyway. “Did you care about me?” Kael freezes.

The pause that follows says a lot more than anything else could.

“Yes,” he says quietly

My heart beats faster and for a second, it’s not just the unknown making me breathless. “You were important.” he told me

“Were”. The word cuts more than it should. I barely know who I am. But part of me wants to matter to someone.

He finally turns back, studying me again like he's trying to read a language he's long forgotten. “You don’t trust me.”

“No.” There's no point in pretending otherwise. He nods once, as if he expected it.

“Then I’ll earn it.” he said in a determined tone

The weight in the room becomes heavier, it's not heavy with fear, just with all the things left unspoken. He grabs a blanket from the couch and hands it to me. Then points toward the hallway.

“You can sleep in the room at the end, lock the door if it helps.”

I stood up slowly, my fingers still curled around the blanket. My legs ache, but it’s my mind that’s more exhausted. Pausing at the hallway entrance, I glance back at him and muttered “Thank you.”

Kael doesn’t speak, but the look in his eyes lingers in my mind as I disappear into the shadows of the hall.

The room is small but warm, a simple bed with a chest at the foot of the bed and single frosted window. I press the lock in place before sitting on the edge of the bed. The blanket falls over my shoulders like armor. The dagger is still tucked against my ribs.

Everything feels quiet now. I sit for a while, unmoving, listening. I hear the hum of the wind outside, the distant creak of floorboards as Kael paces or moves things around.

Eventually, I shift to the chest at the foot of the bed and lift the lid slowly. It groans in protest. Inside it I find folded linens, a cracked candle stub and something that makes my breath hitch.

A book, it's leather-bound, worn. The edges are frayed and the spine threatening to split. There's no title. I pull it out and open to the first page, the handwriting is delicate, looping, oddly familiar but I can’t place where I know it from. A name is scrawled in the corner.

A Vale.

Me?

I flip through more pages, notes written in margins, symbols, rough sketches of wolves. A map of what looks like mountain terrain. Some of the words are faded others crossed out entirely.

There’s a drawing taped between the pages. It's shows two girls sitting beneath a tree, one laughing and the other watching the sky.

The ache in my chest tightens. Why can’t I remember? I flip to the last page, but it’s blank.

Slipping the book under the blanket beside me, I lay back and stare at the ceiling. The wood beams are uneven, rough with age, it has a carving etched into it, it's tiny and almost unnoticeable. A crescent moon. I trace it with my eyes until they blur.

Thoughts swarm my mind like restless birds. Kael knows me I think. That much is clear but he’s hiding something. And not just from me, from himself, too

Why does he watch the door like someone’s coming? Why won’t he say who they are?

The fire in the other room pops, then fades and sleep comes slowly.

The dream is sudden, I see a flicker of silver, a hand reaching for mine, laughter echoing in the dark and someone calling my name but not the way Kael did, it's sounds desperate.

Then I see blood, so much of it. I hear someone scream and I bolt upright. My breath ragged with my fist clenched. I look out and see the window glowing faintly with moonlight, it’s still night.

And I’m not alone, I hear footsteps creak outside the bedroom door. It sounds slow and careful. Someone in the cabin.

And it’s not Kael.