Chapter 11: The Price Of Power
767 Words
Thelma pov
"Thelma. The ceremony is tomorrow night. I hope you understand that nothing has changed. You're still going to marry Neon and become Luna of this pack."
I turned back to face him, seeing him clearly for the first time in my life. Not as my father, but as the man who had murdered my real parents and stolen me from my true heritage.
"Of course," I said sweetly. "Nothing has changed at all."
But even as I said the words, I was already planning. Xavier had said I was an Alpha heir, that I had power I didn't know about. Tomorrow night, I will find out if he was right.
Two guards escorted me to my room, which I quickly realized was going to be more like a prison cell. They locked the door from the outside, and when I tested the windows, I found they were barred.
But it was only when I tried to reach for my wolf that I discovered the real trap they'd set for me. The moment I attempted to connect with Thalia, pain shot through my entire body like lightning. I gasped and stumbled, barely catching myself against the wall.
Silver. The room was lined with silver. I couldn't see it, but I could feel it everywhere, pressing against my skin like a constant ache. It was designed to weaken me, to cut me off from my wolf and whatever powers I might possess.
I was truly trapped now. Xavier was locked away somewhere, probably being tortured. I was powerless and alone. And tomorrow night, I would have to marry the man I despised and become Luna of the pack that had murdered my family.
I spent hours pacing the room, testing every possible escape route and finding nothing. The silver was too strong, the locks too secure. I was completely at their mercy.
It was past midnight when I heard the key turning in my door. I expected to see Elena or maybe one of the guards bringing me food. Instead, Yvonne stepped into the room, closing the door softly behind her.
"Hello, sister," she said, and there was something different about her voice. Something cold and satisfying.
"Yvonne," I said carefully. "What are you doing here so late?"
She moved further into the room, and I noticed she was carrying a small wooden box. "I wanted to talk to you before tomorrow night. To explain what's really going to happen."
"What do you mean?"
Yvonne set the box down on my dresser and opened it. Inside, nestled in black velvet, was a silver dagger with strange symbols carved into the blade.
"The Luna ceremony," she said, running her finger along the blade's edge. "It's not what you think it is."
My blood ran cold. "What are you talking about?"
"Did you really think we were going to let you keep all that power?" Yvonne asked, turning to face me with a smile that was pure evil. "That precious Alpha bloodline, those special abilities that make you so valuable? Tomorrow night, during the ceremony, we're going to transfer all of it to me."
I stared at her in horror. "That's impossible."
"Oh, it's very possible," she said cheerfully. "The ritual has been used before, though not for many centuries. It requires a silver blade blessed under a full moon, and the willing participation of the donor."
"Willing? I'll never agree to that!"
"You will if you want your precious Xavier to live," Yvonne said simply. "Because the moment you refuse, Neon is going to start cutting pieces off him. And he'll keep cutting until you change your mind."
I felt like I was going to be sick. "You're monsters. All of you."
"We're survivors," she corrected. "And tomorrow night, I'm going to become the most powerful Luna this pack has ever seen. With your Alpha blood running through my veins, I'll be unstoppable."
She closed the box and headed for the door, then paused with her hand on the handle.
"Oh, and Thelma? The best part is that you'll still be alive afterward. Weak and powerless, but alive. So you'll get to watch me rule the pack that should have been yours. Won't that be fun?"
The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving me alone with the terrible knowledge of what tomorrow night would bring.
They weren't just going to kill me. They were going
to steal everything that made me who I was and give it to the sister who had always hated me. And there was nothing I could do to stop it..
- Writer
