Ashes Of The Moon

Chapter4

“If you raise that foot again, I will make sure you never walk with it again.”

The voice thundered from a distance before the girl stepped into view, fierce, commanding, her presence enough to silence the air itself.

“This witch again.” I said in my mind.

“This should be the last time you ever bully anyone in this pack,” she warned, pointing directly at me. “Especially her.”

The two maidens exchanged frightened glances, then slowly retreated until their footsteps vanished down the walkway.

The girl turned to me and bent to my level.

“Are you hurt?” she asked softly.

I said nothing. A thousand words sat on my tongue, but silence felt safer.

Without waiting for a reply, she began gathering the scattered items from the floor.

“I heard you’re now the Alpha’s personal servant,” she said with a faint smirk. “Congratulations. That’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it?”

Her tone cut deeper than her words. My blood boiled. I knew she was mocking me, that’s why I couldn’t accept her kindness.

They don’t look reel. Neither does it feel reel.

If only she knew what it meant to serve a man like him, to dine with the demon himself.

I forced myself to stay calm.

“Ryn,” she called gently, placing her hand on my shoulder. The sound of my name on her lips startled me. How does she know who I am?

“I’m not your enemy,” she continued. “I will never be, unless you make me one. I see something in you… something that even you haven’t seen yet. But remember this, you must be strong.” She said and brought down her hands. “You must defend yourself at any given time. And this time, you have to defend your place as the Alpha’s personal servant. Never let anyone take that away from you.”

Her voice faded, but her words lingered like smoke.

I turned away, unwilling to look at her again, and walked off.

Yet even as I left, I could still feel her eyes on me, burning, knowing, watching.

“What took you so long?” Alpha Khalion’s voice stopped me as I entered his chamber.

I stood there, not knowing where to start. He remained calm, waiting for me to talk.

“My Lord, I…”

He interrupted. “You don’t have any excuse. Get to work this minute.”

I tried to move.

“Fetch the scrolls,” he said.

I nodded quickly and went to the large wooden table. Dozens of scrolls were scattered there, each sealed with strange symbols. My fingers trembled as I picked one.

“Not that one,”Alpha Khalion’s voice stopped me.

I froze. “I’m sorry, my Lord. I…”

“Do not touch the red seals,” he interrupted, turning his cold eyes toward me. “Those are for the council. You touch them, you die before sunset.”

My heart dropped.

“Yes, my Lord,” I whispered, bowing my head.

He moved closer, his presence towering over me. “Do you always tremble when spoken to? Or you don’t have a clear spirit?”

“I…” My words got stuck.

He leaned in just enough for his breath to brush against my ear. “Fear makes you weak, cursed girl. Weakness makes you prey. You don’t want to be prey in this pack.”

His words uprooted something deep inside me. My wolf stirred again, growling faintly as if answering a challenge.

Well, it’s more than a challenge.

“I am not weak, my Lord.”

He smirked faintly. “Then prove it.”

He handed me a heavy tray of scrolls goblets, then walked ahead. I followed carefully, praying I wouldn’t fall. But just as I reached the corner, my foot caught the edge of the long wooden chair. The tray slipped from my hands.

The loud clang echoed through the hall.

Everything stopped.

My existence stood still.

The warriors nearby turned. Some laughed quietly. One standing close to me whispered, “She’s dead.”

Alpha Khalion turned slowly, his face unreadable. He walked toward me in silence, every step like a warning.

When he stopped in front of me, I knelt quickly, whispering, “I’m sorry, my Lord. Please forgive me.” I tried holding his feet, but he took a step backward.

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he bent beside me, his hand roughly lifting my chin until my eyes met his.

“Look at me,” he said.

I hesitated. “My Lord, I…”

“I said look at me.”

When I did, something in his eyes shifted, like the storm inside him had paused.

For a moment, I held my breath.

Then, with a calm voice, he said, “Next time, control your fear before it controls you.”

He stood, leaving me frozen on the ground.

I expected punishment. Pain. Humiliation.

But instead, he turned and said, “Clean this mess and come to my chambers before nightfall. You still have a lot to learn.”

I felt goosebumps all over my body. This must be the greatest imagination I had ever done, because the reality before me is hard for me to accept.

As he walked away, the guards whispered in disbelief.

“No one disobeys Alpha Khalion and lives.”

Yet somehow, I was still breathing.

I picked up the broken pieces, but my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

For the first time since I arrived here, I didn’t know what scared me more.

His anger… or his mercy.

I stayed there for a long time, kneeling beside the broken goblets and spilled wine. The hall had emptied. All the guards had gone back to their positions, yet the echo of his voice was still on my head..

Every shattered piece I picked up reminded me of what I had almost lost, my life. My present condition.

A shattered life, the only essence I am living for is my mother.

By the time I finished cleaning, the sun had gone down. The shadows stretched across the stone floor, long and thin, like the claws of unseen beasts.

When the first howl rose in the distance, my chest tightened. Nightfall.

His words returned to me: “Come to my chambers before nightfall.”

I took the long walkway that led to the Alpha’s private quarters. The torches along the walls burned low, their flames whispering secrets to the darkness. Each step I took echoed in the emptiness, and I could almost hear my own heartbeat.

Fear gripped me. It looked like an execution walkway. There are guards in every corner. Every two steps I took, I saw one.

When I reached the great doors, two guards stood there, tall, armored, their faces unreadable.

They looked scarier than the guards outside.

“She is expected,” one of them said, and the door creaked open.

The chamber was dimly lit by two silver lanterns hanging from carved wolf heads. The air smelled faintly of burnt incense and iron.

Alpha Khalion sat by the window, one leg crossed over the other. The moonlight bathed part of his face, revealing the cold beauty that made people fear and desire him in equal measure.

“You kept me waiting,” he said without turning.

“My Lord, I finished my duty late. Forgive me.”

He finally looked at me. Those eyes, deep, unreadable, like the night itself.

“Do not beg for forgiveness before knowing if you’ve sinned,” he said. “Come closer.”

I obeyed.

He pointed to a small table beside him. “Sit.”

I hesitated, unsure if I was even allowed.

“I said sit.”

The chair was made of dark oak, carved with wolves at its corners. I sat carefully, with my head bent. Avoiding eye contact.

He unrolled a scroll on the table, his fingers tracing ancient markings. “Do you know what this is?”

I shook my head. “No, my Lord.”

“This,” he said, “is the record of every servant who has ever stepped into this chamber. Each name tells a story, most end in blood.”

My breath caught. Fear wore me a long gown.

He looked at me again. “Do you understand what that means, cursed girl?”

“Yes, my Lord.”

Of course I did understand that I won’t be leaving this pack alive. All I wished was my mom to be healed.

“Good.” His voice softened slightly. “Then you know what it will take to survive.”

He leaned back in his chair. “You fear me. That is wise. But fear should sharpen you, not destroy you. Learn to hide it. Learn to be audacious.”

“Yes, my Lord,” I whispered.

He stood, moving closer until I could feel the warmth of his breath. “You are not like the others. They tremble, you burn.”

I dared to look up, meeting his gaze for the first time since entering.

Something ancient and dangerous stirred in the space between us, something that felt almost alive.

He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my face with one finger. The touch was brief, but it sent shivers through my bones.

“Do whatever it takes to be alive,” he said, his voice low. “I spare you only because your eyes remind me of something I lost long ago.”

My heart stopped. I didn’t know what to say, or if I was even meant to answer.

He stepped back, breaking whatever strange bond had formed in that moment. “You will sleep outside this chamber until further notice. When I call, you come. Keep your ears active, I won’t repeat myself while calling you. Any offense from now will birth double punishment.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

He turned back to the window. “Go. And Ryn…”

I stopped at the door. Hearing my name from his mouth gave me a shock from my stomach.

I slowly answered, “my Lord.”

He didn’t turn, only his voice and the weight of his warning.

“Next time you spill anything in my presence, it will be your blood.”