4. The Cage
973 Words
The room they placed me in was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
The bed was larger than any I had ever slept in.
Fresh flowers decorated the windowsill.
A fireplace crackled softly in the corner.
The walls were covered with expensive tapestries.
Yet despite all the luxury, there was only one word for it.
A cage.
I stood near the window and watched as warriors patrolled the grounds below.
Not one.
Not two.
At least twelve.
Their presence wasn't subtle.
The Alpha King wanted me to know I was being watched.
Hours had passed since the ceremony.
Hours since Kael had rejected me.
Hours since the Moon Stone shattered.
And yet nothing felt real.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the shock on everyone's faces.
The fear.
The whispers.
The way they looked at me.
As though I were some monster waiting to attack.
A knock sounded at the door.
Before I could answer, it opened.
An elderly woman entered carrying a tray.
She smelled faintly of lavender.
Unlike the others, she didn't appear frightened.
Only concerned.
"You should eat."
I glanced at the tray.
Fresh bread.
Fruit.
Tea.
My stomach growled immediately.
I hadn't eaten all day.
The woman smiled gently.
"I thought so."
I hesitated before sitting down.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Elder Miriam."
An elder.
Wonderful.
I expected another interrogation.
Instead, she poured tea into a cup.
"You have questions."
I laughed bitterly.
"Only a few hundred."
To my surprise, she laughed.
A genuine laugh.
For the first time all day, some of the tension in my chest eased.
"What happened to me?" I asked quietly.
The amusement disappeared from her face.
"I wish I knew."
I stared at her.
"You mentioned the Blood Luna."
"I didn't."
"No. But the other elder did."
She sighed.
"The Blood Luna is a legend."
"A legend?"
"A prophecy."
My heart skipped.
The same word again.
Prophecy.
Exactly as the woman in my dream had said.
"What prophecy?"
Miriam looked uncomfortable.
The hesitation alone told me everything.
She knew more than she wanted to admit.
"Please," I said.
Her gaze softened.
Finally, she spoke.
"Long ago, before the kingdoms were united, there was a Luna whose power surpassed every Alpha alive."
I listened carefully.
"She ended a war that nearly destroyed wolfkind."
"What happened to her?"
"No one knows."
The answer felt incomplete.
Miriam knew it too.
"There is more."
She sighed.
"According to the prophecy, her bloodline would return when the kingdoms became divided again."
My stomach tightened.
"The Blood Luna."
Miriam nodded.
"The one destined to unite the packs."
Silence filled the room.
I stared at her.
Then I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was absurd.
"You think that's me?"
"I don't know."
The honesty surprised me.
"I only know that the mark on your wrist has not appeared in over four hundred years."
My eyes drifted to the glowing symbol.
It had faded slightly but remained visible.
The sight made me uneasy.
A sudden knock interrupted us.
Three sharp taps.
Miriam stiffened.
Then the door opened.
Kael entered.
The room instantly felt smaller.
My pulse quickened.
Not from excitement.
From anger.
Pain.
Humiliation.
He looked exactly as he had during the ceremony.
Perfect.
Controlled.
Powerful.
Yet something about him seemed different.
Less certain.
His silver eyes found mine.
The mate bond stirred.
Weak.
Damaged.
But still there.
I hated it.
I hated that part of me still reacted to him.
Miriam rose from her chair.
"I will leave you two alone."
The moment she left, silence settled between us.
Kael remained standing.
I remained seated.
Neither of us spoke.
Finally, I broke.
"Have you come to reject me again?"
His jaw tightened.
Good.
Let him feel uncomfortable.
He deserved it.
"I came to ask questions."
A bitter laugh escaped me.
"Join the queue."
His eyes narrowed.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then something strange happened.
The scent from yesterday returned.
Warm.
Powerful.
Dangerously familiar.
I noticed it immediately.
So did he.
His expression shifted.
Confusion flashed across his face.
Then frustration.
The mate bond.
Still reacting.
Despite everything.
His hands curled into fists.
"What happened when the Moon Stone shattered?"
I stared at him.
"You think I know?"
"It reacted to you."
"It reacted after you rejected me."
The words hit harder than I intended.
Regret flickered across his face.
Only for a second.
Then it disappeared.
I wasn't imagining it.
I had seen it.
For the first time, Kael looked uncertain.
Before either of us could speak again, a horn sounded outside.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Alarm horns.
Kael moved instantly.
His entire posture changed.
Warrior.
Alpha.
Leader.
He crossed the room and looked out the window.
His face darkened.
"What is it?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
The silence frightened me more than words.
Then another horn sounded.
Longer this time.
Urgent.
Danger.
Kael turned towards the door.
A warrior burst inside.
Breathing hard.
"Alpha."
"What happened?"
The warrior swallowed.
"The northern patrol is missing."
The room fell silent.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Missing?"
"Yes."
"How many?"
"Seven."
A chill swept through me.
Seven warriors.
Gone.
Without a trace.
That shouldn't have been possible.
Not inside pack territory.
The warrior hesitated.
Then added quietly,
"We found something."
Kael's expression hardened.
"What?"
The warrior looked uneasy.
Terrified, even.
"A symbol."
Every muscle in my body tensed.
"A symbol?" Kael repeated.
The warrior nodded.
"The same symbol that's on her wrist."
The room seemed to freeze.
Slowly, everyone's gaze turned towards me.
My blood ran cold.
No.
No.
No.
That couldn't be possible.
I had never left this room.
I had never seen the patrol.
I had done nothing.
Yet the fear in the warrior's eyes told me one thing.
Someone wanted me blamed.
And whoever they were...
They had just made their first move.
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