A Cruel Fate
1154 Words
Serena Vale
I woke to the soft, echoing splash of boots in shallow water. The chill in the air nipped at my skin as I blinked against the dim torchlight bleeding through the iron bars of my cell. Someone was coming.
Panic surged through me. I retreated to the darkest corner, curled my knees to my chest, and squeezed my eyes shut, feigning sleep.
The footsteps stopped. Shadows spilled across the floor like a slow-moving tide, crawling closer. Two figures loomed just outside the cell.
“She appears to be asleep, milord. Should we return later?”
My breath hitched. I dared a glance at their boots—one pair, unmistakably polished and laced with authority.
Kieran Duskbane.
“Leave me,” he commanded. “I’ll speak with her alone.”
A pause. Then the creak of the iron door, the slow fade of retreating boots. Silence, save for the dripping from the ceiling and the hiss of fire from the torches.
Kieran dragged a barrel closer, sat, crossed one leg over the other. His presence filled the space like smoke—quiet, but impossible to ignore.
“I know you’re awake,” he said, voice low but edged with steel. “Open your eyes.”
I remained still. He couldn't force me—not here, not yet.
“I see the flicker in your lashes. If you’d rather your bones be mulch for the pigs, by all means, keep playing dead.”
Damn him.
Reluctantly, I raised my head.
“Good,” he said, reaching to his belt and unclasping a leather pouch. “Drink.”
I hesitated. But thirst clawed at my throat like wildfire, and survival overrode pride. I snatched it from his hand and drank greedily, the water reviving something human in me.
He offered more—bread and a can of sardines. I eyed the food suspiciously.
“What’s in them?”
“You drank the water just fine,” he said dryly. “Poison isn't my style.”
Against every instinct, I took the food. The bread was warm and soft, and I devoured it with a desperation I couldn't hide. I wrestled with the sardine can, fingers trembling, until he let out a sigh.
“Give it here.”
With a flick of his claws, he shredded the lid. He licked his fingers—whether to clean them or savor the taste, I didn’t know—and handed it back.
The moment the fish touched my tongue, a memory bloomed. Home. The salty breeze from the sea, the crackle of fish over fire, the laughter of my little brother.
Gone. All of it.
He passed me a damp cloth to clean my hands. For a moment, I forgot I was a prisoner. Then he spoke.
“Now that you’re fed, listen well.”
I gave a wary nod.
“You’ll be released from this cell a few hours each day,” he said, calm but commanding. “You’ll interact with the pack. Fulfill your duties as Luna.”
Luna?
“I... I can’t,” I whispered. “They hate me. I was there when their former leader died. They’ll never accept me.”
“That’s not your concern,” he replied, straightening his sleeves. “You’ll play your part until I fix everything.”
“Fix what, exactly?”
He looked at me, eyes like frozen sapphires. “Mind your role. Obey, and you live.”
He stood, but I lunged forward and grabbed his leg.
“Please, Alpha Kieran. It was an accident. I didn’t know the wolf was there—I would’ve swerved if I had!”
“I know,” he said quietly. “Now lower your voice before the guards return.”
I looked up, confused. “You… believe me?”
“Just follow my orders. If you’re obedient, I might release you.”
“Might?” I echoed.
He turned away. “I don’t owe you certainty. Only a chance.”
Before he left, I couldn’t help but plead once more. “Please. Tell me what’s happening. I deserve to know.”
His hand snapped out, curling around my throat—not choking, but threatening. “I said no details. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
“I’m sorry,” I croaked. “It won’t happen again.”
He released me with a sharp exhale. “You’ll be groomed today. I’m assigning you a room near mine. My brother Arnos will guard you. Christian Louis—he’ll want your blood. Stay alive until I bring him down.”
My heart skipped. “Bring him down? What does that mean?”
“That,” he said over his shoulder, “is for your imagination.”
And with that, Kieran Duskbane vanished into the shadows, leaving behind the echo of unanswered questions and the bitter taste of fear.
I awoke again—startled by a loud clang on the bars.
Arnos.
His arms were crossed, eyes sharp.
“Up,” he said. “You’re being prepared for the Moon Ceremony.”
“What ceremony?” I blinked. “Kieran didn’t mention—”
“He wouldn’t,” Arnos muttered. “Get moving. The ceremony starts soon.”
I rose, wincing. My knees were stiff, my body weak.
“I don’t understand—what is this Moon Ceremony?”
He sighed, grabbed the padlock, and crushed it in one hand like paper.
“It’s when the Alpha presents his Luna to the pack and offers her to the Moon Goddess. It seals your role. It’s sacred.”
I followed him reluctantly up the stairs. Guards stood at attention, glaring at me like I was something rotting beneath their boots.
My stomach turned. I shouldn’t be here.
Arnos led me to a chamber where several young women waited. When they saw him, they smiled sweetly.
“These are your handmaids,” Arnos said. “Newly chosen. Loyal.”
“They know what I did,” I whispered. “They’ll hate me.”
“They won’t. My brother ensured their obedience. You’ll be safe—within their reach.”
I swallowed hard. I had been a nobody, cleaning other people’s homes for scraps. And now I stood among silk-clad servants, with a title I neither earned nor wanted.
The women bowed. “Greetings, Lady Serena. We are honored to serve you.”
“Sir Arnos, I can’t—”
“Would you rather Louis find you?” he cut me off. “Would you rather die before the truth comes out?”
I shrank under his words.
“No, Sir.”
“Then do as Kieran says. You want to survive? Obey. That’s the only way you live long enough to be free.”
His voice was final, and for the first time since waking in this nightmare, I understood.
I wasn’t free. Not yet.
But maybe—just maybe—I could make it out alive.
- Writer
