Chapter Eight - Warning
902 Words
She’s in her training gear. Hair pulled back.
Walking side by side.
They stop near the building by the training ground.
She says something. He laughs.
She touches his arm casually. Her fingers linger a bit. He doesn’t pull away. Doesn’t seem to notice.
Something in my chest twists.
She says something to him and his expression changes.
She quickly wraps her hand around him, offering comfort.
They slowly disappear into the building.
I tell myself it’s nothing. They work together. She’s Beta warrior. He’s Beta heir. Of course they’ll be close.
I press my palm against the window glass. It takes a minute for me to realise I’d been standing there for a while since they disappeared. Staring at nothing.
I finally leave. But my chest is still tight.
Afternoon drags on. I try to shift.
I can feel her.
But she’s further than before. Like everyday she keeps retreating deeper and deeper.
“Please,” I whisper into the empty space. “I need you, please.”
I collapse onto the bed. Five days left. Five days until they ban me from ever stepping a foot in any of the packs. What happens to me when no one wants me? My father has disowned me. Publicly at that.
I have no where to go.
The thoughts sink into me like a physical weight pressing down.
My go to outlet for times like this has been taken from me.
Oh SilverWhispers, how I miss you!
The following day comes swiftly. By evening, I hear a knock on my room door.
I expect a guard with food for today.
But it’s Aunt Marren.
She slips in quickly.
“I can’t stay long,” she says. “Have you eaten? I brought you something warm.” She hands me a covered bowl smelling like stew.
I take it, my hands shaking.
“Thank you.”
She watches me hurry the food. Doesn’t say anything at first. Then, “how are you holding up?”
“I’m fine.” I manage, in between spoons.
“Are you sure, Luna?” She looks at me suspiciously. My body language is giving me away.
I set the bowl down. “I saw Kael with Sienna today. They looked…” I go off. Don’t know how to finish the sentence.
Aunt Marren’s expression shifts suddenly.
She looks to the ground.
“Sienna Frost,” she says quietly. More to herself than to me.
“You know her?”
“Everyone knows her. She’s been with Ironfang pack since she was sixteen. Trained under Alpha Dominic himself. Very…dedicated to the pack.”
The way she says ‘dedicated’ makes me feel like she means more.
I probe further. “What do you mean?”
Aunt Marren hesitates. Opens her mouth. Closes it. Opens again.
“I don’t have any proof,” she says it slowly. “And I don’t want to plant seeds where there might not be any need to. But…” she reaches for my hands. Holds them firmly. “I’ve been watching her since the ceremony. She seems a bit lighter now.”
She doesn’t let me process.
“I don’t know. I may be old. But that ceremony disaster had to have happened because someone did it. Someone with access. To time it so perfectly it broke your wolf…”
“You think Sienna -“
“I don’t know what I think,” Aunt Marren’s cuts me off quickly. Glances towards the door, then back to me. “I’m just saying…be careful, sweetheart. Trust your instincts. And if something feels off about someone, there’s usually a reason.”
She gathers her things.
“I need to go before they notice I’ve been gone for long. I had to bring you decent homemade food. Hope you liked it?”
“I did. Thank you so much.” I pull her into a big hug. “You’ll always be like a mother to me.”
“You’re welcome, baby. Just be careful.” she kisses my forehead. Then she’s gone.
I sit there alone in the dark. Minutes pass. Hours pass.
All the things Aunt Marren said replay in my head with more details and scrutiny.
I think about Sienna at dinner that first night. Her cold reception. Her reaction when Kael’s hand brushed hers.
Something turns in my stomach.
When night comes, I try to sleep.
Can’t.
Whenever I close my eyes, All I see is the horror. The pain. My wolf screaming in agony. But stuck.
I sit up. The room feels smaller than it’s been. Too dark. Too quiet. The only sound I hear is my breathing.
I need water. Need to get some air. Need anything but this suffocating feeling.
The guards lock the door throughout the day but are less bothered when it’s beyond 8pm.
I try the locks. And I’m right. It opens.
I look left. Look right. Slip away into the hallway.
Everyone’s asleep. Everywhere’s quiet.
I tiptoe my way to the small kitchen at the end of the servant’s wing.
Nobody should be there.
My hands are shaking. I don’t know if it’s from fear or weakness or even something else.
I push the kitchen door slowly.
Someone’s already there.
Leaning against the counter. Not in uniforms. Hair loose.
Sienna Frost.
She looks at me and smiles.
“Well well well. What do we have here?”
- Writer
