Chapter 3: The Pariah Luna
1407 Words
I didn't sleep at all. I spent the whole night sitting on the floor of that dark cell, leaning my head against the cold stone wall. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt the gap in my soul where Liora used to be. The silence in my head was terrifying. It felt like I was half-dead.
Early the next morning, the heavy iron door creaked open and two men I didn't recognize walked in. They were tall and built like walls. They didn't look at me with hate, but they didn't look at me with kindness either. They just looked through me like I was a piece of the furniture.
"Get up," one of them said. His voice was deep and bored. "The Alpha wants you out of this hole."
"Where are you taking me?" I asked. My voice was scratchy because I hadn't had enough water.
"To the main house. Just move your feet, girl," he replied.
They led me out of the dungeon and up several flights of stairs. The air gradually became warmer and started to smell like roasted meat and expensive wood. We stopped in front of a pair of large oak doors. One of the guards pushed them open, and I stepped into a room that was larger than my entire house back at Silverfang.
"Stay here," the guard said, and then he shut the door.
The room was beautiful, but I hated it. There was a bed with black silk sheets and a fireplace that was already burning. I walked over to the window. From here, I could see the entire Duskbane territory. Warriors were training, and women were carrying baskets of fruit. It looked so normal. It made me want to scream.
The door opened behind me and Kael walked in. He looked tired. His black hair was messy, and his grey eyes were dark.
"You're awake," he said. He didn't come too close to me.
"I’m not staying in your room, Kael," I said, turning to face him. I tried to sound brave, even though my hands were shaking.
"It’s for your own safety," he replied. He walked to a closet and pulled out a dark red dress. "Put this on. We are going down to the dining hall."
"Why? So you can show me off?"
Kael’s jaw tightened. "So they know you are under my protection. If they don't see the mark on your neck, they will think you are just a slave. Is that what you want?"
"I don't want to be anything to you," I snapped.
"Just change the dress, Elara. I will wait outside."
I changed into the red dress. It was heavy and felt like a weight on my shoulders. When I stepped out, Kael was waiting for me. He took my arm and his grip was firm. As we walked through the halls, I watched the people. I thought they might stare or look angry, but they didn't. Instead, they stopped walking immediately. They stood perfectly still and bowed their heads as we passed.
It wasn't out of respect for me. It was fear of the man holding my arm.
We entered the dining hall. It was a massive room with stone pillars. The noise of hundreds of people eating stopped the moment we walked in. Kael led me to the head table. A man with a scar on his nose was sitting there. This was Darius.
"So, this is her?" Darius said. He didn't bow. He looked at me with pure disgust. "She looks like she would break if I poked her. Why are we feeding a Silverfang girl, Alpha?"
"She is my mate, Darius. You will show her respect," Kael said. His voice was a low growl that made the cups on the table rattle.
Darius laughed. "Respect is for warriors. Not for daughters of traitors."
"Darius, I won't tell you again," Kael warned.
Darius shrugged and went back to his meat. I sat down next to Kael, feeling everyone's eyes on me. Before I could even touch my food, a woman with blonde hair walked up to us. She was wearing a dress of blue silk. She was beautiful, but her eyes were cold as ice.
"Kael, darling," she said. She didn't even look at me. "My father wanted to know if you were coming to the meeting tonight."
"I'll be there, Celene," Kael said.
Celene finally looked at me. She picked up a cup of tea from the table. "You look like you've had a hard time. Here, have some tea. It will help you relax."
She handed the cup to me. As I reached for it, she tilted her hand on purpose. The hot tea splashed all over my hands and the front of my dress. I gasped as a sharp, biting pain moved through my skin.
"Oh! I am so sorry," Celene said. She didn't sound sorry at all.
The pain was terrible. My skin started to turn purple. "There is silver in this," I hissed, clutching my hands.
Kael stood up fast. He grabbed my wrists and looked at the burns. "Celene, what did you do?"
"I just wanted to see if she was strong enough to be here," Celene said. She crossed her arms. "My father is the Head Elder. Everyone knows we were supposed to be married. I think I have a right to know who is taking my place."
"Get out, Celene. Now," Kael ordered.
I didn't care about the tea anymore. I looked past them and out the large window. My heart stopped. A group of men were being led across the yard in heavy iron chains.
"Orion," I whispered.
I pushed back from the table and ran. I ran out the doors and into the sunlight.
"Orion! Stop!" I screamed.
The line of prisoners stopped. My brother turned his head. His face was covered in blood and dirt. He looked at me, and his eyes widened. He tried to move toward me, but a guard yanked his chain, sending him to the dirt.
"Don't touch him!" I lunged forward, but Kael caught me from behind. He held me so tight I couldn't move.
"Let me go! That’s my brother!" I fought him, but he was too strong.
"If you go to him, they will whip him, Elara. Is that what you want?" Kael said in my ear.
I stopped fighting and just sobbed. I watched as they dragged Orion away toward the slave quarters.
Kael turned me around. Celene was standing right there, watching us. She walked over, looking at me with a mean smile.
"You see that?" Celene said. She leaned in close to my ear so Kael wouldn't hear. "That is all your family is worth. Kael doesn't love you. He only took you because the Seer told him your 'shadow blood' can fix the curse in his heart. Once he is cured, he will marry me. You are just a battery to him."
I felt something change inside me. It wasn't my wolf. It was something dark and heavy in my belly. It felt like fire moving through my veins.
"Shut up," I said.
"You are a mistake, Elara," Celene laughed.
"I said SHUT UP!" I screamed.
I didn't hit her. I didn't even move. But a wave of black, oily energy exploded out of my chest. It hit the air like a physical wall.
A loud sound like thunder shook the ground. Every single window in the dining hall behind us shattered at the same time. Glass rained down everywhere. People inside were screaming.
The energy faded, and I was gasping for air. Celene was on the ground, her face white with fear. Darius was standing in the doorway, staring at me.
Kael let go of me. He looked at the broken glass, then he looked at the cracks in the stone floor. Finally, he looked at my hands.
"Shadow blood," he whispered.
I looked at my palms. They were glowing with a faint, dark light. I realized then that they weren't just afraid of Kael anymore. They were afraid of me.
- Writer
