The Moon Goddess, that divine weaver of our fates, had at last seen fit to grant a miracle. The dark curtain was drawn back from my eyes. For three years, I had inhabited a world of total blackness-the steep price for taking a poisoned silver blade across my face to save my mate.
But today, the work of the Mystic Coven healers had finally taken root. I could see the flickering dance of wax candles upon the stone walls. I could see the heavy oak doors of our gothic pile of a castle. Gathering my long skirts, I ran, the sound of my steps echoing down the cobblestone corridor.
I wanted to surprise Kaelen. He is the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, the unchallenged lord of our territory. He is also my fated mate, the other half of my soul, chosen by the Moon Goddess.
I reached the massive doors of the Luna's chamber. The Luna is the mother of the pack, a title that belongs to me. With a bright smile, I pushed the heavy doors open.
The smile died on my face.
The scent of pine and winter rain had always belonged to Kaelen. It was the scent that told my inner wolf she was safe. But now, that clean, wild scent was being smothered, choked by a cloying sweetness of black roses left to rot. It was the scent of Selena. His Beta secretary, who always knew precisely when to let a tear trace a path through the powder on her cheek.
Right now, she was not affecting weakness. She was riding my mate on my bed. The bed that symbolized the sacred bond of the Alpha and the Luna.
A chill, sharp and sudden, bloomed in my veins. My chest grew so tight I had to part my lips just to draw a breath. I stood in the shadows of the doorway, my feet seemingly taking root in the cold stone floor.
Selena ran her hands over Kaelen's muscular chest. "When will you break the mate bond with the blind girl?" she whispered, her voice thick with desire.
Kaelen kissed her neck, right over the spot where a mate's mark should be. "I need more time to prepare the ceremony," he murmured. His voice, the same voice that used the powerful Alpha's Command to make entire armies kneel, was now a soft murmur for another woman.
A backwards step was not a choice, but an instinct that pulled on my legs. The heavy door swung shut in my hand without a sound, sealing the scene away. I walked out of the castle, the freezing air a shock against my thin chemise, and did not stop until my bare feet were buried in the snow. I did not need to send a message; some deep, wounded part of me already knew its destination. I was going home.
I wiped the cold moisture from my face before turning back towards the castle walls.
I found them an hour later in the grand hall. They had moved from my bed to the thick animal skin rug in front of the roaring fireplace. They were holding each other tightly. I kept my eyes unfocused, my gaze fixed on a point on the far wall. I had to pretend I was still blind.
Selena saw me walking with my hands stretched out. She smirked and leaned closer to Kaelen's ear. She purposely released a heavy wave of her black rose scent. It was a direct challenge to my territory as the Luna. She looked at me and wrinkled her nose, as if noticing a piece of filth stuck to her boot.
"Alpha," Selena whispered loudly. "You are out of your suppressants." It was a deliberate mockery of his Heat-the uncontrollable biological urge he was supposedly suffering from. "Make the blind girl get them for you," she challenged with an evil smile.
Kaelen hesitated. He flinched, a sharp spike of guilt and possessive panic souring his scent. He wanted his cake and to eat it too-to keep me as his revered, helpless Luna while indulging his baser appetites. But then he sighed and looked at my blank, unseeing eyes.
"Elara," Kaelen said, forcing a weak cough. "I have caught a terrible cold." He pointed to the long wooden table across the room. "Could you fetch the fever herbs from the table for me?"
My inner wolf whimpered, a sound of pure agony. The pain of a mate's betrayal felt as though I had swallowed a fistful of ice shards, the cold spreading from my stomach to my very bones. I forced myself to stumble forward, pretending to trip on the edge of the rug.
I reached the table and picked up the glass vial. It was not a fever herb. It was the potion to cool his sexual urges for his mistress. I turned around and held it out to the empty air, acting like I could not see him.
"Here is your medicine, my love," I said, my voice shaking. "Please take care of your health."
Kaelen walked over and took the vial from my hand. He did not touch my skin. "I should sleep in the guest room tonight," he lied smoothly. "I do not want to infect you with my illness." He walked back, picked Selena up in his arms, and carried her out of the hall.
I stood alone by the fire. The flames warmed my skin, but my soul was freezing to death.
I closed my eyes and reached out with my mind. The Mind-Link is our silent, telepathic voice.
Elder Silas, I called out to my mentor in the hidden forest.
Elara, my child. Did the magic work? his ancient, warm voice echoed in my head.
Yes, I replied, letting the tears finally fall. I will return to the Coven in seven days. I am ready to inherit your legacy.
The countdown to my departure had officially begun.