Chapter 132 The third trial announced 1

Chapter 132: Chapter 132 The third trial announced 1

Talia’s POV

The days after I told Kaelen about Cresswood passed in a blur.

We trained together every evening. My punches were getting stronger, my blocks were getting faster, and my body was learning to move without thinking. Kaelen pushed me harder than before, like he knew something was coming. But he did not ask what I was thinking about when I went quiet.

He did not ask why I sometimes stared at the wall with my hands shaking, and I did not tell him about the glamour charm.

I could not tell him yet, because I did not know how to, and because if I told him, I would have to take it off. And if I took it off, he would see my real face.

The words stuck in my throat every time I tried. What if he looked at me differently? What if he did not recognize me? What if he wished I had stayed hidden? The questions swirled in my head like leaves in the wind, and I could not answer them. So I said nothing, and let the secret eat me up.

I kept only this secret locked in my chest, and it felt heavy and cold, as each day passed. I did not know if he would still want me after he found out about this secret, I could only hope that he would understand.

Another weight hung over me every day, because I knew that the third trial was coming, but I did not know when, and I did not know what it would be.

Alpha Aldric had not announced it yet, and no one had said a word about it, since the time he announced that I had passed the Trial of the Heart. Not even Kaelen.

The pack went about its business like nothing was changing. Wolves trained, servants worked, and Kaelen attended to his Alpha duties.

But I could feel it coming.

It pressed down on my chest every morning when I woke up. It followed me through the hallways, whispered in the silence of our room, and curled around my throat when I tried to sleep.

The third trial was coming, and I was not ready.

The morning of the announcement started like any other.

I woke up before Kaelen. His arm was draped over my waist, and his breathing was slow and even. The fire had died during the night, and the room was cold, but I was not cold. His body was warm against my back, and his chest rose and fell with each breath.

I lay there for a long time, staring at the wall, and thinking about the glamour charm around my neck.

The silver chain was cool against my skin. The charm itself was warm, or rather, almost hot, like it knew something was coming.

The magic pulsed beneath my fingers, thrumming, and waiting, as I could feel it straining against its bonds. The charm had kept me safe for fifteen years, but it was failing now, cracking, and breaking.

Soon, everyone would see, and very soon, I could not hide anymore. The thought made my chest ache.

My mother’s voice echoed in my head. "Never remove the glamour charm before your twentieth birthday."

I was twenty now. In fact, I had been twenty for months, and the charm had served its purpose. It had hidden me, protected me, and kept me alive.

But it was also a cage.

I touched the chain again, and felt the magic pulsing beneath it. The charm was weakening, and my wolf was waking up stronger. I could feel it straining, like a thread about to snap.

Soon, everyone would see my real face, and the thought of it alone made my stomach turn.

Kaelen stirred behind me. His arm tightened around my waist, and his lips pressed against the back of my head.

"You are awake early," he said. His voice was rough with sleep.

"I could not sleep," I said.

"Bad dreams?" he asked.

"No. Just thoughts," I replied.

He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "What kind of thoughts?"

I did not answer, because I could not tell him yet.

He did not push. He just held me tighter, and I closed my eyes and listened to his heartbeat.

A knock came at the door.

Kaelen sat up and covered me properly with the blanket. "Enter."

But no one entered. Instead, a servant’s voice came through the wood. "Alpha Aldric requests your presence in the Gathering Hall. Both of you."

My heart stopped.

Kaelen looked at me, and his gray eyes were sharp and assessing. "Do you know what this is about?"

I shook my head, but I was sure that I knew. I was sure this was because of the third trial, because the weight in my chest had been telling me something was coming.

"Maybe it is the third trial," I whispered.

Kaelen’s jaw tightened. He climbed out of bed and reached for his shirt.

"Get dressed," he said. "I will be with you."

The Gathering Hall was full when we arrived.

Wolves lined the walls, their bodies pressed together, and their voices buzzing like flies. I recognized some of them, as warriors who had seen me fight, healers who had tended my wounds, and servants who had brought me breakfast and cleaned my room.

They all turned to look at me when I walked in.

I kept my head high and my eyes straight ahead. Kaelen walked beside me, with his shoulder brushing mine. His presence was warm and steady, and I leaned into it without thinking.