Chapter 25 The Three trials 2

Chapter 25: Chapter 25 The Three trials 2

Talia’s POV

But I had never been ready for anything in my life. I was not ready when Vivienne took me from my mother’s room. I was not ready when Celeste broke my favorite cup. And I was not ready when Kaelen’s family bonding stone chose me. And yet, I survived it all.

Maybe readiness was a lie, and maybe you just showed up and did the best you could. But either way, I had no choice.

"I understand, sir," I said.

Aldric leaned forward, and his gray eyes locked onto mine.

"If you fail any of the trials," he said, "Alpha Kaelen will have no choice but to reject you as his mate."

My throat went tight.

"What happens if he rejects me, sir?" I asked to see if he had changed the penalty for failing the Luna trials.

"Like I said before, you will be sent back to Cresswood," Aldric said. "You will no longer be his Luna, and you will no longer be part of this pack."

’Back to Cresswood,’ I thought fearfully.

The word Cresswood felt like a curse, and like a sickness I could not shake. I saw the storage room in my mind, the cold floor, the dark walls, and the sound of my own crying echoing off the stone. I would not go back. NEVER. I Could never.

If I fail, I will be sent back to Vivienne and Celeste and the storage room and the hunger and the cold. I would burn the whole pack down before I let them send me there.

I forced my voice to stay steady. "I understand, sir."

Aldric studied me for a long moment.

"The pack expects you to fail," he said. "They do not want an outsider as their Luna, and they do not want someone they see as weak."

"I know, sir," I answered.

"Then you also know that proving them wrong will not be easy," he said.

"I did not expect it to be easy, sir," I replied with a calm voice.

Something flickered across his face. His eyes softened, just a little.

"Good," he said. "Because the Shadowfang Pack expects its Luna to be strong."

He stood up and walked to the window, and his back was to me.

"The trials will not be kind," he said. "They will push you to your limits. They will test everything you are and everything you are not."

He turned to face me.

"Prove yourself, Talia. Or Alpha Kaelen will have no choice but to reject you."

’Prove myself.’ Those two words felt heavier than any rock I had ever carried. ’What did they even mean? Prove that I was strong? Prove that I was worthy? Prove that I deserved to be here?’ I did not know the answer, but I knew I would try, because trying was all I had ever done.

I stood up. My legs were shaking, but I forced myself to stand straight.

"I will prove myself, sir," I said.

Aldric nodded. "I hope so, child. For your sake."

He dismissed me with a wave of his hand.

I walked to the door. My hands were shaking, but I kept my head high.

"Talia," he called.

I stopped and turned around.

Aldric was looking at me and his gray eyes were soft, just a little.

"Alpha Kaelen did not choose you," he said. "The Moon Goddess did. Remember that."

I bowed my head. "I will, sir."

Then I walked out the door.

The servant was waiting for me in the hallway.

She led me back through the maze of hallways and staircases. Left, then right, then down a flight of stairs.

I did not speak all through our walk back.

I could not speak, because my mind was racing.

Three trials in one year. If I failed, Alpha Kaelen would reject me, and I would be sent back to Cresswood.

I could not go back.

The thought of Cresswood made my skin crawl. I remembered the way Vivienne smiled when she locked me in the dark. The way Celeste laughed when she broke my things, and the way the servants looked away when I cried for help.

Then, no one ever came. But here, someone brought me hot chocolate. That had to mean something.

So I would rather die than go back.

The servant stopped in front of my door. "Is there anything you need, miss?"

"No, thank you," I said.

She nodded and walked away.

I opened the door and stepped inside.

The room was empty. The fire had been lit again, and the warmth wrapped around me like a blanket.

I walked to the window and looked out at the valley.

The sun was high, and the light was bright. The mountains stood tall and silent, with their peaks lost in the blue sky.

I touched my necklace, as I felt the chain warm against my skin.

I had three trials, and one year to pass them all.

I knew I had to, and I would do it and survive it all. Because I had survived fifteen years in Cresswood.

So I would survive this too.

I pressed my forehead against the glass, and the cold felt good against my skin. It kept me awake, and kept me thinking.

One month until the first trial, and three hundred and sixty-five days to pass them all.

I whispered to myself in the quiet room. "You can do this. You have to."

The words felt small, but they strengthened my heart.