Chapter 93 The second trial announced 1

Chapter 93: Chapter 93 The second trial announced 1

Talia’s POV

The next morning, I woke up to find Kaelen still in bed.

He was lying on his side, facing me, with his gray eyes already open, and he had been watching me sleep.

"You are awake," he said.

"I am," I answered, stretching my hands out.

Then he sat up and climbed out of bed. And without another word, he walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, thinking about my wolf, the voice, and the presence that was still there, warm beneath my skin. She had not spoken again, but I could feel her waiting impatiently.

She was restless, like a caged animal pacing back and forth. I did not know what she wanted, and I did not know what she needed. But I could feel her impatience, and her longing to run free.

She wanted to run in her form, to feel the wind in her fur, to hunt, to howl, and to be free. I could feel it like a second heartbeat, but we could not. Or at least, not yet. The glamour charm was still there, still hiding us, and still keeping us trapped for now. But soon, we would run.

"Soon," I whispered to her. "Soon."

She quieted, but she did not settle. She was waiting eagerly, watching constantly, ready to break free.

I touched my chest, feeling the warmth beneath my skin. It was strange, having another presence inside me, but it was not frightening. It was comforting, and I was not alone anymore.

The bathroom door opened at that moment and interrupted my thoughts.

Kaelen stepped out, and his chest was bare. Water droplets still clung to his skin, his hair was damp, and his muscles moved beneath his skin as he walked to the wardrobe.

Something stirred inside me, and I felt a craving, and a pull.

It felt strange, and it was not from me, but from my wolf. I could feel a different kind of hunger, but it was also not my hunger. It was my wolf’s. She wanted to be near him, to touch him, and to breathe him in.

I had never felt anything like it before.

It was overwhelming and confusing, but it was also... nice, to want something, and to want someone. I had spent so long wanting nothing, because wanting was dangerous in Cresswood. But this was not Cresswood, this was Blackmoor Valley, and Kaelen was half naked in front of me.

I looked away, with my face burning hot.

My wolf stirred again, and I felt the surge of longing that was not my own. I could feel that she wanted him. She wanted to be near him, and she wanted to touch him.

I pushed the feeling down, but it did not disappear. It lingered, warm and insistent.

’Not now,’ I thought to her. ’We are not ready.’

She retreated, but I could feel her unhappiness. She did not understand why we had to wait, and she did not understand the danger we had to overcome yet.

But I did, and I would protect us both.

He dressed quickly, then walked to the door. "I will be back later." Then he was gone.

About an hour later, a knock came at the door.

I climbed out of bed and opened it. A servant stood in the hallway, holding a tray, and her face was kind, and her eyes were soft.

It was the kind servant. The same one who had helped me before.

"Luna," she said. "I have brought your breakfast."

I stepped aside and let her in. She set the tray on the desk, and I sat down.

"I have missed seeing you," I said. "What is your name?"

She looked surprised, and then pleased. "Ella, Luna."

"Thank you, Ella. For everything." I smiled.

Her face broke into a bright smile. "You remembered me, and you asked my name. No one ever asks my name."

I thought about Cresswood, and about the servants who had looked through me like I was made of glass. They had seen me, but they had never looked at me. Not really.

In Cresswood, I was nothing but a ghost that scrubbed floors and slept in storage rooms. No one saw me, and no one cared if anything happened to me. But I saw Ella, and I cared, because I knew what it felt like to be forgotten, to be unseen, and to be treated like nothing.

I had been invisible for fifteen years, and it was not something that I wished for anyone else to feel. And now, I made a promise to myself, that I would not let anyone else feel that way, not if I could help it.

"You are not invisible," I said to Ella. "At least not to me."

Her eyes glowed with unshed tears, and she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. So she just bowed again and left.

I went to the bathroom after Ella left, and took a quick shower. I came out wrapped in a towel, and without dressing up first, I sat on the chair, and I ate quickly.

Then finally, I dressed in jeans and a soft gray top, before I walked out of the room and into the hallway.

A messenger found me near the stairs.

"Luna," he said, bowing. "Alpha Aldric requests your presence in the gathering hall."

My heart skipped. "Now?"

"Yes, Luna," he answered.