Nyra's POV
I stared at my reflection in the puddle. I'd become a stranger, even to myself.
My hair was nicely accessorised with blood crusts, and my skin was coated with mud, and the spots without mud were crimson with bruises. Even with my arms bound behind my back, I could take down his entire army, but I let them take me. Sometimes you have to lose some to gain something even better.
Took them long enough to find me.
Riven, the most annoying pack member, shoved me forward, making me stumble before his master. I looked right into the eyes of their Alpha, lurking in the shadows with a sly smile. Sure, he's happy to have found me, but that's only because I wanted to be seen. He stepped out from the shadows, face carved from Antarctic ice, but said nothing. One of his wolves got too excited to prove a point, so he raised his blade at me.
"Alpha, should I teach this wench what it means to cross the Crescents?" His blade gleamed in the moonlight.
I didn't wait for the Alpha to respond. I let out a gentle whisper. It travelled with the wind, heating the blade in the dummy's hand. He screamed and dropped it in haste, and smoke curled from his blistered skin. The crescent went silent. I stood to my feet gracefully, raising my chin at their "Alpha".
"Lock her up in the private holding cell under my wing," Kade ordered, walking away unbothered. The wolves were hesitant, but no one dared question him.
"Moon-blessed!" A wolf shouted, dropping to his knees.
My iris shift. I quickly switched it back to silver before anyone else could see, but Kade didn't miss it.
My irises weren't brown, green, or even the regular silver-grey; they had turned gold.
And that meant something.
It meant everything.
•••
As I entered the cell, the scent of stale blood, iron, and damp stone hit me hard in the face.
The chains that bound me clinked with every move, and the echoes tumbled over my brain, so I stayed still.
I was uncomfortable. My cloak was torn, and my hair was matted with dried blood stains, but I smiled because the puzzle pieces were coming together.
I was right where I needed to be.
I stilled as I heard footsteps resound down the stone hallway.
One set.
Two sets.
Three sets.
The cell door creaked open, and the gush of cold wind stung my bruised cheek, but I didn't flinch. I'd been through worse.
Worse still, I was born for worse.
"Vaela! No!" I heard a voice thunder from outside as Vaela waltzed in.
Her scent was sharp and harsh, but her expression was far worse. She looked stunning but in a cruel, twisted way. She seemed like the kind of woman who'd giggle as she slit your throat with a blunt knife.
Vaela? No. Cruella would be a better name for her.
She clearly wasn't pleased to find breath in my lungs, and the arrogant slant of her lips gave her away.
I'm sorry to let you down, my love.
Two guards hurried behind her, one with a tray of old bread and water, the other staring at me as if I were a ticking time bomb. Vaela, scratch that, Cruella, circled me like a predator around its prey and remarked,
"Quite the little show you put on earlier. You should have screamed more loudly, maybe Kade might have reconsidered.
I didn't care enough to give her a response. I let her speak. Let her walk over me. I let her underestimate me.
"Did you actually think you could cross Crescent territory, spit before an Alpha, and escape punishment?" Her voice trailed off. "Even if you plead for your life from now till eternity, you will rot in this cell." I wasn't frightened by what she said, especially when her stench was heavy with jealousy.
Repulsive.
I only smiled.
"What's funny?" She ticked.
"You're jealous," my voice was scratchy, but my smile was coy.
Her eyes narrowed as she froze mid-step."What did you just say?"
"It's okay, I understand
Even I would be jealous if I had to watch my man drool over another woman. I leaned forward, making the chains around me rattle. "He almost couldn't decide between kissing me and killing me."
She growled in response, but the sound of the slap on my cheek was louder. The guards tensed, but after seeing how I'd dealt with the last one, they'd be foolish to touch me without permission. I smiled and licked the blood from my lip victoriously. I had her just where I wanted.
"Is that all you've got? Your bark is obviously louder than your bite."
"Don't test me! You think you're something?" She let out a dry laugh. "You are nothing. You're just another wanderer with a lovely face. A good lay for one night. Nothing more."
"But that was enough to intrigue your Alpha, something I'm sure you've never managed to do."
Another slap. This one split the skin near my brow. It stung harder than the first, too.
One of the guards rushed forward. "Lady Vaela, I understand the situation, but if I may, Alpha Kade ordered that we leave her unscathed."
If looks could kill, the guard would have died on the spot. Sadly, Cruella wasn't stupid enough to go against her Alpha.
"Backing down so early? You really don't have the balls?"
She took a step closer and bent to my level, her voice brushing my ear.
"He won't be able to protect forever, and once that covering leaves, I'll make your life miserable. You'd curse the day you set foot into this place. I'll take my time to rip out that sharp, ugly tongue and feed it to the vultures," she said.
Shortly after she left, a younger-looking guard came in with food and water for me, but he scurried out, leaving me to my thoughts. I slouched down the wall, struggling to breathe through the pain. I'd survived worse than this. I tucked my feelings away and focused on getting what I actually came for.
Hours passed, maybe more, but it only helped my body heal. I was tempted to heal my wounds, but I needed to look frail, weak, and vulnerable.
The lock shifted again. This time, I could only hear one set of footsteps. Heavy. Confident. Kade.
I didn't want him to see me in this state, so I kept my eyes down. He came in and stayed silent for a while. Then,
"Raise your head." His voice pulled rather than merely ordered. Like fire and frost at the same time, like gravity.
I obliged reluctantly. Clad in a dark cloak, Kade stood tall, his tight cheekbones and chiselled jaw shadowed by the light behind him. Gods, those eyes… hovered over my face, observing my wounds closely.
"I gave a clear order." He stated.
I let out a dry, bitter laugh. "Well, I guess your girlfriend didn't get the memo." He didn't respond, but he knew who I was referring to. I'm sure the whole pack knew. He took another step closer. I stiffened, anticipating pain. An examination. A ruse.
But he didn't do that. Instead, he leaned in and loosened the cuffs. The chains hit the floor with a loud metal clatter. My arms collapsed, unable to support me, and I swayed directly into him. He caught me easily; his palms were warm and firm. One arm grabbed my waist, and the other cupped the back of my head, as if I wasn't a rogue, as if I actually mattered.
It didn't make sense. No one had ever looked at me like that.
"You should've stayed away," he said, his voice low.
"And miss this warm welcome?" I asked, "No, thank you."
"What are you?" He asked, stroking a strand of hair from my cheek. I could have lied. Should have. But I tipped my head up, whispering,
"Everything you were warned about."
He glanced at me with an unreadable expression."What happened earlier? The blade?"
I leaned forward, my breath caressing his neck. "Dunno. You tell me." His hand clasped my waist more tightly. Not possessive. Curious. Torn.
"This pack is a powder keg," he said softly. "You… you're the spark."
"I know," I breathed. Another pause. Another near-kiss. But then his gaze shifted to the mark on my back. The one I had tried to hide. His entire body became still. He yanked back, his eyes cold with fury.
"Why are you here?"
"To help you see." I countered.
"Err... to help me see what exactly?" he asked.
"To help you see the truth." I paused, taking a minute to breathe. "Every single thing you've been taught about your kind is an absolute lie because they don't want you to know the truth."
"Who's 'they'?" he asked.
Before I could respond, a loud roar erupted from outside, and some wolves charged into the cell.
"We are under attack!"
Kade shifted on his heel. I stood behind him and whispered to the stone walls, "Right on time."