A Cage With Lilies

Chapter 2: 

Selene’s POV

“Ugh… what’s that smell?” I grumbled as my eyelids lifted.

Vinegar filled my nose, followed by something sweet. Lilies, maybe. The kind my mother used to grow along the south wall of our compound.

I opened my eyes fully and found a crystal chandelier overhead scattering tiny rainbows across the cream-coloured walls. 

“Where the fuck is this place?” I groaned weakly, exhausted and irritated by how terrible everything had gone .. and scared too.  My eyes scanned the areas carefully, plagued with confusion.  

My hands spread open on a bed wider than any I had ever seen, wrapped in sheets so soft they barely felt real while wearing a long silk nightrobe.

Then my head split open without any warning. Not literally, fortunately. I pressed my palm to the base of my skull and felt a lump the size of a walnut.

Did someone hit me?

The memories came back in tiny fragments like they were being dug up from a never-ending well. 

I remembered being surrounded by wolves, the Alpha’s hand on my throat at some point, and that strange pull that had dropped me to my knees before someone struck me from behind.

Was this the afterlife? Was I actually dead?

I sat up and immediately regretted it. I clutched my head as the room spun, causing me to lay back  down.

After a few minutes of bargaining with reality, whether being alive was worth the trauma, the pain finally settled enough for me to look around.

The room was enormous, with a carved wooden dresser, a writing desk beside the window, and fresh white lilies in a ceramic vase. 

Every inch was majestic, but that was the problem. You don’t give prisoners soft sheets and fresh flowers, do you?

I was pretty sure they were given a stone cell and a bucket with barely any ventilation. 

So why was I here? 

I struggled out of bed with my legs barely supporting me. My shoulder was wrapped in a clean gauze, and the cut on my palm was neatly stitched together.

What had changed overnight?

I charged straight at the door to open it but the handle wouldn't bulge. After two more attempts, I gave up.

“Great, I'm a fancy prisoner. Thanks dad.” I rolled my eyes before moving to the window.

The compound spread beneath the highest tower I was in with gardens, training yards, and a forge which sent smoke curling into the morning sky, all surrounded by thick granite walls. Beyond them lay an endless forest.

“Hmm…that was probably where I was fighting for my life last night.” 

“Such cowards, twelve against one wasn't really a fair fight if you ask me.”

I kept on rambling every single thought that crossed my mind while still staring through the window.

Suddenly, someone pointed towards my direction.

One by one, faces turned my way. A woman carrying a basket stopped walking, an old man lowered his hammer, and the warriors near the forge threw deadly glares at me .

"Umm…what the hell is their problem?”

I stepped away from the window, unable to stomach their hostility as it lasted longer than I thought. 

To calm myself, I placed my hand over my neck but I didn't feel anything.

My pendant was gone!

“Where is it?” I cried out while frantically checking the bed, the nightstand, and even beneath the dresser.

“Oh no, no, no…this can't be!”

I searched every corner of the room, but it was nowhere to be found.

My mother’s pendant was the only thing I had left of her, the last proof that Lyra Ravenfell had existed beyond a grave. 

I ran straight to the door and banged on it continuously.

“Let me out, please! Can anyone hear me?”

There were no footsteps, no guards coming to my aid, as if the entire room was soundproofed and I was the only one who could hear myself.

“Those bastards, they took it.” My heart sank as my voice croaked out.

I pressed my back against the wall, trying to make sense of everything but something else took over my body. Vesper became unsettled within.

There was a surge in my chest and the pull grew stronger and stronger with every passing breath. The bond caused a thread of warmth pulling me towards him. 

Of all the ridiculous things my body could do at this moment, it had chosen to yearn for a man who had nearly killed me and didn't even feel any bond between us.

“You are the bridge, Selene.”

As if things couldn't get any worse, my father’s voice echoed in my head.

“Stop saying that,” I whispered, covering my ears.

I slid down the wall, drawing my knees to my chest to try to block the voices

“Bridges get burned and I know you left me for dead.” I fired back and I realized that I was slowly losing it.

The door opened, and I scrambled to my feet before the handle had even finished turning. I wasn’t about to be caught sitting on the floor in an enemy territory.

A young woman entered, carrying a tray of food and a canvas bag. She looked about a year older than me and had sharp features that did little to soften her expression.

Without any acknowledgement, she placed the tray on the desk and dropped the bag onto the bed.

Then, she walked briskly to the window and drew the curtains. “You might have to leave that closed for the time being. You don't want to add more fuel to the burning bushes.” She finally spoke.

I could tell she was aware of the threats coming from outside, but I needed more information.

“Sorry, who are you?” I asked, my eyes fixed on her discreet movements.

The room resounded with silence and I had to raise my voice just to draw her attention.

“Hello, why am I being held up here?”

The corner of her mouth twitched before replying. “You’re supposed to be dead. So don’t push  your luck. It’s the only thing keeping you alive here.”

“How comforting.” I muttered, not knowing if I should be thankful that I was still living or raged that I wasn't. 

She turned towards the door, but I stepped forward before she could leave. 

“Wait. Can you at least tell me what happened after I—”

“You’re in the east wing, where the Alpha accommodates his guests.” She paused, slowly studying me as our eyes met for the first time.

“My name is Vera and I have been assigned to you by the Alpha. Anything else?”

I could sense a bitchy attitude from her but I didn't want to press so it didn't go haywire.

“Did you say this room is for guests?” I asked for confirmation because locked doors didn't seem welcoming to begin with.

She simply nodded and stood like a statue. 

“Look Vera, I’m not here to cause trouble. I don't know what you might have heard but I’m only here because my father…”

“Yes. Because your father sent you.” Her bored expression disappeared and her muscles tensed up. “Everyone knows why you’re here.”

I straightened and tried smiling a bit in order not to set the wrong tone.

“I was sent to be the Alpha’s bride, to secure peace between our packs through a mate alliance. Is that what everyone knows?”

Vera stared at me for three seconds before laughing. It was full-on laughter that scared me a bit.

“The Alpha’s bride,” she repeated with distaste in her voice. “What makes you so sure a Ravenmark wolf could ever be Kael Ashgrave’s bride? The very Alpha? You’re not even mates.”

I couldn’t even explain the bond without revealing what I wasn’t ready to admit. It might even sound ridiculous so I swallowed my words.

“There’s been a misunderstanding.” I said instead, my fingers fidgeting with one another.

She didn’t look convinced.

I knew I was barking up the wrong tree with this conversation and no matter how hard I pushed, there would be no result.

“Have you seen my pendant?” I asked, changing the subject of discussion.

“No.”

Her reply was too abrupt and seemed suspicious. Before I could question her, she picked up the canvas bag and dropped it onto the bed.

“Here are some clothes and accessories. The Alpha wants to see you tonight.”

My stomach tightened like I swallowed a bug. “Tonight?”

“Yes. You are going to have an audience with the Alpha. I’d say that’s a rare privilege, but I doubt you’re in any position to appreciate it.”

She headed for the door, leaving me staring at the bag.

“Try not to stutter when you speak to him,” Vera called from the doorway. 

“Or you’ll be dead before the night is out.”

The door shut and was locked from the outside.

I paced the room with unease.

“An audience with the Alpha?” I repeated these words over and over.

Did that mean he wanted to hear my side of the story, or had he finally decided what to do with me? And the bond…Had he felt it too?

“What do I do with myself if he brings it up?" 

My pace increased as I bit down on my lip. My heart felt like it was about to explode within the ribcage.

In a few hours, I’d be standing before the man who wanted me dead, trying to convince him I was none other than a peace offering.

I could only hope he was willing to listen before he decided to kill me.

“Wait, why didn't he kill me when he had the chance to?”