Chapter 3: The Taste of Liquid Ash

I stood outside the pack-house conservatory, holding a basket of freshly picked lunar-lilies from the clinic gardens. My father, the pack's healer had ordered me to deliver them to the Alpha’s estate for the pre-gala decorations, a final chore to ensure I was kept busy while Seraphina finalized her beauty treatments at home. Every step I took sent a sharp, throbbing reminder through my taped ribs, but my mind was perfectly numb.

I was just about to reach for the handle of the glass double doors when a low, familiar laugh stopped me cold.

"Stop it, Kael... someone might see us," Seraphina’s voice giggled, breathless and airy.

I froze, stepping back into the shadow of the thick ivy crawling up the brick wall. I had stumbled upon this in my past life but I didn't allow my mind to process it as a betrayal because I trusted Kael, I just delivered the flowers and went straight back home. But now, through the slightly dusty glass pane of the conservatory window, the scene unfolded like a beautifully staged horror movie.

Kael stood by the marble fountain, his large, muscular hands clamped firmly around my sister’s waist, pulling her flush against his chest. He wasn't wearing his training gear today; he was already dressed in a crisp white button-down shirt, the top two buttons undone, looking every bit the regal heir he was. His blue eyes, which used to look at me with such fierce intensity, were dilated with pure lust as he stared down at Seraphina.

"Let them look," Kael murmured, his deep baritone vibrating through the glass. "The elders are already finalizing the paperwork. By this time tomorrow, the whole continent will know you're my chosen Luna. I don't have to hide you anymore, Sera."

Seraphina smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "And what about the little mouse at home? Are you sure she won't cause trouble? She looked so pathetic cleaning up the kitchen floor this morning."

Kael let out a dark, dismissive chuckle, leaning down until his nose brushed against her jawline. "Aria is nothing. A tool. She passed the biometric tests, got us the entry token, and that’s all she was ever good for. Don't worry your pretty head about her, my queen. Tonight, her little story ends, and ours begins."

Then, he bent his head and kissed her.

It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was deep, possessive, and dripping with an intimate familiarity that told me this had been going on for a very, very long time. He kissed her with the exact same hunger he used to mock when he claimed he could barely stand her presence.

Deep inside my mind, Nyx didn't even growl. She just let out a cold, whistling breath, her metaphorical teeth bared in a silent, deathly grin. “Look at them, Aria. Look at how beautifully they blend together. Two snakes sharing the same venom.”

Watch the door, I thought back, my heart rate remaining entirely steady. The pain of the betrayal had already passed; it had turned into something far more dangerous. It had turned into ammunition.

I purposely stepped backward, letting my foot heavy-handedly crush a dry branch on the gravel path.

The sound cracked through the quiet gardens like a gunshot.

Inside the conservatory, Kael and Seraphina instantly broke apart. Through the glass, I saw a flash of sheer panic cross Kael’s face before his Alpha instincts kicked in, his eyes darting toward the window. Seraphina quickly ducked behind a row of tall ferns, hiding her face.

The glass door flew open a second later. Kael stepped out, his chest heaving, his blue eyes wide as they locked onto me. He scanned my face frantically, trying to read how much I had seen, his hands twitching at his sides.

"Aria!" he breathed, his voice pitching slightly higher than normal. He closed the distance between us in two large strides, his scent of cedarwood and mint washing over me. "What.. what are you doing here? How long have you been standing there?"

I tilted my head up, letting my shoulders slump. I forced my lower lip to tremble slightly, widening my eyes to look like the naive, heartbroken girl he expected me to be. I made sure to let him see the fresh, angry red blister on my wrist from the scalding tea my mother had poured on me.

"I... I just got here, Kael," I whispered, keeping my voice soft, breathless, and laced with a delicate fear. I held up the basket of lilies like a shield. "Father told me to bring these for the decorations. Is... is everything okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Kael’s eyes aggressively searched mine. He looked at the basket, then at my trembling hands, and finally at the swelling on my cheek. He let out a long, slow breath, his entire posture relaxing. The arrogant, manipulative Alpha was back. He truly believed I was too stupid, too deeply in love with him to ever suspect anything.

"Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine, sweetheart," Kael murmured, stepping even closer. He reached out, his fingers gently brushing against my unbruised cheek, his touch making my stomach churn with disgust. "I was just... discussing some pack security matters with one of the elders' assistants inside. It’s stressful. The Selection opens tonight, and my father is breathing down my neck."

"Oh," I said, letting out a small, submissive sigh as I leaned faintly into his hand, playing the part perfectly. "I'm sorry. I know how much pressure you're under. I promise I won't be a burden to you, Kael. I'll do exactly what you said last night. I'll stay locked in my room. I'll wait for you."

A flash of intense relief and a sickening hint of pity crossed his handsome face. He smiled, that smooth, manipulative smile that used to make my heart flutter.

"That's my good girl," Kael whispered, his voice dripping with false devotion as he leaned down, pressing a lingering kiss to my forehead, right above my bruised cheek. "You're so strong, Aria. Just give me a few weeks to handle the politics, and I’ll come back to claim you. I swear it. Everything I'm doing tonight... it's all for us."

"I know," I murmured against his chest, keeping my hands resting lightly on his shirt.

Over his broad shoulder, through the glass window of the conservatory, I caught Seraphina’s gaze. She was peeking out from behind the ferns, a nasty, mocking smirk plastered across her face as she watched Kael manipulate me. She thought I was still that pathetic, blind idiot. She thought she was still watching that girl counting down her final hours.

I looked right back at her through the glass, letting my expression remain entirely blank, entirely broken.

Enjoy your smirk, Seraphina, I thought, my mind already calculating the hours left until sunset. Enjoy the society and the silver-tracked mask. Treasure every single second you stand by his side tonight.

"I should go finish the deliveries," I told Kael softly, pulling away from his touch with a shy, obedient nod.

"Go on, sweetheart. Stay safe," Kael said, flashing me one last reassuring smile before turning back toward the conservatory.

I turned around and walked away down the gravel path, my head bowed until I finally cleared the pack-house gates. The moment I was out of their sight, my spine snapped straight. The fragile, trembling posture vanished. I wiped his disgusting kiss off my forehead with the back of my hand, a cold, lethal fire igniting in my veins.

They thought they were driving me to the Silver-Rock cliffs tonight to end my life. They thought everything is going to go their way and watch me plunge into the dark, they have no idea what I'm planning, I'm not some weak wolf they think I am.

But I was the one holding the cards now. By the time they realized the body at the bottom of the cliff wasn't mine, it would be too late.

“The storm is coming, Aria,” Nyx purred, her voice a dark, intoxicating melody of pure vengeance. “Let us go prepare our shroud.”

Yes, I thought back, my fingers tightening around the handle of the basket. Let’s go get our mask.