7: Mark of restraint

The cell door opened for the second time that day.

Lena lifted her head, and she expected another tormentor. Instead, a young girl stood in the doorway while she held a tray of food. A heavy iron cuff was around her ankle, and that meant she was a slave.

"Take it back. I refuse to eat," Lena said, and her voice was hoarse.

The girl set the tray down and knelt before her, and she met Lena's gaze.

"Luna," the girl said.

"I am not your Luna," Lena said, and her voice was sharp.

The girl sighed. "You do not understand, do you. The longer you refuse, the worse my punishment will be. I am responsible for you now. I am your personal maid, and my name is Milicent."

Lena lifted her head fully and looked at the girl. The girl's eyes were pleading and desperate, and they held no cruelty. They only held quiet acceptance.

Lena's expression changed.

She knew this life because she remembered the fear of a head maid's anger and the cruel denial of food as punishment.

Memories of her time as a servant in the Crimson Moon Pack came back to her. If she were still there, she would not have endured the torment of last night.

That pain was beyond anything human.

She pulled the tray closer and began to eat.

Silence passed between them.

"When you are finished, I will prepare a bath and show you your room," Milicent said.

Lena stopped eating.

"My room," she said, and the words felt strange on her tongue.

She had never had a room of her own.

Before Milicent could answer, a sharp voice cut through the moment.

"That will not be necessary."

Cedric stepped into the cell, and his presence commanded attention. Milicent knelt at once and bowed her head.

"What is your name," Cedric said.

"Milicent, my lord," she said.

"Your mistress will come with me to the healer," Cedric said. "She needs care."

Milicent hesitated, and then she looked at Lena.

She saw Lena's swollen eyes and bruised cheeks and the raw wound on her wrist.

Lena looked like she was near death.

"As you wish, my lord," Milicent whispered as she lowered her head.

---

The road to the healer stretched before them. As they left the Alpha's castle, Lena saw the kingdom for the first time.

Milicent walked behind her while Cedric walked beside her in silence.

Beyond the tall castle walls, the pack's lands spread out before her. The streets were lined with large homes, and those homes were finely made. Even the houses at the edge of the territory had carvings and polished stone, and they were more refined than anything she had seen in the Crimson Moon Pack.

At last, they stopped before a large building. Words were written on a sign above the entrance, and those words were The Healer's House.

They stepped inside.

The air smelled of herbs and incense. At the far end of the room, a woman was tending to a customer. She lifted her head when they arrived.

Lena stopped moving.

A cold feeling went down her spine.

That was the witch who had sealed her fate with Alpha Darius the night before.

The healer's face showed nothing as she nodded her head.

"What brings the Luna to my home," she asked, and her voice was smooth.

Lena swallowed.

"She needs to be examined," Cedric said.

Lena pulled back her hood.

The room went quiet, and all eyes turned toward her.

The healer did not react. She turned and went up the stairs.

"Come," she said.

They followed her.

The room above was dim, and the air was thick with the smell of dried herbs and oils. Wooden shelves lined the walls, and those shelves held vials and old scrolls and strange plants. At the center of the room was a small bed with clean sheets.

"Sit," the healer said.

Lena hesitated, and Cedric looked at her. She had no choice. She stepped forward and sat on the bed, and her muscles ached with the movement.

The healer approached her, and her eyes were sharp as she studied Lena's face and then her arms.

She took Lena's wrist and turned it over. The deep cut was still fresh.

Milicent gasped.

The healer ran her finger along the wound. "This should have healed by now," she said. "How strange."

Lena pulled her arm back. "There is nothing strange about it," she said. "I told him that I am not a werewolf."

The healer smiled, and it was as if she knew something that Lena did not.

"Oh, I know exactly what you did," she said.

Lena went still.

The woman turned away, and her fingers moved over the bottles on the shelf. She chose a small vial that was filled with deep red liquid.

"You were prepared for this, were you not," she said as she moved the vial in her hand. "Your mother made sure of it. The Moon Mark of Restraint is cruel, but it works."

Lena's stomach turned.

She did not know what that meant.

The healer faced her again, and her gaze was knowing and calculating.

"Tell me, girl," she said. "Do you truly believe that sealing your wolf will save you."

Lena clenched her fists. "I do not know what you speak of," she said.

The healer's lips curled. "Witch," she said with a low laugh. "I am not a witch, girl. I am a healer. And you, a wolf once, should know what that means."

Lena said nothing.

The healer stepped closer. "Where does it hurt," she said.

Lena's throat tightened, and she hesitated. Then she spoke in a low voice.

"Last night, my lungs burned as though they were tearing apart. My heart felt as though it was being shredded." Her hand shook over her chest. "And my head felt as though it would split open."

The healer sighed, and she understood what that pain meant. But she did not say it out loud.

She opened the vial.

"Drink," she said.

Lena frowned. "I do not trust anything that comes from your hands."

The healer smiled. "Suit yourself. But if you want to survive in this pack, you will need strength. This will ease your pain."

Lena hesitated.

Every part of her ached, and her wrist throbbed while her limbs felt heavy.

She took the vial with her trembling fingers, and she raised it to her lips.

The moment the liquid touched her tongue, fire went through her veins.

Lena gasped, and her back arched while the pain was unbearable.

Milicent rushed forward. "Luna," she said.

The healer watched without moving.

Lena's vision blurred, and her breath came in short gasps.

She did not know what was happening to her.

Darkness closed in around her, and then everything went black.