CHAPTER FORTY-SEVENELOWYNBetsy didn’t wait for me that morning. Her bed was already made, the blanket tucked tight. I had thought that we had grown close enough to go to the stable together... Maybe Betsy didn't think so. I stared at the empty space for a while before getting up. Samantha and Kara were not here too. I prepared in silence, enjoying the little moment of solitude. When I got to the Stables, I found Betsy rinsing the pails. “Betsy,” I called.She straightened slowly, brushing her palms against her skirt. No smile lit up her face. Instead, she had a dreaded look on her face. One that I'd never seen before. “You’re up early.” Her tone was mild.stables,“Yes. And that's because I have got duties. You left without me.”Her eyes flicked to mine, then away. “Didn’t want to wake you. You looked like you needed the extra sleep.”“Well, if I'd been caught by one of the guards, they wouldn't have thought so.” I grumbled, half annoyed. I expected Betsy to laugh off my comme
CHAPTER FORTY-SIXBETSYThis was not the first time the Luna had called for me.I knew the way to her chambers by heart now. The path through the quiet halls, the way the guards looked away when I passed, the sound of my shoes on the cold stone floor. Every visit left my stomach twisted. Every visit reminded me that I had already stepped into something I could not escape.When I entered, the Luna was standing by the window. Her hair shone like polished bronze under the light, and her green eyes fixed on me the moment the door closed.“You’re late,” she said quietly.“I came as soon as the guards told me, Luna,” I replied, keeping my eyes low.She didn’t answer at first. She only turned back to the window, her hands clasped behind her back. “You’ve been quiet lately,” she said. “That worries me.”I swallowed. “I’ve had more work in the kitchens, Luna. The training too.”Sabrina looked over her shoulder, a faint smile on her lips. “And Elowyn?”I froze. “She… she’s doing fine, Luna. She
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVEELOWYNThe air at the mountain base buzzed with noise and dust. Groups were already forming under the morning sun. Warriors, youths, and omegas moving into their lines while Rhea shouted orders that cut through the chatter like a whip.I found myself at the far end of the clearing, surrounded by young wolves who were all waiting to be old enough to shift. I stood among them, small and unsure, the only one without a trace of wolf scent on me.They noticed it too.When Rhea told us to spread out, one of the girls, a freckled thing with sharp teeth and sharper eyes whispered something to her friend. Both of them giggled.“She doesn’t even have a wolf,” one said, not bothering to lower her voice. “What’s she doing here?”“Maybe she’ll throw dirt at the enemy,” the other replied, snickering.My face burned, but I said nothing. I had grown used to that kind of whisper, but it never stopped stinging.Rhea’s voice snapped me from my thoughts. “Feet apart, knees bent. Keep y
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR ELOWYN “Come,” Betsy said, her voice soft but steady. “They’ll be needing milking again soon. The kitchen servants will come for their share before long.”I followed her, cautious. My eyes darted to Suzanna, the big white goat with sharp eyes and an even sharper horn.Betsy crouched down and began to move among the goats, brushing her hands over their fur, whispering things I couldn’t hear. The goats, restless a moment ago, started to settle. One leaned into Betsy’s palm, another pressed its head gently against her shoulder.I stopped to watch. There was something peaceful about the way she moved, something that softened even the air around her.“How do you do that?” I asked quietly.Betsy looked up at me with a faint smile. “Do what?”“Make them behave like that. It’s as if they can understand you.”She chuckled, shaking her head. “There’s no magic in it. They just know me. I’ve been tending to them since they were born. They know my voice, my smell.” She tilted
CHAPTER FORTY-THREEELOWYNWhen morning came, my first thought was of Betsy.I sat up slowly, the faint light of dawn slipping through the cracks in the wall. The room was quiet now. Samantha and Kara were still asleep, their soft snores filling the space. I stayed there for a while, listening to the sound, wishing I could fall back into the kind of sleep that didn’t hurt to wake from.But I couldn’t.Betsy was still missing. Her bunk bed still sad empty, just as it had been yesterday evening. I swung my legs off the bunk, rubbed my face, and got up. My muscles still ached from the day before, but I ignored the pain and pulled on my dress. I slipped out quietly so I wouldn’t wake the girls and hurried down the hallway. It was still dawn and the sun still hid behind the clouds. The other servants who moved about their duties wore heavy clothes to keep the morning cold at bay. I made my way towards the animal pen. If Betsy wasn’t in the quarters, she had to be there. She never misse
CHAPTER FORTY-TWOELOWYNBy the time I made it back to the servants’ quarters, the night was quiet again.Everyone had retired, but the palace still buzzed with excitement.The female servants hugged themselves, laughed, and whispered like children, while the men clapped each other’s backs, grinning wide.I stood there for a moment, watching them, wishing there was someone I could share my joy with. Sadness rose inside me as I remembered that my family was far away.If I were back home, I would have told Dad and Brennan everything. Even Bertha would have hugged me in excitement over our victory.My legs ached as I made my way down the southern wing. The torches along the walls burned low, throwing weak light across the stone floor. My eyes stung, and my arms felt heavy. I dragged my hand along the wall until I reached the door to the small room I shared with the other girls.I paused. I already knew they’d be inside.When I pushed the door open, the small space was lit by a single oil