جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

“You miserable bastard!” I snarled, lunging toward him. The chain held me in place, keeping me from reaching him, but it didn’t matter. I stood before the source of my pain, my hatred, my devastation.I only wanted to kill him. I needed to kill him.“You’ll die! I’ll rip your eyes out and shove them down your throat! You mangy m*tt!” My screams warped into low, furious snarls. I felt the wolf inside me bark and snarl, salivating as its fangs readied to tear Roamur apart.He, however, remained impassive, standing there, utterly indifferent to my state, looking down at me with that smug superiority.It went like this for a while, the suppression chains did their work, stopping me from shifting, draining my strength until every attempt left me more exhausted. I fell to my knees, gasping, my hands clawing at the floor as if I could crawl toward my target.It was useless, but my body answered my hate by instinct.“Finished with the show?” Roamur asked.Exhaustion took over me; I collapsed

I couldn’t say how long it had been since Rayan’s last visit. The steel curtain no longer opened for his little shows and no food came, so I had nothing to keep track of the passage of time.Hertor was nowhere to be seen either, he probably couldn’t get to me while Rayan’s direct orders stood. I even wondered if this would be the end: would I really starve in a dark cell, cut off from the world while my body wasted away?Deep down I knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Rayan wouldn’t go to all that trouble only to let me die that way.And I was right. Eventually the food returned, still the same grimy wash-bucket water and scraps, but food nonetheless. The brute on duty shoved the tray at me with his boot, eyes full of disdain, as if he were feeding a sick animal.As soon as he shut the door, hunger overcame whatever dignity I had left and I devoured the meal. Even with a face full of disgust, I was starving and needed anything I could get.It was then I noticed something wrapped beneath

Now that I knew exactly what I had to do, I needed to figure out how. I wasn’t so naive as to think convincing Rayan to free me and perform the ceremony to make me his Luna would be easy. Gaining his trust wouldn’t be simple.So it needed to look like he really broke me and that I was at his mercy. And for that I needed the only person who showed any sympathy at all in there: Hertor.First I had to convince Hertor I’d reached my limit, to make him see me as a tired, broken woman, ready to yield yet still craving recognition. That wasn’t difficult to do since it wasn’t a lie.Then I would wait for him to mention my state to Rayan. Of course he would. Even if I didn’t ask, he would offer himself and probably report. So It wouldn’t take long for Rayan to come and gloat in person; it was exactly his sort of thing.Now the problem was: how long Hertor would take to appear now? It would be a race against the last threads of my dignity, against the few reserves of strength I had left. I had

Hertor.It makes no sense to me that a man who has everything would deprive himself of love in the name of vengeance.But that was exactly what Rayan was doing.Rayan had always been my best friend, we had known each other since childhood. My father was Roamur’s Arie captain, just as I am Rayan’s now. If my father had not died in the war, perhaps he would still hold the post, or perhaps he would have retired with Roamur and I could go to him now for counsel.But no, that is not the case.When I left the dungeon where Violet was held, I could still smell her on me. It was a sweet torment that made me regret taking the Arie oath. Following in my father’s footsteps had seemed like an honor at the time, a way to repay everything the Karin house had done for us. But I had no idea what I was giving up, not until I saw her.I was patrolling the far side of the Rubro Lake, not a zone of conflict, so I allowed myself to admire the view. I should not have admired it so long, or perhaps I shoul

When I woke up, I was no longer in the same familiar cell as always. It wasn’t Rayan’s room either, but it wasn’t an ordinary room. I felt a soft mattress beneath my body, something I had almost forgotten the name of… comfort. Yes, I was comfortable.There was a gentle, soothing warmth from the morning light bathing my body.I tried to sit up on the bed, but it was useless. I was dizzy.“Wait, my lady.” A young female voice echoed, and I heard hurried footsteps approaching me. Her touch was light as she reached my back and guided me down again onto the mattress. “It’s not wise to stand just yet.”She picked up a silk sheet and draped it over me.“Who are you?” I asked, using what little strength I had left to speak and focus my eyes on her.She was a young girl, probably sixteen or seventeen. Blonde hair tied in a high bun with a few loose strands at the sides.“My name is Diana, my lady. I’m your assigned handmaiden.” She gave a small curtsy in her brown dress, and the dizziness over