The Vanishing Act

Elira

Liora’s grip on my arm is like absolute iron, her sharp claws digging into my skin as she brutally drags me through the dark, cold corridors.

I stumble and scrape my bare feet on the cold stone, my weak body failing from days of hunger and endless work. “Let me go at once!” I snap, twisting against her merciless hold.

She offers no answer, simply yanking me harder; her crown glinting brightly in the torchlight. “Keep moving forward, slave,” she hisses, her voice sharp and filled with pure venom.

We emerge into an empty, lonely chamber, the air heavy with ancient dust and silence. She shoves me down violently, my knees hitting the stone floor with a sudden, jarring jolt.

My scar throbs, catching the faint moonlight from a cracked window. “What is the meaning of this awful action?” I say, my voice hoarse but still defiant. “Why have you dragged me here?”

Liora smiles slowly, a cruel, cold twist of her lips. “Shut your mouth permanently,” she says. “You do not get the right to ask questions now. Speak again, and you will only make this situation worse.”

I glare at her intensely, confusion mixing with intense anger. “What exactly are you talking about, Liora?” I say, my voice rising sharply. “Why drag me to this desolate place? What crime are you planning?”

She laughs, taking a step closer, her gown sweeping the filthy floor. She grabs my chin, forcing my head up sharply.

“Look at you,” she says, her voice full of mocking disdain. “So bold now, are you not? That single meal Kael gave you must have put some fire back into you. Before, you were nothing but a corpse, but now you have a mouth to talk back.”

“What exactly do you want now, Liora?” I snap, jerking my chin free from her grip. “What is this sudden gathering about? Why are you being so extremely cruel to me?”

She laughs again, the sound cold and sharp. “You are such a talkative pest,” she says. “When will you truly shut up? My mother is coming, so you had absolutely better keep quiet and simply wait here.”

I stare at her, my heart pounding hard against my ribs. “Your mother?” I say, my voice dropping low. “What has Veyra got to do with this strange place?”

“Quiet!” she snaps loudly, her eyes flashing dangerously. “You will find out all soon enough. Keep talking like that, and you will regret your words.”

I clench my fists tightly, the scar on my palm intensely itching. Every second that passes, I want to lunge at her, to fight my way out entirely, but I am far too weak. Instead, I kneel there, glaring fiercely, my eyes burning with painful defiance.

Footsteps echo loudly behind me, slow and deliberate now. I turn, and Veyra steps into the cold chamber, her robes sweeping the floor like she is already a queen. Her cold, calculating eyes lock instantly onto me. I stay silent and completely still, my body tense, waiting for her to make her terrible strike.

“Well, well,” Veyra says, her voice smooth but heavily laced with venom. “My own stepdaughter, here at last. Kneeling exactly where you truly belong.”

I meet her gaze, my jaw tight with tension. “Why am I here with you?” I say, my voice steady despite the intense fear creeping in. “Have you not already punished me enough with the chains?”

She laughs, a low, cruel sound that chills me. “Punished?” she says. “You do not have the right to question me at all, Elira. You are nothing—a cursed slave who dares to dream of stealing my daughter’s special place.”

“Stealing?” I say, my voice suddenly rising. “I did not ask for the mate bond with Kael. But you and Liora—you have lied to the pack, lied to absolutely everyone here. You stole my true place, the one my own father promised to Kael’s family.”

Veyra’s eyes narrow sharply, and Liora steps forward, her voice becoming very sharp. “You think you can talk about broken promises?” she says. “You genuinely think Kael cares deeply about you? He gave you food out of simple pity, nothing more than that.”

“Pity?” I laugh, the sound bitter and completely raw. “If it is truly just pity, why are you two so terribly scared, Liora? Why drag me all the way here just to threaten me?”

“Scared?” Liora snaps fiercely, her crown tilting as she leans closer. “Of you? You are completely delusional. Kael absolutely belongs to me. You are simply a cursed dog who mistakenly thought she could be Luna instead.”

“Then why has he still not rejected me entirely?” I say, my voice shaking with pure anger. “If I am truly nothing, why does the bond still pull him so strongly? You feel it too, do you not? That is exactly why you are both here now.”

Liora’s face twists, and she immediately grabs my arm, her nails digging deeply into my skin. “Shut up quickly!” she hisses. “You are nothing at all to him. He will never choose you over me.”

“Enough speaking,” Veyra says, her voice cutting through the space like a sharp blade. She steps closer to me, her eyes glinting with immense malice. “You think you can successfully seduce Kael with your pathetic bond? Get this truth through your thick head, Elira—he completely belongs to Liora now and forever.”

I laugh, weak but defiantly loud. “You can lie to the pack all you want,” I say, meeting her cold gaze. “You can successfully lie to Kael himself. But you can never lie to the moon goddess. The bond chose me for him, not Liora. One day, your deep secrets will spill out, and you will pay for your terrible crimes.”

Veyra grabs my chin roughly, her grip bruising my skin. “No one will ever believe your words,” she says, her voice low and dangerous. “You are known as a cursed killer, officially blamed for the king’s tragic death. And after this night is finished, you will be absolutely nothing to this pack.”

My heart suddenly stumbles hard. “What do you truly mean by that?” I say, my voice trembling with sudden fear. “What awful thing are you planning for me?”

She smiles, the expression cold and totally final. “You will be entirely gone,” she says. “Out of our way for good, permanently.”

“Gone where exactly?” I demand, leaning forward despite the sharp pain in my knees. “What are you really going to do to my body?”

Liora laughs again, stepping right beside her mother. “Oh, you will absolutely find out the hard way,” she says, her voice dripping with cruel mockery. “You won’t be talking back to anyone after this is complete.”

“Tell me now!” I shout, my voice echoing desperately in the empty chamber. “What exactly are you scheming to do?”

Veyra releases my chin, her cruel smile unwavering. “You have no power here with us,” she says. “You have no voice. You have no future life. Be totally silent right now, or we will surely make this whole situation worse for you.”

I glare at her, the mate bond burning fiercely in my chest—a painful reminder of Kael’s brief touch, his conflicted, angry eyes. “You cannot truly break the moon bond,” I say, my voice raw and choked. “Kael surely feels it. He will absolutely know the truth about your lies one day.”

Liora snarls, viciously grabbing my hair again. “He will never choose a creature like you,” she says. “You are nothing but a curse to him.”

“Then why are you two so utterly afraid right now?” I shoot back, my wolf stirring faintly, gathering final strength. “If I am truly nothing, why go to all this immense, awful trouble just for me?”