Rhiannon's POV

It was the morning of the trial.

The gown they gave me was pure white silk, so thin you could literally see every curve of my body and beneath it was a golden rune, just tiny enough to be seen closely.

They said it signified the purity of a Luna but it made me laugh because there was none left in me. I had given it all up when Knox rejected me.

As we moved, I didn't know where I was being taken to the guards strode in front of me, their swords swinging on their hips as they moved. This time, the beast didn't follow behind me and I couldn't help but feel as though a part of me was missing.

I pursed my lips, fumbling with the edge of my sleeves trying to keep my hands from shivering but inside of me, I was already trembling. I couldn't let them see my nervousness, it would literally increase the gossip about me and I couldn't give them the satisfaction.

The moment we entered what looked like the gate of a garden, the air suddenly changed, suffocating and gloomy.

This didn't look like a garden instead, it looked like a field of blood and death, disgusted to entice people with its beauty. And from the trees, leaves and black, huge thorns grew out, shimmering as though they were laced with a deadly poison.

I looked down, there were intricate designs and symbols on the ground and beneath them were trap doors and magic that made my blood turn cold. I tilted to my side, spotting a rose flower, just as I was about to sigh with relief that it wasn't twisted, I saw it literally dripping blood from its roots, reeking of faint copper and wolf'sbane.

And just like yesterday, the entire pack had gathered for the trail. The court of elders and other higher officials were already seated, watching from the balconies like hungry blood sucking bastards, whispering amongst themselves, cackling, and probably betting.

Before I could even look for Rael, I felt his presence.

From the corner, a soldier with a scarred face came up to me, pointing at the far end of the garden where at the edge was a throne, made out of spiky, dried bones, dark as Obsidian, high backed and screamed of menace and cruelty.

And on it, Rael sat like a god, one hand resting on the armrest, the other slowly stroking his chin.

“Run to the king,” the soldier said, still pointing towards Rael. “Now”

I raised a brow. “Run? Why?”

“If you want to survive this, you're gonna run” he sneered.

My frown deepened in my face. “In this cloth?” I asked, gently tugging the dress that literally clung to my skin. My feet were bare, my hairs dancing behind me as the wind howled and blew.

“You don't have much time….” The soldier added. “When the last bell rings out, the garden eats you alive”

His words seemed to excite the garden because the next second, the vines moved, twisting, reaching out to grab me, the thorns all pointed towards me and beneath my feet, I felt the ground rumble.

This garden was alive and blood hungry and if I didn't run, I was gonna get eaten alive.

I spun my heels and ran, but as I ran even deeper, I got confused.

The garden was a fucking maze hidden in dark magic. If I took one step, I'll get swallowed alive and two reckless steps would rip me apart. As I ran through the maze, a vine snaked around my ankle, almost yanking me down through a bundle of poisoned nettles.

I yelled, digging my skin into the ground as I tried to resist, finally, it let go, hissing as it recoiled back into the trees.

And the dark magic made me see crazy illusions too. I saw Knox's face twisted with disgust, the. My father's stern voice and my mother's happy laughter.

I choked on a sob, forgotten memories I tried so hard to bury, resurfacing beyond my control. As I moved even deeper, the garden became more aggressive and excited, the spiky thorns clawing at my thighs and arms, drawing out blood which trickled down my legs. From a hidden book, my shoulder split open, but I didn't cry, not even a whimper.

Finally, I made it

I gasped almost inaudibly, collapsing at Rael's foot, the world around me spinning, my blood dripping down my skin onto the ground.

I looked up to meet his gaze, his expression still cold but beneath those empty orbs, he looked at me like a code with too many loopholes.

He squinted his gaze slightly. “Hmm….you didn't die..yet” he muttered under his breath, but I heard him.

“And that's what you fucking wanted, huh?” I asked, my voice cracking.

“No,” he replied flatly.

I coughed, tried to sit up, my hands slipping in my own blood. "Then what?"

He leaned forward a bit. "To see if the moon told me the truth about my mate."

Then he stood up and walked away. I was pulled back up to the tower by two guards who didn't say a word. They didn't look at me either.

My dress was ripped, dirty and bloody, stuck to my skin. I hurt all over. My vision was blurry. The air was cold and thin.

When they pushed me into the tower, I fell to the floor and didn't move. Not until he came. The door opened without warning. Rael entered quietly. The beast wasn't with him. There were no guards. No one else.

"You will bathe," he said. His voice was quiet and calm. "You smell of weakness and blood." I didn't respond. I was too weak.

Servants came in moments later with hot water, clothes, and scented oils. They came close like I was something fragile. Rael waved them away with a quick gesture. They left without a word.

Then he knelt behind me. And I held my breath. Not when he touched me. Not when he put the cloth in the warm water and pressed it to my back. The blood ran down my spine in dark streams, mixing with the bathwater. The smell of rosemary and ash filled the air. I winced when he touched a sore spot on skin.

“Don't…don't flinch” he snarled, his voice low. “If you really want to stay alive and complete this, you'll have to learn to bleed cleaner”

As his words rang out, there wasn't even the slightest trace of emotion in his tone, but his movements on my skin said otherwise; slow and gentle as though going fast would bruise my skin.

Suddenly, I felt him pause in his tracks, just an inch above my hip where a thorn had lodged into my flesh.

“Take a deep breath” I heard him say and knew what he was about to do.

I pursed my lips, my hands clenched in a tight fist and the next moment, a scream tore through my throat as he pulled out the thorn now covered and dripping in my own blood.

He tossed it to the corner and continued cleaning like nothing happened and for a long time, none of us said anything.

Finally, I broke the silence. “You clean good? Where did you learn to clean wounds like this?” I asked.

He paused for a brief moment, frozen and when he answered, his tone was dark, almost as though it echoed from the abyss.

“No where,” he replied, his voice cracking. “I had a brother years ago. He bled a lot so, I had to learn”

I tilted my head slightly. “Where is he now?”

He furrowed his brows slightly, his fingers tightening against the cloth. “I buried him…then, I stopped bleeding for anyone”

I nodded and turned back, saying nothing.

Finally, when he was done, he got up, tossing the now bloody cloth into the basin as he strode towards the window.

“Don't mistake this for kindness” he muttered without turning. “I just tend to care for what's mine”

********

That night, I couldn't sleep so I decided to take a stroll through the halls of the pack house.

I wandered for too long, I came across a hall of mirrors. It was at the far end of the pack house, it looked abandoned.

As I walked in, the air turned icy, biting into my skin making me shiver.

I widened my eyes in awe, looking around the hall. The mirrors weren't just made of glass, no. Around them were ancient symbols, pulsing with magic and some reflected things that weren't in the room while others reflected past memories and fears.

I couldn't understand them, not fully.

But as I turned to the corner, one seemed to draw me in.

It flickered with Rael's reflection inside of mine.

He was shirtless, it seemed as though he was standing behind me, but at the other end of the hall. Maybe he couldn't see me because he didn't turn, just slowly caressing the runes on his chest. One seemed to catch my eyes, it was still forming.

I turned my head, the mirror beside me seemed to change, this time, it showed my reflection, standing beside Rael.

I furrowed my brows with confidence. That couldn't be possible, I was right here.

Then, from the shadows, I heard a voice whisper. “It's the girl…she slows the stone and makes the blood heated. The moon knew, that's why she assigned her to you”

I turned my head quickly but saw no one behind me, just my own reflection.

I didn't understand what that meant, but I didn't stay to know because the next moment, I rushed out of the hall, back to my room, my heart pounding vigorously in my chest.

********

The next day, the court had a party. But it felt like a joke. Music played. Wine was poured. People laughed, but it was mean spirited. They put me in a blue silk dress and showed me off like a prize.

I stood next to Rael, and he didn't even look at me.

A nobleman walked up, drunk and carrying a sword. "She's not claimed," he said loudly. "It's custom to challenge if the bond isn't sealed." Rael didn't say anything. So the man pulled out his sword and pointed it at my chest.

Rael moved fast, without warning. There was no sound. Just blood. The nobleman screamed, his hand with the sword fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"The next man who touches her will die screaming," Rael said. Then he sat back down.

******

That night, I found a small black ring on my pillow. I picked it up with trembling fingers. A note was underneath it. ‘Let this remind you what I protect and how.’

There was no name signed. But I knew who it was.

Later, I went back to the hall of mirrors. The silence there felt different now. Thicker. Like the air knew something I didn't. The mirror that had shown our reflection flickered again.

And this time, I saw wolves. Mine, shining white. His, black and broken. Chains tied them together. Glowing. Holding them. I reached out, my fingers touched the surface.

As soon as I did, the air shifted. Heat flooded the room. My skin felt like it was on fire, the mirror shattered and behind me, the floor cracked. Then the tower shook. Louder, violently.

I turned around, my heart racing in my chest. Rael stood at the end of the hallway. Without a shirt. Covered in blood. His eyes were black, not just dark, but empty. And he wasn't breathing.

"Rael?" I whispered.

He didn't respond. His chest, where the symbols were, was glowing with a mark I'd never seen before. It spread across his skin like fire, moving fast. He took a step forward. I stepped back. "What's happening?”

"You touched the mirror," he growled. But it wasn't just his voice. It was something deeper. "You set off the curse." The walls blew out.

The beast let out a loud roar. And Rael lunged straight for my throat, his eyes blazing. He said one thing.

"You're going to kill me, Rhiannon.”