No escape
No escape
After Miriam left, I settled in silence in my room. My thoughts, however, refused to settle.
I sat for what felt like hours, the silence pressing on me as I studied the sketch of the cure symbol I had copied onto paper. Its jagged lines and incomplete form mocked me. Could something this crude truly hold the secret to breaking the curse?
Can I really make the dream I'd just sold Miriam come true with this?
Is it even real?
Morr importantly, I wonder how things would turn out if the cure was all a lie, fear and anxiety gripped me.
It wasn't until the dull hue of dusk shone through that I was finally able to force myself to set my thoughts aside. I realized that if I wasn’t careful, I would lose myself in endless speculation.
With a sigh, I began working on the second copy, the clean one I meant to hand to Icarus later. Every careful stroke of the pen carried weight, like I was crafting not just a drawing but a key-- one that I felt could change everything.
When the invisible dinner bell rang in my mind, I stretched, smoothed my clothes, and tucked both sketches safely away to bring with me. By the time I left my room, my heart was already bracing for the inevitable atmosphere waiting downstairs as I could very much hear that something was going on.
And as expected, something really was.
The hall was loud and rowdy before I stepped in, a mixture of laughter, raised voices, clinking mugs, and the heavy scent of roasted meat shared amongst an unusual number of pack members. It's a feast!
I observed for a while, a few noticing my presence as they were all too engrossed in the feast. However, the moment my feet crossed the threshold, the noise shifted. Not silenced completely, but strained, like a string pulled too tight.
Dozens of eyes turned toward me. Betas, omegas, even gammas. All of them pausing, all of them weighing me with gazes that weren’t subtle.
It was as though me stepping forward to join in was something offensive and that they hadn't expected. A though I was just supposed to stand by the stairs and watch. It was quite bizarre.
But, I couldn't care any less.
I let my chin rise just slightly. If they think they could intimidate me, they’d find I wasn’t so easily cowed.
I kept walking, but then I couldn't help but come to stop when I spotted Michael. A crowd cleared from him, revealing the Alpha sat at the head of the dining table, eating with such ease it was hard to believe he had been torn open and bleeding only earlier.
This man was heavily wounded, needing to rest, yet here he is!
His bandages were gone, at least where I could see. No sign of pain crossed his face as he lifted a goblet, talking and smirking as though nothing had happened. He looked… untouchable.
Then my gaze brushed Icarus in the distance, chewing noisily while nursing a drink, his usual careless stance belying the sharpness in his eyes. When he caught me watching, I gave him the faintest nod. He returned it, subtle but perceptive. Later, I promised silently.
But the moment passed, and the weight of the hall’s attention pressed again.
Jan was also here, of course, perched on one side of the table like a cat waiting to pounce. Her eyes glowed with the same venom as the betas glaring at me. The air thickened with their silent judgment.
And then Michael chuckled.
“Luna,” he greeted me warmly, almost too warmly. His smirk lingered as he motioned toward me. “Finally, you’ve joined us.”
I moved closer, answering with careful calm. “I thought I might. And how are your... wounds?” I pointed, showing I still didn't get why he was moving around already with how ghastly his wounds had been.
He tilted his head, amused. “Persistent,” he said, “but I heal fast enough. Doesn’t look it, does it?”
No. It didn’t. Not at all. His movements were too smooth, too deliberate, like the scars had already become nothing more than memory. I couldn’t help the doubt creeping in, but before I could linger on it, Michael cut in again.
“Funny thing,” he said, raising his voice enough for the nearest tables to hear. “I heard you caused quite the stir while I was sleeping off my injuries.”
The crowd rumbled. Someone muttered, “Damn right she did,” and another spat something about her overstepping. A few didn’t bother to lower their voices.
I smiled, lifting my hands lightly in mock confusion. “Oh? I don’t think I’ve done anything. Truly.”
My feigned innocence only sharpened the muttering. Some cursed under their breath, others turned their faces away with open disdain.
But Michael only smirked wider, his sharp gaze cutting across the hall. “No need to linger on it,” he told them, his tone carrying the weight of command. “She acted for the good of the pack. And besides…” He leaned back, lazy but dangerous. “She didn’t stop anyone from taking what they wanted. You sabotaged yourselves. Don’t blame the Luna for your greed.”
That silenced them more effectively than a shout. The truth of it burned, and they knew it. The grumbles softened into reluctant resignation.
Still, one voice dared protest, bitter and cutting: “The Alpha always backs her up.”
Michael laughed outright, facing the beta who said this. “Of course I do. She’s my Luna.”
The statement, bold as it was, left a ripple across the hall. Some scoffed, some exchanged glances, and Jan’s lip curled with disdain. But no one challenged him further. Not when his smirk had that dangerous edge.
Then he lifted his goblet high. “Enough of this. Tonight is no night for petty grumbling. We won a battle, let's feast.”
The command loosened the tension at once. Dishes clattered, mugs were raised, and conversation resumed in louder tones. The hall filled with the sound of chewing, laughter, and toasts. But the glances at me lingered, shadows of resentment not so easily banished. I didn't mind, I snatched a chair and sat beside him.
Michael leaned closer, his voice quieter now, meant only for me. “You’ll give me your record of the spoils later,” he said. “And... Tell me, what made you think of doing it at all?"
I kept my expression neutral as I nodded. “Of course. It only seemed natural. Someone has to manage these things. I thought it my role as Luna.”
He laughed at that, genuine amusement sparking in his eyes. “Head of management, is it?”
Before I could respond, his gaze flickered past me, catching on a group of gammas. His smirk faltered into something colder, thoughtful. “Be right back,” he murmured, drink in hand as he moved toward them.
I caught the flick of movement as Ciel followed close behind, his grin easy, his nod to me casual. I returned it with a brief one of my own, though a sliver of unease trailed after him. Something was brewing, clearly, but it wasn’t my place to follow. Not yet.
This was my chance.
I slipped away from the main cluster, weaving between tables until I reached the corner where Icarus stood with his back half-turned, tearing at a hunk of meat like it had wronged him. He laughed with the men near him, but the moment I stopped at his side, his grin faltered.
“You really do stir trouble everywhere you go,” he muttered, low enough for only me.
“Only an act,” I whispered back, slipping into the space beside him. “One I need your help to keep.”
His eyes narrowed, but beneath the bite, I saw it...The sharp glimmer of curiosity. He said nothing yet, but I knew the conversation has to be now!