CHAPTER 84

CHAPTER 84
I flinch when Alpha Cassian's voice suddenly booms through the office, but honestly, I can't even blame him. After Erin and I finish tearing into each other, his office barely looks recognizable anymore. This is actually the first time I've ever gotten into a full-blown fight with another woman, but I don't exactly have a choice. Erin has taken her nasty attitude way too far.
"Guards!” Alpha shouts to his women outside the office.  "Escort Miss Erin to the healer, and Vivienne to the training grounds!” 
My smirk disappears. "Why? I was told that my presence in the training ground is suspended until further notice!” 
The Alpha raises a brow. “Since you have so much energy to fight, then come with me to the training ground,” he declares and then his lips curve.  "You enjoy fighting, don't you, Vivienne?"
I take a step backward. "I don't like that look."
"You should."
"No, I really shouldn't."
Cassian ignores me. "Since you've decided to turn my office into an arena..."
My wolf starts panicking.
"You can spend the rest of the day sparring with the pack warriors."
My eyes widen. "What?" I blurt out.
Cassian finally turns his attention toward me. His glowing eyes are cold enough to freeze blood. "You heard me."
My stomach drops, not because I can’t fight but because I know exactly what he is doing. "Alpha—" I begin.
"You seem to have forgotten how to control yourself," Cassian continues. "Perhaps the training grounds will help you remember."
I grind my teeth but force myself to stay silent.  Arguing now would only make things worse.
"Leave," Cassian orders and just like that, I am dismissed. 
Later on, in the training ground, the first warrior knocks me flat on my back. I can’t explain it but I feel like I am not that strong against them. Is it because of my punishment earlier? Anyway, I still try my best. In my mind, I was able to beat their Alpha so there’s no reason I’m not going to do the same to them. 
However, the second warrior nearly dislocates my shoulder so I start to wonder if these warriors belong to the elite forces of Crescent Moon. In addition to my misery, the third warrior punches me hard enough that stars explode behind my eyes. 
By late afternoon, I can barely lift my arms. I think Alpha Cassian does me dirty because the warriors don’t go easy on me.  At one point, I collapse to one knee after taking a brutal hit to my ribs.
A warrior extends his hand. I slap it away. Then I force myself back to my feet, but as the sparring continues, my knuckles split and my shoulders ache. Bruises bloom beneath my skin like dark flowers, but still I keep fighting. 
When the session finally ends, I can barely hear the dismissal through the ringing in my ears. One by one, the warriors leave. Cassian leaves as well, of course, without saying a word to me. Everyone leaves but I remain standing in the middle of the training ground. 
Then my legs almost give out and getting back to my room feels harder than any fight. By the time I reach my door, my hands are trembling so badly that it takes three tries to unlock it. The moment I step inside, I know I'm done.
I don't bother changing clothes. I don't bother washing up. I don't even make it all the way to the bed.  I collapse onto it face-first, too exhausted to care about dignity. For several minutes, I simply lie there and then my eyelids grow heavy. 
Slowly, darkness starts pulling me under and I don't remember falling asleep. Later on, a soft knock wakes me up. Initially, I just ignored it but the knocking grows louder. 
"Vivienne?"
It’s Dara. So slowly, I pry my eyes open. “Coming!” I croak. 
Pushing myself upright is a mistake. Pain immediately shoots through my shoulders and back. I hiss through my teeth and sit there for a moment, waiting for the dizziness to pass. Then, I drag myself off the bed and stagger toward the door.  The moment I open it, Dara gasps.
"Oh my Goddess!” 
"What?"
"You look dead."
I roll my eyes but then I notice that she is holding a tray in both hands. “What’s that?” 
“What else? It’s your dinner. The Gamma asked me to cook this for you. Come on!” 
I step aside and let her enter. Dara then places the tray on the small table beside my bed. There’s a golden pot with hot ramen in it. There’s also a plate of grilled meat, rice and of course, two cups of black coffee. 
“The Gamma says we can eat together,” Dara explains. 
I just smile at her. “Of course!”
As we eat, Dara talks about the gossip spreading through the servant quarters and apparently, everyone already knows about my fight with Erin. They think I am insane or even an idiot for picking a fight with the future Luna of the pack. 
"You really broke her nose?" Dara asks.
I choke on my food. "It was an accident."
"Sure."
"It was!"
"That's not what people are saying."
I groan.
"What are they saying?"
Dara grins. "They're saying you challenged the future Luna to combat and won."
My forehead hits the table. "I'm never escaping this."
"Nope."
After a while, the food is gone and my eyelids start feeling heavy again. Dara notices immediately. “I guess the coffee isn’t helping. You are still sleepy,” she mumbles. “You should just go back to sleep then.” 
"I'm planning to but I think I need a quick shower before going back to sleep.”
Dara nods. “Me, too. Shall we take a dip in the lake?” 
“The lake? Isn’t it late already?” I ask but of course, I am hesitant to go to the lake, considering what happened last time. 
“It’s still nine in the evening, and it's a full moon tonight,” she reminds me. “So, shall we go there?”
I narrow my eyes while trying to make a decision. “Uhmmm, why not?”
Dara beams immediately. “I knew you would say yes.”
Together, we leave the servants' quarters, careful not to make too much noise. Most of the packhouse has already settled into silence and the forest feels strangely peaceful tonight. 
"I've missed this," Dara says softly as we continue walking. 
Soon, the lake comes into view, its surface shimmering like molten glass beneath the moonlight.
"It's beautiful," I whisper but I can’t stop thinking about what Nico did to me last night. 
"It always is during a full moon."
Dara slips off her sandals first. "Let’s race!" 
Before I can protest, she runs toward the water with a laugh and splashes straight into the lake.
"Dara!" I laugh, chasing after her.
The icy water reaches my ankles, then my knees, and then my waist. I gasp as the cold steals the breath from my lungs before I dive forward.
The exhaustion from today's punishment seems to melt away beneath the cool water. We splash each other like children, laughing harder than either of us has laughed in weeks. For a little while… I forget about my situation in Crescent Moon. It's just Dara and me beneath the full moon.
"You finally look alive again," Dara says, smiling.
"Maybe drowning is good for stress."
She laughs so hard she nearly swallows lake water. Then...my wolf suddenly goes silent.
"Dara..."
She stops splashing. "What is it?"
I don't answer immediately, instead, I slowly turn toward the darker side of the lake where thick trees crowd the shoreline. The wind dies and even the crickets stop singing. 
"Dara..." I whisper again as an uncomfortable chill crawls over my skin. 
"This isn't funny."
"I know."
She follows my gaze toward the opposite bank. For several long seconds...nothing moves, and then a massive silhouette steps out from between the trees. It’s too large to be a wolf, and too silent to be human! 
My wolf lets out a terrified whine.
Run.