Chapter 81 Lunaria
Chapter 81 Lunaria
Luna’s POV
I’m up before dawn, shivering slightly from the cold.
The rain that fell the previous night leaves a chill in the atmosphere. I rise to my feet and reach for the robe of the nightgown. With sleep still in my eyes I enter the bathroom to refresh myself.
Only when I emerge from the bedroom and enter the living room of my suite, I spot a maid diligently cleaning. As soon as she sees me, she bows, avoiding my piercing gaze.
“Master, good morning,” she says in a low voice.
Ymir meets me in the study as the sun begins to rise. I am deep in reading one of the documents: a detailed account of the Hounds movements through the past ten years. As I suspected, they have long placed spies in nearly every region, yet remain undetected.
A sigh leaves my lips, and almost at the same time, an aroma of citrusy tea with cinnamon undertones wafts through my nose.
I look up.
“You have worked hard since last night, Master. Please take care of your health,” Ymir bows to me, bending his neck. As he meets my gaze I wave at him to move closer.
I reach out to pick up the cup, stifling a yawn as I take a sip. The tea nearly burns my tongue but I gulp it down nevertheless. It sends warmth shooting down my throat and to my stomach, pooling there to envelope my system.
I relish the honeyed taste for a brief moment before asking, “I need more information on the forces we have at hand.”
Ymir inclines his head and says, “I have told you about the troops. However you also have shadow guards as well as chosen members of the League of Shadows loyal to you. They will come when you require them to, of course. Then there is the Lunaria Order, a branch of master seers specifically under the Sacred Order. They operate separately on occasion when the need arises. The Lunaria Order previous leaders all pledged loyalty to the Royal Family. Of course, it has been nearly a century since the last leader visited.”
My brows furrow, taking in the information, organizing them mentally.
“Alright. But I will require your guidance later on. Send word also to the leader of the Lunaria Order…” I pause, then decide to draft out a letter myself. My handwriting has never been the best - having taught myself how through sneaky eavesdropping sessions in the Moonveil Pack. However I manage to scrawl out a few lines, placid words with veiled desires. If the Lunaria Order can help me navigate the situation regarding the prophecy as well, it would be best.
Ymir hands me my seal, and I affix the stamp upon the letter. Before he leaves I also hand him another.
“This is to be sent directly to Alpha Kael of the Ironfang Pack. No one else can take it,” I emphasize.
“Of course,” Ymir handles it with care and bows again, turning to leave.
As he exits my study I cannot help but picture what Kael would say, do or think after reading my letter.
What I had written there is simple:
‘I am safe. Do not look for me. We’ll meet again soon,’
And, after a few minutes of flustered thinking, I had scrawled down a near-illegible phrase: ‘I miss you.’
Kael and my relationship still remains ambiguous with little more than faint tremors of emotion between us. But even if things do not work out, I still hope he will consider me giggling. To me, Kael is more than a romantic interest, more than an Alpha of the Ironfang Pack. He is a mentor, the one that gave me the push I needed to first overcome my fears, the one that ensures my safety in the best way he can.
I blink slowly, unable to help the swell of emotion in my chest.
The Wolf pipes up suddenly, sneering, ‘But he is not our mate. Alpha Rowan is. Do not presume you can choose as you wish. Frivolous.’
Those words, though spoken internally, pierce my chest as though it is a foe that says it.
‘Rowan may be my mate, but he has done less to aid me than Kael has,’ I think, although the thoughts of the parcel he handed me back then, filled with precious resources, comes to mind.
Frivolous? I wish to laugh, cough slightly and ask to bring the tea to my lips.
I have been humiliated by him once before. Yet ever since Kael came into my life Rowan remains at the background of every encounter, every step I take. He presumed to choose for me, to make me feel guilty for an action HE chose, a path that HE took without my permission.
‘All Rowan wants is to trap us, not to protect us,’ I say to the Wolf like a mother to her unwilling, naive child. ‘If he had his way I would be a broodmare for him, satisfying his delusions with heirs to take over his rein.’
‘Then why did he let us leave yesterday? If he truly sees us as lesser, why did he say those words to implore us, to give him a chance?’
My heart clenches, and I shut my eyes briefly.
My emotions are turbulent, each thought warring with another.
But I cannot let it control me.
Let it be, I think.
Now is not the time.
While it has barely been a few hours since I began to get the hang of things, I find it feels like days. I have had breakfast, barely looking up from the papers while I do so.
My head begins to buzz, forcing me to drop the quill pen and stand woozily.
My shoulder twinges as I attempt to stretch out the stiffness.
A knock on the door makes me call out, still dazed.
To my surprise, it is Calla who enters, concern etched in her features.
“Calla,” I call my best friend’s name.
She looks all too tense.
“You shouldn’t stay holed up in here for the entire day, Moon,” she moves to take my hand, grasping it warmly. “You forget the Luna Trials resume in five days. You must devote some time to training.”
I sigh inwardly but refrain from voicing out my desire to continue learning.
“Very well,” I acquiesce and she pulls me out of the study.
“Good. We start in ten minutes. You need to get changed.” She pauses considerably. “Gale had been sulking since we arrived last night. She thinks you’re avoiding her.”
“Avoiding her?” My brows knit. I have not been doing that.
However, it reminds me of the chilling revelation I received last time.
Gale’s powers, ones she had kept secret from everyone.
It is not that I suspect her of anything, but Ymir’s words of caution still remain in my mind.
Pondering what to say to her, I obediently changed into training attire. It is nearly noon now, and I partake in some porridge, light and energy-giving, before making my way to the training hall chosen for today.
The second I step in, emerald eyes meet mine. The hall falls silent, a tension in the air.
…