Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I don't know how long I've been in this cell. Hours? Days? Time moves strangely down here in the dark.

The silver walls make me weak. My head pounds constantly, and my body feels heavy, like I'm carrying stones on my shoulders. I can't sleep properly because every time I lean against the wall, the silver burns through my clothes.

I sit in the center of the cell, as far from the walls as possible, and stare at my hands. The glowing symbols appear and disappear randomly. Sometimes they cover my whole arms. Sometimes just my palms. I don't understand what they mean or why they're there.

The only good thing about being alone is that I have time to think. And what I'm thinking about is Dante Blackwood.

My mate.

The mate bond pulls at me constantly. It's like a rope tied around my heart, tugging me toward him. When he's far away, it aches. My chest feels hollow and wrong. Every part of me wants to be near him, even though he wants me dead.

It's torture.

I hear footsteps outside my cell. My head snaps up. The door opens, and a man walks in carrying a tray of food.

He's not Dante. He's younger, maybe twenty-four, with sandy brown hair and kind brown eyes. He's tall and muscular but has a friendly face that reminds me of Luna.

"Hi," he says, setting the tray down just inside the cell door. "I'm Kade. The Alpha King's Beta."

I don't move. "Are you here to kill me?"

"What? No!" He looks shocked. "I'm just bringing you food."

"Why would you care if I eat? I'm going to die anyway."

Kade shifts uncomfortably. "Look, I don't know what Dante's planning. But starving you isn't part of it. So please, eat."

I stare at the tray. There's bread, cheese, fruit, and water. My stomach growls loudly. I haven't eaten since the cupcake Luna gave me on my birthday.

Slowly, I crawl to the tray and grab the bread. I eat it quickly, trying not to think about how hungry I am. Kade watches me with something like pity in his eyes.

"How long have I been here?" I ask between bites.

"Two days."

Two days. It felt longer.

"The Alpha King hasn't come back?" I try to sound like I don't care, but my voice betrays me.

"He's been in his office. Working." Kade leans against the doorframe. "The mate bond is affecting him too, you know. He looks terrible."

Good. I shouldn't think that, but I do. If I have to suffer, he should too.

"Why are you being nice to me?" I ask suspiciously.

Kade shrugs. "Because I don't think you're a monster. You look like a scared girl who needs help."

Tears prick my eyes at his kindness. I haven't heard kind words in so long that they hurt almost as much as cruel ones.

"I'm not a monster," I whisper. "I don't know why everyone thinks I am."

"It's not you specifically. It's what you represent." Kade sits down outside the cell, keeping a respectful distance. "Dante lost everything to a blood moon child. It broke something in him. He's spent years hunting them, convinced he's saving lives."

"But he's killing innocent people."

"I know." Kade looks sad. "I've tried to tell him that. But he won't listen. The trauma runs too deep."

I finish the food and drink all the water. My body feels slightly stronger.

"Can I ask you something?" I say.

"Sure."

"What happened to his family? He said a blood moon child killed them, but he didn't explain."

Kade is quiet for a moment. Then he sighs. "It happened ten years ago. Dante was sixteen. There was a girl in his pack, born under a blood moon. Her name was Sarah. She seemed normal for years, but when she turned eighteen, something changed."

"What changed?"

"She found her mate. Another pack member. But he rejected her because she was a blood moon child. He was afraid of her." Kade's voice gets heavy. "The rejection drove her insane. Her powers exploded. She killed thirty-seven pack members in one night, including Dante's parents and his ten-year-old sister, Maya."

Horror fills me. "That's terrible."

"Dante watched it happen. He tried to fight Sarah, but she was too strong. Eventually, another Alpha arrived and killed her. But by then, the damage was done." Kade looks at me seriously. "That's why Dante hunts blood moon children. He thinks if he kills them before they turn eighteen, before they can find their mates and potentially be rejected, he can prevent another massacre."

"But I would never do that. I would never hurt innocent people."

"Sarah probably thought the same thing before she snapped." Kade stands up. "I'm not saying Dante's right. I'm just explaining why he is the way he is."

He picks up the empty tray and turns to leave.

"Wait," I call out. "Will you come back?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Yes. Please. I can't stand being alone with just my thoughts."

Kade smiles slightly. "Okay. I'll bring dinner later."

He leaves, locking the door behind him. I'm alone again, but I feel a tiny bit better. At least one person in this fortress doesn't hate me.

I look at my arms. The symbols are glowing again, brighter than before. I touch one with my finger, and it tingles like electricity.

What are these? What do they mean?

In my mind, I see flashes of the woman in red robes from my dreams. She's trying to tell me something, but I can't hear her words.

I close my eyes and try to focus. The woman becomes clearer. She's standing in a temple with red moonlight streaming through broken windows. She points at me and mouths words I can't hear.

"I don't understand," I whisper to the vision.

The woman's face becomes frustrated. She points at the symbols on my arms, then at her own arms. She has the same symbols, glowing the same violet color.

"Who are you?" I ask.

But the vision fades before she can answer. I'm left alone in the cell again, more confused than ever.

---

Hours pass. The symbols keep appearing and disappearing. Each time they come back, they're brighter and more numerous.

Finally, the door opens again. Kade enters with another tray of food, but this time he's not alone.

An old woman follows him. She's tiny and hunched, with white hair down to her waist and cloudy gray eyes. She wears red robes that drag on the ground.

My heart stops. She looks exactly like the woman from my visions, just much, much older.

"Who is she?" I whisper.

"This is Elder Moira," Kade says. "She's a seer. She wanted to meet you."

The old woman shuffles closer to the cell, her eyes fixed on me with an intensity that makes me uncomfortable. She stares for a long moment, then gasps.

"It's true," she breathes. "You're the one from the prophecy."

"What prophecy?" I ask.

"The blood moon prophecy. The one that says a child born under the blood moon will either save or destroy the werewolf world." Elder Moira's cloudy eyes seem to see right through me. "But you're not just any blood moon child. You're the prophesied one. The strongest to ever be born."

Fear crawls up my spine. "I don't want to be the strongest anything. I just want to be normal."

"Normal?" Elder Moira laughs, a dry crackling sound. "Child, you were never meant to be normal. Look at your arms."

I hold up my arms. The symbols are glowing brightly now, reacting to the Elder's presence.

"Those are ancient marks," she explains. "The language of the Moon Goddess herself. They appear on blood moon children to show their power level. Most have a few marks. You..." She shakes her head in wonder. "You have hundreds. Maybe thousands."

"What do they mean?"

"They mean you have the potential for incredible power. Healing. Protection. Prophecy. You could save thousands of lives." Elder Moira's expression darkens. "Or destroy them all, if you're not careful."

"I don't want to destroy anything!"

"Neither did Sarah. Neither did any of the blood moon children who went mad." The Elder looks at Kade. "Where is the Alpha King?"

"In his office. He doesn't want to see her."

"He must. The girl is his mate. The bond is the key to everything."

"The key to what?" I ask desperately.

Elder Moira looks at me with something like pity. "The key to controlling your power. Blood moon children need their mates. The bond stabilizes them, helps them control the abilities. Without it..." She trails off.

"Without it, they go insane," I finish. "Like Sarah."

"Exactly. Sarah's mate rejected her. The pain and isolation corrupted her power, turned it dark. She couldn't control it anymore." Elder Moira grips the cell bars. "If Dante rejects you fully, if he kills you or drives you away, the same thing could happen."

"But I don't feel powerful. I feel weak."

"Because you're in a silver cell, suppressing your abilities. And because your mate is rejecting the bond, which weakens you further." The Elder turns to Kade. "You must convince Dante to see reason. If he continues down this path, he'll create the very monster he fears."

Kade looks torn. "I'll try. But you know how stubborn he is."

"Then try harder. The fate of every werewolf in this country depends on it."

Elder Moira shuffles toward the door, then pauses. She looks back at me one more time.

"Your mother didn't die from childbirth, child. She was murdered."

My blood runs cold. "What?"

"I saw it in a vision years ago, but I couldn't prove it. Someone in your pack killed her because they feared what you would become. They smothered her and blamed it on the birth." The Elder's eyes are sad. "Find out who. Find out why. The truth will set you free."

Before I can ask more questions, she's gone. Kade sets down the dinner tray and follows her, leaving me alone with this devastating revelation.

My mother was murdered. Someone killed her and blamed me.

Who? Why?

My mind races. Who in my pack would do such a thing? And how can I find out the truth when I'm locked in a cell?

The door opens again. I expect Kade, but it's Dante.

He stands in the doorway, his silver eyes locked on me. He looks terrible—dark circles under his eyes, his hair messy, his clothes rumpled. The mate bond flares between us, painful and intense.

"Elder Moira came to see me," he says, his voice rough.

"I know."

"She said I'm making a mistake. That killing you will create the monster I fear."

"She's right."

Dante's jaw clenches. "How can I trust that? How can I risk it?"

"Because I'm your mate!" I stand up, moving as close to the cell door as I can without touching the silver. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"It means everything. That's the problem." His hands curl into fists. "The bond makes me weak. It makes me want to protect you, trust you, love you. But my mind knows better. My mind remembers what happened to my family."

"I'm not Sarah."

"You could become her." He steps closer to the cell. "The power inside you is growing. I can feel it through the bond. You're getting stronger every day. What happens when you can't control it?"

"Then help me control it!" I press against the bars, ignoring the burn of silver. "That's what mates do, isn't it? They help each other. Support each other."

"I can't."

"You mean you won't."

"I mean I can't!" His voice rises, echoing off the stone walls. "Every time I look at you, I see Maya. I see my mother. I see everyone I lost. How am I supposed to get past that?"

Tears stream down my face. "I'm sorry they died. I'm sorry you were hurt. But punishing me for something I didn't do won't bring them back."

Dante's expression cracks slightly. For a moment, I see pain in his eyes that matches my own.

"I don't know what to do," he admits quietly.

"Let me out of this cell. Give me a chance to prove I'm not a threat."

"And if I'm wrong? If you lose control and kill everyone in this fortress?"

"Then you can kill me. You're strong enough." I wipe my tears away. "But at least give me a chance to show you who I really am."

Dante stares at me for a long moment. The bond pulls between us, desperate and pleading. I can feel his conflict through it—his fear warring with his desire to trust me.

Finally, he speaks. "I'll think about it."

"Dante—"

"That's all I can promise right now." He turns to leave, then pauses. "Elder Moira also said your mother was murdered."

"I know."

"Do you know who did it?"

"No. But I'm going to find out."

He nods slowly. "If I let you out of this cell, you'll be monitored constantly. Guards will follow you everywhere. You'll have limited freedom. And if you show any sign of losing control..."

"You'll kill me. I understand."

"Good." He opens the door and walks out.

But he doesn't lock it.

I stare at the open door in shock. Is this a test? A trap?

Slowly, carefully, I step out of the cell. The moment I'm free from the silver walls, I feel stronger. The symbols on my arms glow brightly, celebrating the freedom.

I walk to the staircase leading up from the dungeon. No guards stop me. At the top, I find Kade waiting.

"The Alpha King asked me to show you to your new room," he says with a small smile.

"He's actually letting me out?"

"Looks like it. Though he might regret it in the morning when his stubborn side kicks back in." Kade starts walking, and I follow. "Come on. Your room is in the guest wing. It's basic but better than a cell."

He leads me through the fortress. We pass guards who watch me suspiciously but don't try to stop me. We climb several staircases until we reach a hallway with many doors.

Kade opens one of them. Inside is a small bedroom with a real bed, a dresser, a desk, and a window with bars on it. It's not fancy, but compared to my basement room at the pack house and the cell, it's like a palace.

"Thank you," I whisper.

"Don't thank me. Thank Dante. He's trying, even if he doesn't want to admit it." Kade points to the dresser. "There are clothes in there that should fit. Bathroom is through that door. Someone will bring breakfast in the morning."

"Kade? Why are you helping me?"

He thinks about it. "Because I've watched Dante suffer for ten years. He's been alone, angry, broken. Then you showed up, and for the first time, I saw hope. The mate bond could heal him. But only if he lets it."

"What if he can't?"

"Then we're all in trouble." Kade heads for the door. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow will be interesting."

He leaves, locking the door from the outside. I'm still a prisoner, but a more comfortable one.

I sit on the bed, testing it. It's soft. Actually soft. I could cry from how nice it feels.

Instead, I lie down and stare at the ceiling. My mind is racing with everything that happened today. Elder Moira's words echo in my head: Your mother was murdered.

Who killed her? And why?

I think about my father's hatred. The way he blamed me from birth. Could he have done it? Could he have killed his own mate out of fear of me?

The thought makes me sick.

I look at my arms. The symbols are everywhere now, covering my skin like a second layer. They pulse with violet light in the darkness.

Whatever I am, whatever I'm meant to become, I need to figure it out fast. Because Dante's patience won't last forever.

And somewhere out there is the person who killed my mother. The person who let me take the blame for eighteen years.

I will find them. I will make them tell the truth.

But first, I need to survive. I need to prove to Dante that I'm not a monster.

I need to prove it to myself too.

Because deep down, I'm terrified that everyone is right. That I am a curse. That I will destroy everything I touch.

The symbols glow brighter, as if responding to my fear.

And in my mind, I hear a whisper: Find the temple. Learn the truth. Embrace what you are.

It's the woman in red robes. Elder Moira's younger self, somehow speaking to me

from the past.

"What temple?" I whisper back.

But the voice is gone, leaving me alone with more questions than answers.

I close my eyes and try to sleep. But the symbols keep glowing, lighting up the room with their violet fire.

Tomorrow, everything changes.

Tomorrow, I start fighting for my life.