Chapter 5

Talia's POV

The servant did not speak to me.

But that was fine, because I was used to silence. In Cresswood, silence meant safety. Talking meant attention, and attention meant pain. So I followed without a word.

She just led me through hallways I had never seen, past doors I had never opened, until we reached a small room with a tub of steaming water. The scent of lavender filled the air. I had never smelled lavender before, or rather, not like this in Cresswood.

"Undress," the woman said. "I will prepare your gown."

My hands went to my collar, but I hesitated.

The woman noticed, and her face softened. "I have served the Shadowfang pack for twenty years. I do not care what you look like. I am only here to help you."

I nodded and turned my back to her. I removed my dress slowly, keeping my mother's necklace on because of her warning. The woman did not stare. She just laid out a white gown on the bed and turned away.

The water was warm.

I had not felt warm water on my skin in fifteen years. I sat in the tub and let the heat soak into my bones. My muscles loosened, my shoulders dropped, and for a moment, I forgot where I was.

Then I remembered that tonight, I would become his Luna.

The woman helped me into the gown after I had finished washing up. It was white and simple, not like the elaborate dresses Celeste wore. But it was clean, and it was mine.

She brushed my hair until it dried. She did not ask about my face or about the glamour charm. She just worked in silence, and I was grateful.

"You are ready," she said.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Nothing had changed. I still had the plain face, the dull eyes, and the brown hair that looked dead and dry.

The same face I had seen every day for fifteen years.

I touched my necklace. The silver chain was still cold against my skin.

My mother's last words echoed in my head. Never remove the glamour charm before your twentieth birthday.

Two more days. I just had to survive two more days.

I had survived fifteen years. What were two more days? I told myself that every morning when I woke up, and I told myself that every night before I slept. Two more days. Just two more days.

The ceremony was brief. Too brief, if I am being honest.

I stood at the front of a hall that was neither grand nor small. It was just there, like everything else in this pack. There were stone walls, torches burning, and Wolves watching from the shadows.

Kaelen stood beside me, but his face was unreadable, and his gray eyes did not look at me.

The elder spoke words I did not hear. It was something about the Moon Goddess, about duty, and something about the bond that could not be broken.

The elder's robes were old and heavy, embroidered with symbols I did not recognize. A sacred flame burned in a stone bowl between us, casting strange shadows on the walls. I kept my hands clasped in front of me so no one would see them shake.

The elder's voice droned on, but I could not focus.

My thoughts kept slipping back to the kitchen, to the pots, and to the smell of grease that never left my hands no matter how hard I scrubbed. Now I stood here in a white gown, and none of it felt real.

My eyes wandered to the wolves watching from the shadows. Some had pity in their eyes, while others had contempt. A few looked at me like I was a ghost who had no business being among the living.

The wolves watching were not the same wolves from the bonding ceremony. These were Kaelen's wolves, and some of Shadowfang warriors. They looked at me like I was a puzzle they were trying to solve.

I wondered what they saw when they looked at me. Did they see the ugly servant girl? Or did they see the woman who had just been claimed by their Alpha?

I also wondered what they would think if they knew the truth.

Kaelen's hand brushed mine just for a second, and I felt his fingers so warm against my skin, which was a big contrast to his constant cold facial expression. Then he pulled away.

I did not know if it was an accident or on purpose. But I did not dare to look at his face to find out.

But in between all of this, my mind was elsewhere.

I thought about my mother, about the fire, and about the last time I saw her face.

I felt the ache in my heart, as I remembered she should be here in this moment and she should have been the one to dress me up. But I was all alone as always, and that alone made me teary on this day. But I did not let my tears fall.

Then I heard the elder say, "The dowry of five hundred thousand will be transferred to the Cress family as tradition demands."

Five hundred thousand.

I almost laughed. The Cress family had given me nothing but bruises and hunger, and now they would be paid for giving me away. Vivienne probably planned this all along.

The elder looked at me. "Do you accept this bond?"