Chapter 7

Talia's POV

The sound echoed through the bathroom like a crack of thunder.

I froze. My hands gripped the edge of the tub, and my heart slammed against my ribs so hard I thought it might break through.

Someone was in the room.

I did not turn around. I could not. If I turned, they would see my face. Not the glamour face, but my real face. The one hidden beneath the charm for fifteen years.

And the charm was on the edge of the tub, not on my neck.

I heard slow, and heavy manly footsteps, and I knew Kaelen was back.

He stopped walking, and I heard him inhale with a sharp breath, like he had been punched in the chest.

Then the door opened and closed.

He was gone.

I sat in the water, shaking, with my hands pressed against my mouth so I would not scream.

Alpha kaelen had been in the room, and I hadn't realized when he entered.

I did not know how much he saw, and i did not know if he saw my face or just my back. I did not know anything and that made me worry.

But I was sure about one thing, and that was, he had seen something.

And now he was gone.

I do not know how long I sat there. If it were minutes, or hours. I could not tell.

Finally, I climbed out of the bath. My legs were weak, and my hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold onto the towel.

I dried myself slowly, and carefully, like I was afraid my body would break if I moved too fast.

Then I picked up my mother's necklace from the edge of the tub.

The silver chain was warm from the firelight. I held it in my palm and looked at the small charm. It did not look like much, just a plain stone wrapped in silver wire.

But it had protected me for fifteen years.

I slipped it back over my head.

The charm settled against my skin, and I watched my reflection in the mirror as the glamour returned. The bright eyes faded, the soft skin dulled, and the beautiful face I had seen in the water disappeared, replaced by the plain, ugly girl the world was allowed to see.

I did not recognize her anymore, or maybe I recognized her too well.

I put on the nightgown the servant had left for me. It was white and soft, and nothing like the rough fabric I was used to.

I walked out of the bathroom with light steps.

The room was empty, and the fire had burned low, casting long shadows across the floor. The bed was still made, but Kaelen was not there.

I stood in the middle of the room, not knowing what to do. Should I wait for him? Should I get in bed? Or should I pretend none of this had happened?

I was still standing there when the door opened, and Kaelen walked in.

He did not look at me at first, he just walked to the fireplace and added another log, and the flames jumped higher, filling the room with warm light.

Then he turned.

His gray eyes met mine, and I saw something was different with the way he looked at me.

He looked at me in a softer, and more curious way. Like he was seeing me for the first time.

I felt my cheeks burn from his stare. Did he know? Or had he seen my face in the water?

But he did not say anything, he just looked at me, and the silence stretched between us like a rope pulled tight.

"The bed is yours," he said finally. "I will sleep on the floor."

He walked to the other side of the room. He pulled a blanket from a chest drawer and laid it on the stone floor.

I wanted to say something. Like thank you, or I am sorry. I wanted to explain to him that i did not ask or plan for any of this.

But the words would not come.

I climbed into the bed slowly, afraid I might do something wrong. The sheets were soft, and the pillows smelled like him. Like pine and cold air.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling, and listening to him breathe on the floor.

"We leave for Blackmoor Valley in one hour," he said.

I turned my head to look at him. He was lying on his back, with his eyes closed.

"One hour?" I asked.

"The ceremony is done, so there is no reason to stay in Cresswood any longer." he said nonchalantly.

I wanted to argue, and tell him I was not ready. That I had not said goodbye to Piper, and I had not found my mother yet.

But I did not say any of it.

Because none of it would matter to him. I was his Luna now, and his to take wherever he wanted.

"One hour," I whispered.

But he did not respond.

I did not sleep.

I lay in the soft bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the fire crackle and pop. Kaelen's breathing was slow and steady. He was asleep, or maybe he was pretending to be.

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

I thought about the sound Kaelen had made in the bathroom. The sharp breath, like he had been punched, or had seen something.

But what?

I touched my necklace. The glamour charm was still there, and still working. If he had seen my real face, he would have said something. Wouldn't he?

Unless he was waiting, or unless he wanted to see what I would do.

I did not know which of my thoughts were true, and that was the worst part.

The hour passed too fast and too slow at the same time.

Kaelen sat up. He ran a hand through his dark hair and looked at me.

"It is time," he said.

I nodded and sat up. The nightgown slipped off my shoulder, and I pulled it back up quickly, as my face burned from embarrassment.

Kaelen looked away, but not before I saw that softness, and curiosity flicker across his face again.

He stood and walked to the door, and he did not look back.

"Come," he said.

I climbed out of the bed, and as my bare feet touched the cold stone floor, I shivered slightly. I grabbed the white gown from where it hung over the chair, held it against my chest, and followed him out of the room.

The hallway was darker now. The torches had burned low, and the shadows seemed longer than before. Servants were nowhere to be seen, and guards stood at their posts, but they did not look at me.

Kaelen walked ahead of me, with his footsteps steady on the stone floor. I watched his broad, and unmoving back, but he did not look back to see if I was still behind him.

At that point, I wondered if he cared at all.

I did not know what waited for me in Blackmoor Valley. I did not know if I would ever see Cresswood again, or ever find my mother.

But I knew one thing.

Something had changed between us, and I could not explain if it had changed for better or worse, because I did not understand it.

But it was there, and I knew with certainty that nothing would ever be the same again.