Moonborn Heir Novel Chapter 31 – The dim light of the single, flickering bulb casts long shadows across the small, cramped room.
The air is damp, carrying the faint scent of mildew and age, and the threadbare mattress on the floor creaks as Grandma shifts slightly . I kneel beside her, gently dabbing her forehead with a cool cloth. Her breathing is labored, each inhale a raspy reminder of how fragile she’s become.
I’ve changed back into my rags, the beautiful dress now folded neatly in a corner, as though it doesn’t belong in this world. Because it doesn’t. The warmth of Kael’s touch still lingers faintly, but the weight of reality is heavier.
Rhea sits cross-legged near the foot of the bed, watching me with her wide green eyes, her curiosity barely contained. She tugs at the hem of her oversized sweater, her excitement bubbling under the surface. At just 17, she’s still a year away from being allowed at the Shadow Moon Ball, but her mind is clearly racing with questions.
“What happened?” she whispers, leaning in. “You’re acting weird. Something happened, didn’t it?” I glance toward Grandma to make sure she’s still resting before I let the words slip out. “Kael asked me to dance,” I murmur, my voice barely audible. Rhea’s jaw drops, her eyes practically glowing in the dim light. “What?” she hisses, louder than she intended. “Are you serious? Kael Winters? The Alpha?”
I nod quickly, shooting her a look to keep her voice down. “Yes, but it doesn’t mean anything. Forget it, Rhea. It’s better if we just don’t talk about it.”
Rhea crosses her arms, her brows arching as a knowing smile tugs at her lips. “You can saythat all you want, but clearly you haven’t f orgotten it.”
I fumble for a response, but the flush rising in my cheeks gives me away. “It doesn’t matter,” I insist weakly, glancing away. “He has Sabrina. Whatever that was… it was nothing.” Rhea doesn’t press, but the glimmer in her eyes says enough. She doesn’t believe me, and maybe I don’t believe myself, either. Grandma stirs on the mattress, her thin frame shifting slightly under the blanket.
Her eyes flutter open, her gaze unfocused but filled with a quiet strength. “Faith…” she murmurs, her voice weak but steady. “Have faith in yourself… and in destiny.” I freeze, her words striking something deep inside me. “Grandma?” I whisper, leaning closer.
Her eyes close again, and her breathing evens out, but her words linger in the air like a faint echo. Faith in myself? In destiny? The idea feels too big, too foreign, but something in her tone makes me want to believe. The moment is shattered by the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs. My stomach sinks as
the sharp, unmistakable voice of Selene rings out.
“Talia!” Before I can move, the door bursts open, slamming against the wall with a deafening crack. Selene storms into the room, her eyes blazing with fury, her lips curled into a snarl. She doesn’t pause, doesn’t even give me time to explain, before she grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks me to my feet.
“Ungrateful little wretch,” she hisses, dragging me toward the door. Pain shoots through my scalp, and I cry out, clawing at her hand, but her grip is unrelenting. “Mrs. Shadowmere, please!” Rhea shouts, scrambling to her feet. “Where are you taking her?” Selene’s eyes flick to Rhea, her sneer deepening. “Stay out of this, girl, unless you want to join her.”
Rhea freezes, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, but she doesn’t move. I shake my head at her, silently begging her not to intervene. Selene’s wrath is a storm no one can weather. Selene drags me down a narrow, winding staircase, deeper into the basement. The air grows colder, heavier, the dim light fading into near darkness. I stumble over the uneven stone steps, my knees scraping against the rough surface, but she doesn’t slow.
“You think you can humiliate our family?” she spits, her voice venomous. “Dancing with the Alpha? Making a spectacle of yourself? You’re nothing, Talia Hale. Nothing.” “Mistress, please,” I manage, my voice trembling. “I didn’t—” “Shut up!” She jerks me forward, and I stumble again, my knees hitting the hard stone floor. She spits on me, the act filled with pure malice.
“You don’t get to speak. You don’t get to act like you have rank in this pack, because you don’t!” Her words cut deeper than the pain in my scalp, and I bite back the tears threatening to spill.She drags me to a heavy iron door, unlocking it with a rusty key before shoving me inside. The smell of damp earth and decay fills my nostrils as I hit the cold, uneven floor. Selene glares down at me, her shadow long and imposing in the dim light.
“Maybe some time in the dark will remind you of your place.” She slams the door shut, the sound echoing through the dungeon as the lock clicks into place. I press my forehead against the cold stone floor, the darkness closing in around me. My scalp throbs, my knees ache, and my chest feels like it’s caving in. Selene’s words echo in my mind, but so do Grandma’s. Faith in yourself… and in destiny.
I close my eyes, willing myself not to cry, and for the faintest moment, I feel Eira stir, her presence a fragile yet comforting whisper. “You are more than this, Talia. Remember that.” But right now, it’s hard to believe her. It’s hard to believe that this same night, I was dancing with Kael Winters, Alpha of Shadow Ridge. It’s hard to believe in anything at all.
THE NEXT MORNING
The cold stone floor has left me stiff and aching, my body curled into itself for warmth as the hours dragged on.
The faint light filtering through the tiny grate above is the only indication that morning has come. My eyes are heavy, my scalp still tender where Selene yanked me, but the worst ache is in my chest, the weight of her words pressing down like iron.
The sound of approaching footsteps jolts me from my haze. I sit up quickly, muscles protesting, and squint toward the door as the lock clicks. The heavy iron door creaks open, and Sabrina steps inside, her silver dress from the ball exchanged for a simple but elegant morning gown.
For a moment, relief floods me. It’s Sabrina. She’ll pull me to my feet with a laugh and make a sarcastic comment about her mother’s cruelty, like always. But as her eyes meet mine, cold and sharp, my stomach sinks.
“Get up,” she says, her voice clipped, none of the warmth I’ve come to expect. “You’re filthy.” I blink at her, stunned by her tone, but she doesn’t wait for me to respond. She steps aside, gesturing for me to follow. “Come on. You’ve got work to do.”
I scramble to my feet, my legs unsteady as I follow her out of the dungeon and up the stairs. The air grows lighter, but her icy silence weighs heavily between us. I almost say something—anything—but the words stick in my throat.
When we reach her room, she gestures at the disarray with a flick of her wrist. “Clean this up. Wash my clothes. Kael has summoned the family to the Pack Hall this afternoon, along with all high-ranking wolves.” Her words land like a blow, and I glance at her, confusion and dread warring inside me. “Why?”
“For a ceremony,” she says, her tone detached, her gaze sliding away from mine. “We’ll be formally mated tonight. In front of the entire pack.”
The words hit harder than they should, and I can’t stop the slight gasp that escapes me. Sabrina notices, her lips curling into something that might have been a smirk if it weren’t so bitter. “Here,” she says sharply, pulling something from her pocket and tossing it at me. It’s an invitation, the creamy cardstock embossed with gold lettering. It flutters to the ground at my feet, and I stare at it, unable to move. “
You’re invited,” she says, her voice flat. “Kael specifically included your name. Wash yourself up before you come. You’ll embarrass everyone if you show up looking like that.” I glance up at her, my hands trembling as I pick up the card. “Sabrina, I—” “Don’t.” Her voice is cold, cutting through whatever apology or explanation I was about to give. “Just… don’t.”
The air between us is heavy, charged with something unspoken. Sabrina’s kindness, her warmth—all of it feels distant now, replaced by a chill I don’t recognize. For the first time, I wonder if I ever truly knew her at all. She turns on her heel and leaves without another word, the door slamming shut behind her.
I stand there in silence, clutching the invitation, the weight of her words and Kael’s name pressing against my chest. Tonight, I’ll have to face them both. And I’m not sure I’ll survive it.
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