Chapter 120 The second trial passed 1

Chapter 120: Chapter 120 The second trial passed 1

Talia’s POV

We went to bed last night, with me cuddled protectively in his arms.

Kaelen held me carefully, afraid of my wounds, and I fell asleep listening to his heartbeat. The fire crackled in the hearth, and the room was warm, and for the first time since the attack, I felt safe.

I did not dream of rogues, and I did not dream of claws or blood or screaming.

For once, my mind was quiet. There were no nightmares, no screams, no memories of the fire, and no voices whispering that I was not good enough either. I just had a deep and dark and dreamless sleep. I had not realized how tired I was, how much I needed to rest, and how much I needed to just stop fighting for a few hours.

I just slept.

There was just darkness and silence and the warmth of Kaelen’s chest against my back. I had not slept like that in years. Not since before my mother disappeared, and not since before Cresswood.

I woke up feeling almost whole.

The morning light woke me, and I was still in Kaelen’s arms. He was already awake, watching me. His gray eyes were soft in the pale light, and his hand was resting on my hip, gentle and warm.

He did not speak to me, he just watched.

I blinked up at him, but my body was still heavy with sleep.

The weight was still there, pressing down on my chest. But it was lighter than before, like a stone that had been rolled away. It was not gone, but it was smaller, in a way that I could breathe around it now, I could think, I could feel, and I could look at Kaelen without flinching. That was something. Or better, that was everything.

"How long have you been awake?"

"A while," he said.

"You could have gotten up," I stared at him.

"I did not want to." He kissed my forehead.

Something warm bloomed in my chest, and I looked away before he could see it on my face.

Then a knock came at the door.

Kaelen sat up, and his body tensed beside me. "Enter," he called.

The door opened, and a servant’s voice came through the door. "Alpha Aldric requests your presence in the Gathering Hall. Both of you."

Kaelen nodded, and the door closed shut, as the servant’s footsteps faded down the hallway.

Kaelen did not move right away. He sat on the edge of the bed, with his back to me, and his shoulders were tight.

"Grandfather already mind-linked me," he said. "He wants to make the announcement official."

"What announcement?" I asked.

He turned to look at me. "That you passed the Trial of the Heart."

I froze for a minute, trying to process the words, then I nodded slowly, even though I was still shocked.

Kaelen helped me dress.

He pulled out a grey sweater from the wardrobe, and put it on the bed. Then he helped me adjust my sitting position, so he could easily wear it on me, without hurting me.

He moved like he was afraid I would break, and I almost laughed. After everything I had survived, a sweater was not going to break me. But I did not laugh, because I understood.

I knew that he was not afraid of the sweater, but he was afraid of moving too fast, and end up causing me pain.

His fingers brushed against my skin, but he was careful with my wounds, and gentle with his touch. He pulled the very big, soft grey sweater over my head and guided my arms gently, and carefully, through the sleeves.

He knelt in front of me to put soft fluffy footwear on my feet, and his fingers moved slowly and deliberately, like he was afraid of hurting me.

I watched his hands, and they were not shaking anymore. But he still did not speak much.

His silence was not cold. It was something else that felt heavier. He was not angry at me, and he was not distant. He was just... quiet. Like he was still processing what had happened, or like he was still afraid, even though I was standing right in front of him.

From the moment he knew of the attack, the rogues, the blood, and down to the moment he saw me lying in the healers hall with bandages on my arm and scratches on my face, I saw it in his eyes. The memory was still there, still fresh, and still bleeding. And I knew that he would carry that memory for a long time, or maybe forever.

I wished I could take it from him, but I could not. I did not push him to talk either.

I just let him help me, and I let the silence sit between us, heavy but not uncomfortable.

When I was dressed, he stood up and looked at me. His gray eyes moved across my face, down to the bandages on my arm, and back up to my eyes.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," I nodded.

He took my hand, and we walked to the Gathering Hall together.

The hall was full when we entered.

Wolves packed the room from wall to wall, with their bodies pressed together, and their voices buzzing like flies. I recognized some of them. Some were warriors who had seen me fight, healers who had tended my wounds, and servants who had brought me breakfast and cleaned my room.

They all turned to look at me, and then they bowed.

Not some of them, All of them.

Warriors bowed low, with their fists pressed to their chests. Elders nodded their heads, their old eyes filled with something that looked like approval. Servants dropped to their knees, their faces lifted toward me with wonder.

Even the wolves who had looked at me with disgust when I first arrived, the ones who had whispered "ugly" and "unworthy" behind my back, bowed their heads to me.

I stood frozen in the doorway.