Chapter 135 The decision 2

Chapter 135: Chapter 135 The decision 2

Talia’s POV

The library was quiet in the morning.

Dust motes floated in the shafts of sunlight streaming through the windows. The air smelled of old paper and leather bindings, and of ink and age and forgotten stories. Bookshelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling, filled with all kinds of books.

I walked to the nearest shelf and pulled a book at random. I did not even look at the title, because I just needed something to hold, and something to do with my hands.

I sat at a table near the window and opened the book.

The words blurred together, that I had to read the same sentence three times and I still did not know what it said. The letters swam on the page, and my mind refused to focus.

Because my mind was not here. It was on the charm around my neck, on the trial, and on Kaelen.

I closed the book and stared out the window.

The valley stretched out below me, green and vast and endless. The mountains rose in the distance, with their peaks lost in the clouds. The sun was high, and the light was bright, and I could see wolves moving through the paths below. Some were training, some were walking between buildings, and some were just standing, talking to each other, and laughing.

Everyone else was living their lives, eating, working, and talking. They did not know that I was carrying a weight that felt like it might crush me.

I touched the chain of my necklace, and I took a deep breath. If I removed the charm, everything would change.

The pack would see my real face, Serena might have new ammunition to use against me, by saying I lied or by coming up with something else to bring me down, and Kaelen would know that I had been lying to him since the day we met.

I did not know if he would forgive me.

But if I did not remove it, I would fail the trial, and I would be sent back to Cresswood. Back to the cold pack house, back to Celeste and the storage room and the hunger and the cold.

I pressed my palm against the page of the book and stared at the words I could not read.

"I cannot go back," I whispered, but the words hung in the air, soft and small.

The hours passed, but I did not leave the library. Instead I sat on the chair, and put the book in front of me, with my hands resting on the table.

I tried to read, but I could not. I tried to focus on anything other than the charm around my neck, but I could not.

My mind kept circling back to the same questions. What if he hates me? What if the pack rejects me? What if I am not ready?

But then I thought about everything I had survived.

I had survived Vivienne at Mooncrest Hall, I had faced her in front of every Alpha in the region, and I had watched her destroy herself.

I had survived Alpha Stone in his own territory, I had stood before him when he was at his angriest, and I had not flinched.

I had survived rogues in the forest. I had fought them alone, with nothing but my fists and my courage, and I had won.

I was not that scared girl from Cresswood anymore.

I looked at the book in my hand, then I set it on the table. Then I stood up and walked closer to the window.

My reflection stared back at me. The glamour charm still hid my face, and showed the plain features, the dull eyes, and the dead hair. The girl who looked back at me was a stranger, but beneath it, I knew the truth.

I was not ugly. I never had been.

My mother had given me this charm to protect me, and to keep me safe from the people who wanted to hurt me. But I was not that helpless child anymore, so I did not need to hide.

I touched the chain and felt the magic pulsing beneath it. The charm was weakening daily, and straining as my wolf woke up.

"I will not hide anymore," I whispered.

The words hung in the air, heavy and final, and I had made my decision.

I left the library and walked back to the room.

The hallways were busier now. Wolves rushed past me, carrying supplies and talking to each other. Some nodded as I passed, and some bowed. But I barely responded to any of them. My feet just carried me forward without thinking, and my mind was somewhere else.

When I reached the room, I opened the door and stepped inside. Kaelen was not there, which meant that he was still at the border.

The fire had been lit, and the room was warm. My bag sat in the corner, and his things were neatly arranged on his side of the wardrobe. The bed was neatly made, unlike this morning.

I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the wall. I knew that Kaelen might come back late tonight, so I made a decision.

Tomorrow, I would tell him the truth. And tomorrow, I would take off the charm completely.

I did not know if he would still want me after hearing this final truth. I did not know if the pack would accept me after seeing my real face, and I did not know if I was ready for any of it.

But I had no choice.

I touched the charm one last time, then I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Now I was ready, but I was also terrified.