Chapter 47 The Luna Celebration Announced 2

Chapter 47: Chapter 47 The Luna Celebration Announced 2

Talia’s POV

I thought about running, about hiding, and about telling Kaelen the truth and begging him to protect me.

But I could not run, because it would look like I had given up. I could not hide, because it would give the pack more things to talk about. And I could not tell him the truth yet, because I would have to talk about all I had been through in Cresswood.

The words stuck in my throat every time I tried. How could I tell him about the storage room? About the hunger? About the nights I cried until I had no tears left? How could I make him understand without sounding weak? I was not ready. Not yet, or maybe not ever. But I was running out of time.

I pushed off the wall and walked out of the hall.

The hallways were still crowded. Wolves pushed past me, with their voices loud, and their faces excited.

I kept my head down and my eyes on the floor.

"Luna," a voice called.

I looked up, and saw Nora was standing in front of me, a tray of empty cups in her hands.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "You look pale."

"I am fine," I answered.

"You do not look fine," she said.

I glanced around, and no one was paying attention.

"Can we talk?" I asked. "Somewhere private?"

Nora nodded. "Follow me."

She led me to a small storage room off the kitchen. It was dark and cold, and the shelves were lined with sacks of flour and jars of pickled vegetables.

Nora closed the door behind us after making sure no one saw us or followed us.

"What is going on?" she asked.

I took a breath. "The Luna Celebration—it is at Mooncrest Hall in one week."

"I heard," Nora said, shaking her head.

"Vivienne, my stepmother in Cresswood, is planning something," I said.

Nora’s eyes widened. "How do you know?"

"Piper told me. She snuck into the pack house in Cresswood, and heard Vivienne and Celeste talking about it. They said the celebration would be my end," I explained.

Nora was quiet for a moment, then her face was hard.

"Do you know what she is planning?" she asked.

"No. Piper did not hear the details," I answered.

"Then we need to find out." Nora grabbed my hands. "You cannot go in blind, Talia. If Vivienne is planning something, you need to be ready."

"How?" I asked.

Nora thought for a moment. "I have a cousin who works at Mooncrest Hall. She has a gift of supernatural hearing, so she hears things. I will write to her, if she might know something."

"Thank you," I said gratefully.

Nora squeezed my hands. "That is what friends are for."

I felt a small spark of hope in my chest.

It was a tiny flickering hope, like a candle in the wind. But it was there.

Nora did not have to help me. She could have walked away, pretended she did not hear, gone back to her kitchen and her vegetables. But she did not. She stayed, and she chose to stand with me.

She was just a kitchen maid, and she had her own life, and her own problems, but she was choosing to stand with me. And for that, I was forever grateful to her.

"What is her name?" I asked.

"Elara," Nora said. "She is younger than me, and she is quiet, but she notices everything. So if anyone at Mooncrest Hall knows what Vivienne is planning, it will be her."

"Thank you," I said again. The words felt small compared to what I was feeling.

Nora shrugged. "Do not thank me yet. Thank me when we find out what Vivienne is up to."

She opened the storage room door and peeked out. "The coast is clear. You should go now, Luna, as someone might come looking for you or me."

I smiled brightly at her words, then I left the storage room and walked back to my room.

The hallways were empty now, as the wolves had gone back to their duties. The torches flickered, and the shadows danced on the walls.

I opened the door and stepped inside.

The fire had been lit, and the room was warm. A tray of food that included bread, soup, and a cup of water sat on the desk.

I sat down and ate the food, but could not feel any of the taste, as my mind kept racing back and forth.

It was seven days until the Luna Celebration, seven days until I would face Vivienne again, and seven days until whatever she was planning would come for me.

I pushed the tray aside and walked to the window.

The valley stretched out below me and the mountains stood tall and silent, with their peaks lost in the clouds.

I touched my necklace, and the glamour charm was still there, and still hiding me.

But it would not protect me from Vivienne or whatever she had planned.

Nothing would.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to balance myself, because in one week, I would be ready to face whatever was coming.

I had to be.

I pressed my palm against the glass. The sun was climbing higher now, and the light was getting brighter.

I did not know what Vivienne was planning, but I knew one thing. I would not go down without a fight.

I had survived her before, and I would survive her again.