Chapter 4 Eyes of the Enemy

The door forcefully opened.

Panic gripped Rayne as she awoke. In her chest, her heart thumped fiercely. The chains clattered around her wrists as she stumbled to her feet. Her skin ached from the cold air that filled the room. Her prison cell's silver walls were covered in long shadows as the outside torchlight wavered.

Two guards walked in. The torchlight shone on their armor.

"Stand up," one of them ordered.

Rayne squinted against the brightness. "Why? Where are you taking me?"

"Don't speak. Move."

She slowly pushed herself to her feet. The hard stone floor caused her entire body to ache. The metal cuffs still pressed against her wrists, causing a stinging ache. The moment she stepped into the corridor, a rush of chilly air hit her across the face.

She was guided by the soldiers into a tangle of hallways. Torches blazing with silver-blue flames lined the walls. This time, they were heading up, not down. Higher and higher. Every step echoed loudly, like it was warning her of something coming.

Rayne kept her eyes low, trying not to fall. Her legs were weak. Her thoughts were much worse-twisted with memories she wished to forget, questions she couldn't answer, and fear.

Finally, they reached a set of tall black doors. Strange symbols were carved into them-shapes of moons and claws. One of the guards knocked.

A voice spoke from inside.

"Bring her in."

The doors opened.

The room Rayne entered was unlike from any she had ever seen.

A glass dome on the ceiling spilled silver moonlight. The smooth stone floor gleamed like a mirror. From the walls hung long banners in black and silver. Their images were identical: a crescent moon with a wolf's claw on the bottom.

A man stood at the other end of the room.

He glanced in her direction.

He had a youthful appearance, yet it was neither gentle or gentle. He moved as though he were a prince and a warrior, and his figure was slender and powerful. Fine silver thread ran down the edges of his armor, which was darker than the guards'. A sword hung at his hip. His black hair was tied back neatly.

His eyes were gold. Cold and sharp. Like coins dipped in ice.

Rayne stopped moving.

This man wasn't just another soldier. She knew who he was.

This was Prince Kael-the ruler's son. The prince of Araksa.

Kael looked at her like he was already disappointed. Like he could see right through her.

"So," he continued in a low, firm voice. "Everyone is talking about this girl."

Rayne said nothing.

He stepped closer, his boots silent on the floor.

"You burned down a holy place," he said. "You killed three monks. You ran from the border. And you turned-under the moon."

"I didn't mean to," Rayne whispered.

Kael stopped behind her.

"It is irrelevant," he stated icily. "What happened is not erased by your intentions."

Rayne felt his eyes on her, heavy and sharp like knives. She was having trouble breathing.

"You don't even smell like one of us," he said. "Too much human in you. Too much weakness."

Rayne balled her hands into fists.

"I didn't request this," she muttered.

"No one does," Kael snapped. "But the moon doesn't ask what you want. And neither do I."

He walked in front of her again, eyes scanning her like she was a broken tool-or a weapon gone wrong.

"You're unstable," he said. "You turned without training. You had no control. That makes you dangerous."

"I didn't hurt anyone..."

"Three monks are dead. That says otherwise."

Rayne winced like she'd been struck.

"I was unable to stop it," she muttered. "It was like something inside me broke. My body, my mind-it wasn't mine anymore. It was pain. All of it."

Kael's expression didn't change.

"Then your instincts are real," he said. "But that means you're a problem."

He stepped even closer. His eyes narrowed.

"If it were my choice, you'd rot in a dungeon for the rest of your cursed life. Or be dead already."

Rayne raised her chin slightly, trying to stay strong. "Then why am I here?"

Kael's lip curled in disgust.

"Because my father believes in some old prophecy. And your blood might be a part of it."

"What prophecy?" she asked.

He didn't respond.

He turned instead, and proceeded toward a big table piled high with scrolls and maps. He spoke again without even turning around.

"You'll stay here in Araksa until we decide what to do with you. You will be watched. You will be tested. And if you turn again without control..." He turned back now, his voice colder than ever. "We'll kill you."

Rayne stared at him. Her jaw was tight.

She wanted to scream. To cry. But she didn't let herself.

She just gave one small nod.

Kael waved a hand toward the guards. "Take her away."

The guards didn't speak as they took Rayne away.

They led her through another door, this one smaller and quieter than the last. The hallway they entered was narrow, with tall windows that showed a view of cliffs covered in snow. The wind outside howled like it was alive. The entire mountain seemed to be breathing- icy, jagged, and furious.

Since she didn't want the guards to notice how terrified she was, Rayne kept her hands close to her sides even though they were shaking once more.

She couldn't stop thinking about Kael. His golden eyes had looked at her like she wasn't even human. Not a person. Just a threat. Just a mistake someone had made.

Finally, they stopped in front of a heavy wooden door.

One guard unlocked it and pushed it open.

"Inside," he said.

Rayne stepped in.

The room was bigger than the cell she'd been in before. There was a real bed now, with dark blankets. A stone bench sat beneath a tall window, which showed only snow and sky. The walls were clean yet composed of chilly stone. There was no dungeon here. However, it also didn't feel like a room.

It felt like a cage pretending not to be one.

The guards shut the door behind her, and the lock clicked.

Rayne didn't even look around. She simply moved to the bench, took a seat, and lowered her head gently onto her hands.

Her chest hurt.

Not from an injury, but from everything that was piling up inside her. It felt like a weight pressing down on her lungs. She couldn't breathe right. Couldn't think. Couldn't stop the memories from coming back.

The fire.

The screams.

The burning monastery.

The chains around her wrists.

The cold eyes of Prince Kael, full of hate and judgment.

It was too much.

She had no idea how it had all occurred. She had been running once, attempting to escape something. Then pain had taken over. Her body had changed. Her mind had shattered. The next thing she knew, people were dead. And now she was here.

In Araksa.

In the wolves' kingdom.

She didn't want to cry, but her throat burned like she might.

Time passed. She was unsure of how much. It was becoming darker outside the window. The glittering light turned to a drab gray, as the wind increased in volume. She heard something something far away in the mountain castle that made her shiver.

A howl.

Low and strong.

A wolf's cry.

Although she was unsure of its origin, it made her shiver, and what frightened her the most was what came next.

Something deep inside her... answered.

Not with a sound.

Not even with a thought.

Just a feeling. A pull. Like something buried in her bones was waking up.

She was afraid of what she might become.

Afraid of what she already was.

Was this her life now?