Chapter 4
For the rest of the day, time dragged on.
They put me in the most remote room in the castle.
Two guards were posted outside my door, just to make sure I wouldn't run off.
They were there to keep me from escaping.
As evening rolled around, a maid brought me dinner.
The maid set the tray down, and I realized it was my dinner.
To my surprise, it was a fancy steak and a glass of red wine.
"This was ordered by the Luna," the maid explained. "She said you should at least enjoy a proper meal before you fulfill your duty."
Fulfilling my so-called duty.
That was a pretty way to say it.
It was just draining me dry.
I grabbed the knife and fork, sliced off a piece of steak, and put it in my mouth.
It tasted like cardboard.
Still, I made myself eat every last bite.
I needed to keep my strength up.
Because tonight, it would all be over.
Everything would come to an end.
Night fell.
The moon outside my window began to glow crimson.
The Blood Moon Night was finally here.
The door swung open.
Logan walked in.
He was dressed in a black shirt.
His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.
His strong arms were on full display.
But I noticed something.
His eyes were rimmed with red, veins creeping across the whites.
That was the first warning of the frenzy taking hold.
"Ready?" Logan's voice was husky.
He was barely keeping himself together.
"I'm ready whenever you are." I stood up.
"Good." He turned around. "Follow me."
We headed toward the castle's ritual hall.
The place was already set up for the ceremony.
Intricate ritual circles were drawn on the floor.
In the center sat a massive silver basin.
Madeline stood off to the side, dressed in a lavish robe.
When she saw me walk in, she smiled.
"Aurora's here," Madeline said. "Logan, can we start now?"
"Yeah," Logan replied.
He looked at me. "Lie down in there."
I walked over to the silver basin.
It was crafted from pure silver.
For Wolfkin, silver was pure poison.
"Wait," Madeline said. "I think we should put silver shackles on her first. What if she tries to fight back?"
Logan frowned. "She can't fight back."
"Better safe than sorry," Madeline insisted. "After all, on Blood Moon Night, anyone could lose control."
In the end, Logan gave in.
The guards came over.
They put silver shackles on my wrists and ankles.
The moment the silver shackles touched my skin, a burning pain shot through me.
"Can we get on with it now?" Logan said, his patience wearing thin.
"Alright, alright," Madeline said, nodding with a satisfied smile.
They forced me down into the silver basin.
My wounds split open again.
Blood oozed out, staining the silver.
"Let's get this over with," Logan said.
A sorcerer in a black robe stepped forward.
He held a silver-bladed dagger in his hand.
"This ritual needs a ton of blood," the sorcerer said.
The sorcerer glanced at Logan. "She could die."
"Doesn't matter to me," Logan said, his voice cold as ice. "As long as it keeps my frenzy under control.
"Just a servant. It's not important.
Hearing those words, I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
He really saw me as nothing at all.
"What's so funny?" Logan asked, standing right in front of me.
"I never expected you'd still be able to laugh at a moment like this," Logan said.
"I'm laughing at how stupid you are," I said, my voice steady as I met his gaze.
"Logan, you're going to regret this," I said.
"Regret?" Logan let out a mocking laugh. "What would I regret? Regret not killing you sooner, you walking disaster? Let's get this over with."
He turned his back on me. "I'm done waiting."
The sorcerer raised the silver blade.
He hovered the dagger right above my wrist, ready to strike.
Right as the blade was about to fall, a sudden howl echoed from outside the castle.
It was the unmistakable sign that the Wolfkin were slipping into frenzy.
Logan's body shuddered.
"Damn it" Logan muttered.
He clutched his head, his face twisted in pain.
"Why is it happening so fast..." Logan muttered.
"Logan!" Madeline called out. "What's wrong?"
She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight.
Madeline offered her neck to him, hoping her scent would help calm his frenzy.
"Breathe in my scent. It'll help," she whispered.
Logan took a deep breath.
But the next second, he suddenly shoved Madeline away.
"Get away from me!" Logan snarled, his voice dropping to a low, animalistic growl.
"Your scent..." Logan growled. "It makes me sick!"
Madeline collapsed to the floor, her face drained of color.
Her face was as pale as a ghost. "How could this happen? It worked before Why not now?"
"Because the drug's lost its effect," I said, unfazed.
Everyone turned to look at me.
"What did you just say?" Madeline shrieked.
"I said, the drug you got from the sorcerer doesn't work anymore," I replied.
I slowly sat up.
Even with the shackles on, I didn't let it faze me.
My voice was calm, calmer than ever before.
"On Blood Moon Night, the wolf's instincts are pushed to the limit," I said. "Any disguise gets ripped away.
"Even that Fated Partner scent you stole and tried to pass off as your own."
"You're lying!" Madeline shrieked.
She charged at me, her hand swinging wildly, ready to slap me across the face.
But the guards stopped her because at that moment, Logan lost all control.
His eyes blazed a deep, blood-red.
Coarse wolf fur erupted across his skin, his body twisting as the transformation began.
"Everyone, get back!" Lucas barked. "The Alpha's about to lose it completely!"
The sorcerer started chanting, trying to use magic to control Logan.
But it was useless.
Nothing worked.
On Blood Moon Night, the Alpha was unstoppable, more powerful and dangerous than anything else.
Without the blood of his real Fated Partner, there was simply no way to restrain him.
He couldn't be held back at all.
Logan went berserk in the hall, smashing everything in his path.
He overturned the altar, sending it crashing to the ground.
His roar was deafening, shaking the whole hall.
"Hurry up!" Madeline shrieked at the sorcerer. "Use her blood! Now! Do it."
The sorcerer raised the silver blade.
He advanced on me.
But Logan suddenly spun around.
One swipe of his claw sent the sorcerer flying across the room.
Then he turned to me.
Every step he took radiated the savage, suffocating presence of a beast.
"Logan!" Madeline shrieked. "Don't go near her. She'll get you killed."
But Logan didn't listen to a word she said.
He strode up to the silver basin.
He leaned over and inhaled my scent, slow and intense, as if searching for something hidden.
Then, for just a moment, I saw a flash of clarity in his eyes before the frenzy returned.
In the next instant, his hands snapped the shackles like they were nothing.
He swept me out of the silver basin.
"My..." Logan rasped, his voice raw and desperate.
It was thick with a longing he'd been holding back for far too long. "My Fated Partner."