CHAPTER 15: THE LUNA'S PRIDE
Silver's POV
I slammed the door to my suite, the sound echoing like a gunshot. My chest heaved, my breath coming in jagged, furious hitches. I walked straight to the vanity and stared at my reflection. My hair was disheveled, and a thin, stinging scratch ran along my collarbone—a parting gift from that filthy cage.
"The audacity," I hissed, my voice trembling. "The absolute, unmitigated gall."
I ripped off my lilac gown, the delicate silk tearing under my frantic fingers. I didn't care. I stepped into the steaming bath my maids had prepared, scrubbing my skin until it was raw and red. I wanted the scent of that dungeon—the scent of *her*—off me.
Hazel. The name tasted like ash. She wasn't just a prisoner; she was a taunt. A fated mate? The Moon Goddess must have been drunk when she tied a king like Caleb to a stray dog like that.
I stepped out of the tub and dressed in a structured, deep emerald dress that made me look every bit the Luna I was born to be. I wiped the smudge of blood from my neck and applied a thick layer of lace and jewelry to hide the mark.
"You," I pointed at the lead maid, who was trembling by the wardrobe. "Show me to the Alpha's office. Now."
"Ma'am, the Alpha is—"
"I didn't ask for his schedule," I snapped, my eyes flashing. "I asked for the door. Unless you'd like to spend the night in the cells alongside our... guest?"
The girl paled and immediately scurried toward the door.
I followed her through the winding corridors of the castle, my heels clicking a lethal rhythm on the stone. When we reached the heavy oak doors of the study, the maid bowed and vanished before I could even dismiss her.
I didn't knock. I pushed the doors open with a slow, deliberate grace.
Caleb was hunched over his desk, his hands moving with frantic speed to slide a stack of papers under a leather-bound folder. The moment he realized it was me, he froze. He didn't smile. He didn't stand. He just shot me a stare so cold it could have turned the tea on his desk to ice.
I raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow and dropped into a deep, elegant curtsey.
"I don't believe we've been properly introduced in the daylight," she said, stepping into the room with a confident grace. "I am Silverhade Rosalie Hade. Your fiancé."
He gave me a polite smile and turned his stare back to the table. I gritted my teeth and tried again.
"Good morning again, my love," I said, my voice shifting into its finest, most expensive honey. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything... sensitive."
"Silver," he said, his voice a low warning. "I'm busy."
I didn't listen. I walked toward him, my hips swaying with a practiced confidence. I reached the edge of his desk and leaned over, letting the scent of my rose perfume fill the space between us. I reached out, my fingers trembling slightly with gentle tenderness as I moved to touch his jaw. I was finally touching him!!!
"You look exhausted, Caleb. Let me—"
Before my skin could even graze his, he stood up abruptly, stepping back toward the window. The rejection stung worse than the scratch on my neck.
I straightened up, the honey in my voice beginning to curdle. "A bit jumpy today, aren't we?"
"What do you want, Silver?"
"I want to know what you intend to do about the Thornblood," I said, the pretense finally snapping.
Caleb froze. His entire body went rigid, his back turned to me as he stared out at the forest. The silence lasted a heartbeat too long.
I let out a sharp, melodic laugh that held no humor. "Oh, don't look so shocked. I've heard the whispers, Caleb. I wasn't sure they were true—I thought perhaps my new pack was simply fond of ghost stories. But I've seen her. I've been down there."
I walked toward him, stopping just a foot away. "I am Silver Rosalie Hade. I won the competition. I am the chosen Luna of this pack. I will not be cuckolded by a prisoner, and I certainly won't be made a fool of because you can't control your... instincts."
I stepped into his line of sight, forcing him to look at me. "Get your act together, Caleb. For the sake of your pack, and for the sake of our alliance."
I didn't wait for him to respond. I turned on my heel and exited the room, the heavy doors thudding shut behind me.
As I walked down the hall, the heat of my anger cooled into something much more dangerous: calculation. Caleb was compromised the pack was hiding things. The pack was unstable.
If Caleb wouldn't remove the threat, I would have to do it myself. Hazel couldn't just be moved; she had to be erased.
I reached my room and looked at my maids. "Find out who has access to the kitchen's silver-nitrate supplies," I whispered. "And find me a guard who can be bought."
One way or another, the Thornblood would not survive the week.