ISKERA
"Nox. What kind of name is that? Is it a full name, or a shortened version? Where do you come from?"
I question the shadow as I throw open my trunk, my eyes searching frantically for the right cloth to wear to interrupt the ritual currently unfolding on the ceremonial grounds.
Seren's blood will be taken first for the cure, and when that has been finalized, I will be dragged to the grounds behind the ceremonial place to be slaughtered—sacrificed to the Goddess.
But I'm not in the mood to wait to be dragged anywhere before I show the Prince's ring. No, I feel like creating chaos. I want to see the shock on all their faces; I want to feel a good kind of untouchable for once in my miserable life.
And Nox agrees with me. Actually, it woke me up to move on with it. It is brimming with a dark, restless excitement.
"Nox, this is a new day. You can't keep snubbing me when I ask the necessary questions. Who are you, and what are you doing beneath my skin?"
I pick up a lame gown, my nose twitching in anger at the rags I am forced to wear. Will it be different in the Alpha King's residence? For that matter, will the King even allow me to step foot in the mansion?
I exhale loudly and slump onto the bed. This is all too exhausting.
That's because you are overthinking things.
"So, now you talk, huh? Answer my questions, or I go nowhere."
Well then, you will die, and you will return to the Goddess, and she will find another vessel to use.
What? The shadow is from the Goddess?
My jaw slackens, my breath hitching. "Nox, what are you talking about?"
It scoffs. You heard me the first time. I don't repeat myself.
I roll my eyes. "Why would the Goddess send you to possess me, then? What are you even?"
A thread of her shadow.
I frown, the concept slipping through my mind like water. What does that even mean?
The Goddess has two sides to her, and many that spin from those two. I'm part of the dark side. The balance to her light. We are the darkness. Her shadow.
I shiver as the words echo even in my bloodstream. Darkness. I really do have darkness within me. The people really are justified in their fears! I have—
You are quite overdramatic. The Goddess is both benevolent and fierce… to those who cross her path or flout the order of the universe. We are that fierce part—the dark part that most people don't see.
"And I'm possessed because...?"
Well, because a lot is going wrong, and you've been sent to bring order.
I shake my head immediately. "I can't. I don't want to. As a matter of fact, everything looks great to me."
Nox scoffs. But it is not the one who will bear the brunt of such a mission. I want no part in it!
You have no choice, really. Unless you want to submit to those foolish priests and let them take your life, offering an unreasonable sacrifice that the Goddess isn't even part of.
I sigh terribly, pulling at my hair. What have I gotten myself into? Why is my life this way? Is this a 'frying pan into the fire' situation?
No, it's not. As I said, you are being overly dramatic.
I cuss loudly. "Damn you! Get out of my body!"
Can't. Not unless you are dead. You know the way to that, don't you?
The words sting, and I wish I could strangle the mouthy thing, yet how can I strangle what I can't even see? And how do I fight against the shadow of a Goddess, whatever that is?
Albeit, I don't have to like this, and I don't. Not one bit.
"Why then did you wait until now to show up? And are you male or female?"
None. But you can see me as female, since you are one.
A pause.
And for why I'm here now? Because the time was right. Now, quit kvetching and hurry up... the ritual is already midway.
Then I feel her amusement.
Or are you not interested in seeing your enemies eat their own shame? Your sister, for one, will run mad when she sees that Vane has taken you.
Now, when she puts it like that...
I rise to my feet and walk to the trunk. I pick out the least drab garment in it and start to get dressed. I want to see Seren's face when I show her the ring.
It doesn't matter that the Prince didn't promise me a good marriage, or even one at all. The thing might even be prolonged until he gets hold of the kingship, and then he will dispose of me.
I stop, then inhale deeply to quell the ache in my chest.
It doesn't matter now. Tomorrow can think about itself. What matters now is seeing my family shamed, angry—whatever. My mission and marriage can wait.
When I'm done, I apply the black lipstick to my lips, look into the mirror, and try to dab my hair into some kind of perfection, but the effort is nil. I still look abandoned, like a dejected fool.
Shrugging my shoulders, I walk toward the window ledge and jump.
This time, I have more control over my movements. Shadows appear from nowhere—considering the sun is out—and make sure I land safely on the ground. I look around. No one is in sight. But of course, they will all be at the ceremonial grounds.
Inhaling deeply, I cut across the yard and start toward the grounds, my shoulders square and my steps measured.
—
The ceremonial grounds of the Blood-Claw pack are draped in white linen and the stench of impending death.
I can't help but smell the latter as I walk through the gates, catching sight of the murder tools laid out by the side of the gathering.
Just as everyone notices my entrance, they stop. It's exactly as I expected.
"What is the hell-spawn doing here?" The whisper ripples through the crowd like a virus.
But I don't look down like before. I don't hide my face. No, I instead keep my chin up defiantly. The weight of Vane's ring on my third finger feels like a loaded gun.
My father stands atop the altar, his face contorting with a mixture of rage and disbelief. Beside him, the same expression is mirrored on the faces of Seren and her mother.
Although a smile tugs at my sister's lips; she must think this is another chance, another opportunity to humiliate me and see me punished.
"Iskera. You were supposed to be brought here in chains hours from now! How dare you walk onto this sacred ground after your crimes? Do you want to stop the cure from being made too? What sort of evil fellow are you?!"
"I'm here for the ritual, Father," I say.
My voice is calm, sounding more like the shadow's than my own. "Doesn't the Goddess need a daughter's blood for the cure? Well... I'm right here."
Then I cock my head, a daring smile slithering across my lips. "Or am I not your daughter, Alpha Liamq?"
The High Priest sneers as my father's fury threatens to burn down the heavens. He signals the guards. "Seize her and throw her into the pit! We do not begin the healing while the rot is standing upright."
Two guards lunge for me, their gloved hands outstretched. But I don't even flinch. Instead, I ease my ringed hand from the folds of my gown where I had hidden it.
But before I can get all showy, a voice speaks from the crowd, a drawl rather…
A very familiar voice.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."