62. Chapter Sixty-Two - Leigh
The Aurora garrison fades away, replaced by an enchanting library I’ve never seen before.
Intricate woodwork adorns the walls, the carvings of animals and flora so lifelike they seem poised to leap from the grain.
Ancient tomes line the shelves.
A fire crackles and pops in a massive hearth.
As I move toward the inviting flames, I pass a window that offers a glimpse into a forest of snowy pine trees stretched out beneath an impenetrable black sky.
Alden sits before the fire in an oversized wingback chair, staring affectionately at a beautiful black wolf dozing on the floor, her glossy obsidian fur reflecting the flickering light like a miniature galaxy.
“Where are we?” I ask.
I remind myself that I’m not here to trick Alden into working with me.
Instead, I am banking on convincing him, despite the dream-like nature of our surroundings, that he should trust me rather than his brother.
Revenge won’t give Alden what he truly desires.
But I will.
If he doesn’t sense I am dreamwalking, I will tell him.
This isn’t a ruse.
“The library at the Nocturn Castle,” Alden replies without looking away from the wolf.
This wolf must be Tanith, his mate.
I sag into my chair with the weight of understanding.
“I’m sorry,” I say, but the words feel inadequate.
What lengths would I go to if Wilder was taken from me?
Would I burn the world for him?
I can imagine it.
But dedicating my life to killing others in the name of one person’s loss would feel like a betrayal of my values.
One life isn’t worth more than thousands.
“Can you tell me about Tanith?”
If I can get Alden to reflect on his love for his mate and remember the depth of their connection, I can convince him to accept the cure and leave Corona alone.
Alden laughs.
The sound chimes through the library.
In this setting, he is transformed—at ease.
“You caught me in a sharing mood,” Alden begins, settling into his chair.
“Tanith was extremely superstitious, completely obsessed with the concept of luck. She was the eldest of three siblings. Her mother and father were professors; they taught folklore and the magical integration of nature, and many of their beliefs rubbed off on her. She spent most of her life daydreaming of fairy tales.”
“She must’ve thought she hit the jackpot when she met you, a real prince in shining armor,” I tease.
Alden’s smile vanishes.
“I was her downfall. Her trusting nature didn’t stand a chance in my family. My father and brother have always been cruel. They never understood Tanith, and it bothered her. She started withdrawing from me when she sensed they’d never accept her.”
My chest aches.
“What happened to her?” I ask, wanting to hear the story from his lips.
Alden shifts in his seat, the antique creaking beneath him.
A shadow falls over his face.
But when I fear he’ll retreat into himself, he takes a long breath and continues.
“When Tanith and I discovered we were mates several years ago, it was unexpected. Her dance troupe performed an ancient Lua folktale for my father’s birthday—the story of Sirius, the first werewolf. Tanith was one of the ensemble dancers, and as soon as she started moving, my wolf instincts recognized her as mine.”
A pang of envy pierces my heart.
As a witch, the concept of mates is foreign to me.
For wolves, it’s a one-and-done deal, a profound connection they may never find again, even if a mate dies.
Having her still alive but unreachable must be excruciating.
“Tanith’s gentle nature softened my impenetrable core. I started to care less about my father’s plans to expand our borders. But then he got sick, and I thought their plans to invade would be put to rest, and Tanith and I could focus on us, but it was too late. Zeus and my father had bullied Tanith, and she couldn’t handle it. She . . . she left the palace, left me. Shortly after, vampires ambushed her on the road.”
The room flickers around us, the edges blurring as if the sleeping Alden is stirring in the waking world.
My breath catches.
I still need him to agree to my plan.
“Wolves are not meant to become vampires,” Alden goes on.
“Our DNA is different. When Tanith became a vampire, she lost herself completely, becoming feral. Vyvyan is solely to blame. She would have maintained control over all her vampire offspring if she were a more competent ruler. Instead, several abandoned Corona, and Tanith suffered as a result. However, I will ensure that Vyvyan pays for her incompetence.”
The small wolf stretches by the fire, and despite the heat of the flames, a chill runs down my spine.
The thought of Tanith facing off against a vampire upsets my stomach.
Zeus is a monster.
“Where is Tanith now?” I whisper, almost afraid to hear the answer.
Alden’s shoulders sag.
“Locked in a dungeon, sedated to keep her from harming herself and others.”
The fire grows taller, and as I stare into the hypnotic flames, I understand Alden’s pain and his thirst for revenge against the vampires.
It is easier to blame an unknown entity than to believe your family could hurt you.
Don and Zeus should talk.
“You know Tanith’s fate is Zeus’s fault, right?” I say in a soft but firm voice.
“How?” Alden asks, his voice tinged with suspicion.
“He lured her into the forest that day, knowing the vampires would get her.”
Alden folds his arms.
“That’s not true. A mate is sacred, and Zeus would never harm her. It’s a grave offense—punishable by death—to kill someone else’s mate. The wronged party can challenge the offending wolf to seek justice. My brother would never betray me like that. He needs me.”
“What if I had a way for you to get Tanith back?” I ask.
Alden stiffens.
He trains his piercing gaze on me, and I see the wolf inside him peering out, a primal intensity burning in his blue eyes.
I don’t flinch away.
I am here to help, not to hurt him.
“Leigh,” Alden says, “I know what you are trying to do.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Ravi has been my prisoner for years,” he says.
“He told me about dreamwalking, how to look for the signs when a Lunar Witch invades your dreams and tries to manipulate you with their words and presence, which is what you are doing now.”
My muscles lock up.
Calling it tension doesn’t even come close.
He’ll never believe the truth.
His story captivated me so much that I forgot to mention the dreamwalking.
I knew he’d find out, but now he thinks I deliberately hid it from him.
“I’m not lying,” I insist.
Alden narrows his eyes.
I understand why he doesn’t trust me.
Lies and deception encompassed our entire relationship, with us hiding our true intentions behind a veil of diplomacy.
But now, I am here to help, to offer a genuine solution to the problem that plagues us both.
“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter,” Alden growls.
My panic rises from my stomach to my chest.
Tanith awakens.
She rests on all fours, her ears upright, and listening while her big, tawny eyes watch me distrustfully.
“Alden, please, listen to me. I have a cure for vampirism,” I say.
Alden stiffens.
“What?”
“There is a vampire. You met her at the club; her blood turned magical when she became a vampire. Drinking it reverses vampirism. I will offer some of it to you, but in exchange, you must go against your brother and father’s orders and leave Corona untouched forever.”
Alden stands abruptly, and so does Tanith.
He paces before the fire with his hands behind his back.
Tanith bares her fangs at me, a low growl rumbling in her throat.
I stay glued to my chair, hoping to prove I am not a threat.
“How?” Alden asks.
“You just conveniently have a cure right now?”
I flinch.
Alden is no longer the vibrant prince who tricked me at the palace.
Instead, he is the Lua Enforcer, ready and willing to shred me to pieces with his claws.
But I have no other choice, so I press forward.
“Yes. Some vampires have special abilities. Desiree is one of them.”
“Why haven’t I heard about the cure before now?” Alden asks.
I take a deep breath, but my body continues trembling.
“She kept it a secret from me until recently. It isn’t widely known. But I’m not lying to you. Zeus is the liar. Tanith never wanted to leave you. That was the excuse he gave you to get you to comply with his invasion plans. Ravi told me the truth. He sees and hears more than he should as your prisoner. Zeus deserves your hatred, not your loyalty.”
Alden smiles a half-wolf grin that makes me catalog the exits.
“Ravi told you?” I nod.
“Then it must be true, since Ravi is so trustworthy.” I narrow my eyes, considering Ravi’s words.
I believe him.
He has no reason to lie, especially when he’s already Alden’s prisoner.
If he were caught being dishonest, it could put Sama in danger.
“You know, I like you, Leigh. You care about the well-being of your people, but you are a terrible judge of character.”
I wince, the blow landing exactly as Alden intended.
Yeah, I know I have trust issues, and I am working on it.
It’s not like I want to put my faith in Alden, but I empathize with him, knowing nothing about Zeus other than his father’s unreasonably high expectations for him to be a cunning, ruthless leader.
“Zeus will not back off easily,” Alden says, his voice low and resigned.
I slide to the edge of my seat.
“But the Lua army answers to you.”
Alden strokes Tanith’s wiry fur.
“True.”
“Do we have a deal?” I ask, ignoring my pounding heart.
“I give you the cure, and in exchange, at dawn, you turn your army against Zeus.”
“Give me that cure.” He smiles.
“And I’ll do whatever you want.”
I force myself to stay seated, though I want to jump and do a victory dance.
“For what it’s worth, I am glad you were smart enough not to agree to marry me.”
“Would you have done it if I had said yes?”
“I would have married you to secure your throne, regrettably consummated the relationship, made your boyfriend watch, and then killed you in front of him before locking him in a cage to live the rest of his pathetic life as my pet,” he says, never losing his sadistic smile.
Yikes .
I have no idea if he is serious, but a part of me believes he could be, at least about part of it.
Hurt people often hurt people.
My gut churns, but I roll my eyes.
“It sounds like you gave it a lot of thought.”
“I could go into detail, but this conversation is over.”
“Why?”
“Because your friends just entered our camp.”
With a wink, Alden snaps his fingers, and the dream shatters, jolting me back to reality.
I sit up in bed, my heart in my throat.
Wilder’s in trouble.