Riley’s POV
It has already been three days, and the reality of it kept pressing down on again and again until it felt hard to breathe.
The day had finally co.
The day I would be sent to the cave for the Rite of the Borrowed Moon.
Ever since that day with Gunnar, everything inside had changed. I could not stop thinking about his words, about the beasts, about the mark, about the way he had looked at as if he already knew sothing I did not.
The worst part was that he had disappeared just like he said he would. I had not seen him once. Not even by accident in the hallway. It made my chest tight in a way I did not want to admit.
I was sitting on the bed, staring at my wrist where the strange mark still glowed faintly, when the door suddenly burst open.
I jumped so hard that my heart slamd against my ribs, and my body jerked back in panic, but before I could react properly, two strong hands grabbed .
"Relax," Cane’s voice said softly near my ear.
"It’s just us," Caden added.
I looked up, my breathing fast, and saw both of them standing close to . Cane’s expression was calm but serious, and Caden’s eyes were sharp as usual, studying like he was trying to read every thought in my head.
"I didn’t an to scare you," Cane said, guiding to sit back down.
Before I could respond, footsteps entered behind them.
A young girl walked in. She looked nervous but respectful. She bowed her head to both of them and stepped forward carefully. My eyes followed her, confused about why she was here.
She stopped in front of Caden and held out a small vial.
"Alpha Gunnar asked to give you this. You would know what to do with it," she said.
Her voice was quiet but clear. She bowed again and quickly turned and left.
The mont the door closed, Caden opened the vial imdiately. His movents were fast and focused, like this was sothing very important.
He reached for my hands.
I blinked. "What are you doing?"
He did not answer. He grabbed my wrists firmly, and I felt my confusion grow.
He poured the liquid into his palm. It looked clear, almost like water, but sothing about it felt strange.
Then he started rubbing it onto my wrists.
The mont it touched my skin, I gasped. It burned.
It was hot and sharp, and I winced as the sensation spread. I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.
"Stay still," he said coldly.
The burning grew worse for a few seconds, and I bit my lip to stop myself from crying out. Then suddenly the heat faded and turned cold. The coldness spread through my skin, and I shivered.
"Why are you putting this on ?" I asked.
"You don’t have to know," he said without looking at . "Just cooperate."
His voice was so serious that it made nervous. He kept massaging the liquid into my skin, his fingers pressing and rubbing for several minutes. Cane stood beside us, watching closely.
The room was quiet except for the sound of my breathing.
After what felt like forever, Caden stopped.
He released my hands.
I stared at my wrists.
My eyes widened in shock.
The mark was gone.
"What just happened?" I whispered.
"This is to fade the appearance so it won’t be noticeable," Cane said calmly.
I looked at him. "I don’t even know what that is. Why is it important to fade it?"
Cane and Caden exchanged a look.
"It’s very important," Cane replied. "But you won’t understand now."
Sothing about that answer made uncomfortable, but I could tell they would not say more.
I looked down again, still trying to process it. The skin looked normal, as if nothing had ever been there.
Just then, sothing crossed my mind.
I turned to Caden. "Bane told sothing before you ca to rescue from the Tithers."
His body stiffened instantly.
"And what did he tell you?" he asked.
His voice was controlled, but I could feel the tension.
"He said that I was—"
I stopped. The mory hit clearly.
[No one must ever find out who you are. Aemoria Morvayne Emberwyn.]
The na echoed in my head.
My throat went dry. My heart started racing. I swallowed the words and forced a smile.
"He said the mark looked like a beautiful bracelet and suited ."
I lied.
Caden stared at for a mont, as if trying to see through . Then he nodded slowly.
"Listen, Riley," he said, his tone serious. "The Rite of the Borrowed Moon is not sothing you can relax about. You have to survive at all costs. After that, you will divorce Ethan properly. Rember, you are still married to him. He can still claim you back, and I know you wouldn’t like that."
I nodded quickly. "I know."
But the truth was that I was barely listening.
My mind was spinning.
The mark.
The na.
The secret.
Everything felt too heavy.
Cane stepped closer. "You need to focus. Fear will only make things worse."
"I know," I replied again.
But fear was already there.
It had been there since the first ti I heard about the Rite.
Caden’s gaze softened slightly. "You will do this I know and perhaps we’ll resolve a few conflicts between us"
His words surprised .
Before I could respond, soone knocked on the door.
Cane opened it.
Several warriors stood outside.
"It’s ti," one of them said.
My heart dropped.
Ti.
The word echoed in my head.
I stood up slowly.
My legs felt weak, but I forced myself to move.
Cane and Caden stayed close to as we walked through the halls. The entire place felt different today. The air was tense. People stopped and stared as we passed. So looked curious. So looked cruel. So looked excited.
I hated it. They were waiting to see if I would fail.
We reached the outer grounds of the building. The sky was dark, even though it was not night yet. The cave entrance stood far ahead, surrounded by guards.
The mont I saw it, fear gripped .
It looked huge and silent.
My steps slowed.
Cane noticed. "Don’t stop."
"I’m not," I said quickly, but my voice shook.
Caden leaned closer. "Rember everything we told you."
I nodded.
We stopped a few ters away from the entrance.
My heart was beating so loud that I could barely hear anything else.
Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke.
"Riley Grayson."
I froze. I turned as my gaze locked on Sebastian walking towards .
"Let see the girl"
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