Chapter 8 /-Selene-/ "Do I need to remind both of you that I'm still standing here? I said, Speak!" Kaelen growled again and slammed his sword deeper into the ground. I saw the beta flinch. Oh, so he actually feared someone. I thought he was bold and fearless. "Aren't you overreacting, Kaelen? What's so important with what I discuss with this deformed being?" "Watch your mouth!" Kaelen screamed. "Call her any other dirty name, and I would have your tongue cut out and fed to your wolf!" The beta scoffed. "Fine!" "We were discussing what she had seen. You know how terrifying a battle of this nature gets. She hasn't been in any war before, so....." Kaelen shook his head, and he was forced to stop talking. "You guys were talking about the battle, and you were threatening her. To add, I saw you choke her too; that's after you stepped on her fingers. Are all these discussions as well?" My heart began pounding so violently. He had seen all these? Then how much did he hear? I thought to myself. He turned to me. "Selene, what is it that you saw?" I raised my face, and my eyes locked with the beta's eyes. Cold and dangerous. He didn't need to talk; I knew I would be dead meat if I dared to talk about what I saw. I swallowed hard. My throat still hurt from the grip that the masked devil had used. Kaelen stepped closer. "Selene I asked a question. What is it that you saw? Tell me the truth; you have my protection, I swear on everything dear to me." I opened my mouth to speak, but the beta cut in quickly. "Fine. Since you are so desperate to help this creature. She saw Thorne shift and was confused. She also said something about him walking normally despite being blind." Kaelen furrowed his eyebrows. "Thorne?" "Walked normally?" The beta heaved a deep sigh. "Shocking, right? We had felt the same way. And..." "Selene, I was speaking to you. Have you got no words in your mouth?" I hesitated, trembling like a wet leaf. I looked at the beta, then at Kaelen. "He is right; that's all I saw." Kaelen scoffed. "You can go." The beta turned to leave, but he held him. "Not you. She can go. The king demands your presence." "Hmm, okay," I muttered and scurried away before he changed his mind. Back in the royal house, I stood before Thorne, waiting for the next instruction. I had been standing for more than ten minutes after announcing my presence, but he had not said a word yet. I cleared my throat for the umpteenth time and dragged my feet on the floor to alert him in case he had forgotten. Suddenly his voice boomed. "Are you cursed?" I bit my teeth hard. These questions broke my heart, though I knew I couldn't avoid them. "I don't know." I cleaned the tear that had dropped down my cheek and sniffed deeply. "You should know, because why are you that deformed? Yet the moon goddess chose to punish me." "Can you see me?" I widened my eyes in suspicion. "Do I need to see you before I can tell how ugly you are?" He stood and walked towards me, again without stumbling on anything. "Where is the drug you prepared? Your time is counting already." "I will go get it now." I bowed and left for my room. A few seconds later I came back bearing another vial, but the beta was in the room, and so was Kaelen. "I'm here," I announced. "You will have to sit while I administer directly to your eyes." Kaelen shot me the "Are you sure about this?" look. Surprisingly, I felt so confident and bold, as though I had been doing that for ages. As I walked closer to Thorne, a knock on the door interrupted us. A guard came in and bowed. "Three dead soldiers," he announced. "Two have marks of claws on their neck, but the other was a clean stab between the ribs." My hands began to shake. I tried. I did all I could to steady my shaky hands, but it won't just stop. "How possible is that?" Thorne questioned. "Those soldiers were lost at the pack entrance, and none of our rivalries came with an external weapon; they all shifted Where then did that come from?" "Selene, is everything okay?" Kaelen asked. It was more than a question; we both knew what he meant. "Yeah, everything is fine, just a little shaken." Thorne spoke again. "Have the bodies of our rivalries checked. We need to find out how it happened." "I should help in that," the beta chipped in. "No," Kaelen objected. "He can do it. You should rest; it's been a hectic day." "That knife was poisoned," Thorne added. "He couldn't just have died if it were an ordinary knife." "And," Kaelen added. "The only poisons that kill the RavenCrest wolves are only prepared here. Does this mean there is a mole amongst us?" "If I find out who did that, I swear he or she will curse the day he was born!" Thorne snarled. I shook, as though the threat was meant for me. "Selene, you should administer the drugs; we need to talk." That was Kaelen speaking. "Please tilt your head backwards," I pleaded with Thorne. He didn't argue; he just positioned himself. I had to tiptoe still to get to the level of his eyes. "Moon goddess, help me. Don't let me fail. I don't know what type of herbs these are, but help me; four weeks is around the corner." I prayed. Slowly, I pressed the small greenish liquid into his face. At first they floated on the surface, but immediately the substance entered his eyes,Thorne let out a loud scream. I was doomed. I stepped backwards in fear. No, not just fear. Horror. "What have you done?" Kaelen asked. "What the fuck did you do to him?" Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!