Chapter 3 Something In the Silence

RHEA

By the time we return from the Moon Temple, the sky has started to soften with the colours of dawn. I don't know if the Goddess heard me, but something felt different. Like a burden was lifted off my shoulders, if only for a moment.

Eva hugs me before we part ways, her eyes tired but kind. "Rest, Rhea. Things will turn around. I can feel it."

I smile faintly, still holding onto the sliver of peace I felt under the moonlight.

When I open the door to our quarters, I freeze.

Kieran is there. Sitting calmly by the hearth, a book open in his hands like he's been waiting for me.

My heart stutters.

"You’re back early," he says, his voice low and gentle.

I blink. He's… speaking to me? Looking at me?

"I--I went to the temple," I say slowly, unsure. "To pray."

His gaze lifts to mine, unreadable. "That's good. You looked like you needed it."

I stare at him, stunned. He's never spoken to me like this. Not since we mated. Not even close.

"I did," I whisper. "Thank you."

He stands and walks toward me. There's no tension in his movements. No hate in his eyes. He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear gently. "How was your day?"

My throat tightens. "It was… peaceful. Eva went with me."

He nods like it matters to him. Like I matter.

The corners of my mouth lift. Is this real? Is the Moon Goddess answering me this quickly? "I'm glad," he says softly, then turns and picks up a glass from the table. "Here. You look tired. This will help you relax."

He hands me the drink, it looks sweet and warm, with a scent I can’t quite place. I take it, still watching him in disbelief.

"Thank you," I murmur, my heart blooming with hope. I drink it slowly, savouring the moment. His eyes never leave me. But then--my fingers start to tremble. A strange fuzziness creeps into my limbs. The glass slips from my hand, shattering on the floor.

"Kieran…?" My voice slurs, my eyes wide. My knees give out and I clutch the side of the table to steady myself. "W-What did you--"

He doesn't move to catch me. He's not even looking surprised. His eyes are strangely calm and cold.

The warmth in his face is gone, like it was never there to begin with.

"I'm sorry, Rhea," he says flatly. "This is the only way."

My vision gets fuzzy. The room tilts.

I try to reach for him, but my arms feel like water. "Please…" I whisper. "Don’t…"

His face is the last thing I see before the dark takes me.

It's expressionless. Unmoved. Gone.

---

My eyes flutter open to darkness and pain. My arms won't move. Neither will my legs.

Panic rises like a scream trapped in my throat and then I realise there is something in my mouth. A cloth. A gag tied tightly across my mouth.

I'm bound to a chair, my wrists digging against the rope. My ankles are numb from the strain. The room is dim, lit only by the flicker of--

Fire. My breath catches.

Kieran stands in front of me calmly as if he's done nothing wrong.

My muffled sobs fill the room as I cry, twisting against the bonds. My heart is pounding so hard it hurts. Why?

He crouches in front of me, his expression carved from ice.

"I should have rejected you the day the Moon Goddess cursed me with your name," he says coldly. "But I thought I could stomach it. I thought I could keep you hidden and tolerate your presence."

Tears streak down my cheeks.

He stands slowly, eyes sweeping over me like I'm nothing more than dirt beneath his boots. "You were a stain on my title. An embarrassment. Luna? You? The pack will rejoice when you're gone."

My body shakes. No. No. Please. He glances toward the door. "Don’t worry, no one will come. I made sure of it."

Then he turns his back to me.

And sets the curtain on fire.

I scream against the gag, struggling violently as the flames lick upward, racing along the edges of the room. Heat explodes across the floorboards. Smoke snakes into my lungs.

Kieran never looks back.

He walks out the front door like he's simply done cleaning up a mess.

I thrash harder, my wrists bleeding now, the chair scraping uselessly against the floor. My wolf stirs weakly, but she's too drained, too broken. We both are.

The fire is everywhere. The heat is unbearable. My vision sways. My lungs seize. The flames spread like a hungry beast, devouring everything I once called home.

The curtains fall in ribbons of fire, embers raining down around me. Smoke thickens the air, filling my lungs until every breath feels like broken glass.

I scream again, but the gag swallows it. A soundless, helpless sob. My wrists twist against the ropes. My skin is now raw, blood slicking the chair's armrests. But it’s no use. I'm too weak. My wolf, usually a fierce heartbeat inside me, is silent now, tucked deep, as if even she has given up.

I don't know what hurts more, the fire burning me or the betrayal Kieran.

My mate who left me here to burn.

My eyes sting from the heat, from the grief. Every memory of him cuts deeper than the fire ever could. Every quiet moment where I thought he might soften. Every second I prayed the Goddess would make him love me.

It was all a lie.

I cough, my body racked with spasms. The heat licks my ankles. The floor beneath the chair groans, cracking beneath the flames. Wood splinters. Sparks rise like fireflies, dancing in the haze.

It’s getting harder to breathe. Harder to stay awake.

I blink through the smoke, my vision tunnelling into dark corners. My head droops to one side, too heavy now, and a tear slips down my soot-streaked cheek.

This is how it ends. Alone. Unwanted. Unloved.

I close my eyes. And let the fire take me.