Chapter 37

AURORA

The room was hushed as I stirred awake, the only sounds being the soft ticking of the wall clock and the gentle rhythm of the luna dog girl’s breaths beside me. My eyes fluttered open, landing on Selenia’s peaceful face.

It was a harsh reminder of the previous night; a night I’d wished was nothing more than a nightmare. My stomach throbbed slightly as I attempted to move, my hand instinctively going to it, feeling the bandages beneath my nightgown.

I wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn’t come. It was as if my entire body, my entire being, had gone numb. But I guess I should’ve seen it coming.

After the trauma of the previous night, the numbness was a necessary evil, a way for me to start piecing myself back together. Things had taken a turn for the worse after I’d bumped into Jekia in the hallway and he’d hurried me off to his and Lana’s room.

Not long after Lana had asked Vishu to fetch Emelio, he’d shown up. He was the one who’d inspected my wounds and the partially dislodged implant in my abdomen, quickly deciding that it needed to be removed entirely.

The damage was too severe, and it couldn’t be properly fixed. He’d used his power to numb me after that, and I didn’t feel a thing when he removed the rest of the implant or when Vishu started stitching me up.

Soon after they were finished, Jekia came back with Selenia, insisting that I stay in her room for the rest of the night. I’d be safe there, and he’d handle Rin and Rayne. But before Emelio led me to Selenia’s room, he shared another piece of information.

He was now convinced that the stone in my throat was the root cause of Rin and Rayne’s sporadic mind control. That, coupled with their instincts, was becoming a dangerous mix for me and their immediate family.

While he couldn’t remove the stone at the moment due to the potentially lethal spell on it, he did have a suggestion to keep the spell at bay. Since the spell could be triggered when I spoke, I needed to stop talking.

In essence, I had to become mute again. While it seemed harsh to Lana, Selenia, and Vishu, they understood the necessity, as did I.

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Emelio offered me a lifeline, in the form of a magic tablet that could transcribe my thoughts into words. This would allow me to keep communicating effectively with everyone.

Still, nothing could alleviate the pain in my heart. Even if he was under control, I couldn’t believe that Rin had actually attacked me. Even if he was under control, I thought he’d be stronger than that.

He’d always seemed so strong before. But now, it appeared that neither he nor Rayne were strong enough to resist this. The spell had almost completely ensnared their minds, and it had done the same to mine the day before when I’d slept with Rayne.

I wondered if this would’ve happened if I’d resisted and said no to Rayne. Maybe Rin wouldn’t have succumbed to it, although there was the fear that Rayne might’ve attacked me instead. I slowly sat up in bed, trying my best to stop dwelling on the what-ifs.

I couldn’t change what had happened, and I deeply regretted not confiding in Jekia or Emelio about what was happening to me, although I suspected they had their suspicions. I just didn’t understand why they’d let it go on for so long.

Were they trying to confirm their suspicions, oblivious to how dangerous it could become? Selenia started to wake up as I sat there, sitting up with me. “Are you okay? You’re not in too much pain, are you?” she asked, her voice filled with concern.

I shook my head, reaching over to the side table to grab my tablet. “No. It’s the thinking that hurts more,” I replied.

“I get it. Last night was really terrible,” Selenia said, her ears drooping for a moment. She shifted slightly beside me. “I still can’t believe it. Rin’s never hurt anyone, and I always thought he’d be stronger than any spell, especially when it came to you. He loves you so much. I’m sure he’s devastated that he did this, even if it wasn’t really him.”

“I don’t know what to think. That wasn’t the Rin I knew, and I feel like some of it was my fault. If I hadn’t let this thing control me and Rayne yesterday, then maybe Rin wouldn’t have gotten so jealous and done that,” I confessed.

Selenia tilted her head. “What do you mean? Did something happen with Rayne yesterday too?”

Damn. I’d forgotten that no one else knew that I’d ended up sleeping with Rayne apart from Rin. Well, it seemed like he knew. I wondered if that was all because of the control over him. “Please don’t tell anyone. That same thing happened to us yesterday, and I ended up sleeping with Rayne,” I admitted.

“Oh, dear,” Selenia murmured. She didn’t look judgmental, just more worried. “That must’ve been what triggered Rin. She must have amplified his jealousy. No wonder Daddy’s so worried about what’s happening to our family.”

“I’m so sorry,” I apologized. “This is all happening because of me. If I wasn’t here then Rin and Rayne wouldn’t be like this.”

Selenia wrapped her arms around me in a comforting embrace. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. You didn’t cause any of this. We all know we’re targets sometimes, and my brothers should’ve been more alert, especially when they sensed something was off. It’s not fair to expect you to know how to handle this. You’ve only been part of our world for a few months, and you’re still growing into your role as a beta. You couldn’t have fought this off, and I’m sure you were warned not to talk about it, even if it was just a subconscious threat.”

She was right. I was still trying to understand this world, and I had been warned not to tell anyone. Even though I still blamed myself and felt I should accept that blame, it eased some of the weight knowing she understood.

After a few minutes of hugging and comforting me, Selenia pulled back and gave me a reassuring smile. “How about we get up and grab some breakfast? You need to eat well and rest while you heal,” she suggested.

“Are you sure it’s safe for me to leave this room with just you? What if…,” I began.

“Don’t worry about my brothers. Dad and Emelio are making sure nothing else happens with them, and so are Mom and Vishu. We’ll all keep you safe,” Selenia assured me.

I felt a bit better knowing everyone else was on my side, especially Jekia. If anyone could control Rin and Rayne, it would be their father. He was clearly a much stronger alpha than they were.

Selenia helped me get up and dressed. Vishu had brought one of my dresses the night before, so I didn’t have to worry about going back to the room Rin and I had shared. I was relieved, considering I was scared to see it again. I wasn’t sure I could face Rin anytime soon, even though I knew I probably would have to.

The palace was bright and beautiful in the morning light, as if nothing terrible had happened the night before. I stayed close to Selenia as we made our way to the dining room, holding her hand and occasionally glancing around. I didn’t see either brother, not even when we reached the dining room. Lana was already there with Vishu, and she looked relieved to see me up and about.

“There you two are. How are you feeling this morning, Aurora?” she asked as we approached.

I held up my tablet. “A little better. Just sore.”

“Poor thing. Come, sit down. You shouldn’t push yourself too hard or you’ll be in more pain,” Vishu said, pulling out a chair for me.

I slowly sat down as Selenia took a seat on the other side of Lana. I noticed that Vishu made sure to sit next to me. I wondered if they were trying to keep me safe in case anything else happened.

“I know I probably shouldn’t ask this in front of Aurora, but I need to know; have you seen or spoken to my brothers this morning?” Selenia asked Lana.

“I only spoke to Rayne, and that was briefly after Jekia and I woke up. He’s very worried about what happened to Aurora, but I told him it would be best not to approach her yet, that she needs time to heal both physically and emotionally,” Lana replied.

I tapped her arm, holding up my tablet for her to see.

“Do you know what happened to Rin? Did Jekia do something to him?”

“I understand, and I wouldn’t keep anything from you,” Lana assured me. She looked both sad and tired as she continued. “Jekia did call both him and Rayne for an immediate meeting last night after what happened, and although I wasn’t there, Emelio showed me what happened. To put it simply, Jekia told them that they had both been influenced by an outside force and that you were the victim of it through them. Both were shocked and deeply remorseful, though Rin seems to have taken it much harder than Rayne. Last I heard, he had locked himself in his room and hasn’t come out this morning.”

Even though I knew I shouldn’t be, I was worried. It sounded like Rin was really torn up about what he’d done to me.

Vishu shook her head. “I understand that Rin was influenced, but he must know what he did. It seems like he was somewhat aware of his actions if he’s not just defending himself and saying something made him do it,” she reasoned.

“I know, and for his part, I will say that Rayne has accepted his blame in this situation as well,” Lana told her.

That caught my attention. “He told you and Jekia what happened with me?”

“He did confess, though I will say that while neither of us was surprised by his actions, we were very unhappy with him,” Lana answered.

“I didn’t think Rayne would confess something like that to you so easily,” Selenia remarked.

“He felt he didn’t have a choice, especially when he wanted to understand what led to Rin’s actions. While the influence was a major factor, we can’t ignore the underlying issues that pushed things to the edge. Rayne was definitely jealous that Rin found a beta and he hasn’t yet, and we have no doubt that Rin saw his brother as a potential threat. Unfortunately, this created the perfect opportunity for the Golden Queen to step in and deepen the rift,” Lana explained.

It all made sense to me. The Golden Queen had probably been watching this family for years, and she saw a perfect chance to get to them by turning Rin and Rayne against each other. After all, they were the heirs to Jekia’s throne. If they turned on each other, it could tear this kingdom apart.

But then Vishu brought up a point I hadn’t considered.

“Everything makes sense, except for one thing. How could this Golden Queen have known that Aurora would be chosen as a beta for one of the young lords? From what I understand, it takes years to create magic stones like the one that gave Aurora her voice back. And let’s be honest, it’s not common to find someone who’s mute but can hear. Even if she predicted that a girl like Aurora would end up here, there’s no way she could’ve known she’d be mute or that she’d catch the attention of Lord Rin or Lord Rayne. Only fate could know that.”

“You’re right, Mother,” Selenia agreed. “It seems unlikely that she could know such specific details.”

Lana nodded. “Yes, that’s true. We haven’t been able to answer that question yet, but Emelio is looking into Aurora’s lifespan books. Even though it seems strange and unlikely, we can’t ignore the fact that there’s more to this.”

I was about to ask them more questions when the dining room door creaked open. We all turned to see Rayne walking in. I tried to stay calm, but my heart was racing. I hadn’t expected to see him or Rin yet, and I was scared of what might happen next.

“Why are you here, Rayne? Didn’t Jekia and I tell you to stay away from Aurora so she could rest?” Lana scolded him.

“I know, and I usually listen to you, but I’m really worried about her. I just want to make sure she’s okay. I promise I won’t do anything, and I won’t get any closer if she doesn’t want me to,” Rayne said, standing by the door.

I slid my tablet over to Lana so she could see it.

“If he stays there, then it’s okay.”

“Alright,” Lana agreed. She turned back to Rayne. “You can say what you want to say, but Aurora asks that you don’t come any closer. I think you understand and respect her feelings.”

“I do,” Rayne confirmed. His ears drooped as he looked down, like he was searching for the right words. “I wanted to apologize to her too. Even though I felt like I wasn’t in control when we...did what we did, and I knew she wasn’t either, I didn’t fight it like I should have. I wanted it to happen, at least once. She’s such a sweet and beautiful girl, and I was so jealous of Rin for having her.”