Page 175 of Moonlit Fate

I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek to keep from spitting insults at him. Silence was my weapon right now, and I intended to wield it with precision.

Caius started circling me, prowling like a predator. “You see, you are central to a much larger plan. Your power, unique as it is, could tip the scales, though not in the way you hope.”

I fought to keep my face blank. He was playing games, trying to rattle me. I wouldn’t let him. “Whatever your plan is, it won’t work. You underestimate the strength of those who stand against you,” I shot back.

A low chuckle rumbled from Caius’s throat. “Oh, I think you’ll find I’ve accounted for quite a bit.”

His hand shot out before I could react, a surge of dark energy sparking from his fingertips. It hit me square in my chest, stealing my breath and hurling me against the cold stone wall. A sharp searing pain tore through me, but I refused to make a sound. I glared at him, summoning every ounce of defiance.

He snapped his hands back as though pulling threads from the air. I gasped, clawing at my throat. All the oxygen had left me, as if it had been sucked from the room. My heart stuttered, and stars danced along the edges of my vision. I forced myself to calm. I wouldn’t go down without a fight. With the last shred of strength, I lunged at him.

Caius merely smirked and flicked his wrist.

My breath returned in a rush, filling my lungs with stale air. An invisible barrier separated us, as tangible as the walls that caged me.

“This is but a taste of what’s to come,” he said with a self-satisfied smirk. “Your spirit is commendable, but it will break. They all do, just like my pathetic son.”

I squared my shoulders, ignoring the throbbing pain in my chest. “I’m not as easy to break as you think. And Atticus thrived in spite of you, and that takes a strength few possess. I can’t wait to see him break you.”

Caius’s only response was a sneer before he turned sharply on his heel, his cloak billowing out behind him as he vanished into the shadows that seemed all too eager to embrace him. Silence filled the void where he stood moments before.

Then, adding acid to the wound, Larkin appeared, smirking at me through the doorway. “Looks like the alpha has finally met her pathetic end. Don’t worry, your body will have served its purpose before you outlive your usefulness.”

I glared at him, fury igniting in every nerve. “I’d rather die here alone than look at your face.” If only I could reach my magic, I’d wipe that smug look off his face for good. I turned my back on the traitor, Larkin.

The air felt thick, charged with the power I couldn’t unleash. My chest heaved as I fought to keep the panic at bay, the sensation like drowning on dry land.

“Can’t even control your own magic?” Larkin was a poisoned dart, his words aimed to wound. “How pathetic.”

I rounded on him, my hands curling into fists. “Shut up. You’re scum. Just shut the fuck up.”

His laugh grated on my nerves. “What will you do? You’re helpless here.”

“Maybe now,” I said through gritted teeth. “But these wall won’t hold me forever.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” His smile widened, and I ached to punch him and break those perfect teeth.

I turned away again, pressing my hands and forehead against the cold wall, seeking some relief from the inferno raging within me. I could feel every crack and crevice in the stone, but it offered no solace. The magic continued to build, a tempestseeking release, but the runes carved into the walls wouldn’t allow me to unleash it.

“Give it up,” Larkin said. “You’re at the end of your rope.”

I spun around, my back scraping against the wall. “I will never give up. Never.”

Larkin shook his head as he turned to leave. “We’ll see about that.”

Left alone, I slid down to the cold floor, the energy inside me pulsing relentlessly. Imploding seemed a real possibility, and I wondered if that would be my fate. Trapped with my own power as the enemy.

“Control,” I whispered. “You have to control it.”

The magic didn’t listen—it never did. So I sat there, wrestling with the fury inside, waiting for the moment when I could turn it on those who sought to chain me.

43

ATTICUS

Before I could venture back out to continue my search for Aria, Mia took charge. She forced me to eat, and I barely tasted the food or even registered what I was eating. My focus was solely on Aria and the deafening silence that screamed at me from our bond.

“Here,” Mia said when I’d finished eating, holding out two small vials with a colorless liquid.

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