Chapter 6 Don't Underestimate Me

ARIA’S POV A loud knock on the door startled me awake. Maera pranced around my chest, trying to claw her way out. She’d been restless since we found out Kael was our mate, and I honestly couldn’t blame her. I sat up quickly, my eyes darting around the room I hadnt gotten familiar with yet. Another sharp knock echoed through the room. "Who is it?" I called out, my voice clearly evident with sleep. "Luna… I mean, Miss," a timid voice replied. "Breakfast is ready.” My stomach grumbled in response. I rubbed my eyes and answered, "Alright, I'll be down in a moment." I threw off the covers, took a shower and wore the loose jeans and top laid out for me in the drawer. For a man like Kael, he was surprisingly hospitable. The room, though very luxurious, felt cold and unwelcoming even though Ronan tried his best to make me comfortable yesterday. I felt much better than yesterday, my muscles no longer burned when I moved, but there was an aching feeling in my chest, weighing my heart. “Greta,” I hummed as my eyes welled with tears. “I know you’re in some place way better than here.” I tried to shake off the lingering unease I got from the thought of having another encounter with the arrogant man. I made my way down the grand staircase, until I got to the dining room. It wasn’t hard finding it as most pack houses had similar structures. The dining room was vast, very spacious, with a long, polished table that could easily seat twenty people. And there he was. He sat at the head of the table, his expression as unreadable as ever. A wave of annoyance rushed through me, but Maera was the opposite. She was frantic, and overly excited, making it difficult to maintain my hardened expression. "Sit," he said, his voice flat. He hadnt even bothered to look at me. I took a seat opposite him as I wasn’t ready to strike up a conversation with him. A maid walked up to the table and placed a plate of food in front of me. The meal was lavish, and I didn’t hesitate to dig into it. In no time, I emptied the plate. When I reached for the bottled water, Kael’s gaze was fixated on me. Hardened and with an almost irriated expression on his face. “For someone your size, you eat like you’re storing up for hibernation.” I glared at me. “I was starving. Better than having a mouth bigger than my stomach.” His brows furrowed and satisfaction pooled in my stomach. The silence was heavy, and since I was done eating, I sprang up from my seat, ready to leave. “Sit down, Aria. We aren’t done seeing for the day… unfortunately.” I sighed and sat back down. It probably had to do with the whole Luna thing. "So…What's on the agenda for today?" I scanned around for Ronan but he was nowhere to be found. I would rather share a meal with him than this man seated here with me. I brought the water to my lips. His voice was deep and rich when he spoke. "Today, you will be announced to my pack as a contestant for the Luna trials." I almost choked. "Contestant?" my brows furrowed. "I thought I was already Luna." "You think it’ll be that easy to be the Luna of my mighty pack?” his tone was dismissive. "You have to prove yourself by passing the Luna trials." “I never asked for any of this”, I snapped, my voice raising to a decibel. I was growing tired of dealing with this. He continued his meal like I never said a thing just now. “Can you not hear me? No one told me I had to go through the test as it seems to become your Luna”. “Now you know!” “At least if you are going to force me to become your Luna you might as well scrap the whole formality” I spat out, “And work on your attitude too.” He looked at me and I could see he was taken aback my my outburst but quickly masked it off. “You owe me your life and you will be my Luna as long as you pass the test,” he said in a calmer tone, “And that’s final.” I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to snap back. This was all too sudden for me, especially after I just broke off my engagement, lost my childhood friend, and almost died. I bet he would care even lesser if he knew. “We would be going to the training ground after breakfast,” Keal said, breaking through my thoughts. “What for?” I asked. “You’d find out once we get there,” he replied unfazed. After we were done, we made our way to the training grounds in silence. It was a vast, open expanse surrouned by towering trees. Wooden dummies stood in neat rows, a cicular sparring ring at the centre, and weapons stacked. There was a crowd already gathered, as if they’d been waiting on our arrival. Kael stood on a raised platform, his presence commanding attention. It made me wonder if they truly adored him or were just afraid of him. I stood beside him, keeping as much distance between us. "Morning, everyone," he announced, his voice booming. "I present to you today, Aria Sinclair, a contestant for the Luna trials." A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd. I could feel their eyes on me, assessing, judging. I straightened my back and met their gazes, refusing to show any sign of weakness. "She looks weak," I heard someone muttering from the crowd. "She won't last a day." "A Sinclair? What a joke." another voice sneered and that made me clench my fists in anger. I couldn’t just stand and take every judgemental comment they threw at me. I'd had enough of their nonsense. I stepped forward, earning a curious glance from Kael. "I might not look as strong as you want me to," I said, my voice clear as it cut through the crowd, "but I'm not weak. And I won't be underestimated." A hush fell over the crowd. I could see the surprise in their eyes. They weren't expecting me to talk back. "We'll see," someone muttered, but the challenge in their voice had faded already. The rest of the day went as a blur as Ronan finally met up with me and explained everything. The Luna trials were a series of brutal challeneges and rituals one had to undergo to become Luna. The surprising part was that people had died in the process. It made me wonder why Kael have to take such cruel methods to get what he wanted. Because it didn’t make any sense. Weren’t the mated supposed to be the Luna? Why could kael not feel our bond? That night, while getting ready for bed, a knock echoed on my door. I opened it, frustrated that my night was about to be disturbed again, only to find a woman standing there, her eyes narrowed at me. She was beautiful, with long, dark hair and a haughty expression. It was already obvious she was displeased with me about something. "You must be the new pet," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm Vanessa." She walked into the room, pushing me aside. I scowled, watching as she scanned my room. "Aria," I replied dryly. "And I'm no one's pet." "Of course not," she sneered. "Just a temporary distraction because you won’t survive the trials. Kael might want you to be his Luna, but he’ll never sleep with you, you know. He has me." Oh I see where this was going. "As if I'd want to sleep with a man like him. You can keep him.” I retorted, stepping in close to intimidate her. “You should be worried about what I’ll do when I become Luna. I’ll be the most important woman to Kael.” Her eyes flashed with anger as she hissed. "How dare you?" "How dare I what?" I asked, my tone mocking. "Speak the truth?" She scoffed, then flipped her long hair. "You think you're so clever, don't you? You'll learn your place soon enough." "I know my place," I replied, "And it's not bowing down to anyone, especially a woman like you.” She glared at me for a moment, then turned and stormed off, her heels clicking angrily on the stone floor. I shut the door and leaned against it, letting out a long breath. I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. A jealous rival was not on my list of things that would aggravate me. I crawled into bed, trying to ignore the lingering tension in the room. I closed my eyes, finally drifting off to sleep after my mind raced with thoughts. I tossed in bed, feeling uncomfortable as something wet and stickly clung to my clothes and skin. I woke up abruptly, I sweating as my head pounded with memories of the car accident. I reached for the lamp on my nightstand and immediately it illuminated the room, I gasped in shock. A deer’s blood severed head lay on my bed, its blood soaking into the sheets and my clothes. Its eyes stared blankly at me, and a chill ran down my spine. I noticed a letter tucked into the deer's antlers. I carefully pulled it out and unfolded it. You won't survive the trials. And you won't steal Kael. I crumpled the letter in my fist, my anger boiling. This was Vanessa’s doing. I threw the bloody deer off the bed and onto the floor, the thud echoing through the room. I stripped the sheets and tossed them into the corner, my hands shaking with rage. I wouldn't let that bitch win. I wouldn't let something so unimportant break me, not after everything I had been through. Keal needs to put his toy in place, or I’d do it myself. Seeing sleep was far from me, I took the crumpled letter and headed towards Kael’s room.