Damn it, Deven!" Milah exclaimed startling Sierra and I.

" What?" I asked full of surprise at Milahs outburst. She had been fine during the carriage ride and I couldn't understand what I'd done to rile her up so suddenly.

We had received an invitation to tea from one of the Alpha chiefs daughters and now, we were waiting at the estate gates, having used the knocker.

" What?" She looked incredulous. " I've been trying to talk to you all day but your mind's been going goddess knows where and right now, I called your name six times but you just kept staring into space. What's wrong with you lately?"

What was wrong with me? The answer to that was easy. Rhydian. He'd given me the best night of my life ...that was four days ago. I hadn't seen or heard from him since.

I'd thought he wasn't purposefully avoiding me. He was busy. He hadn't even had dinner with us because he was working so late.

The problem was that this morning as we made our way to the carriage, he'd passed by with his beta but he hadn't even glanced in my direction. He'd acted like I didn't even exist and good goddess that had hurt. I'd stood there like a fool, hoping that he'd at least acknowledge me but I'd gotten nothing.

Had that night meant nothing to him? ...of course it hadn't. He'd obviously had better encounters with better skilled women. I was probably juvenile to him ...all my screaming and crying. He must have had a good laugh at that.

I felt tears spring to my eyes at my thoughts. I had spent the past four days obsessing over him, thinking about him, dreaming about him. I couldn't get Rhydian out of my head but it seemed he hadn't spared me half a thought.

" Dev?" Sierra asked alarmed at the sudden tears in my eyes. " Are you alright?"

The estate doors were thrown open and a male worker welcomed us in. I followed glad for the interruption. We walked into an empty training yard.

" Lady Juneau is here somewhere. I'll go inform her of your arrival." The worker said and left.

Milah took my hand purposefully.

" Devenity enough of this. You need to tell us what's bothering you. Is it Willow? If so, you shouldn't be worried. She'll get the best care Aradia can offer."

I pulled my hand away nervously. My wrists had black lines and scratches on them where Rhydian had held me down and I didn't want them to see it. It would lead to more uncomfortable questions.

" This isn't the time or the place to have these discussions." I said moving away from them to lean on one of the target trees. Milah scowled at me but I ignored her, looking away.

The worker came back.

" The lady will be -" before he could finish his sentence, something fast whirled past me and struck the tree I was leaning on ...mere inches from my face.

I gasped, moving away from the tree as fast as I could. There was an arrow embedded in the trunk, just a few inches away from where my face had been.

" Good goddess!" Milah exclaimed, checking my face for any injuries but I was fine, just shaken.

A woman emerged from behind the worker. Good goddess, she was beautiful with long wavy brown hair and light grey eyes. She was dressed like a man in a training tunic, trousers and boots. She had a bow in her hand and I realized she'd shot the arrow that had nearly killed me.

" What are you trying to do?" Sierra asked, wide eyed. " Kill someone?"

The brunette had a calm smile on her face that didn't even waver at Sierra's tone.

" She was between me and my ...target." she said, turning to give me a smile. I didn't like her smile one bit.

" It was an accident." She continued. " I er, apologize."

Sierra rolled her eyes and inspected the target tree.

" You didn't even get close to the bullseye. Marksmanship clearly isn't for you." She said.

The brunette inspected the tree calmly and said,

" Oh, I wasn't aiming for the bullseye." She gave me another calm smile and I couldn't help but think it was full of meaning.

" I'm Juneau Lockwood." She said suddenly. " My father Luther Lockwood is the Alpha chief of the caliber pack and district. It's my pleasure to have you here at the caliber estate."

We murmured our reply. It was obvious none of us were pleased to be here.

Juneau ignored our tone and led us into the lavish Manor.

" I hope you do not mind. I invited certain others to join us for tea." Then she turned suddenly to face me. " You must be lady Devenity. I saw you at the banquet." Then, she took my hand and I fought the urge to pull away.

" I just want you to know," she continued. " I'm not among the other ladies passing around that rumor that you," she looked like she was holding back a laugh. " fainted because of a corset!"

" Er..." I began, unsure of what to say. I mean I did faint because of a corset.

Suddenly she burst out laughing, like she couldn't hold it in anymore ...like it was the most funny thing she'd ever heard.

" A corset? How absurd! How stupid is that?" She asked. " Absolutely nonsensical. You'd have to be really weak to faint just because of a corset!." She gave me that meaningful smile again. " It's so sad, I mean we've been wearing corsets since we were little girls and for them to start this ridiculous rumor." She shook her head and gave me the most fake sincere smile ever. " I just wanted you to know, I'm not a part of it."

" Um ...ok." I knew what she was doing and I fought hard not to give her the satisfaction of seeing me bothered.

She flashed me a brilliant smile then said to the worker.

" Please take them to the second drawing room." To us she said, " I must leave you here and change into something more appropriate, but please make yourselves comfortable."

We watched as she walked away.

" That tramp, I don't like her one bit." Sierra said shaking her head.

Milah cautioned her by pointing at her ears. The woman, Juneau was the daughter of an Alpha which meant she was also a werewolf with really good hearing.

" I felt like she was insulting me." I said to Sierra when we were seated in the drawing room.

Sierra was looking around with a strong look of distaste on her face. The drawing room looked like something she would love but it seemed that after our encounter with Juneau, she wasn't up for complementing.

" That's because she was." Milah said.

" Stupid, sad, weak?" Sierra shook her head angrily. " That no good tramp was throwing subtle insults at you. And the accident with the arrow, that whore"

I gasped at Sierra's words. She never swore. She wasn't even the type to insult anyone.

" Who does she think she is?" Sierra asked. " What does she think she knows, the stupid idiot."

I didn't want even feel as deeply about Juneau as Sierra did. I had someone else on my mind and her insults were like nothing to me.

" Why are you so upset?" I asked. " It was me she insulted."

Sierra gave me a hurt look.

" And you think it doesn't affect me? An insult to you is an insult to me. To Milah. We promised to be sisters or have you forgotten?"

I smiled, pleased at her words.

" I think she has." Milah said. " You're keeping secrets from us. Sisters do not do that."

She was right but I didn't know how to tell them about Rhydian. He was the son of Eryk Rivinlyte, the man who had staged the purge. What if they ...despised me for being with him? I had despised myself for wanting him.

A worker led someone in. It was a woman with long straight black hair and strange green markings around her temple. I recognized them to be the markings of the Fae people.

" You must be the new ladies of the court. Juneau mentioned you in her invitation." She gave us a friendly smile. " I'm princess Raelynn of Avon. It's an honor to meet you." She put her hands together like she wanted to say a prayer and bowed to us.

We sat stunned. Even Juneau hadn't so much as done a curtsy. This woman had said she was the princess of the Fae kingdom. Why was she bowing to us?

" Um, your Majesty," Milah scrambled to her feet. " Please don't. You're a princess. You shouldn't bow to us."

Raelynn turned to dismiss the worker and I saw her wings, a beautiful pair of translucent gossamer wings set in the rest position.

" It is our tradition in Avon to bow when we meet people and please my name is not your majesty, it's Raelynn and you must call me that." She sat down beside Milah. She had a likeable air, unlike Juneau.

" I am Milah Leonidas." Milah said. " These are my sisters, Devenity Bellefleur and Sierra Fairchild."

Raelynn bowed again.

" Have you three ever been to afternoon tea before?"

" No." Milah answered for us. " This is the first time we've been out of the castle, your majesty."

Raelynn gave her a look and Milah corrected herself.

" Um, Raelynn."

" Well," Raelynn smiled. " I've come to realize that Aradian women use this as an opportunity to just gossip." She shook her head. " They live for it." The she looked at me. " Lady Devenity, it seems you have been stirring up some talk among the ladies of Aradia."

The corset, really? These women had no idea what had happened. They didn't even know me, yet they were already throwing rumors about me around.

Sierra rolled her eyes.

" We already know about the corset nonsense. We don't need to know more."

Raelynn looked confused.

" Corset? What about a corset? Anyway," she grinned at me." It was about that dance at the coming out banquet."

It was my turn to roll my eyes. Aradia obviously lacked drama.

" It was just a dance."

" Not just the dance though. It was the smile." Raelynn said and I was momentarily confused ." I've known Rhydian for two years now and yes, I have seen him smile ...but not like during the dance."

" So?" I asked.

" It seems you've had no meetings with Rhydian prior to the banquet." She said.

" Actually," I said. " I have. I've seen Rhydian smile before. It's nothing new."

Raelynn gave me a look and Sierra said.

" Who is Rhydian?"

I frowned at Sierra. That was the last thing I would have expected from her.

" What do you mean? Rhydian? The Alpha prince Rhydian?"

Sierra looked confused for a moment.

" Alpha prince Rhyd, his full name is Rhydian. Deven obviously calls him by his full name."

" But we're not allowed to call Alpha prince Rhyd by his name." Sierra said.

Milah looked at me questioningly.

" No we're not." She said simply, still looking at me. I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

" Well I call him by his name." Raelynn said breaking the silence. " But I've never seen a genuine smile from him before. It was something."

All this talk because Rhydian smiled? It made no sense but maybe there was a side to him that I didn't know. Sierra always said it, he never smiles. He'd been so broodingly quiet at dinner. I remembered the bored annoyed look that had been in his face during the banquet.

But, on that first night at the ball, he'd smiled at me and he'd even laughed at the Fidem garden the next day. He'd also joked around that first time at the pool.

So maybe he had two sides to him. I didn't care after all, I mostly got the goodish side.

" I must warn you," Raelynn said looking at me intensely. " The title of Queen Luna is highly coveted by all Aradians."

I shrugged, confused. The title was highly coveted ...and? What did that have to do with me?

" Don't take this the wrong way but Rhydian has many women he er, knows closely." She said and I froze. " Many of whom may covet that title for themselves." She gave me a meaningful look and I understood what she was trying to say.

Did they really think he would ever make me Queen Luna? I would have laughed at how absurd that was if my brain wasn't already focused on something else.

Rhydian had many women he ...I shook my head. It didn't matter to me. It shouldn't. I'd been put aside already. His women had nothing to be worried about.

" Do you know if Alpha prince Rhyd knows lady Juneau?" Sierra asked and Raelynn nodded.

" They are quite um ...close."

That would explain a lot.

I got up to leave.

" Where are you going?" Milah asked.

" Juneau said she invited others right? I'm not very eager to meet them."

I decided to just wait in the carriage till tea was over. As I went past a slightly ajar door, a familiar tingle came over my fingers and I stopped.

Ardenites. There were Ardenites in the room, I could feel it! I glanced in. It was empty.

Without giving it a second thought, I went in and shut the door. The tingle in my fingers grew even stronger.

I looked around the room. It was a den with dark curtains coating the room in darkness. There was a huge mahogany desk with several drawers at one end. I searched the drawers. They were all surprisingly unlocked. In one, I found a small black case. It too was unlocked. These people didn't seem to be worried about theives.

I opened the case and my eyes lit up. It contained several Ardenites of different sizes in it. Finally, Czar and I could actualize our plan. I reached for one and froze.

If I took these Ardenites ...stole this Ardenite, it would be obvious who'd stolen them. First of all, I'd touched the case. My scent was already on it. Also, moon witches get invited for tea, Ardenites in den go missing. Anyone could take a guess.

I stood for some seconds trying to figure out what to do. The plan Czar and I had suddenly didn't sound so good to me anymore. I was supposed to stay back to buy time for them to escape. There was no plan to help me escape afterwards. I was supposed to die ...but now, I really didn't want to. Put aside my issues with Rhydian, life was ...good.

Was I being selfish? There were still people in the cells suffering and now, I was reluctant to help because I was scared for my life.

Maybe Czar and I just had to exercise some patience. I was certain the prisoners would be released eventually ...says the person who's not rotting away in a cell.

What was I to do?

" Lady Devenity?" Someone called out.

Quickly, I shut the case and made to put it back in the drawer. Then, I realized just how stupid it would be to leave without at least one Ardenite. I opened the case and took two medium sized ones. Then I put the case back in the drawer and closed it.

Now where was I going to hide the crystals? I didn't have a purse. My only choice was ...with an eyeroll, I stuffed the two crystals down the front of my dress without a moment to spare

The doors were thrown open.

" Ah," Juneau said walking in. She had changed out of her training clothes into a beautiful yellow dress. " I thought I saw you come in here."

" Um," I swallowed hard trying not to look guilty. " I thought this was the um, ladies room."

Juneau raised an eyebrow and took a step towards me. I shrank back but she kept coming, a determined look on her face.

Good goddess, she knew!

My back hit the wall. I had nowhere else to go. She was a Werewolf and could hear the loud thudding of my heart, giving away my guilt.

She pushed my hair back and inspected my neck. Then she grabbed my hands, frowning at the bruises on my wrist from where Rhydian had held me down.

She turned away.

" He hasn't marked her." She announced and I realized we weren't alone in the den. There were two other women standing by the closed door.

The first thing I noticed about them was that they were exceptionally beautiful like Juneau. Then I noted the distasteful way they regarded me.

" What is this Juneau?" I asked my voice shaky.

" Maybe we have nothing to be worried about." One of the women, a brunette like Juneau said, ignoring me.

" We are not worried." Juneau snapped at her.

The other, a blond looked at me with her blue eyes narrowed.

" I don't see it." She said quietly. " She's pretty, yes but what else? She has no status. She's practically a slave."

She was talking about me. I bristled at her words

" What is the meaning of this, Juneau?" I asked again, forcing some strength to my voice.

Juneau turned to me with her usual calm smile.

" I'll confess something to you Devenity, I invited you here not for tea," she moved closer to me again and I tensed. " But to welcome you."

" Welcome her?" The brunette looked just as surprised and confused as me.

" Quiet, Niylah." Juneau snapped again then her perfect smile returned.

" Welcome me to what?" I asked feeling a bit relieved. She didn't know about the Ardenites

" You're one of us now." She leaned even closer and whispered. " You know, one of the women the master has fucked." She pulled back to see my reaction.

The master? Rhydian? It was so hard not to roll my eyes at Juneau.

" The master?" I asked, trying not to laugh. My reaction caught her by surprise and her smile wavered.

" Who the hell is the master? Rhydian? Is that what you call him?" I couldn't hold it back. I rolled my eyes at her and moved away, towards the door. " That's just pathetic."

The blond blocked my way and I was frozen by the anger in her eyes. Her fangs were out and she bared them at me.

" Do you think we're here to joke around, you whore?"

I was seriously tempted to use the Ardenites in my bosom to protect myself. It seemed I would need it.

" Don't be foolish, Quinn." Juneau said. " Calm down."

" Calm down?' Quinn asked, her fangs still very visible. " The master hasn't sent for any of us in nearly two weeks. Then there was that damned banquet. He shunned everyone of us and danced with her, a slave infront of all those dignitaries. He was making a point." There were actually tears in her eyes. " My brother hit me yesterday for letting a slave take the Alphas' attention from me."

" Oh please, Quinn." Juneau rolled her eyes. " It's not like you would ever be Queen Luna anyway. Besides he hasn't even marked her. You're just overreacting."

So these were Rhydians women that Raelynn had warned me about. This was giving me a headache.

" Juneau is right." Niylah said. " I can't smell him on her."

" Yes," I said, eager to settle this once and for all. " Rhydian hasn't ..." I rolled my eyes. " .. fucked me. Infact I haven't seen him in four days. He's ignoring me. So you all have nothing to be worried about."

" We were never worried." Juneau said not bothering to fake a smile. " At least I wasn't. I can't speak for these two or the others."

Others? There were more. I felt my eyes prick with tears. Was I now part of the others?

" I know you have been with him." Juneau said to me. " Your bruises give you away. The master can be rough."

" For crying out loud just say Rhydian." I said shaking my head.