By the time we got to the castle, it was almost midnight. Of course we didn't take the front gate. There was a secret gate at the castles posterior.

Rhydian let me down. He took my hand and we walked in a somewhat comfortable silence towards the gate. I was still a bit angry with him and I wasn't sure where exactly we stood on our ...relationship but at that moment, I decided to just pretend things were ok between us.

" Honestly," Rhydian said, a smile growing on his face. " What you did in the forest was really brave."

" You mean when I killed two vampires?" I asked smugly.

He grinned at me and I gave a dramatic sigh.

" I was brave wasn't I? Maybe one day I'll teach you one or two things about killing vampires."

He raised one perfect arched eyebrow at me.

" I'm sure I can manage without your ...teachings."

I gave a look of mock surprise.

" Oh I'm sorry, who killed two vampires again and who killed just one?"I asked sweetly.

The vampire he'd attacked had still been alive when he was burnt by the soldiers.

He laughed and said

" Good point. I'll keep your offer in mind. Still," he continued. " I didn't expect it from you."

" You mean you didn't expect it from a moon witch?" I asked frowning. We'd reached the gate now and stood by it waiting for Carrison who was supposed to open it up for us from the inside.

" No." He said quickly. " I meant -"

" It's alright." I said genuinely not bothered. " Moon people have always been underestimated especially because during the purge, it took only a night to destroy over thirty covens. Your father is a wise man. He chose a moonless night for the attacks because our crystal would have very little charge. Wise strategy." My voice had gotten quiet. " But with fully charged crystals," I forced a smile on my face. " You don't want to know what we're capable of." I said jokingly to keep things light.

" Regardless," Rhydian said. " You were incredible. Besides," He added, his voice low. " My father has proven he's not so wise."

I smiled and refrained from trying to get more information about his father. If he wanted to tell me, he would have already. His next words though cleared the smile from my face.

" Where did you get the Ardenite from though?" He asked looking at me intently.

I looked away as nervousness bubbled in my chest.

" Er..."

" Did Diana give it to you?" He asked darkly and my heart skipped a beat in a bad way.

I didn't want him to connect mother Diana with the crystal especially because he didn't seem to like her and because for some reason, they still did not want us with crystals.

" I stole it." I blurted out, my heart thudding.

He looked mildly surprised.

" From Diana?"

" No ..." I said my mouth dry. Damn those vampires for showing up. " From the Caliber estate." His raised eyebrow told me he didn't believe me.

" Devenity," he said softly. " I'm not angry at you. You can be honest with me."

I sighed.

" I really did take it from the Caliber estate when I was there earlier."

Even though it was dark all around, I saw Rhydian stiffen. I was so dead.

" What?" He thundered and I cringed.

" If you think about it," I said quickly. " Ardenites belong to the moon people only, so I was just taking back what's mine?" I trailed off at the murderous look in his eyes.

" Where?" He demanded.

I rolled my eyes at his tone and he bristled.

" A den."

" Luther's den?" He demanded eyes blazing with barely concealed anger.

" I don't know who Luther is." I said keeping my voice clipped.

" Fuck." He swore. " Your scent is probably still there. He probably has it noted. Fuck!"

" I really doubt that he'll notice a missing Ardenite." I said with another eyeroll. " Also, I wasn't there alone."

" You took your sisters in there as well?" He thundered and I felt my anger growing.

" No," I said crossing my arms across my chest. " I was in there with your whores." I said with faux nonchalance and his frown deepened. " They wanted to welcome me, you know as one of the women you've fucked."

That look of frustration came over his face again as the gate was thrown open.

" It's about time you two showed ...what the fuck happened to your clothes?" Carrison asked surprised by the way we were dressed.

Rhydian said,

" We were attacked by vampires and I had to morph."

Just as I said,

" Rhydians wolf licked me." Just to tick him off and boy was he mad. He glared down at me and I squared my shoulder returning his glare.

" O ...k" Carrison said with laughter in his voice. " Too much information."

" Give it." Rhydian held out his hand.

" No!"

He swore.

" Devenity I swear to you, if you don't bring out that crystal right now, I'll put you over my shoulder and shake it off you." He threatened.

I raised an eyebrow, stubbornly refusing to give in.

He took a step towards me, clearly determined to carry out his threat. I couldn't let him do it. Carrison was there and I was practically already half naked.

" Alright!" I said, searching the shirt pocket for the Ardenite. I placed it in his palm comforting myself for its loss with the thought that I still had one more hidden in my bralette.

I quickly cleared my thoughts though, not wanting him to hear it.

Rhydian held it out to Carrison while still glaring at me.

" Get her scent off it and return it to Alpha luthers den. Quietly."

Carrison took the Ardenite.

" It's good to see you two as well." He said his voice heavily laced with sarcasm.

" Get ready." Rhydian said to Carrison still glaring at me. Damn it was hard to keep glaring at him but he seemed to have had a lot of practice before. " We're going to the eastern border over the vampires."

" And here I thought I would get some sleep." Carrison groaned.

" Damn it Deven." Rhydian suddenly said. " What were you thinking?"

" I was thinking that I missed being who I actually am, a witch who uses crystals which you werewolves have been keeping from me." I said angrily.

Rhydian suddenly cupped my face.

" Deven, I promise you. You'll all be allowed to practice sorcery again. Much sooner than you think."

I angrily pushed his hand away.

" I don't want anymore of your empty promises." I said quietly.

" When," Rhydian demanded completely frustrated. " have I ever made you a promise I didn't keep?"

I kept my voice quiet as I said.

" I will never hurt you Deven."

Those were his words when he'd almost marked me in the underground pool.

His face paled greatly and the anguish returned to his eyes, especially when I held up my injured wrist.

" Deven," his voice was a pained whisper. " That's not fair." He looked so hurt but I was determined not to let it sway me.

" That aside," I continued. " You have no idea how many times you've broken that promise in just today alone." I said, my eyes bright with unshed tears as I remembered the things that had happened already.

Rhydian was completely quiet. The anger in his eyes gave way to despair and he suddenly looked so tired. I felt horrible for doing that to him. But there was no going back now.

" I'm tired." I said. " I'm going to get some sleep and I will be locking my balcony doors." I said and moved past the gate.

" Carrison," I heard him say quietly. " Take her to her room. I need a run."

〰️〰️〰️

" You're not being fair on him, you know?" Carrison said, his voice echoing in the dark passageway. We had no lamps and had to rely on Carrisons werewolf vision to find our way out.

He held my hand as he led me out. I felt nothing at his touch and wondered whether the vision I'd had of us had some hidden meaning.

I refused to answer him. It would only lead to an argument and all I wanted to do was to get to my room and think about how much I hated Rhydian. I knew the anger wouldn't really last but right now, it was all I could think of.

" He's doing his best to protect you from a whole lot of powerful people." Carrison continued. " For some reason, you're his mate."

" And why is that such a bad thing?" I snapped at him.

" I'm not saying that it is. I'm saying that it makes the whole thing so difficult." Carrison explained. " First, he's a Werewolf and you're a moon witch. You know well enough the bad blood between our people. Next, he's the Alpha prince and you're ...were a prisoner. It makes things a lot more difficult for him, and then," he sighed. " You're you."

I stopped walking.

" What's that supposed to mean?"

" Devenity," Carrison started, lowering his voice like he was talking to a child. " You're ...outgoing. You talk back. Rhydian hates that. You argue with him, you disobey him ...Rhydian prefers his women to be more ..."

" Submissive?" I asked, fuming at his words. In the dark, I saw Carrison nod.

" In bed, out of bed ..." He murmured.

" And you know this, how?" I asked not even bothering to be embarrassed. My dislike for Carrison was growing by the second. There was no way that vision would ever be our future.

" Before I was his beta, I was his friend and I still am." Carrison took my hand again but I pulled it away and kept it firmly behind me.

" Maybe you know him but you sure as hell don't know me so please beta, keep your flimsy deductions to yourself."

I turned away angrily, determined to find my own way out of the passageway.

" Devenity," Carrison called out in a tired voice. " You're going the wrong way."

Ignoring him, I marched on in the dark, until I ran into a wall, slamming my face against it.

I cried out in pain, grabbing my nose. It hurt like hell. Carrison was suddenly kneeling in front of me and took away my hand to inspect my nose.

" It's not bleeding." He informed.

" I know." I said, returning my hand to my now throbbing nose.

I know ...Rhydians words when I'd him I liked him. As if that wasn't enough I'd gone ahead to profess my love for him ...and then he'd said nothing. I'd meant those words but after the way he reacted, I wished I'd kept my feelings to myself. What do I even know about love? I was just so ... emotional after seeing what I'd done to him in the vision. I shivered remembering the way he'd looked; pale and half dead with bite marks marring his chest.

" Deven?" Carrison sounded worried. " Are you dizzy or ...something?"

I was about to snap at him for calling me Deven when he did the most unexpected thing. He picked me up in his arms, the way a groom carries his wife and began to walk.

" What do you think you're doing?" I asked, my voice high. My heart was beating wildly ...and he could hear it! His arms just felt so ...warm against my naked skin.

" Taking you to your room." He said simply. I stared wide eyed at his profile. I wondered what Rhydian would say if he saw me right now being carried by his beta. He would be so angry and jealous. I decided not to care. He could get jealous for all I cared.

Soon, we were out of the passageway and into lit parts of the castle. I continued to stare at Carrison while he stared straight ahead.

He was a very ...good looking man. Chocolate brown hair and doe brown eyes, perfect straight nose and nice red li- I quickly looked away. I felt even more embarrassed because I knew he could hear the increase in my heart beat. I wondered what he thought of it.

We arrived at my bedroom door. Two female guards stood by it. I wondered what they were guarding since I wasn't even in it.

Carrison put me down and I self consciously pulled down my shirt where it had ridden up.

" Thank you." I muttered, not looking at him.

" Don't think much of it." Carrison said with a shrug. " You were just wasting my time."

My jaw dropped at his words. Oh, he was such a jerk but a smile began to form on my face.

Shaking my head, I opened the door.

" Goodnight." I said.

" Goodnight, Deven."

I turned to tell him off for calling me Deven but he'd super sped away. I shrugged and decided to let him even though I didn't necessarily consider him a friend.

With a tired yawn, I went into my room ...and came face to face with a scowling Milah and Sierra.

〰️〰️〰️

" Good goddess, how will they survive?" Milah exclaimed, eyes wide.

A few minutes had passed since I got back and even though I was tired and in desperate need for sleep, I'd been forced to tell my sisters everything about the where I'd been. I'd also told them about the Ogre attack at the coven.

" If the Orgers are now giants, then what about the Orcs?" Sierra asked

" I don't know." I said yawning again. I glanced at the balcony door. I couldn't see it because of the curtains shielding it but I knew it was unlocked. I wasn't even sure I wanted to lock it but what was the point. I seriously doubted that Rhydian would bother coming by.

" This is horrible. A big number of our kind are rotting in cells and the ones that are supposed to be free are being preyed on by those monstrous beasts." Milah shook her head sadly.

" Even vampires are able to get through the border." I said. If it was possible for them to look more shocked, they would have.

" How the fuck will they survive?" Milah said again.

" If only there was a way we could help them." Sierra said sadly.

I nodded in agreement. We were powerless to help either of them. What could we do to protect the coven from Ogres and Orcs? If only there was a way we could get supplies to the others in the cells but it was impossible.

I suddenly sat up as an idea sprang to mind.

" What is it?" Milah asked, bewildered by my sudden movement.

" Um," I said, my mind racing. " N-nothing."

Milah narrowed her eyes at me.

" You never did tell us what happened to your clothes."

Um ..." I began shifting uncomfortably. I was still wearing the border guards shirt. " We ...got attacked by vampires."

" They took your clothes?" Milah asked, clearly confused.

" No ...one of them threw himself on me."

" And ripped your clothes off?" Sierra voice was high with bewilderment.

For a second, I considered just going along with it ...but I realized it was time they knew about whatever it was that was going on between Rhydian and I. I realized I couldn't keep lying to them. Especially since I was his mate. The were bound to find out eventually and I would rather it was from me. Besides, they seemed to like Rhydian so maybe they wouldn't resent me.

With a sigh, I said.

" No. See, the vampires scent got mingled with mine and um ... Rhydian doesn't like anything tainting my scent so ...his wolf licked me to get the scent of."

Milah and Sierra shared a look I couldn't comprehend then, Milah sat back against her chair, folded her arms around her chest and said,

" And why doesn't he like anything tainting your scent?" She asked, an amused smile on her face.

" Because ...I'm his mate."

At that, the smile was wiped off Milahs face. She said and Sierra sat up suddenly.

" You're his what?" Milah demanded.

I swallowed hard.

" I'm Rhydians soulmate ...Rhydian and I, we've been ... together since the ball. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I -"

" Oh don't be daft, Dev." Sierra said. " We know about you two."

I blinked stupidly at them.

" What?"

" You two are not exactly subtle." Milah said. " I saw you two leave together at the ball, then there was the dance at the banquet, then you two left the banquet together. I mean you were supposed to have just met." Milah said.

" Also his reaction when you fainted gave away a lot." Sierra added. " We also didn't miss Raelynns subtle hints. Then. today, you both disappeared. Dev we're not stupid, neither are we blind."

" And ... you're not angry at me?" I asked quietly.

" Oh we are." Milah said and my heart sank. " I mean how could you keep this from us? We're your sisters."

I was momentarily confused.

" Wait ... you're not upset that I'm with Rhydian?"

Milah gave me a look.

" Why would we be?"

" We're happy for you, stupid." Sierra said. " Rhydian is like, hot and it doesn't hurt that he's the soon to be Alpha king."

Actually his status did hurt.

Milah looked thoughtful for a moment.

" Does that mean he'll make you his Luna?" She asked.

Sierra gasped.

" That will make you Queen Luna!" She exclaimed. " Good goddess ... you're going to be a fucking Queen!" Sierra screamed.

" He ...doesn't want to acknowledge the mate bond do don't hold your breath on that." I said and Sierra's face fell.

" Why doesn't he want to?" Milah asked quietly.

I got up and moved to the vanity to hide the look on my face.

" Something about protecting me."

Milah nodded in understanding.

" Of course. The Aradians probably won't sit well with it."

I shrugged.

" Yeah. It doesn't matter though. I don't even want to be Queen Luna."

Milah rushed to where I stood by the vanity and grabbed my shoulders in her hands.

" Are you insane? Why don't you want to be Queen? Don't you know how much good that can do?"

I blinked stupidly at her and she groaned in frustration.

" If you become Queen of Aradia, the prisoners can be released with your help. The survivor Coven will get werewolf soldiers guarding them at your command because you'll be higher than all of the Alpha chiefs. You'll be Queen Luna of Aradia for crying out loud."

She was right, I realized. If I was Luna, I could do so much for my people. How was it that I didn't realize this earlier.

" We need to find a way to convince Rhydian that there's nothing to be worried about." Sierra said.

Then, I remembered that Rhydian and I were ...ugh!

" Um ... it's going to be a lot more difficult than that." I said mulishly.

Milah raised an eyebrow questioningly.

" I ...told him I wanted to end things." I said.

" Well he's not going to listen to you." Mila said dismissively. " Mate bond remember. Even he can't fight it and we're going to use that to our advantage."

A/N

So it seems exams are on their way for real. I don't know if I can study for two exams and still write Entwined but we'll see.

I still have three pre written chapters so phew! but after ...I don't know guys. Anyway. Thank you for reading and stay safe❤️