Moon of Misfortunes

4

The harsh rap of knuckles against the cedar door jolted me from uneasy slumber, the sound reverberating through the room like a foreboding echo of impending doom. Clutching the satin sheets to my chest, I braced myself for whatever new twist of fate awaited on the other side.

"Come in," I called out, my voice tinged with cautious uncertainty.

The soft clinking of multiple locks being disengaged punctuated the tense silence, each metallic click resonating with a weighty significance that sent a chill down my spine. With a slow, almost ominous creak, the door swung open, revealing Rubio standing on the threshold, a tray of food balanced precariously in his hands.

With a measured stride, he approached the bedside, the click of his boots against the stone floor echoing in the otherwise still room. Setting the tray down on the end table with a definitive thud, he fixed me with a stern gaze that brooked no argument.

"Make sure you eat all of it," he commanded, his voice betraying no hint of warmth. "It will be good for the babies."

I couldn't help but offer a feeble attempt at humor to alleviate the tension that hung heavy in the air. "Breakfast in bed? This is starting to feel more like a Bed and Breakfast than a prison cell."

Rubio's response was a roll of his eyes, a sigh escaping his lips as he regarded me with thinly veiled exasperation. "The Elders cannot punish you while pregnant," he explained, his tone clipped and matter-of-fact. "It would be deemed unethical to risk the life of the twins by throwing you in with the other criminals. Trust me, they would most likely attack a pretty woman like you within minutes."

The implication of his words sent a chill racing down my spine, the realization of the dangers lurking within the confines of the palace walls settling like a lead weight in the pit of my stomach.

"Why treat me so well?" I couldn't help but question, a note of incredulity seeping into my voice. "Placing me in such luxurious surroundings and delivering me food seems like excessive treatment for someone accused of attempting regicide. Surely, you don't extend such hospitality to every pregnant wolf in your custody."

Rubio's grin was infuriatingly smug as he regarded me with a knowing glint in his eye. "Well, aren't you an introspective one," he remarked, his tone laced with thinly veiled amusement.

"I'm just curious—"

"They say curiosity killed the cat," Rubio looked in my eyes and continued, "sometimes things are better left unsaid, Adaline."

As Rubio's words hung in the air, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled over me like a suffocating blanket. His casual demeanor belied the gravity of my situation, and I couldn't help but wonder what ulterior motives lay beneath his seemingly friendly facade.

I forced a tight-lipped smile, masking the turmoil churning within me. "I suppose I've always been a curious creature."

Rubio's gaze lingered on me for a moment too long, his brown eyes piercing through the facade I struggled to maintain. "Indeed," he murmured, the hint of a knowing smile playing at the corners of his lips. He nodded at me in acknowledgment, before slipping out of the door.

Rubio's departure left me with a palpable sense of solitude, the weight of my predicament settling heavily upon my shoulders as I found myself alone once more. The rhythmic melody of the locks clicking into place served as a grim reminder of the confinement that bound me within these stone walls.

Turning my attention to the modest meal laid out before me, I couldn't help but note the discrepancy between the opulence of my surroundings and the simplicity of the fare provided. Scrambled eggs, toast, and a handful of grapes hardly seemed fitting for a prisoner awaiting trial for treason, yet it was a far cry from the meager rations one might expect in a dungeon cell. Seems a little low-brow for the Elders, I thought, but too high-brow for a prisoner.