The Moon's Shadow

☾ Chapter Twenty-five

I made myself comfortable on a small wooden chair in Jayla's cottage, slowly looking around. It was small room, a small kitchen on one the right side, a twin bed pressed against the left corner, a door next to it that led somewhere. The paint on the walls was slightly peeling, the old wooden floors were squeaking with every step Jayla took.

Plants filled the vacant space. Big plants in pots, small plants along the shelves on the walls, the table I sat at had four plants on it, all in different sized and colored pots.

"You must love plants..." I trailed, slightly amazed she could keep them all alive.

She turned her gaze to me and smiled, "Plants are easy to tend. They only require a little love, water, sunshine and they can provide you easy company."

I hummed in response, not really sure I felt the same way about plants as her.

I played with my fingers absentmindedly. I didn't know what she wanted from me. I didn't feel like I was in danger, but something was off.

"You don't have to be nervous," she said, glancing at my hands as I fidgeted, sitting across from me at the table in her small kitchen.

"Sorry, I'm just not exactly sure why I am here" I replied carefully.

"Tell me about yourself."

I frowned a bit, not sure I really wanted to tell her anything.

"Well, as you said yourself earlier I'm from the Moon Valley pack. I'm the first born of Alpha Hamund."

She nodded, "You're a bit far from home."

"Yes," I answered slowly.

"You don't like me," she stated, smiling slightly at me.

"Um..." I hesitated. "It's not that I don't like you particularly it's just..." I trailed, unsure where I should go with my thoughts.

"You're scared of fairies," she answered for me.

"I haven't necessarily had the best experiences with them."

She nodded her head, giving me a wide grin, a hint of sadness in her eyes, "Me neither."

I tilted my head to the side, drawing my eyebrows together. "What do you mean?"

She laughed a bit, "All in due time Rhea. Now tell me why you're with the Onyx pack," her friendliness slightly disappeared, replaced with a more firm voice.

"Alpha Jett is my mate," I suddenly said. I gasped and covered my mouth.

Why did I say that?

Jayla smiled at me, "I have some unique abilities. Getting the truth out is one of them. I do not wish to use it against you though, so please have an open conversation with me."

I nodded my head, I didn't want to be forced to say anything, truth or not.

"How is it going with the Alpha?"

I thought for a while about her question, how was it going?

I looked up her and slightly sighed, "Honestly, I don't know. We've made progress, but he's just... Different from what I imagined my mate to be," I slightly played with my shirt, "He hasn't told very many people in the pack, it makes me feel unwanted," I finished in a small voice, feeling deflated.

Jayla reached across the table, placing one of her hands on mine, giving me a sad smile. "Love can be confusing and difficult."

I nodded in agreement, "It definitely has not been as easy as I thought it would be."

She moved her hand off of mine, sitting back against her chair, suddenly looking lost in her own mind.

I cleared my throat a bit, "Are you married? You seem to understand the downside of love."

"Yes, I was married for a time," she replied, her eyes focused on something in the distance, her voice small.

"What happened?" I asked in a small voice, sensing this was an unpleasant memory.

"I fell in love with a human. Loving anyone outside of the fairy race is forbidden. We secretly married, we tried to run away but... " She trailed, before taking a deep breath. "We were discovered. We were thrown into prison, I'm not sure for how long exactly, months? Years?" she sighed.

"Anyways, one day I was let out of the prison and taken into the castle courtyard. Crowds of people were waiting for something, I realized that Thane the Commander was holding something. I was dragged over to him and in his hands..." Her voiced slightly trailed, her eyes became teary.

She took a deep breath, "In his hands, was the head of my lover."

I stared at her in shock. My heart began to ache. I couldn't imagine seeing Jett's head detached from his body. Never being able to hear his voice, see his smile, feel his touch.

Jayla slowly wiped the tears that had escaped.

"Why? Why was he killed? I asked, how could someone be that cruel? What kind of person could do that?

"Because my father is an evil tyrant," Jayla spat, hatred in her tone.

"Your father?" I asked.

"Fairy King Zandra."

I choked a bit; my eyes grew wide. King Zandra was her father?

"You're a princess?" I asked, my mind trying to wrap around what she just told me.

"I am no longer a princess, I was exiled centuries ago," she stated, waving her hand in the air.

"Oh..."

"Rhea, my father, is a cruel man, and his iron fist spreads far. The fairies over the centuries have committed unthinkable acts. When I was younger he slowly began to change, he was influenced by dark magic until it consumed his mind. His actions are no longer his own. I believe he is merely a puppet."

"A puppet? I echoed.

She gave a slight nod, "I believe a dark fairy in disguise controls him."

"Who?" I asked, not sure I really believed anything she was telling me.

"Thane."

I inhaled sharply, a dark fairy? "How is that possible?" Dark fairies were distinct looking. Their skin had deep purple patterns, their wings black as night. Thane didn't look like that. His fair skin bared no markings of a dark fairy.

"His wife, Delphine. She is known in the Eratis, the land of fairies, as The Scarlet Maiden. She is a fairy who practiced dark magic long ago. She's said to be able to control dark magic, binding it to whoever she pleases."

I recalled the woman I saw with Thane, nodding slowly at her story taking it all in.

My eyes narrowed at her a bit, why was she telling me this?

Jayla looked up at me, smiling "Rhea, I want to join you."