Moon Cursed (Book 2 in The Star and Her Moon Series)

The Switch

Meribella

 When Meribella agreed to the fertility ritual, she thought she would have a day or two to prepare, but the moment she accepted, she was whisked away to her room for preparations. It had been agony to walk away from Raff as he lay unconscious, but she had to trust Lincoln and Thorne would see to his recovery.

She winced as she remembered the disgusted sound that fell from Lincoln's lips when she didn't decline Caspian's request, but it was the look of betrayal in his eyes that gutted her. His wolf had pushed for release- she could see it in the glow of his honey eyes, and she wondered if the animal wanted to stop her from leaving or kill her for her decision. She deserved death.

"Would you like to put your hair up or leave it down?"

Meribella jolted at the softly spoken question.  Nerida had put up quite the protest when Meribella demanded they reinstate Addien as her helper and allow her to return to her cottage. This time, no sickness stole her resolve, but it took Valencia and Dorea stepping in to make it happen without bloodshed.

Addien ran her fingers through Meribella's strands as she met her eyes in the mirror. Her hair had grown in the months since the fight against the Starless Pack, but it still had several inches before it would be as long as when she first met Raff. He loved the way it spread across the white silk of his sheets as he drove her to cry out his name, and she loved when he gathered handfuls of it and pulled while she returned the favor.

"I think up, please. Will you use this pearl pin?"

Addien nodded and began pinning the dark, silky strands into an elaborate up do. The selkie woman was always quiet, but tonight, there was a sullen air about her that confused Meribella.

"Addien, are you okay?"

"I've set out a choice of outfits for you. They're all green as it will aid in the ritual."

"That's not what I asked you."

"I am fine. Just happy to be working by your side again."

"Mmhmm," Meribella murmured.

Had something happened to the girl while Meribella had been living at Nerida's? Or did this have something to do with the way Caspian had commanded the woman to come to his room the first day Meribella had been on the island? Were they intimate?

"Addien, are you jealous?"

A sharp stinging pain went across Meribella's scalp as a pin pricked it. Addien gasped and looked around the room with panicked eyes, like she was searching for a means to escape.

"N-no. I don't know why you would think that."

"Have you been sleeping with Caspian? You can answer truthfully. I know selkies are not prone to monogamy."

"What does it matter then? He has chosen you to have his child."

Sorrow washed over Meribella. Addien had feelings for Caspian. They were obvious in the hitch in her voice and the tears she tried to hide. But had he done to Addien what he'd done to Meribella?

"Was it... was it consensual?"

"Yes! He wouldn't do that. Caspian isn't like that. He's different from the other selkies of our clan. He treats me with respect."

"I heard the way he spoke to you that day. I wouldn't call that respect."

The girl shook her head and grabbed Meribella by the hands. With pleading in her eyes, she said, "I've told you time and time again, on Selkie Island, it's about the image you present. I am damaged goods in the eyes of my people. Less than perfect. Not all clans are like that, but the Leopard Clan is. Because of who his mother is, Caspian must command respect, and if anyone saw him treat me with compassion, they would assume he was weak. It would be a death sentence for both of us."