Moon Of Misfortunes

Chapter Three: The Room

"Rubio, show her to the room," an Elder spoke. Rubio nodded before leading me to the room. Once we arrived, I observed the door. It was thick slab of cedar, judging by the smell, and was riddled with locks on the outside of the door, as if they were trying to keep a wild animal inside. Rubio grabbed the door handle and swung the wooden door open.

"Here you are, Adaline. Remember you are not allowed to leave this room, without permission. There is a bathroom attached and we will bring your meals. I would get washed up and rest. You have had a long day," Rubio sighed.

"And please, try to be on your best behavior. You don't want to be thrown into a cell. The people down there are savages, to say the least."

"Thank you," I whispered, stepping in. Rubio nodded and shut the door behind me. The bittersweet melody of locks rung out, as Rubio locked me inside of a luxury prison. I backed up against the door and slid down.

The last 24 hours has been an utter nightmare. I should be celebrating my pups with my mate and pack, not locked up like some common criminal. I groaned as the realization hit me. I am going to die, I thought, I will never get to be with my pups or watch them grow up.

"It is a sacrifice we will have to make," Maiya spoke.

I began to cry. How did my perfect day end like this? A pregnancy, a rejection, and a death sentence.

"Wonderful," I scoffed to myself, "what a perfect day."

I began to sob. "Why me Goddess, I have never done anything! You know that wasn't me!"

I cried for what seemed like hours until there were no more tears to cry. My face was raw and painful to the touch. My eyes burned and my chest felt heavy. For the first time in my life, I felt unbelievably alone, my mate no longer wanted me and my wolf had retreated into the depths of my mind. I was wallowing in my whirlwind of emotions. I sighed and lifted myself up.

"If I am going to cry, I need to cry standing up," I mumbled and I wiped my tears.

I took a moment to look at the room. It was rather large. The stone walls looked like various rocks had been hodgepodged together. These stones all could tell different stories if only these walls could talk. I sighed and ran my hands over their rough edges, appreciating the stonework.

I searched the room and looked at the 'living room' area to the right of me. A large wood fireplace stood on the far wall. The wood resembled the dark cherry wood of my mates office door, causing my heart to begin thudding. I examined it further, gazing at the intricately carved depiction of two women in beautiful flowing dresses, projecting themselves from the edges of the fireplace, with their arms facing backward, as if they were falling. A moon with some stars was carved into the center of the fireplace, just above the mantle. These must be the Goddesses, I thought. The fireplaces woodwork was telling a story and a legendary one at that. It was rumored that there we two Moon Goddesses, and one turned evil and set out to destroy the werewolf race; as for the sister, she remained pure and idealistic, but was forced to kill the evil sister. Their carved eyes bored into my soul as if judging me in this very spot. I quickly diverted my gaze from them. I have been judged enough for one day.

My eyes landed on the two small sofas, which were arranged in an L-shape. One of the sofas was facing forward, toward the fireplace, and the other facing in the direction of the door. They too have the same intricate dark cherry woodwork and deep crimson fabric.

I looked at the bed, the comforter was thick and heavy, crimson in color to match the rest of the theme, I suppose. The bed was at least a full sized mattress. Not that the size of this bed really mattered, especially since I would be sleeping alone. I ran my fingers over the material, feeling the gentleness of the satin.

I walked to the window and immediately noticed the extreme barring outside of the window. Just in case I forgot that I am a prisoner awaiting death, I snored. However, I could admire the end of the sunset through these bars. The trees stared back at me, and the clouds gave one last tango of color before fading into a night sky. I removed myself from the corner of the room and peeled myself away from the window.

I wandered into the bathroom. Rubio is right, I should go ahead and clean up. Countless white and small hexagonal tiles littered the floor. The walls were still made of stone, as was every wall in the Palace. The bathroom housed a toilet and an old porcelain tube, with rather fancy gold legs curling off of it. The cabins were that deep cherry red, with a white marble countertop and sink. I bored into the mirror. I looked messy, to say the least. My hair was matted, my cheeks were red and raw, my eyes were sinking inward creating dark circles. I brushed my blonde hair out of my face.

"We can do this, Adaline," I whisper. I pulled myself away from the horror show that the mirror was showing me and walked to the bathtub. I twisted the knobs, adjusting the temperature as it ran. Once full, I stripped out of my clothes and grabbed the bar of soap from the counter. I quickly lowered myself into the tub, adjusting to the warmth.

After washing up, I pulled myself up, dried myself off, and combed my hair. Once I was content, I placed my old shirt on, to cover at least most of my body.

I walked back out into the room and stood above the bed. I sighed before pulling the covers back and crawling in. My hand instinctively reached for my stomach and I began to rub soothingly. I began to ponder. What I can't seem to understand is why would they place me in such a nice room. I was charged with trying to murder the Queen, not some petty crime. I furrowed my eyebrows. I tried to relax, and soon enough sleep followed, but not without one last thought.

What was their hidden motive for placing me in this room?