Free Web NovelChapter 66: Chose To Become One
Nina stood at the top of the stairs leading into the living quarters long after Emory’s footsteps faded.
Her eyes stared into the distance, unfocused.
Then she blinked.
Do not get attached.
He would kill you. Like his father did.
Her hands twisted together, fingers tightening, loosening, then tightening again.
She forced herself to move.
Her legs felt heavy, but she kept walking.
The air changed the moment she climbed back toward the upper floors.
Cooler and easier to breathe.
Still, her lungs refused to work properly until she stepped fully into the open corridor.
Only then did she exhale.
She did not trust Emory.
But then, how had the woman known about the fainting spells?
Nina stopped walking.
Six full moons.
That was all she had.
Her chest tightened.
She was dying...
Nina drew in a shaky breath and pressed a hand against her sternum.
You were reincarnated to complete the curse.
Questions crowded her mind. freewebnovel.cσ๓
If these people were powerful enough to bring her back from the dead, why couldn’t they complete the curse themselves? Why did they need her? And why did they want the Vothraki so badly?
Emory had answered almost nothing.
What she wanted was the Vothraki.
Nina wasn’t sure whether these people were truly on her side or whether they only cared about getting their hands on the book.
But then, even if she found it, she couldn’t use it alone. Without her powers, the rituals inside it were meaningless.
Unless she found the earthstone first, and that... she had no idea where it was.
Nina cursed under her breath.
She needed answers she could trust.
She had to return to her father’s house and search her late mother’s room for anything—anything that might explain what was happening to her.
Her feet carried her forward on instinct while her mind churned.
Nina didn’t realize she had wandered to the training grounds until she found herself standing in front of the doors.
She stared at them for a long moment before raising her hand to knock.
Silence followed.
Then the doors swung open from the inside.
Nina stepped through the threshold and paused, her eyes lifting slowly around the room.
Lady Emory stood in front of her, as though she had been there for hours, hands folded neatly behind her back, posture perfectly composed. A forced smile rested on her lips, though her face revealed nothing.
Nina held her gaze for a second before turning to the room.
They had company.
Six young women sat arranged around the room, dressed in beautiful corseted gowns that flowed around their chairs and pooled at their feet. Every pair of eyes turned toward her at once.
Emory’s footsteps echoed softly against the marble floor as she stepped forward.
"Luna," she greeted. "You are here. Please come in and take your seat. Time is far spent."
At her words, the women rose together, skirts shifting softly as they curtsied in greeting.
Nina nodded to them, her eyes moving across unfamiliar faces until they landed on one she knew.
Ruri.
The girl’s round face lit up the moment their eyes met, her grin wide and unrestrained. She gave a small wave before quickly remembering herself.
Nina’s smile deepened briefly as some of the unfamiliar discomfort eased from her shoulders.
"You are late," Emory added as Nina moved to her seat and sat down, lifting her eyes to meet the older woman’s gaze.
"You should never keep your subordinates waiting," Emory continued, stopping before her. Nothing in her expression hinted at the conversation they’d just had in private.
"The Luna may not be considered late, but punctuality reflects discipline."
Nina nodded once.
"My apologies," she said, turning toward the women. "I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long."
"It’s alright," Ruri answered quickly. "We only just arrived."
Emory cleared her throat.
"These are the daughters of the Council’s most prestigious families — the ladies of your court. All unmated and in season." Her gaze swept across them. "Ladies, please introduce yourselves to the Luna."
There was a moment of silence before a chair scraped softly.
A tall woman stepped forward first. Her brown eyes were calm, her features gentle enough to fade if one looked away too quickly.
"Isobel Oregon," she curtsied, "of House Oregon. I am at your service, Luna."
Nina nodded. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Isobel. You may rise."
Isobel returned to her seat.
Another followed — Abigail, fuller in figure, her smile bright and eager.
"Abigail of House Hogan."
Nina nodded again.
Two more introductions passed in similar fashion, names settling loosely into her memory. Then Ruri stepped forward, performing an exaggeratedly careful curtsy that nearly made Nina laugh.
When she returned to her seat, Emory glanced around.
"Is that all?"
No one moved.
Nina frowned slightly. She had counted six earlier, but only five had introduced themselves.
She had almost turned to look when a chair shifted softly.
The sound came slowly, deliberately.
Then footsteps followed, quiet and unhurried, as though time itself waited for whoever approached.
The woman stopped before Nina.
She didn’t curtsy immediately.
Instead, her gaze moved over Nina from head to toe — slow, assessing, openly measuring. Her eyes lingered before returning to Nina’s face, a faint smile touching one corner of her mouth.
Nina held her stare.
Neither of them looked away.
Nina’s brows creased slightly as she watched her.
The silence stretched.
Long enough for the entire room to notice.
Then the woman dipped into the barest curtsy.
"Joane Radeon of House Radeon, Luna." Her voice was curt, carrying a hint of something Nina couldn’t quite place.
Nina’s expression didn’t change as she watched her for a long moment before nodding.
"Return to your seat."
Joane straightened, glanced once more at her, and turned toward her chair.
Nina watched her leave, mentally committing her face to memory. The room remained uneasily quiet until Emory cleared her throat loudly.
"Now that introductions are complete," she said, clapping her hands once, "let us begin."
Books opened around the room in soft unison.
The sound made Nina glance down.
Her table was empty.
She shut her eyes, cursing under her breath as she remembered giving the textbook to Moreen. She didn’t even know where the girl had kept it.
She could feel Emory’s gaze on her before the woman spoke.
"Where is the book I asked you to read, Luna?"
Nina inhaled slowly.
"You did not inform me it would be required for today’s training," she said evenly. "I did not bring it."
There was a long pause before Emory nodded.
"Always bring your books to class next time. Thankfully, we are done with that lesson. We are merely taking questions on the previous topic before moving on to today’s lesson," she said, turning to the girls.
"Does anyone have questions?"
Her eyes moved across them as she waited. No one spoke for a long moment. Then Abigail stood.
"Lady Emory... I have a question about mate marking."
Nina’s brows creased slightly as she turned toward her.
"Go on," Emory said.
Abigail paused for a second before continuing. "You mentioned that over the years, lycans no longer mark their mates. Why is that?"
The words struck before Nina could prepare herself.
Her heartbeat stumbled.
Rodrigo’s breath against her skin flashed through her mind — warm, close — the memory of his teeth grazing her neck so vivid she almost felt it again.
Her heartbeat quickened.
"That is a very good question, Abigail," Emory said with a smile, turning to the entire class. "When a mate is marked — that is, bitten on the neck during mating — the bond between the mates deepens beyond ordinary connection."
Nina went completely still, her heartbeat rising and thudding painfully against her chest as she listened.
"They begin to feel one another intensely," Emory continued. "They sense each other’s emotions, and desire becomes difficult to resist."
Heat drained from Nina’s face.
Her hands dropped to her thighs as her fingers dug into the fabric.
No... it was not true...
Her breathing grew shallow as Emory continued.
"And," Emory added, her voice quieter now, "if one mate dies, the other suffers immeasurable pain for years until they too die."
The room faded at the edges as Nina’s vision blurred.
The vivid image of his teeth sinking into her skin pressed into her mind. She could still feel the warmth of his lips against her throat.
Her lungs refused to draw in air.
"That is why mate marking has fallen out of practice. If a wolf marks his mate," Emory paused, "he has chosen to become one with her."
Another pause followed.
"And no lycan chooses to do that."
Nina’s heart stopped.
Her breathing ceased.
Every sound dissolved into ringing in her ears.
He chose to become one with her.
The Alpha...
Nina shut her eyes, her hands trembling beneath the table.
No...
It was not true.
It could not be true.
