Chapter 3 A Kingdom Of Exiles 110 Finished The next day , the morning sun streams through tall windows , gilding the long oak dining table in gold . The scent of roasted meat mixes with buttered bread . Although the air is warm , I still feel cold as ice on the inside . My chair is at the farthest end of the table . I pause when I see it . Yesterday , my seat was beside Kade's . Today , it is nearly ten places down . Izel sits where I once belonged , her white dress brushing against his arm . She laughs lightly as she fills Finn's cup with juice , then cuts Ivy's bread into tiny pieces . She does it smoothly , as if she has always been the one doing that . A servant gestures to my chair . " Here , Luna Freya , " she says , but the title comes to her lips with hesitation . I cross the room , feet stomping , the eyes of every servant and guard following me , and sit at the end . Finn looks down the table , frowning . " Mama ? Why are you sitting so far ? " Izel strokes his hair . " Don't worry , darling . Mama Freya just likes her space ." Angry heat rises to my face . My space ? My exile , she means . " Eat , " Kade orders , hushing everyone with his authoritative voice . I lower my gaze to the plate set before me . Eggs , bread , and a slice of meat . Normal . Yet I know it could be poisoned - the food was waiting before I sat . I don't drink the honeyed ale and only nibble at the food . I try not to look at them , but I do . Izel leaning in close . Kade listening with an amused smile . My children tucked beneath her wings . My throat thickens at the sight , tears pricking the corners of my eyes . The sound of wings flapping against stone jars the silence . A raven drops through the open window , black feathers scattering across the table . Gasps rise as it lands near Kade's plate , claws tapping against the wood . " From the High Council , " the birdmaster mutters upon recognising the seal and steps forward to unfasten the scroll from its leg . He hands it to Kade . The Alpha breaks the seal , his eyes scanning quickly . The room holds its breath , waiting . Finally , he clears his throat . " A Conclave has been called . Thirty days from now . At the Blood- Moon . " 1/3 21:31 Wed , Oct 15 Chapter A Kingdom Of Exiles Finished Whispers break out . A Conclave is no small matter. Every Alpha in the region is summoned . Every Luna , too - though Kade doesn't look at me once when he says it . " What for , Alpha ? " Beta Jax asks . " Judgment . " Kade answers shortly . His gaze flickers over the table , settling on no one . " They will weigh matters of blood and leadership ." Izel's lips curve faintly , like she knows something the rest of us don't . Judgment . The word scrapes across my bones . Thirty days . The same number Nyx gave me . " Eat , " Kade repeats , ending the conversation . I pretend to swallow another bite . *** When I meet Brin in the glass garden later , he has a plate of food ready for me . " I saw how little you ate at breakfast , Luna Freya , " he says . " I prepared this myself . If you trust me , you should eat it to keep your strength . " Jax's words return to me : Some want you gone quietly . Some not so quietly . Brin notices my hesitation and whispers , " You know you can trust me , Luna Freya ." I nod and take the plate from him . I eat everything , but there's no appetite , nor does the food taste good . He takes the empty plate from me and then hands me a bluish - gray bowl filled with a purple concoction . " It's the antidote . " He pauses , then assures me , " No one knows about this except you and me . " The words give me some relief , but I still don't know what to do or whom to trust . All I know is that I have twenty - nine days left before I have to leave this place . *** Later , I step out to the balcony alone . I'm thankful I still have my chamber to myself , but I mustn't count on it . I could be thrown out any day if Izel so much as whispers the word . The afternoon air is harsh , cutting through the fog in my head . Below , the training yard rings with the sound of swords clashing , shouts carrying on the wind . Something brushes against my sleeve . I look down . A raven perches on the railing , feathers gleaming dark as night . Its eyes fix on me , unblinking . When did it come here ? How did I not hear it ? A scrap of parchment is tied to its leg . I untie it , hands trembling , and unfold the note . Only 2/3 21:31 Wed , Oct 15 Chapter A Kingdom Of Exiles four words , written in quick , sharp strokes : Nightfell can free you . ( 15 Finished The raven caws once , then takes off , its wings beating strong against the afternoon sky . I stand there , clutching the note . My heart pounds so loud it drowns out the world . Nightfell . I know that name . Every child does . It is whispered like a curse , like a story told to keep pups in their beds . Nightfell is a rival pack , but it is almost somewhat of a kingdom now . Exiles and rogues gather there , bound not by honor but by blood debts and hatred for the Alphas who cast them out . They live in the mountains where the sun hides half the year . Where the rivers run black with ash . It is said Nightfell wolves drink wolfsbane to harden themselves against pain . That they scar their own flesh to honor the darkness . That their Alpha crowns himself not with silver , but with bone . No Luna ever goes there and returns . Those who flee into Nightfell are as good as dead . Or worse . Nyx stirs in my chest , her voice a low growl . ' Listen . This is the way ?' I grip the railing so hard my knuckles threaten to split . My wolf speaks of freedom , but all I hear is ruin . Yet ruin is better than this slow death . Rowan's face burns in my mind . I know from the rumours that he has recently been crowned the Alpha of Nightfell . Rowan was my oldest friend . The boy who once told me he loved me , before duty chained me to Kade because I was promised from birth . He knew it , but he said he would always love me , and for that reason , Kade's father cast him out of the pack . And then he'd found home in the dangers of Nightfell . I don't even remember what he used to look like . I only have happy memories of him , of us lying in the grass , laughing . Of running through the woods in our wolf forms , chasing prey . And now his hand reaches for me again , across the mountains , across the years , Thirty days . Now twenty - nine . And for the first time in years , hope claws its way back into me - not bright or clean , but jagged and dangerous . Hope shaped like Nightfell . Send Gifts " 3/3