His Silent Luna (Verity and Felicity) novel Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR: THE KING

Verity’s Perspective

Three years had passed.

Iran.

Branches tore at my arms, roots gripped my ankles, and blood seeped through the tattered cloth wrapped around my battered body. My lungs burned with every ragged breath, my legs shook uncontrollably, yet I refused to stop moving. There was no choice.

They were closing in behind me.

The rogues.

Their snarls and howls echoed through the forest, relentless and savage, as if they were hunting a wounded animal.

I had no idea what I had done to provoke such fury. After years spent surviving the darkness they had once accepted me into, they had now turned against me.

The Dark Lands had never been forgiving. Still, for three long years, they had been my tormenting home. I had learned to live in the shadows, to wield my silence like a weapon, to navigate among beasts and still find breath. They taught me pain and their brutal ways. But now, they wanted me dead.

Tears blurred my vision as I stumbled through the unfamiliar forest. These trees were unlike those in the Dark Lands—no charred bark, no twisted limbs contorted into unnatural shapes.

This place felt calm. And if there was one thing I had come to distrust, it was peace.

Suddenly, a bolt of black energy slammed into a tree beside me, exploding into a cloud of smoke. I yelped, losing my footing and collapsing onto the cold ground. My palms scraped against rough stone and thorny brambles as I crawled, trembling limbs barely supporting me, my head spinning.

That dark magic clawed toward me, desperate to drag me back into oblivion.

Not this time.

I continued inching forward, each movement a battle against my failing strength, until abruptly—

It ceased.

The air shifted around me.

The darkness behind me vanished.

I froze, gasping for breath, my heart pounding fiercely in my chest. I stared down at the earth beneath me, trying to comprehend the sudden silence.

Then I raised my eyes.

There, faint but unmistakable, was a boundary in the forest—almost invisible, yet palpable, like stepping through a hidden veil.

Behind me: Death.

Ahead: Something unknown.

I had crossed into new territory.

The rogues did not follow.

Instead, I heard their retreat—low growls fading into silence.

Relief washed over me like a cool rain, only to be replaced moments later by the sharp twang of arrows and heavy pawsteps echoing from the shadows ahead.

Wolves.

Not rogues.

Different armor.

Different scent.

Steel gleamed under the moonlight as they surrounded me. Their eyes were sharp, trained—military.

They bore a crest I didn’t recognize: a silver fang set against a black field.

Shadowfang.

I knew little about them, but I had heard whispers from the rogues. I recognized power when I saw it.

“Drop your weapon!” one barked sharply.

I flinched. Weapon? I had none.

Another wolf stepped forward, scrutinizing my face with narrowed eyes before raising his brows in surprise.

“Queen Felicity?”

My heart stopped cold.

Felicity?

Queen?

What—

Before I could gather my thoughts, silver chains snapped around my wrists. They hissed against my skin, burning into flesh. I whimpered softly, tears stinging my eyes, but I remained silent. I couldn’t find the words.

“I don’t think she’s saying anything,” one guard murmured. “Maybe she’s under a spell?”

He stopped in front of me, eyes narrowing.

“Who are you?” he demanded.

I remained mute.

His eyes darkened. “Why are you silent?”

Still, I said nothing.

He stepped closer. I flinched as his hand reached out, gently lifting my chin to turn my face toward the light. His fingers were cold against my skin.

His gaze searched mine.

“There’s pain inside you,” he murmured. “But no recognition. You don’t know who I am, do you?”

I blinked, then slowly shook my head.

The room seemed to hold its breath.

Cassian leaned back, a cruel smile curling at the corners of his lips.

“Well then,” he said, “let’s find out.”

He turned toward the guards.

“Strip her of everything. No food. No light. Throw her in the dungeons.”

Someone hesitated.

“But sire, if she’s—”

“By any means necessary,” he growled. “I want to know who she is, what she is, and why she looks like the daughter of my enemy.”

My knees buckled as the guards yanked me backward.

Chains rattled.

Cold returned.

Darkness returned.

As they dragged me toward the dungeon, the only thought that consumed me was the merciless gleam in the king’s eyes.

I was no stranger to suffering, but now… it felt as if I had descended straight into the depths of hell.