Sensing her apprehensions, Lana spoke again placing her hands on her shoulder and waist while guiding her forward.
"It’s no matter, Luna. Most of my clothes ended up worse than this when Ranon and I were newly mated. Those were the days." She let out a nostalgic chuckle, urging Cassandra to smile as well.
Taking out a knee length, soft cotton dress, Lana helped Cassandra fit into it and laid her down in the bedding. She then went on to clean up the mess Siroos had made before Haylia would come and discover what they had done.
Cassandra took the towel and began to dry her hair.
"Did you eat, Nissa?" Lana questioned, gathering all the pieces of the ripped gown and Cassandra shook her head.
"I am not hungry."
"You must eat, even if you are not. Keep your strength, you will need it. I will fetch you some food, a quill, ink and paper so you can write a letter to your sister," Lana said, getting up.
"I appreciate you, girl," Cassandra answered with a weak smile and touched the tender flesh of her neck where Siroos’s mark now rested. There was a very dull ache but she had been tethered to that man forever now.
Lana left the room and paused to acknowledge the female warrior who had been posted outside by Siroos.
"Tara! Be vigilant; no one should enter the room except me or Vera Haylia if she comes around," she instructed, and Tara pounded her chest.
"It will be my honour to protect our Luna, don’t worry."
"Good!"
Lana went on to dump the remains of the dress into the kitchen’s clay oven. And then asked the females preparing supper to dish out food for Cassandra.
Haylia entered the kitchen; seeing Lana, she approached her.
"Lana! Can you fetch Cassandra, I need to discuss her schedule for her training."
"Vera Haylia!" She respectfully bowed and sidestepped with her, speaking in a hushed tone.
"Luna is in heat. I had to control it and now she is in her room resting. I came to fetch her some food."
Haylia gasped in astonishment, placing her hands on her ajar mouth.
"Oh! I hope Siroos was not there with her."
"No, luckily I was there helping her with clothes and mind-linked Alpha to stay away until her heat will pass," she lied through her teeth but didn’t feel remorse. It was needed.
"Ahh! I must go see Cassandra and give her some basics," Haylia said, a relief passing through her that Siroos was at bay.
"Of course Vera Haylia. I will join you with the food."
Haylia swiftly nodded and made her way to Cassandra’s chamber. She saw that Tara stood guard and was further relieved.
"No males even in the proximity of this chamber, Tara," she sternly instructed.
Tara lowered her eyes and swiftly declared.
"You don’t have to worry. I won’t let any male even bat an eye here."
Haylia knocked on the door and entered as Cassandra granted permission from the inside.
She was sitting with her legs propped together and her damp hair spread all around her. The room reeked of Hycandria, Lana seemed to have bathed her in it to suppress her heat.
"Cassandra! Child, how are you feeling?" She shuffled closer and elegantly perched herself on the chair near her.
"Vera Haylia!" Cassandra acknowledged her, noticing the older woman never addressed her with her title.
There was an unseen rift between them now because of how Haylia had tried forcing her to permit Siroos to take a breeder.
"I heard about your heat; I am grateful it happened when Lana was with you and not Siroos," she quietly said, but her words irked Cassandra. Everything for her was about keeping her away from her mate.
She wished Haylia would trust them, instead of always doubting them.
"Me too," Cassandra answered, straightening up her legs and getting up from her mattress to brush her unruly hair.
"For the next two days just keep a distance from Siroos. It will be advisable to stay in your room, and we will resume your training on the third day," she instructed again, her cunning eyes following Cassandra, observing her reaction.
Cassandra knew Haylia would say something along these lines, the reason Lana must have lied to her.
If only she knew her son was devouring her just a few hours ago, the expression on her face would be priceless. But she kept those thoughts to herself.
"I will do that," Cassandra answered without any emotions being reflected in her voice. The bristles of her brush tried to untangle her hair but were stuck.
Haylia left her seat and gently took the brush from Cassandra’s hand, seeing her hand shake and struggle.
"Sit, let me do it." She instructed, pointing to the wooden stool.
Cassandra quietly perched herself on it and didn’t comment. Starting from the tips, Haylia gently straightened her damp hair.
"I am not your enemy. It may seem like that from our previous encounter, but trust me, if there was no curse, no one would be more rejoiced at having you as my son’s mate. You are kind and grounded, he needs someone like you to control his ferocious nature."
Cassandra didn’t find Haylia’s words soothing.
"And yet it feels like I am just a commodity," the girl with golden hair painfully uttered.
Haylia’s lips flattened at her words, she understood how painful it was for her.
"You are not a commodity; you are the Luna of this pack, and no one will ever replace you. Your sacrifice will go down in history books and will be written in golden letters."
She wanted to extend further that if she would allow Siroos to have an heir, then she would be revered even more, but she held her tongue for now. It had caused enough problems as it was.
"I just wanted a peaceful life, the one filled with love," Cassandra let out a heavy sigh and fidgeted with her hands.
"Life is hardly peaceful. It’s one sacrifice after the other. Some we make for our people, others we make for our loved ones. Perfection hardly exists but it’s the choices which define us. I know you are intelligent, and you will make the correct choices. There is this light about you which no one can snuff out and it attracts goodness."
Hard bristles of the brush now passed softly through Cassandra’s streaks of gold.
She knew she had to make this choice.
Suddenly Haylia’s hands halted in Cassandra’s hair and her body went rigid. Her eyes rolled out at the back of her head becoming white as a sheet and she let out a small squeak.
Cassandra instantly turned to watch her and was horrified at the sight and quickly scrambled away from her and clasped her mouth in horror.
Her brown locks stood all around her, crackling as if being charged with electricity. Haylia’s whole expression changed as her mouth widened and she screamed out in a hoarse voice.
The words that chilled Cassandra’s heart but were embroiled in a single ray of hope.
{It’s not time yet, my child. Have hope, we will speak soon.}