Aire’s gaze lowered slowly to her wrists.

A guard stepped forward carefully.

"Luna..." he began, then stopped, as if unsure which title still belonged to her. He tried again. "Your Grace. You will need to come with us."

Her throat moved once, dryly. She exhaled tiredly, drained of resistance.

"Where?" she asked quietly.

The guard hesitated.

Another guard answered instead. "Below."

Aire’s eyes lifted slightly. "Below where?" she asked softly, and no one responded. As usual, they all felt she deserved to know nothing.

She understood the silence.

"The dungeon," she whispered, and no one corrected her.

Aire nodded once. "Alright." She permitted then to lead the way. She wouldn’t mind dying.

Nate’s head snapped toward her instantly. "Aire—"

She turd to him sharply with a glare. "You make me want to die, Nate. Stay away from me."

Alaric stepped forward slightly.

"This is not permanent," he said quickly, his voice lower. "It is containment until we understand—"

Aire let out a soft, humorless breath. "Containment," she repeated.

Xander looked like he wanted to speak, but nothing came out. Even his usual ease was gone.

Elijah gave a small nod to the guards. "Take her down carefully." He instructed.

The guards understood immediately, that she shouldn’t be dragged, or thrown, but walked at her own pace. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The guards moved closer. They positioned themselves around her like a moving boundary.

Aire did not resist when they guided her forward. She took one step with them, then more steps moving forward.

The chains between her wrists clinked softly with each movement.

Nate moved forward again instinctively, but Alaric stopped him. "We should look for a solution, not make things harder for her." he said quietly.

Nate didn’t respond. His eyes stayed on Aire.

She walked passed him, but close enough that he could smell her, and close enough that if she had turned her head, she could have looked at him properly.

She didn’t.

The corridor outside was colder.

Aire walked between the guards.

She was guided forward like a prisoner. As they descended below, the castle changed. Each stair deepened the silence.

The lower dungeon was not part of the palace anyone spoke about often.

It was old. Older than most of the wolves who ruled above it. The air became damp and cold seeped into her bones immediately.

Aire’s steps slowed slightly and the chains rattled softly beside her.

The guards stayed close, but not touching more than necessary.

As they passed the final staircase, the dungeon opened before her like a mouth with iron bars, thick stone walls, and chains hanging from the ceiling.

Darkness cornered the whole place.

Aire stopped at the entrance. Never had she imagined getting locked up in a dungeon. As a cursed wolfless girl, she expected the wolves to hate her but she never imagined getting locked away perhaps to rot and die.

A guard spoke softly behind her. "It will be for your safety."

Aire managed to turn to him. "Whose safety?" she asked mirthlessly.

Not waiting for his reply, she stepped inside.

Behind her, one guard spoke quietly again. "This is temporary."

Another added quickly. "Until matters are understood."

Aire didn’t respond.

One of the guards unlocked the restraints carefully, then replaced them with heavier ones attached to the wall.

Aire stood still. Her wrists now secured against cruel iron.

They locked the dungeon gate when they were done, and stayed outside.

......

The dungeon settled into silence after the guards left.

Aire stood where they had chained her for a long moment before her knees finally weakened beneath her.

The stone beneath her feet was freezing. The cold climbed slowly through her body. Above her, water dripped somewhere into the dungeon.

The sound echoed endlessly.

Aire lowered herself slowly onto the narrow wooden bench attached to the wall. The chains followed her movement with a metallic scrape.

Her eyes remained fixed ahead.

She still could not fully process how quickly everything had collapsed. Just days ago, she had still been eating breakfast in the southern hall. Now she sat underground.

Her shoulders trembled once.

Aire pressed her lips tightly together immediately afterward. She hated herself for even reacting.

Aire closed her eyes, and bit her lower lip, trying so hard not to make a sound close to tears.

The dungeon door above opened suddenly.

Heavy footsteps descended the stairs afterward.

Aire straightened immediately.

For one terrible second, she thought they had returned to move her deeper below. But then she recognized the scent before the figure appeared.

Nate.

Aire went still instantly.

The moment Nate stepped into view, his wolf nearly tore itself apart inside him. The sight of her there felt wrong on a level his body could not tolerate.

The Luna of the kingdom sat chained beneath stone walls like a criminal.

The dungeon torches cast flickering shadows across her face. The iron restraints around her wrists gleamed dully beneath the low light.

Nate stopped several feet from the bars.

His breathing turned uneven immediately.

Aire refused to look at him.

His wolf paced violently beneath his skin, distressed and furious and sick with instinctive rejection.

Everything inside him screamed to get her out, now and immediately.

Nate swallowed harshly. "Aire..."

She did not answer.

Nate’s jaw tightened. "I didn’t know they would put you here."

Aire laughed softly. Finally, she looked at him.

"Did you think they’d give me flowers instead?" she asked quietly. "After you lied about me?"

The words struck him harder than claws ever could.

Nate opened his mouth but nothing came out. No justification would sound less monstrous now that she sat imprisoned beneath the castle.

Aire stared at him for another second before looking away again. The chains moved softly when she shifted against the wall.

Nate’s eyes dropped toward them immediately. His wolf reacted violently in his chest.

The instinct slammed through him so hard his hands curled into fists instantly. Everything about this scene felt unbearable to him even if he tired to be logical, and push his wolf aside.

Her scent was mixed with iron, with her wrists restrained. He could barely breathe around her exhaustion.

"You even tried to kill me," Aire said suddenly.

Nate’s face tightened immediately. "Aire—"

"You had your claws around my throat." She went on, and still wouldn’t look at him. "Do you know what I keep thinking about?" she asked softly.

Nate stayed silent.

Aire’s voice lowered further. "I went to you because I trusted you. I simply went to you to help a friend."

Nate looked away sharply for one brief second. He physically could not withstand hearing what she had just said.

His wolf whined violently beneath the surface. She was right. She had gone to him willingly that night, and he had answered her trust with fear and misunderstood conclusion.

Nate stepped closer to the bars before stopping himself. "Aire..." His voice was roughened now. "I was wrong."

"You were terrified of me."

"I was trying to protect the kingdom."

Aire turned her head slowly toward him again. "From what?" she asked. "Me breathing?"

Nate had no answer.

Aire looked exhausted. She shook her head. "I’ve always know that I’m a curse, but never a momster." she admitted quietly.

Nate felt his chest tighten painfully.

Outside the cell, the guards remained silent and carefully distant, pretending not to hear.

Aire lowered her gaze again. The chains clinked softly when she adjusted against the wall.

Nate hated the sound. He hated this entire place. He hated himself most of all. His wolf suffered openly now, restless and distressed beneath his skin.

The bond between them had not weakened despite everything. If anything, seeing her imprisoned only intensified it more into something agonizing.

They both stayed silent for a while.

Aire broke the silence softly. "Do you still think I’m your mate now?"