Rex Pov
I was not in control of my body when I followed Freda to the garden. Yolande had taken over completely and was walking me through the dark pack house like I was nothing but a puppet.
"Where are we going?" I asked in my mind since I could not speak out loud.
"To collect something I need," Yolande said. "The Luna is going to the garden, and we are going to watch her."
"Why," I asked. "What do you need from her?"
"You will see," Yolande said. "Now be quiet and let me work."
She walked me outside and into the garden. The moon was bright enough to see everything clearly. I saw Freda sitting under the big oak tree in the center. She looked small and sad and completely alone.
Yolande made me hide in the shadows behind some bushes. We stood there just watching Freda cry. I wanted to call out to her and warn her to run, but my mouth would not move. My voice was completely gone.
"Please do not hurt her," I begged in my mind. "She has nothing to do with this. Your anger is with the pack, not with her."
"She has everything to do with this," Yolande said. "She is the current Luna. She holds the same position my sister stole from me. Her pain feeds the curse just like every Luna before her."
Freda was crying harder now. I could hear her whispers even from where we were standing. She was talking about missing Urdon and how everything was her fault.
I fought against Yolande's control with everything I had. I tried to move my feet or my hands, or anything. I tried to step out of the shadows and show Freda I was there so she would not feel so alone.
But Yolande's grip was too strong. My body would not move even an inch. All I could do was stand there and watch my friend suffer.
Then Yolande made me step forward just enough that Freda would see me. She made me stare at Freda with empty eyes. She made me tilt my head in that weird puppet way. She made me smile that horrible smile that was not mine.
Freda saw me, and fear filled her face. She stood up fast, and I saw her whisper my name. Then she whispered Yolande's name, and the fear got worse.
She ran. She ran as fast as she could back to the pack house, and I was glad she ran because I did not know what Yolande would make me do if she stayed.
Yolande laughed inside my head. The sound was cold and mean, and it made me want to scream. "Perfect," she said. "The Luna's tears will be very useful soon. Fear makes the tears stronger. Pain makes them more potent. She gave me exactly what I needed."
"What are you planning?" I asked.
"You will find out when the time is right," Yolande said. "For now, we have other work to do."
She walked me back to my room in the Alpha wing. When we got inside, she finally released control, and I collapsed on the floor, gasping. My whole body felt weak, like I had been running for hours.
I crawled over to my desk and found paper and a pen. My hands were shaking so bad I could barely hold the pen, but I forced myself to write.
"She wants Freda's tears next. Help me stop her."
I read the note three times to make sure it made sense. Then I folded it small and shoved it in my pocket. I had to get this to Kyran tonight. He needed to know what Yolande was planning.
I waited until I heard the pack house go completely silent. That meant everyone was asleep. Then I snuck out of my room as quietly as I could and went to Kyran's door.
I slid the note under his door and listened. I heard movement inside, so I knew he was awake. Good. He would find it soon.
I ran back to my room before anyone could see me. But I could not sleep. I kept thinking about Freda crying under that tree. Kept thinking about how scared she looked when she saw me.
At dawn, I could not take it anymore. I left the pack house and went to the creek. The water was freezing cold, but I splashed it on my face anyway. I scrubbed my eyes until they hurt, trying to make them less red and puffy.
I could not let anyone see I had been crying. Could not let anyone know how much I was falling apart.
"The note will not save anyone," Yolande whispered in my ear. "Kyran cannot stop me. The moonstone cannot stop me. Nothing can stop what is coming."
"Why are you telling me this?" I said out loud.
"Because I want you to understand how hopeless your situation is," Yolande said. "I want you to stop fighting and accept your fate. It will be easier for both of us if you just give up."
"I will never give up," I said.
"We will see," Yolande said. "But know this, Rex. Every day you fight me, my grip gets tighter. Soon, you will not be able to move at all without my permission. Soon, you will not be able to think without me knowing every thought. I am wrapping chains around your heart and your mind and your soul. Soon, those chains will be unbreakable."
I felt it then. A tightness in my chest that had not been there before. It felt exactly like chains squeezing around my heart. Getting tighter with every breath I took.
"No," I whispered.
"Yes," Yolande said and laughed. "The full moon is coming, Rex. And when it arrives, you will dance for me. You will kill for me. And there is nothing you can do to stop it."
I stayed at the creek until the sun was fully up. Then I walked back to the pack house with my head down and my hands shoved in my pockets.
Wolves were starting to wake up and move around. A few of them said good morning to me, but I just nodded and kept walking. I could not trust myself to speak.