DUSK'S POV
I couldn't see Matilda anymore, and panic hit me. She didn't deserve to die, not after what she had been through. Without sparing another minute to think, I jumped, and the girls screamed. Underneath the water, I searched for Matilda and saw her far away, being carried by the current. I pushed my limits and swam faster than I'd ever done. Her eyes were closed, and she wasn't even trying to fight it.
The moment I held her in my arms, she opened her eyes. Even though her gaze wasn't fixed on me, she looked surprised and grateful. I swam upwards immediately to find air.
Matilda opened her mouth wide and gasped for air. The current was sweeping us away quickly. I looked around for something to hold onto, but found nothing.
"Dusk?" Matilda asked fearfully, and I looked at her.
"Yes, Dusk," I replied, glancing at the children who were screaming.
Suddenly, they threw themselves one by one into the water, swimming towards us.
"What are you doing!? This is dangerous!" I shouted.
The first girl reached me quickly and handed me a rope. About four girls were in the water, and the remaining three pulled the rope. The girl closest to the shore got out first and joined the others in pulling. The second girl also got out and joined the pulling. Before we knew it, we were all in the water.
"Why did you save me!?" Matilda asked fiercely as she sat up, looking into the distance.
"What are you saying? You were drowning," I said, and she fell silent.
"Is it really because I was drowning?" She asked again, and I looked at the girls.
"Yes, there was no one else to save you," I explained, and she blinked rapidly.
"You shouldn't have done that, but doing it helped you pass my test," she said. I looked at the girls again, and they were all smiling.
Matilda helped herself to her feet with the aid of her walking stick and started to walk away. I stood up immediately.
"A test? What are you saying?" I asked, but she didn't wait or look back.
"There is no lake of souls, so you can feel safe knowing your soul is still within you," she said. I turned to the girls, who were giggling.
"What does she mean?" I asked, and the oldest girl took my hand.
"Matilda wanted to test you. The other day when Ari's teddy bear fell in the water, it was all part of the test. The lake of souls was made up by us; there's no such thing," she explained, and Ari came up to me.
"She wanted to see if you would jump in even after being told your soul would be claimed if you got in a second time, and you did," Ari clarified, and the girls giggled.
"It's wrong! What if I died? What if I didn't jump in and Matilda died? Why did she think I'd jump in?" I asked angrily, and they looked at each other cautiously.
"She didn't think you'd jump in. Matilda... She... she said if she wasn't meant to die, then you'd prove your loyalty by jumping in, and that if she was meant to die, you wouldn't jump in."
"That's nonsense! It's crazy! Why did she bet on me with her life?" I asked, and they seemed scared. I left in anger to change my soaked dress. I stayed in my room all day, thinking of Matilda and how she could manage such a thing.
Later in the night, I was forced to knock on Matilda's door.
"It's Dusk," I said.
"It's night. Come back in the morning," she replied, and I tried the door. It was locked.
"At least tell me why you'd sacrifice your life to test me. Test me on what? Why would you test me?" I asked, confused.
"I wanted to see if you were worthy," she said, leaving me even more confused.
"Worthy of what?" I asked, but there was no reply.
I waited at her door for hours, wondering why she was so mysterious.
~
The next day, Lucius and I walked out into the streets, searching for a dress.
"Would you like that?" He asked, pointing to a pretty dress.
"Wow," I said, and he gave a bright smile.
"We'll take this," he said to the dressmaker, and to me, he said, "I want you to light up the room the moment you walk in."
I laughed. "With this dress, I'm likely to blow up the room," I said, and he burst into laughter.
That afternoon, Lucius insisted on dressing me up. He handled my dress expertly, and I wondered why an Alpha was so skilled as a stylist.
"You don't need to. I can..." I started to say as he attempted to fix my corset, but he didn't listen. To return the favor, I helped him dress up, chose the right suit, assisted with his bowtie, and found a beautiful flower to put in his pocket.
"How do I look?" He asked me, and I smiled. He was quite handsome. And I thought, I could pretend to love Lucius. It wasn't hard. He had everything—from looks to physique—and after all, we were mates; pretending would be easy.
~
At the party, everyone seemed to be watching Lucius and me as we laughed while dancing. It had been a great night, and I noticed all the Lunas pointing fingers and talking about us. However, Lucius and I were in a different world entirely.
Later on, I noticed Matilda wasn't among the children, and I wondered if her lack of sight kept her from attending the party. I went to her room, tried the door, and it was open.
"Matilda?" I called, searching around her shelves. I called again, but it seemed like she wasn't in. Just as I was about to leave, I spotted a small opening in the wall. I approached it and put my hand in to confirm it was an opening. Indeed, it was, and I widened it.
There was another library inside, but this one appeared ancient. I looked around in astonishment, only for the door to slam shut. I rushed to it and pulled, but it seemed to have turned into a wall with a handle. It took me a few minutes to realize my situation—I was trapped in Matilda's mysterious secret library.