Chapter 7: Mental Stimulation 

(Vera POV)

I quickly entered the training hall where Rafael had invited me, and my mouth hung open when I saw the amazing gym spread in front of me. I didn’t expect it to be well-equipped with modern equipment, but I guess he wasn’t only bragging about the training; he genuinely wanted to train me. As far as I know, all the gyms were exclusive to the royal members. Maybe, He made an exception for me.

“Do you like it, My lady?” He entered with grace, and his lean build took me aback. He was looking totally different from his usual self because he wasn’t dressed in a royal outfit at the moment. He was in gym wear and looking like a heartthrob at the moment.

“Don’t look at me like that, or else you will fall in love with me.” I laughed after hearing his words.

“You are looking good, Young Prince. But let’s talk about the training,” I answered, and he sighed like I genuinely hurt his feelings.

“Sure, sure! Have you received the first challenge?” He asked, and I nodded before telling him about the topic. His casual expression turned into a frown in a fraction of a second.

“What is it?” I asked, and he shook his head in no.

“Come on, Rafe! Tell me now,” He pressed his lips in a thin line but didn’t utter a single word to me.

“We have to change the training structure. I was about to teach you combat, but now we have to learn meditation.” I blinked my eyes a few times to make sure that I heard him correctly.

“Meditation? How is it related to my training?” I asked, and he shrugged his shoulders in response.

“I am not allowed to reveal it to you, but trust me, it will help you with your challenge.” I didn’t have any other option but to trust him, so I nodded my head in agreement slowly.

“Good! That’s the spirit. Come here,” He said, and we headed towards an inner room which was dark and dimly lit. He pointed towards two headphones and a recliner.

“What? Are we here to rest and chill?” I asked out of curiosity, and he chuckled in response.

“Nope, but think about something… any good or bad memory of your life you have to stick to throughout the training, so choose carefully,” He instructed, and I started thinking about everything.

“Take a seat and put on these headphones after choosing that memory. Then you have to keep that memory in your mind until I remove these headphones, okay?” It was really weird, but I decided to give him a chance for once. I knew Xela, and I was strong enough to leave this place if things got worse, but for now I decided to focus only on the positive. So I chose a childhood Christmas memory when I really enjoyed my holidays and gifts. I put on the headphones and took a seat on the recliner.

“Ready?” He asked, and I nodded my head in yes before closing my eyes. A small white noise came from the headphones, and It was enough to lull me to sleep until something different happened.

I was playing the same memory in my mind when all of a sudden, my skin started crawling with fear, and I came face to face with my bullies in my mind.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk! How naive you are, Vera! I thought you would be a good, obedient girl after learning your lesson, but nope, we were wrong about you all along.” Kael laughed, and I gritted my teeth in anger.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked and tried to move my hands when I realized my hands were tied with silver cuffs. My eyes widened in shock and fear when I saw the tasers in their hands.

“Wh-what the f*ck?” I mumbled under my breath, and their cruel laughter echoed in the hallways.

“You didn’t recognize this place, right? Look around… we are again in the same hallways where we t*rtured you and humiliated you, right where you belong.” Rian’s cruel words made my skin crawl, and I struggled against the cuffs harder.

“Leave me, you b*stards,” I yelled in anger, and one of them slapped me harder on the face.

“Shut the f*ck up, you b*tch! We have tolerated you enough and already given you plenty of chances to back out, but you have the nerve to come forward and take part in this beauty pageant.” Lucien gripped my jaw so hard that his fingers dug into my skin.

“And you think anyone will choose a cow like you as a luna?” Rian’s words cut me deep.

“Yup, A hybrid cow who didn’t know her place,” Kael added, and unshed tears burned my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall. I will not break in front of their cruel insults at all.

“I will kill you, f*ckers! I don’t care how you insult me or my curvy body. I love myself, and I don’t need your approval to perform at the Luna survival games. I will win and let all of you ch*ke on your words,” I spat all the words in anger, and their mouth hung open. Slowly, the scene started changing, and once again I was present in the hall with all my gifts around me. I frowned and opened my eyes. I removed the headphones, and Rafael looked at my face with a sweet smile.

“You are amazing! You passed this mental stimulation exam with flying colors,” He applauded, and I got up from the recliner.

“Mental stimulation?” I frowned after hearing his words.

“Yup! The royal family specifically designed this sound frequency to train its members to face their worst fears. No one has ever passed the test on the first try, but you are an exception. I was right about you, Luna Vera. You are special and unique.” A slow smile crept onto my lips. It wasn’t for his praise but the fact that I faced my worst fear with so much courage. I thanked Xela, but she didn’t utter any word.

“Do you want to practice some more?” He asked, but I shook my head in no.

“I think it would be enough for one day. Let’s continue the rest of the training tomorrow,” I said, and he didn’t argue. We stepped out of the room together, and then I headed towards my room.

“Xela! Are you here?” I asked, and she slowly hummed in response.

“What happened? The mental stimulation really affected you a bit, right?” I asked, and she hummed in response again.

“Don’t worry! Rest a bit, and then we will pass this exam with flying colors together,” I answered, but she shook her head in no.

“Can we go for a run?” She asked, and I looked around. No one was present there, so I hoped it would be fine; besides, they didn’t put any such restrictions on us. I read all the rules carefully, so I knew I wasn’t breaking any law by going for a run in my wolf form. I quickly hid behind a tree and changed into my wolf form. A smile spread on Xela’s face, and she started running like a wild horse through all the trees. We headed towards the forest present at the backside of the palace. It was deep and lush green, perfect for a long run for Xela and I.

When I felt the air passing through my thick fur, all the worries left my mind. Xela weaved through all the trees and thick bushes like an expert. We roamed around for a bit. She chased small animals for fun. She was clearly enjoying all this when the thick scent of blood assaulted our nostrils. She slowed down a bit before looking around.

“What the heck? Who is present here? I didn’t know there were rogues present in this forest; otherwise, they would have warned us about them, right?” I thought while Xela slowly followed the blood scent. It was so thick and heavy that it overwhelmed all my senses for a few moments.

“Someone is hurt, I guess,” She mumbled, and then we saw two men lying motionless on the ground with severe injuries.

“Are they dead?” I asked her when I didn’t see any movement. She slowly approached them and started checking them. Their heartbeat was faint, but they were alive. I thanked the heavens and then turned to look for help. I didn’t want to be involved in this mess, but there was no one around; I had to go back and ask for help. I quickly headed back to the tree where I left my clothes. My happiness was short-lived, I guess, because the moment I stepped out of the tree, I came face to face with Rian Vexley.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, and I pressed my lips in a thin line to show my displeasure.