[ SilverHale Pack – The morning after ]
The water had been flowing all night long.
The horizon was clearing up, the birds were already chirping all around… but Amara? She just sat there…motionless.
The water dripped from Amara's hair in tired rivulets, tracing the curve of her neck before soaking into the already damp fabric clinging to her chest. She sat on the wooden stool, a basin in front of her.
Finally she peeled off her wet clothes and her hand moved mechanically,dragging the loofah across her arm, her collarbone, her thigh.
But it wasn't cleaning enough.She still felt dirty.
The mirror across from her caught the spectacle…mercilessly staring back.
The woman reflected back was not Luna Amara, nor the beloved mate of Dante Valerius, the boy who once swore the sun rose only for her.
No…this was a hollow shell. Tangled hair, sunken cheeks, eyes like two pits, with prominent dark circles.
"Who are you…?"
Her reflection did not answer. Only mimicked the dead stare.
And then something rang inside her head…something like laughter.
A phantom sound, dancing like the chime of glass in her skull.
Her own laughter. From years ago. Pure, untainted. She almost didn't remember it anymore.She hadn't smiled for years now, let alone laugh like that.
And remembering that sound hurt more than any slap or bite Rowan had ever inflicted.
Her grip faltered on the loofah. Her chest tightened. Her throat worked.
The mirror blurred with the swell of her tears.
And then she saw…his face…her Dante.
Her mind conjured him as if he had been waiting in the shadows all along…like she always did in her darkest moments.
The strong line of his jaw, the storm in his bluish grey eyes, that infuriating grin that used to make her heart kick in her chest.
Her breath caught when she felt him…or thought she felt him…right behind her. A phantom warmth pressed to her spine, broad arms sliding around her waist, pulling her back into that cage she once loved so much.
Her lips trembled as the memory spoke to her, just as he used to murmur against her neck. "I love you,Amara."
Her eyes drifted shut without permission.
For one stolen heartbeat, she leaned into the ghost. She could smell him…she swore she could…cedar and smoke and the wild air of the forest they used to run through together.
"Dante…" The name left her lips like a prayer, like an oath she was too weak to break.
And then…Her eyes snapped open.
The phantom arms were gone.
But the basin, the loofah, the mirror remained.
Her breath stuttered, turned jagged, clawing at her ribs.
"No. No, noooo…Dante don't leave me! " But it was she who left him, not the other way around!
She shook her head violently, water spraying from her damp hair, her hands trembling.
"He's gone," her voice was hoarse, eyes wide, unblinking. "You hurt him where he would bleed the most. He hates you. You made sure of that, Amara. He would never…ever again…"
Her voice cracked, splintered.
And then she scrubbed.
Harder.
The loofah burned against her skin.
"Out," she hissed between shallow gasps, scrubbing her shoulder until it reddened. "Get out. Get out of my head. Out of my body."
Her reflection wavered through the blur of tears as she screamed. "You are not his anymore! Do you hear me?Forget him…he will never come looking for you…he is your past…a beautiful past…" Between sobs she added."He is never coming back… never… "
The mirror only gave her back the madness in her own voice.
Her chest rose and fell in frantic bursts.
She clutched her knees instead, nails digging into her own flesh. "But…I don't want to forget you, Dante. Yet I have to. Goddess help me!!! I have to."
The loofah slipped from her fingers,her sobs whacked through her entire being,then suddenly…
BWOOM… BWOOM… BWOOM
The sound of a blazing alarm tore through everything.
Not any regular alarm. It was the pack's emergency warning system…it meant urgent evacuation.
Amara froze, every muscle in her body locked.
The blaring was maddening.
But then screams joined in…panicked, really scattering, terrorised yelping.
She shot to her feet, water sloshing from the basin, heart hammering against her ribs.
"What…?" one step forward "What's happening?"
And then…she caught the smell.
The copper tang.
Blood.
Her lips parted, breath shuddering. "So much… blood…"
Just then…BANG BANG BANG
A fist slammed frantically against her bathroom door, rattling it on its hinges.
"Luna!" a woman's voice shrieked, raw with terror. "Luna…open up, please!"
Amara stumbled towards the door, clutching a towel around her chest with trembling hands. She barely got it open before the maid all but collapsed inside, knees hitting the floor with a loud crack.
The girl's wide eyes darted fearfully, tears streaking down her face. She scrambled forward, grabbing Amara's damp arm with shaking fingers.
"Luna…the pack…it's under attack!There was an ambush! " she sobbed. "They have breached the inner border. We don't have time. Please, I need to get you to safety…we need to move…!"
Amara's lips parted. No sound came out though. Her throat felt tight.
The maid tugged her towards the hall, nearly tearing the towel from her body in her desperation. "Move, please! If they find us, it's over…"
But Amara's bare foot slipped against the wet floor. She pitched forward…
And slammed into something solid.
Not the ground.
Not the maid.
Hard muscles...the familiar smell of cedar and smoke filled her senses.
Strong arms snapped around her waist before she could hit the marble.
They steadied her with ease, pulling her upright.
Her heart lurched violently, instinct screaming even before her mind could catch up.
The maid shrieked.
"Nooo! Let the Luna go…"
BANG!
The shot was so loud it swallowed the alarms, the screams, everything.
Amara flinched, ears ringing. Warm blood spray hit her face before her eyes could process it.
The maid's body jerked, then dropped like a puppet with its strings cut off. She landed hard against the slick tiles, her mouth open with a gaping wound where her voice had been.
Blood spread beneath her like a crimson lake that licked at Amara's toes.
Amara's breath fractured into pieces. She shook violently in the strong grip, towel slipping, eyes burning hot.
Slowly…trembling…her chin lifted.
And she saw them.
Those eyes.
Those bluish grey,storm dark, piercing eyes…
( The Moon Goddess sure said," Opps… Girl, be careful what you wish for!" )
Dante… was here!