I was sleeping...….. then suddenly...…. I wasn't. I opened my eyes and I was falling.... not onto the ground...… but Into water…..... Cold and endless.
I looked up and saw myself above me, mouth open, eyes wide, drowning.
My own face twisted in terror...… I tried to scream but my lungs filled instead.
I tried to wake up...….. tried to fight it...… but the harder I struggled, the heavier my body became.
It felt too real...….
My chest burned...… limbs slowed..... darkness pressed in from every angle.
No....
No, no, no.…..
I pushed harder..... kicked harder...… swam faster up...…. fought like my life depended on it.
And just as my body gave up, i burst out of the water.
I gasped violently, coughing, choking as air rushed back into my lungs.
My body jerked upright...… and my eyes flew open.
I wasn't in my room....
I was standing in the middle of the forest.....
Tall trees.... and thick shadows..... and my clothes were dry…..... My hair wasn't soaked and my skin wasn't cold…...… panic hit me all at once.
I wrapped my arms around myself, shaking.
How did I.…..…..
What's going on?
What am I...….
A howl tore through the night.
Another howl answered it...…. It was closer.
My breath hitched as branches cracked around me.
Two giant wolves stepped into the clearing, massive and terrifying, teeth bared, eyes glowing.
They circled me slowly, growls vibrating through the ground.
I dropped instantly, baring my neck in submission, too scared to even look up.
"You stupid mutt!"
The voice shifted mid-sentence.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
Beta Amarok.....
Even without seeing him, I knew.
If I was still thirteen, he would've punched me already.
He was my greatest hater and bully.
He hated me so much he would rather I die than exist in this pack.
"This kingdom is for royalty," he used to say.
"For the strongest of the strongest, not for weak rats like you."
"I.....I'm sorry, Beta," I said quickly my voice trembling.
"I was just taking a night stroll."
"Stroll?" he snapped.
"At this hour? Alone?"
I opened my mouth to explain but he cut me off.
"Forget it." He laughed bitterly.
"Talking to you is an insult to my lineage."
"Crawl around all you want maybe you'll slip and die and save us the trouble."
Something snapped inside me and before I could stop myself, the words burst out.
Why do you hate me so much?"
My voice broke, but I didn't stop.
"What have I ever done to you to deserve this?"
The forest went quiet...…
Beta Amarok turned fully towards me his eyes burning silver in the dark, sharp with disgust.
He laughed once, short and Cruel.
"You really don't know?" he said.
"Or you're just pretending again as you always had."
He stepped closer.....
I held my ground even though my legs were shaking.
"I've stayed out of your way," I said.
"I don't challenge anyone and I don't take what isn't mine...…... I breathe and somehow that's still a crime to you."
His jaw tightened then his hand shot out grabbing my hair and yanking my head back so hard stars burst behind my eyes.
I screamed...…..
Pain ripped through my scalp, nothing like Rhage's touch, nothing gentle...…this was meant to hurt.
"This!" Amarok snarled breath hot against my face.
"is why....."
He pulled harder....
"You are weak."
The word landed like a blade.
"No wolf.... no claws.... no instinct..... Just a useless body walking around a kingdom built on blood."
"You walk these grounds like you belong amongst us..." he continued voice low and venomous.
"because people pity you..... because your mother was a priestess...….because the King allows it."
"But you do not belong here."
Tears burned my eyes but I refused to let them fall.
"This pack is for royalty...…. for the strongest...…. for the fastest..... for wolves who can defend it..... not a human girl playing priestess."
"If the laws allowed it," he added quietly.
"I would've ended you years ago."
Then he shoved me hard.
I hit the ground with a painful thud, air rushing out of my lungs, chest burning as I curled in on myself, gasping.
By the time I looked up, they were gone....
The forest felt too big.... too empty.... my hands shook violently as tears finally spilled over. My body betrayed me, sobs tearing out of my chest as old memories clawed their way back..... being cornered.... being shoved... being reminded over and over that I was lesser…..Weak... useless.
I pressed my palm to my chest, trying to breathe, that was when she spoke.
Let me take you home.....
Asha.
"You...….. you can do that?" I whispered inside my mind.
Yes, she said calmly.
But you have to let go.....
Fear rushed through me..... but exhaustion drowned it out.
"Okay....."
The shift wasn't violent... it just felt like sinking backward.... like sitting in the backseat of a moving car.
My body stood on its own, legs moved.... the forest blurred past as I watched from somewhere deep inside, aware but not in control.
The door to my room closed softly behind me and just like that, I was back.
I stumbled, catching myself on the bed lungs burning like I'd run for miles.
Asha receded quietly, giving control back without a word...…. I sat there shaking, questions piling up faster than I could think.
How did I get there?
That water...…..
That drowning.....
It felt too real...….
....
I woke up feeling like I'd been dragged through the ground.
Every part of me hurt like my body had worked all night without me knowing.
I rolled onto my side with a soft groan and the door slammed open.
"Luna!"
Amy rushed in, her hair loose, eyes wide, fear written all over her face. She crossed the room in seconds and grabbed my arms, holding me like I might disappear.
"Are you okay?" she asked quickly.
"Do you feel sick? Dizzy? Nauseous? Anything at all?"
I blinked at her, still half asleep.
"I'm fine," I said slowly.
"Just tired...… what's wrong?"
She didn't answer immediately..... her hands were shaking.
She let go of me and sat hard on the edge of the bed, breathing fast.
"There's.....… something happening," she said.
She rubbed her palms together like she was cold.
"Some people got sick overnight," she said.
"Not many.... just a few but from different parts of the kingdom."
I sat up straighter...….
"Sick? Since when did this happen and how's that even possible?
"Vomiting," she said.
"Weakness.... fever that comes and goes.... Healers say it doesn't look like poison...…. doesn't look like normal illness either."
"Is it spreading?" I asked.
She shook her head quickly.
"No... not fast...… which is the strangest part..... It's slow."
"Only a handful so far."
"Then maybe it's nothing," I said.
"That's what they're telling us," she said.
"But the infirmary is already watching it closely."
She looked at me again, eyes searching.
"You sure you're okay?"
"Yes," I said immediately.
"You look...…. Stressed," she said carefully.
"I didn't sleep well," I said.
That wasn't a lie...….
She sighed and leaned back on her hands.
"My dad barely slept either...…"
"There was an emergency meeting before sunrise."
"He said it's probably nothing but.....… he doesn't take chances."