A Luna's Flame

Chapter Thirty-Three

A minute stretched out for hours in the absolute nothingness of the darkness of my mind, time warping. My breath hitched as my anxiety-driven blood rushed through my body. The cold touch of uncertainty peppered goosebumps on my skin as my hazel eyes fought to see anything around me. I nibbled on my bottom lip as I willed myself to remain composed. And then...

A flash of violet sliced through the darkness like a shooting star granting a wish. Within seconds, memories began to play in front of me. It felt as though I was watching my doppelgänger make my mistakes, but they referred to her like she was the original. A true out-of-body experience. I watched the replica pluck the life from countless Rogues like they were pesky weeds. I felt my frustration rising as my failures were highlighted with every passing memory. With every 'I don't know, bitch', 'I've never been there,' and 'no' buried the dagger of disappointment deeper into my heart. Sensing my shifting mood, Atlas waved his hand and moved passed my failed expedition, choosing to narrow in on the past couple of weeks instead.

I observed as Enyo demolished those weak pack warriors with adrenaline and determination burning through her stormy irises. Their blood decorated her fur like glistening medals. Then, his earth-shattering roar came first, and those ruby irises followed shortly after. A short man with a large scar running down his exposed torso swiftly climbed up a tree, where he would eventually send five silver-filled darts into Nox's skin and ten into Enyo's.

"Speed this up, Atlas," I warned with a slight discomfort settling into my bones.

My time in the dungeon came and went, with a lingering minute stretching over the Alpha's silver whipping and mate discovery. The memories flew by fast enough that I could barely make out anything of importance, but I knew Atlas saw it all in detail. My stomach began to turn as the smell of antiseptic burned my nose as I watched glimpses of my recovery. But when Nox lay on the surgery table, those fleeting seconds stretched into a lifetime. Vice grips of sorrow harshly closed around my heart as I watched the weak rise and fall of Nox's chest as my former self watched each breath with her palm pressed firmly against the mirror that separated her from the surgical room. My eyes burned with unshed tears as I felt the agony of my failing mind links and his general unresponsiveness. The sudden feeling of loneliness was almost enough to send me over as Enyo howled in fresh anguish. Atlas sped up the memories even more as he grabbed my hand to ground me. I saw flashes of Iaso's scrubs, Diona's curls fluttering in the forest's air, the lone wolf's charring skin, the decrepit council, and the Alpha's wolf amber irises fly past me as we stood in the chaos of my mind. My body ached with each reminder of every injury inflicted by the Demon Alpha. Atlas slowed for only a moment as he analyzed the green hue that shot into the distant sky. My emotional rollercoaster peaked so high that it sent me into the lowest valley of numbness. My head was so full of conflicting thoughts that it felt as if I was drowning, my life vest lost in the waves of doubt and heartbreak. All of my repressed emotions and muted memories were drug out into the harsh light. A warm sensation came from my left as Atlas watched my training session with Orion. A slight chill traveled down my spine as I looked over my shoulder, ignoring the recent memory before me. A woman with long, knotty ebony curls stood several feet behind me, facing away. She looked at the vision of Nox's pale body in the hospital as they operated on him. The doctors were desperate to reverse the effects of the large amount of silver he was injected with. Oh, how badly I wanted him to open his eyes and smile as he reassured me that he was invincible. Unfortunately, I knew that he never did.

"Calista," the woman said in a warm, melodic voice.

My attention immediately returned to the frail-looking woman dressed in a tattered marmalade-colored dress that stopped at her shins and rundown woven sandals. Even from this distance, she towered over me. Her very essence was stifling. I watched as several spots of red began to soak into her orange dress, ruining the fabric further.

"Atlas, we have to go," I said as I squeezed his hand tightly, watching as a stream of blood wrapped around her right arm.

"What—" he began as he turned around.

"Shit," he quickly added.

I shut my eyes tightly as I began to throw up my mental barriers, pushing every vision around us away. Only the woman remained. My ears started ringing as the stress of pushing her away made my hands shake slightly. I felt a stream of blood seep out of my nose as I fought to suppress her, the iron aroma mixing with hers.

"Lisy, are you not happy to see me?" she questioned with heart-wrenching disappointment.

"Atlas, for the love of the Moon Goddess, get us out of my mind. Now!" I commanded.

I heard his string of curse words before he started an incantation. I opened my eyes as I felt the air beginning to change. I silently prayed to anyone who would listen as I saw the woman slowly turn around. But before I could clearly see her face, Atlas transported us back into his astral plane. I blinked hard and shook my head, hoping to shake the lingering feelings of the repressed memories.

"By the Gods, I forgot how fucked your mind really is," he said with a sigh of relief.

I took a moment to compose myself. My heart was racing. There was still a slight tremor in my hands as I wiped the blood from my nose, the sticky fluid coloring my fingertips. Enyo whimpered as she curled up in the shadows of my mind, defeated and shaken. I knew Atlas was still talking, he never knew when to stop, but his voice was lost in the sea of my emotions. My throat burned as I fought the urge to yell out in frustration. How could someone be so close but always so far away? Elders always advise that time heals all wounds. Old bastards. Time was a ruthless bitch, who always threw salt into my gaping holes as a constant reminder that I would never be whole again. I barely remember what it felt like anyway.

The air around me filled with an unknown charge.

"If that warlock penetrated my mind again—" I thought before a warm hug enveloped me.

Time froze as shock overwhelmed me, breaking me from my spiraling thoughts. The smell of blackberries and cinnamon filled my senses as a calloused hand gently rubbed my head. The strong arm wrapped around my waist pushed me further into a firm chest. A featherlike breath tickled my neck as I became completely engulfed in another's dominating presence.

"I've been waiting for you," a silky baritone voice said as his chest rumbled.

And then, just like that, I relaxed into his embrace as I let go of the breath that I had unknowingly held, extinguishing the fear that this was just another memory.