The Forgotten Luna's Revenge

Ch. 5

Everything was orange.

The familiar smell of burning flesh mixed with the intense smoke burned my nose. Everyone's screams rang in my ears, making me want to cover them. I tried to speak, but the smoke had my throat in a chokehold.

I was back there, once again. The hell I tried to escape but couldn't.

My watery eyes shifted to a black figure lying motionless on the ground. The moment my brain recognized the face, I tried to run towards him, but I couldn't.

Something or someone was pulling me back. I thrashed, trying to break free, but it wouldn't let go.

I screamed, my futile efforts to get closer to him making me slump in defeat. In that moment, his head turned towards me. Slowly, as if it took the last amount effort he had.

He looked at my slumped figure and gave me a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Sera. Let me go."

"No!" My tears fell as sobs choked my words.

"I love you."

He smiled, a lone tear dragging along his bloody cheek. He closed his eyes as if accepting his fate before flames engulfed him.

"NO!"

I jolted from my bed, my eyes fluttering as they tried to adjust to the surroundings. My breathing was heavy and uneven, confusion and fear lingering. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. I was drenched in cold sweat, making my shirt cling to my skin.

How long had it been since I'd had this nightmare?

I took a few deep breaths, trying to ground myself.

Every time my life started to feel somewhat normal, the nightmare came back, as if to remind me that I didn't deserve to be happy. In a cruel, masochistic sense, that was the reason I preferred getting beaten up by Marissa. At least it offered an escape from the constant reminder that I was never going to be the same person again.

Now that I wasn't sedated anymore and the course of my medicines had ended, I didn't have any way to avoid the nightmares again. I had to constantly see his face and his motionless body in my sleep.

It should have been me.

I shook my head, trying to keep myself from venturing into the darkest corners of my mind.

Instead of trying to go back to sleep, I decided that I needed the best thing to calm me right now. Warm milk.

That's how I found myself tiptoeing to the kitchen in the middle of the night. I had to be up in a few hours, anyway. It was my first time in the kitchen, so I didn't know where anything was.

I started with the easiest thing first and grabbed the milk from the fridge. Now all I needed was some honey and cinnamon to make my favorite concoction. I hunted through the cabinets above the kitchen shelf, which were slightly higher than I hoped they would be. I had to stand on my toes to scour for the ingredients.

I felt the presence in the room, an electricity in the air, before I saw him.

"What are you doing?"

My heart leapt out of my chest at the sudden interruption. I caught myself before I lost balance, using the shelf for support as I turned around.

A part of me wished I hadn't.

There, leaning against the entrance of the doorway with his arms crossed, was none other than Alpha Ashford. He looked gorgeous, even in low light.