Ophelia’s face falls. “Yes. That’s how my essence found you. The universe is shifting as cosmic balance swings. The ancestral tie between us has been growing.”
“Are you the reason I glow?” I blurt out.
To my astonishment, she laughs loudly. “Kind of. We were both chosen ones. Protectors assigned by the Moon Goddess.”
Frowning, I cringe. “She chose the wrong person. Me, I mean. Not you. You were great. I’ve been reading a lot about your history.”
Ophelia tilts her head. “Why do you feel that way?”
Now it’s my turn to laugh. “Have you met me? Stupid question–of course you haven’t. But I’m the biggest disaster and defect ever. Somewhere along the way in my—our–-family lineage, something went wrong. I’m not the person for this. I’m not you.”
“But you are, Nyx. Everything happens for a reason.”
My lips tug into a smile. “Multiple mates?”
She smiles. “It’s… challenging at first. But you’ll get the hang of it. I did. Though from what I can tell, you’re doing just fine.”
“I don’t know how to do what you do,” I admit. “Negotiate… talk to Alphas and stuff. I tend to just piss them off. Shit, sorry. Double shit. Sorry. I’ll stop cursing.”
Ophelia shakes her head, leaning down to pluck a flower from the ground. Placing it on the table in between us, she continues. “The only advice I can give you is to just be yourself. We, wolves, can sense things. They will know on some level, even if they don’t understand. But the situation now is not the same as it was before. I cannot give you guidance on that. You will know what’s best.”
“But I don’t,” I murmur. “I’m scared I’ll hesitate or say the wrong thing. I don’t want to lose anyone. What if this is all a mistake and I mess it up? I could end the existence of wolves–-packs I can about. My loved ones.”
She pushes the flower toward me. “The fact you care so much tells me the Moon Goddess knows what she’s doing. You might surprise yourself, Nyx. But for now, keep fighting. It’s time to go back.
Darkness.
There’s no moonlight, no sounds of waterfalls or smell of flowers. Though, there are sounds. Familiar ones actually.
Beeping—like an alarm. And shuffling as if people are moving around quietly.
Goddess… it fucking hurts. The pain is terrible, reminding me that I had my ass handed to me by Orson’s wolves.
I try to move but can’t. My entire body feels locked up, as if the muscles have forgotten how to move.
“We should just go straight in, give no time for reaction. No negotiations, no discussions.”
I know that voice. That sweet voice I love.
“Lex?” I mutter weakly, barely sounding like myself.
There’s a second of silence before a chair falls backwards and someone grabs my hand.
“Nyx?”
Cade.
My other hand gets squeezed by a warm palm, and I do my best to try to clench it back.
“Say something.”
Oh, yes. I knowthatdemanding voice.
“No,” I mumble, defiantly.
Maverick scoffs somewhere to my left, but the timed grasp of my hand indicates that he’s holding one of them.
It takes a few tries, but finally, with the speed of a pet rock, I crack open my eyes. Everything is blurry, but through the haze, I can make out the three figures surrounding me.
