Thank you so much everyone for your patience whilst I've been incredibly sick these last few weeks. Seeing all the kind messages from people truly helped tremendously. I'm still not 100% back on my feet however I'm pushing through to work a little bit each day. Thanks so much for sticking with me during this time :) Will do my best to update again asap.
“What?!” I yelled, feeling as if my legs were going to give out from under me. “What did you just say?”“…You killed him,” she repeated, stating it in a matter-of-fact way. “Why are you so surprised? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so queasy about killing someone before.”Was this some kind of sick joke? How could I not be surprised to hear that? I owed so much to Kieran that even the thought of ever physically hurting him seemed unthinkable.“…Rheyna… the way you’re acting…,” she started, looking confused again. “It’s almost like… well, it’s just… you don’t have feelings for him, do you?”Instantly, I became flustered feeling put on the spot. This conversation had taken such a turn that I didn’t know how to react.“Well, I… I-I mean…,” I stuttered. “He did so much to help me….”And Clarissa’s face paled even more, clearly not expecting that answer. “…I thought you were just joking. I never expected you of all people to fall for him, let alone give a shit about the mate bond. Rh
“Clarissa!” I screamed, pushing past Zac to run inside.He was still too confused to move, struggling to understand the situation. Only, I did know the situation. I knew that something had to be so very wrong.“Clarissa!” I yelled again, scanning through the rooms.And, finally, her voice called back.“Rae!” she cried.The kitchen.I bolted to her location and found Clarissa on the ground, shaking as she stared up at a man holding a knife.…A man I knew as Noah Kennedy.“Who is that!” she screamed. “How did he get in here? H-he shouldn’t be here. He could have killed me!”Noah simply appeared stunned by the whole situation and slowly looked down at the knife in his hand. A kitchen knife that he was using to cut an apple.“This is wrong,” she whispered to herself. “No one is ever at Zac’s house. How is there someone here? It’s supposed to be completely private.”“Woah, calm down,” I said. “Nothing is going on. You’re fine. This is Noah.”The way she had moved around in Zac’s house, it
“Another scouting party will most likely be deployed into the city tomorrow night,” Clarissa said, a few days later. After sending the letter, she had told me that we just needed to wait. Apparently, someone would be in touch from the Hidden Moon soon but, for the time being, we were going to be playing defensively. Lying low and acting from the shadows. This hadn’t stopped Clarissa from sending me on one or two missions already though. Just smaller groups of wolves that had wandered into Lockdale from the Silent Forest pack, trying to find us. Barely worth our attention or fight but still something that needed to be taken care of. …And I’d done it without question. With Zac’s help to clean up, of course. It was almost as if the two of us were back working together again, only, this time, it wasn’t under my father’s direction. Nevertheless, it was a role I slipped into naturally, doing what needed to be done. In my spare time, I had also been practising my ability, just as Myra h
“Rae!” Clarissa yelled, throwing open my bedroom door. Immediately, I sat up alert, only the light of the moon streaming in from my window to illuminate the space. It was dim, but still enough for me to see her incredibly panicked expression. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?” I asked, already pushing off my blankets. But her words quickly made me pause, if only for a second. “…It’s Kieran,” she said. “They’ve found him.” …Right. I guess it was about that time. I’d known it was going to happen eventually. “…Where?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral. “He wandered across the border, coming close enough for our patrols to pick him up and subdue him. He’s in the dungeon waiting for you now.” “Okay… leave it to me,” I said, standing up to throw a jumper on. “Wait… what are you going to do?” she asked. “We didn’t finish talking about your plans for after he was caught.” I looked over at her, a reserved expression of my own to face her. It was clear just how weak she was becoming even
I couldn’t get back to sleep after that dream. No… that memory. That haunting, painful memory. The image of Kieran’s eyes filled with so much hatred still weighed on me. Everything from the way he spat my name, to the way he looked at me… it was as if he despised me more than anything else. And I could understand why, given what I’d put him through. But just like the memory of those burning hazel eyes, another detail had lingered with me as well. The rejection. The searing pain of having my soul torn in half, a hole forming inside that threatened to make me lose my sanity. Why had I told Clarissa that the pain wasn’t so bad over time? I couldn’t imagine that feeling ever granting any respite. Yet this was a process I apparently started to initiate first in every timeline. Rejecting him immediately before doing much else. I willingly put myself through that pain… and I’d promised to do so again in this one. ‘…Whatever it takes.’ That was the rule I’d said in the memory, and so
“I… Rheyna Knight… of the once lost Silver Mist Pack,” I started, my voice barely louder than a whisper. “Hereby reject y—.” …But I wasn’t able to finish the sentence. Because I’d been wrong… so wrong. I could see that now. I didn’t recall that prior timeline memory to prepare myself for the pain I’d feel upon completing the rejection. No… I’d seen it as a reminder. A reminder of why I shouldn’t go ahead with it. And as his lips came crashing down against mine, immediately cutting off my words, this newfound realisation seemed so obvious. Why hadn’t I seen it sooner? It was as if something inside completely broke down the second he reached for me. Now all that was left was this connection drawing me to him. It was so incredibly strong, almost impossibly so. Like this was something I was meant to be doing. I didn’t have the resolve to resist him, instantly kissing him back. There was an urgency in my response as if I’d been starving for this. To just feel the sparks and desir
“Allison…?” Kieran repeated, warily. “How could Allison have that sort of capability?” Clarissa had been explaining everything to Kieran for quite some time. Everything from her connection with Selene, to what triggers the end. …And also about me. He’d been quietly taking it all in so far but after Clarissa had finished talking, he finally spoke up, albeit he seemed to be slightly dazed. An understandable reaction. Clarissa shrugged. “She devoted her whole life to her faith. That sort of connection is incredibly difficult to sever. It just goes to show the potential that even those without our lineage abilities can possess.” “And… Rae…,” he said, slowly turning to me. “You’re… a Saintess now? How many times did you say…?” “This is the seventh timeline…,” I answered. “Though I don’t have any of my memories.” Or, rather… I had just one. Clarissa hadn’t gone into too much detail regarding my previous involvement with him, thankfully, but he still understood that it was mostly… u
“Found you,” Kieran said a little while later. After talking to Zac, I’d climbed up onto the roof, hoping to think and reflect by myself for a while whilst Kieran had a shower. The storm was currently only in the distance, it hitting the hardest during the prior conversation. Now, all I could see was the brief flashes of lightning amongst the clouds. “Interesting spot,” he mused, looking around. “I usually sit here to keep an eye on things,” I replied back quietly. “I can see why. You’ve got a good view of the forest… with the added beauty of the sky.” He then looked over at me with something in his eyes that caused my cheeks to burn a little. Apparently, he didn’t even need to speak or touch me, simply his presence and gaze alone were enough to send shivers through me. I stared at him for a moment, a longing inside my chest, but still couldn’t quite work out why he’d stayed. After everything he’d learnt about me, after everything I’d done… somehow, he hadn’t given up on me. …H