Detention was just as boring as I had always imagined it would be. Mrs Newman kept a close eye on me to make sure I sat in silence doing nothing as she marked reports.
"I honestly don't know what's gotten into you lately, Aria," she said. "You're my best student. Why have you been acting out so much?"
I looked at her and shrugged my shoulder. I wouldn't be able to explain that I'd literally learnt all of this already and was busy trying to stop my death. But I sighed, knowing inside I really had gone too far.
"I'm sorry I was
We ran outside into the parking lot, knowing we had a lot of ground to cover, and I was pleased to see that Cai had no issue keeping up. If anything, it was me that was slowing us down.I turned to yell out some more directions of where we were headed next, but to my surprise, he was running in the opposite direction to where we were needing to go."Where are you going?" I yelled out after him. "It's this way!"He spun around to face me as he continued to move backwards.
Panic swept through me.What had I just done? I'd been so caught up in a stupid argument that I hadn't even noticed Myra arriving. My emotional reaction was possibly going to cause the death of an innocent girl.Cai and I both immediately jumped to our feet and scanned the area. Straight away, we saw the four wolves surrounding her, just like they had in my vision. And though I was relieved to see her alive, inside, I was tormented, reliving the horrific sight I'd seen in the classroom all over again. I knew that at a
The sound of flesh being torn apart filled my ears and I instinctively tried to curl away from the pain....Except it wasn't contact with my skin that made the noise.I quickly opened my eyes and saw an exhausted Cai standing over me, the limp body of the dark grey wolf falling to the ground next to him. I could see the wolf's throat had been ripped, which was further supported by the new red glove Cai was sporting.He looked like a war god standing in the darkening sky, covered in dust and blood all over his body. And yet his
I woke up to the feeling of someone lightly shaking my shoulder. I wanted to protest against the touch, refuse to open my eyes, but the shaking was insistent."Aria?" a voice called to me.It was familiar and warm. It sounded like home.I managed to open my eyes a bit, fighting against the bright artificial light that assaulted me as I did so. But after several seconds of adjusting, I managed to make out the
Everyone in the room bowed their head in respect, the exception being Cai who was not from the pack and therefore was not required to show submission. We all waited as Alpha Tytus took his seat in the middle on the largest chair."You may raise your heads," Tytus said.Everyone in the room lifted their gaze.Alpha Tytus was a kind man when compared to his son. He was stern and intelligent but he could be very personable despite his sometimes tough demeanour. He had the same black hair as Aleric, though greying now in his old age, however, his eyes were dark brown, not green.Tytus had a fearsome reputation throughout the country and was undefeated in every battle he had partaken in. Because of this, many refused to cross him. This allowed for the Winter Mist to remain almost untouched over the years since he would reward and respect people immensely if they remained on his good side. I had always tread carefully to stay on that side of him, all the way up
I sighed internally. There was only one option.As much as I wanted to hate my pack and condemn them for turning on me in my past life, a part of me would always see myself as their caretaker, as their Luna. By remaining silent, I would be forcing them into a fate where some would lose their loved ones. I wouldn't be able to remain silent living with that knowledge."With all due respect, I believe the Gamma's plan may backfire tremendously," I started.I could see Oliver's face frown, looking as if he wanted to have another o
! IMPORTANT ! (AUTHOR NOTE): Hi everyone! The GoodNovel APP version does not support formats (e.g. bold, italics etc), meaning this chapter might be a little difficult to understand at first. To make it easier, I've now added '*" to speech that is being said ONLY in Aria's head (as a memory of her past). In future chapters, I will also be using single quotes ' for just things Aria says to herself internally. An author note reminder will be added to the next chapter it's used, which hopefully assists in reading/understanding what's happening. ~~~~ No...
"Woah, little wolf," Cai said, looking stressed that he'd accidentally upset me further.We had walked into a communal gathering area outside of the hall by this point and I was grateful that no one was around to see me in this state.He strode up to one of the couches and gently put me down, crouching in front of me so we were eye level."Do you want me to tell me what that was all about?" Cai asked.
I held my breath the entire time the phone rang, hoping that the plan would work. Everything was hinging on the next few steps being successful and I knew just how slim my chances were at pulling this off. With every ring that sounded, my heart clenched a little bit more. I waited... and waited... and waited... …And, to my immense relief, I seemed to be in luck. For now, at least. Because it seemed there actually had been some benefit in my abrupt escape from Ashwood, all those weeks earlier. In my haste to run away, I’d left all of my belongings behind in a suitcase. A suitcase conveniently located inside Kieran’s room. So, with no other way to contact him, it sure did seem like good fortune that my old burner phone just so happened to be left in that very pile of belongings. I’d assumed Kieran had stashed it somewhere close yet safe after I’d left. My hope was that it was now in his room or a place he’d still be able to hear it vibrate. …And I’d been right. However, whether
“…Clarissa… can you wake up now?” I asked, several hours later.The sun had set and risen again, but I still remained at her bedside.My head was feeling woozy, having not slept at all, and I was beginning to think that maybe this was it.…Maybe she really wouldn’t wake up.But as I tried to fight off sleep, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was my fault. I shouldn’t have yelled and pushed her past her limit when I knew she was already unwell. My anger and frustration had gotten the better of me, and it seemed I was now seeing the price of that.…Even saying things that I hadn’t entirely meant. Things I wished I could take back.‘*“Have you seen flowers like this before, Rheyna?”*’ I swore I then heard Clarissa ask.But when I sharply raised my head up to look at her, hoping to see her awake, I found myself somewhere else.…I was in a field.An incredibly young and energetic-looking Clarissa was seated on the ground before me, amongst thousands of overgrown white flowers. There was pin
It was dark by the time we made it home, having spent the whole day with the Hidden Moon talking.After my conversation with Jax, the two of us had returned to the camp and the topic of war wasn’t broached again - much to my relief. I went through the motions and enjoyed my time meeting the Hidden Moon members, but all the while dreaded the conversation I would need to have once I returned home with Clarissa.She had been worn out to her limit, I could tell. Being out of the home and needing to be so alert for so long had taken its toll on her. Her face was paler than normal and her coughs were more frequent. But even though I was concerned for her, I couldn’t help but still feel salty over her behaviour. Especially at her attempts of overruling our initial agreements.“I’m going to bed…,” she mumbled, starting to shuffle her way there.We’d only just stepped through the door when she announced it, not even bothering to justify herself about today.“No,” I simply said, making her paus
“Why are you still being so moody?” she asked me, speaking as I carried her on my back.Between her behaviour towards Kieran and whatever plan of Clarissa’s this was now, I was certainly more quiet than usual.“I’m not,” I mumbled, continuing to walk.I’d agreed to go to the meeting, if only because I’d been the one to request that my cousin come here originally. As Clarissa had said, it would have been rude to make him come all this way only to then ignore him.“Are you being like this because of this morning?” she asked, sounding concerned. “Or did something happen last night?”However, after she’d gone and organised this without consulting me, and after she’d treated Kieran so terribly, I really wasn’t in the mood to put up with her questioning.“I thought you said you didn’t care what happened between us?” I snapped back, quoting what she’d told me in the kitchen. “So stay out of it.”And she was instantly quiet after that.I continued to walk into the nearby forest for some time,
“You made a promise!” Clarissa yelled. “The morning is here now, Kieran. Time for you to make good on your side of our agreement and leave.” “I’m not leaving until I know Rae is okay,” Kieran argued back. “You saw her yourself. She was passed out cold last night.” “And why would that be, huh? Care to share?” “As if I would know why, Clarissa. Stop thinking that I have some ulterior motive here to hurt her.” “Fine. Then if you won’t leave, consider our deal brok—.” “Woah!” I quickly yelled, rushing in to stop her. “That’s enough.” Their heads both swiftly turned to look over at me, relief evident in both of their faces to see me awake. “Rae!” Kieran greeted, moving towards me. He quickly touched my face, examining me as if I were a hospital patient. It warmed my heart to see that he was so worried... but the new sensations brought by his mark were making it hard for me to focus. It was as if everything I’d felt for him before had been heightened tenfold. ...This might take a l
“Aria…? The….?” my voice trailed off, almost as if I were in disbelief. She simply smiled at my reaction though and nodded her head. “I’ve been watching you for a while now,” she continued. “You’ve been through so much. I’m so sorry you’ve had to experience any of this. I know better than any how unpleasant it can be.” “You… how can you be here?” I asked, still confused. “Here? You mean in the Abyss? This has been my home for many years now. I learnt how to navigate its plane and break free of my memories back when I was alive. Not like Selene is around to keep tabs either. Finding you before Clarissa revives you was the difficult part though.” “…Then why are you here? Why did you try to find me?” And she then looked up at the stars above, a longing in her eyes. “…Because I felt it was time I intervene,” she said. “I swore to stay neutral but, with every death you endure, my heart breaks a little bit more to watch. How many times will this be now, Rheyna…?” Her eyes then met m
“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
“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
“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