5. Gasping for air

.........The sudden awakening five years before the night of death..........

“Amelia! Amelia!” I can hear my name being called out repeatedly. “Amelia, what’s wrong? Get the healer here, right now," the voice calls out full of authority, obviously aiming that request towards others, while I feel I’m being shaken.

My hands clutch to my throat as I gasp for air desperately. Air, I need air. I can hear my own laboured breathing, gasping for air. It feels like ice cold water is filling my lungs, and I’m drowning. What’s happening? Where am I? Questions fill my still dazed thoughts while trying to get my breathing under control.

Arms wrapped around me, start shaking my upper body again. “Amelia, wake up.”

My eyes snap open, and my heartbeat gets erratic as I look into the dark brown eyes of Drake, who’s currently holding me half lying on the floor and half in his arms. Images of woods flash through my mind. Blood, my body covered in mud and blood, a lake. My hands clutch harder around my throat will panic grips hold of my body, still unable to breathe decently.

I feel an unknown power surge through my body.

Filled with absolute terror, I scramble to my feet and back away as fast as I can. My eyes are torn wide open, as my back hits the wall.

“Get away from me," I nearly scream at Drake, who's coming in my direction, my arms lifting in defence to protect myself.

“Amelia, what’s wrong?” He asks again with a confused look on his face.

Alana comes into sight. “Luna, have you hurt yourself?”

My back hits the wall even harder, giving me a trapped feeling like a scared animal backed up into a corner, unable to escape. With my body shaking violently, I try to move to the side in the direction of the door, my back still against the wall, not letting them out of sight once.

“Luna, it’s us, Drake and Alana. There's no need to worry.” Both of them come closer, stretching their arms out to me while giving me a look of total confusion.

The moment Drake touches my arm, I scream from the top of my lungs. “Don’t fucking touch me!” I swat his hands off me. For a moment, he looks startled at the sudden force and power of my voice and steps back a little eventually.

“She must have banged her head during that fall," Drake says, directed towards Alana and James, who is now also trying to come closer. “Where’s the fucking healer staying?”

My panicked eyes shift up and around the room when I start hearing laughter erupt around me. For the first time I take in my surroundings. I’m in the huge hall of our packs main house. Everything is decorated festive. It looks so familiar.

The wooden barns, decorated with flowers. Long and massive dark wooden tables filled with food and drinks on the surfaces. Familiar people sitting around them.

Taking in their faces, I see mixed looks upon their faces, surprise, shock, amusement, despise, and much more. But all have one thing in common, their eyes are fixated on me.

Some of them laugh so loudly that it hurts in my ears. Then, I start taking in the voices talking and calling out.

“Luna? This is just a joke. How could she ever be our Luna?”

“Fucking rogue is going insane," an evil laughter follows the words.

“We all knew she doesn’t belong here, look at how broken she is.”

“This just proves all our thoughts. Look at that pathetic little thing.”

“A shame to our species.”

“Rogue gone wild. Hopefully our Alpha will finally realize what he’s gotten into our home.”

“I wish I was hunting right now. She looks just like the scared deers I love to put my fangs into, so much fun," another one laughs, underlining his words by descending his fangs a little and growling, causing chills to go down my spine and I back up further.

“Enough!" Drake growls loudly. It’s not a human growl, but the full growl of an Alpha, silencing the room in an instant. “Respect your Luna," he calls out full of power, the voice echoing off the walls so strongly it shakes the glasses on the tables.

“She’s a rogue, not our Luna," one guy speaks up, his voice full of hatred. “I don’t take orders from you. No decent Alpha, should let something as dirty like that into our pack. Let alone for it to be our Luna and put shame on the entire future bloodline.” His hand gestures towards me with the word “that”.

Before I am even able to realize what’s happening Drake has shifted and blood spills all over the floor and table from the now torn off head from the guy who had just spoken up.

“Anyone else want to doubt my Alpha position?” He growls through the mindlink to the entire pack, flesh pulled back showing his fangs. His mighty wolf form is standing on the table in all its glory, blood dripping from his descended fangs. Everything about his posture is intimidating. Eyes piercing so strong, daring anyone else to speak up.

Silence, total silence. Besides my still elaborated breathing, there’s not a single sound in this huge hall.

With my eyes still glued on Drake, I watch him shift back to his human form. Standing absolutely naked on top of the table, he kicks the lifeless rest of the body leaning against the table away as if he was kicking a piece of trash in his way by side.

“Clean this mess up," he demands while jumping off the table. Blood stains the nicely decorated table and the floor around it.

People scurry to his demand and silently start dragging the body away and clearing everything, while Drake retreats in my direction, pulling spear clothes over himself.

“No one will disrespect my Luna," he says softly while reaching out for me again.

My body is still shaking violently. Taking another look around at the place and the people I get a feeling of a déjà vu. The wedding ceremony.

“Everything is going to be ok," Drake reassures me. “I’m here. No one is going to harm you.”

For some reason my body is still on full alert, trying to get away. But I’m unable to put my finger on the reason. Everything seems unclear, my mind not fully there, just extreme anxiety twisting my guts for some reason. And it feels like it has nothing to do with the current situation.

Even the last couple of minutes seem to fall into a haze. I feel like I'm missing out on something extremely important.

“What happened?” A familiar face crouches down in front of me, seemingly searching my face for something.

“We were standing at the front, then suddenly she collapsed. I think she banged her head. She was blacked out for a couple of minutes before waking up and being terrified for some reason. She seemed totally out of her mind and couldn’t breathe.”

The guy in front of me nods, takes in the information, and directs his voice at me. “Luna, I would like to examine you. Will you let me?” His voice is soft and calming.

It’s only now that I realise my arms are still up shielding myself. Slowly, I lower them and nod in agreement to his request while still staying aware and alarmed of everything around me.

With caution, he starts to examine me, and I remember why he seems so familiar. He’s the healer of our pack. I come to realize I don’t even know his name, as everyone simply calls him healer.

Gently, he checks everything thoroughly, including my head. “Does anything hurt?” He inquires while proceeding.

Caught up in my fear and lack of oxygen, I hadn’t even realised the sharp pain in my head.

“My head," I tell him and lift my left hand to the place on my head, feeling a huge bump right there.

He nods and takes a closer look, then checks my eyes. A small torch blinds my eyes, and I flinch at it, causing an irritating pain. Next, he tells me to follow his fingers with my eyes, I do.

Moments later, he turns to Drake. “She’s got a slight concussion, but other than that, she seems ok. None the less I would like to keep an eye on her for the next hours, just in case.”

“But why did she collapse? And why is she so……afraid?” Drake wants to know.

“There’s nothing I can tell as wrong with her, other than the concussion. My guess is that the wedding might have been too much stress, maybe drank or ate too little before. It’s not uncommon for brides.”

“Weakling," I hear someone whisper under their breath, causing Drake to growl a new.

But my breath hitches at the word bride. This is indeed my wedding ceremony.

Drake is impatiently still waiting to the answer of his second question and gives the healer a look, telling him to go on.

“The concussion probably caused some sort of short amnesia or haluzination. She probably didn’t know where she was or what’s going on. You can see she’s clearly calmed down. All she needs right now is some rest.” Something in the look he's giving me tells me, it's not the full truth.

“But the wedding ceremony, there are duties," Alana interjects, emphasizing on the word duties.

“A day more, won’t make a difference," Drake gives her a warning glare. “We need our Luna to heal first.”

“But..” A deep growl cuts her off.

Within seconds I’m being lifted from the floor into strong warm arms. “Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine. I’ll take care of you," Drake whispers softly while carrying me out of the room and direction bedroom.