Thirty eight
1410 Words
Desiree POV
I could not stay there any longer.
The laughter, the music, the endless congratulations that should have filled me with joy only made the uneasiness inside me worse, pressing against my chest until it became almost unbearable, so without another word to Avery, I turned and made my way through the crowd, my eyes searching desperately for the only people who could ground me.
I needed my mates.
I spotted Brandon first, standing a short distance away as he spoke with one of the elders, his posture composed, every inch the Alpha everyone respected, yet the moment his gaze lifted and met mine, something shifted instantly. His expression tightened with concern, and he excused himself without hesitation, closing the distance between us in long, purposeful strides.
“What’s wrong?” he asked immediately, his voice low but urgent, his hands coming to my arms as his eyes searched my face. “Did someone offend you? Did something happen?”
The questions came one after the other, his worry spilling through despite his attempt to remain composed.
I shook my head to let him know I wasn't okay and that's when I saw Zachary and Grayson.
They must have sensed my distress through the bond because within seconds, they were beside me, their presence just as intense, just as consuming.
Grayson’s eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced between us. “Did you say something to provoke her?” he asked Brandon, suspicion lacing his tone.
Brandon frowned. “No. And I haven’t seen Celine or her mother anywhere. They cannot be the cause of this.”
“I need to talk to the three of you,” I cut in quickly, my voice more urgent than I intended, because whatever this was, it was not something I could say here, not with so many eyes and ears around us.
Zachary stepped closer, his expression softening slightly. “What is it, mate?” he asked, though the tension in his shoulders betrayed his concern.
I glanced around.
People were still celebrating, still watching, still whispering.
“I cannot say it here,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Avery caught up with us just then, her brows furrowed with worry as she looked between us. “Desiree, you are acting strange, and people are beginning to notice.”
“Come with us,” I said simply, not bothering to explain as I turned and headed toward the Alpha’s office, trusting that they would follow.
And they did.
—
The moment we stepped inside, the heavy doors closed behind us, shutting out the noise of the outside world, leaving only silence in its wake. The room was soundproof, private, a place where no one could overhear us, and yet my heart continued to race as though the walls themselves could not contain what I was about to say.
Grayson was the first to speak. “Now tell us what is going on.”
I drew in a shaky breath, trying to steady myself, but the memory of it still clung to me, vivid and terrifying.
“After I accepted the position as Luna…” I began slowly, my voice unsteady despite my effort to remain calm, “I experienced something I have never experienced before.”
Zachary frowned slightly. “You mean when you fainted?”
I shook my head immediately. “To you, it may have looked like I fainted, but it was not that. It was something else entirely.”
“What did you see” Grayson asked.
“I saw someone,” I continued, my voice dropping lower, as though speaking it aloud made it more real. “A woman. She said her name was Zelda.”
The reaction was instant.
“Zelda?” they all repeated at once, their voices overlapping with shock and disbelief.
I nodded. “I was still standing on the coronation ground, but everything else disappeared. The people, the noise… all of it. It was just me and her.”
A heavy silence filled the room.
Grayson’s expression darkened dangerously, his jaw tightening as anger flared in his eyes. “Elias…” he muttered under his breath before slamming his fist against the wall with a force that made the room tremble slightly. “I am going to kill him.”
“Did she touch you?” Brandon asked immediately, his concern shifting into something sharper as his hands moved over my arms, my shoulders, as though checking for injuries I did not have. “Did she harm you in any way?”
“No,” I answered quickly, though the fear still lingered. “She did not touch me, but she—”
Before I could finish…….
The air shifted, a sudden, violent gust of wind tore through the room, strong enough to send papers flying off the desk, scattering across the floor in chaotic disarray.
She appeared.
Zelda.
Not just before me this time but before all of us.
Avery gasped softly, taking a step back, while Zachary and Grayson immediately moved in front of me, their bodies tense, their wolves dangerously close to the surface.
Brandon’s presence shifted completely, his stance turning protective, lethal.
“I came to warn you,” Zelda said calmly, her voice steady despite the tension filling the room.
“Why should we trust you?” Avery snapped, her fear quickly turning into anger. “You work for the Rogue King.”
Zelda’s gaze flicked briefly toward her before returning to me. “Because if Elias gets her…” she said slowly, her tone darkening, “there will be total destruction.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“I already rejected him,” I said quickly, my voice firm despite the unease creeping back in. “I no longer feel any bond with him.”
Zelda’s expression shifted slightly.
“You are the maker of bonds,” she said.
The words hit harder this time.
“You have already bound him… to someone else.”
My heart skipped. “What do you mean?” I demanded, stepping forward despite my mates’ attempts to keep me back.
Her gaze held mine. “You paired him with Celine,” she said.
The room went completely still. “And she is coming… to deliver you to him.”
The words landed like a blow.
Before I could react, before I could even process what she had just said, her form began to fade again, just like before, slipping away from reality as though she was never truly part of it.
“No—wait!” I rushed forward, reaching out instinctively, panic rising in my chest. “What do you mean I bound him to Celine?”
Her fading form paused just long enough for her voice to reach me one last time.
“Find the old woman who gave the prophecy,” she said. “She will tell you who you truly are… and what you can do.”
Her gaze darkened slightly. “Learn… before it is too late.”
And then, she was gone again.
Silence filled the room.
“So…” Avery spoke first, her voice uncertain as she tried to process everything. “Celine is now the Rogue King’s mate?”
No one answered immediately.
Because the question itself was terrifying.
“How did I do that?” I whispered, my thoughts spiraling as realization slowly began to take form. “I only… thought they would make a perfect pair.”
My voice trembled.
“Desiree,” Brandon’s voice cut through my panic as he stepped closer, pulling me gently into his arms, his warmth wrapping around me, grounding me even as everything else felt like it was falling apart. “Calm down.”
His hand moved slowly along my back, steady, reassuring.
“We can feel your tension through the bond,” he continued softly. “And it is affecting us too.”
I exhaled shakily, leaning into him despite the storm inside me, trying to find comfort in something familiar, something real.
But my thoughts refused to settle.
“Who is this old woman she spoke about?” I murmured, more to myself than to anyone else. “I do not know anything about a prophecy.”
“The one who gave the prophecy left, she said she will come at the right time” Zachary replied with a hint of sadness.
“Who?”
“Our mother” Avery replied.
- Writer
