Thirty seven
1616 Words
Desiree POV
“Desiree…”
“Desiree!”
My name echoed around me, distant at first, like a voice struggling to reach me through thick fog, pulling at my consciousness with growing urgency. The sound felt familiar, grounding, yet I couldn’t respond immediately, couldn’t move, because my eyes were still locked on Zelda.
She was fading.
Right before me.
Her figure, once solid and terrifyingly real, began to blur at the edges, dissolving into nothingness like smoke slipping through the air. Panic clawed at my chest as I instinctively reached out, as though I could somehow stop her from disappearing.
“Wait—” I tried to speak, but my voice felt trapped, barely forming.
Her lips curved into that same unsettling smile, calm and knowing, as though she had already seen everything that was about to happen.
“We will see again,” she said softly.
And then, she was completely gone like she had never been there at all.
“Desiree!”
The voice came again, louder this time, sharper, cutting through the haze that surrounded me, dragging me back with force.
My eyes snapped open.
The world rushed back all at once.
The crowd, ceremony, noise.
Everything felt too loud, too bright, too overwhelming, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe properly as I struggled to make sense of where I was.
All eyes were on me, full of concerns, confusion and fear.
My mates were the closest to me, their presence surrounded me completely, their emotions crashing into me through our bond, intense and suffocating all at once.
“What happened?” I asked, my voice weak, disoriented, as I tried to sit up, but Brandon’s firm grip on my arm stopped me, steadying me before I could lose balance again.
“You fainted,” Avery said quickly, her voice laced with worry as she knelt beside me, her usual brightness completely gone.
Fainted?
The word didn’t sit right with me.
My brows furrowed as I tried to piece together what had just happened, my heart still racing, my chest still tight.
“And…” Daphne hesitated slightly, her gaze searching my face, as though trying to understand something she couldn’t explain. “It looked like you were talking to someone.”
My breath hitched.
I turned sharply, scanning the area where Zelda had been standing just moments ago, my eyes searching desperately, hoping, no, expecting to see her again.
But there was nothing.
Just empty space.
My pulse quickened. “You didn’t see her?” I asked, my voice rising slightly, confusion and urgency mixing together as I looked from one face to another. “She was right there… she was standing right there.”
Grayson’s expression hardened slightly, though concern still lingered beneath it as he followed my gaze, scanning the same spot.
“Who?” he asked, his voice quieter now, cautious.
“There was no one there, Desiree,” he added after a moment, his tone firm but not dismissive. “It was just the wind.”
Just the wind?
My chest tightened.
“No…” I shook my head slowly, my thoughts spiraling as I tried to hold onto what I had seen, what I had heard. “She was there. She spoke to me.”
The memory of her words sent a chill down my spine.
You are the origin of the bond.
My fingers curled slightly at my sides as my breathing became uneven.
This wasn’t nothing.
This wasn’t just my imagination.
“Are you okay?” Zachary’s voice cut through my thoughts, softer now, filled with worry that he didn’t bother to hide as he crouched slightly in front of me, his eyes searching mine carefully.
“I…” My voice faltered, and I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself, trying to push down the fear rising inside me. “I don’t know.”
The admission hung heavily in the air.
Brandon’s grip on me tightened slightly, not in pain, but in reassurance, in grounding, as he pulled me closer to him, his presence strong and unyielding.
“You are safe,” he said quietly, his voice firm, certain, as though he could anchor me back to reality just by saying it.
“Let’s proceed,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt, even as the storm inside me refused to settle, because no matter what I had just experienced, no matter how shaken I was, I refused to lose this moment, the moment I had fought for, bled for, proven myself worthy of.
Brandon’s gaze lingered on me, searching, uncertain in a way I had never seen before, as though he was weighing my strength against my fragility. “Are you sure?” he asked quietly. “We can do this another time.”
Another time.
The words felt wrong.
If I stepped back now, if I hesitated, the whispers would return, the doubts would grow, and everything I had just proven would begin to crumble.
“I am certain,” I replied firmly, lifting my chin despite the lingering weakness in my body. “I will not appear weak in front of my people.”
Without another word, Brandon turned, gesturing for the crowd to settle once more, his authority immediate as the murmurs died down and all attention returned to us. Then he lifted my hand high, his grip strong, unwavering, as his voice rang across the clearing.
“As from today, Desiree will be recognized as my mate… and as my Luna.”
For a split second, there was silence.
Then the entire place erupted.
Cheers filled the air, loud and overwhelming, echoing through the grounds as voices rose in celebration, in acceptance, in loyalty. The sound wrapped around me, pulling me into the moment, even as a part of me remained distant, caught in the memory of dark eyes and whispered truths.
Grayson and Zachary stepped forward, both of them smiling, pride clear in their expressions as they reached me.
“Congratulations, mate,” Grayson said, his voice warm, though his eyes still searched mine carefully, as though making sure I was truly alright.
“You are officially our Luna now,” Zachary added, his tone softer, but filled with a quiet possessiveness that made my heart flutter despite everything.
“My Luna.” Kyle’s voice followed, respectful and steady as he approached with Daphne beside him, both of them bowing their heads slightly in acknowledgment.
“Thank you,” I said, offering them a small smile, though it felt fragile at the edges, like it might break if I wasn’t careful.
“Everyone, enjoy yourselves!” Brandon’s voice cut through the noise again, strong and commanding, signaling the end of the ceremony as the atmosphere shifted from formal to celebratory almost instantly.
Music began.
Laughter followed.
And just like that, the moment transformed into a feast of joy and excitement.
Brandon’s hand remained firmly in mine as he led me away from the center, guiding me through the crowd, his presence steady, grounding, but my thoughts…
They refused to stay in the present.
People approached from every direction, their faces bright with admiration, their voices filled with congratulations and praise as they greeted me one after another.
“Our Luna…”
“You were incredible…”
“The pack is honored…”
I smiled, nodded and responded where necessary.
But it all felt distant.
Like I was watching myself from afar.
Because no matter how much I tried to focus, my mind kept drifting back to Zelda.
To the way she had appeared… and disappeared… as though reality itself bent around her.
“Your mind has drifted away again.” Avery’s voice came suddenly, snapping me out of my spiraling thoughts as I turned sharply toward her, my heart skipping at the unexpected interruption.
“I…” I exhaled slowly, trying to steady myself, but the unease refused to leave. “I feel… strange.”
She tilted her head slightly, studying me.
“Strange how?”
I hesitated, struggling to explain something I didn’t fully understand myself, something that felt too big, too overwhelming to put into simple words.
“It feels like…” I paused, pressing a hand lightly against my chest as though I could physically contain the feeling. “Like accepting this position… is opening something inside me.”
Even saying it aloud sounded absurd.
But it was the closest thing to the truth.
Avery’s expression softened, “I understand,” she said gently. “Becoming Luna comes with responsibility. It changes things.”
But before I could argue, before I could explain further, a thought struck me suddenly, sharp and urgent. “Do you know anyone named Zelda?” I asked.
She went still for a moment, “I don’t know her,” she said quickly, too quickly, her voice just a little too controlled.
She was lying.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice, my gaze locking onto hers with quiet insistence. “Avery… please.”
She looked away briefly, clearly conflicted, her fingers fidgeting slightly at her side as though she was debating whether or not to speak.
“Please tell me if you do,” I pressed, softer this time, but more desperate.
A moment passed.
Then another.
And finally—
She sighed. “The only Zelda I know…” she began slowly, her voice quieter now, more cautious, “is a witch.”
My breath caught.
“A witch?” I repeated the word tasting foreign on my tongue, yet somehow familiar in the worst way.
Avery nodded reluctantly, her gaze flickering around us as though afraid someone might overhear. “She works for the Rogue King,” she added.
- Writer
