Lunar Phases: Golden Eyes

Chapter 6: Stages

Hyacinth unclasped her wrists and raised her hot body off the bed, the linens clinging to her skin. She twisted her body and groaned, pleased with the sound of her bones snapping. She made her way to the wardrobe stocked with crisp white linens and gripped the cloth with her trembling hands. She tossed the sheet on the bed, enraged at having to change it for the fourth day in a row. She was irritated and hungry as a result of the stages meted out.

On the second day, she had a high temperature and an excruciating headache. Her lips were as rough as sandpaper. Her neck parched from the heat, which felt as if she were in the desert. On the third day, she felt as if she were on the north pole. She had never touched snow, yet that day she felt as if she was covered in ice. The only thing that kept her sane was when she would gently open her lips, exhale, and become intrigued by the billowing plume of "cloud smoke."

Talina's last stage before her mate came occurred on the fourth day. Hyacinth could never comprehend being utterly blind for an entire night. It seemed as though she was in complete darkness. She was not in bodily agony like she had been the previous nights, but she could hear a lot more around her due to her lack of vision. She wanted to sleep, but her brain would not let it. The mental and physical weariness and suffering that had taken a toll on her body over the last several days made her feel as if the training she had done with Talina had been in vain. Her hearing was so acute that she could catch unexpected noises of wolves racing and howling or a stir of the bushes outside that made her skittish for the remainder of the night.

Demetrius became concerned and tired as the days passed with no evidence of her mate's smell insight. He reasoned that maybe this full moon was not the best moment for the Moon goddess to bestow upon him his spouse. He dashed into the woods in search of a water source for his wolf. He has chosen to relax for a few moments since his wolf has become worried due to his thoughts.

The stages were notorious for their sequence. Hyacinth was unable to sleep during the fourth stage, but on the fifth day, she could not wake up and instead had a lucid dream. She was imprisoned by her worries in her dream. She dreamed about worms, but her greatest dread was the loss of her parents. Talina had told her the account of how her parents died shortly after Hyacinth turned 18. Her dream depicted the events that transpired during their conversation.

"On the night your mother was scheduled to get her heat, she was ecstatic. She couldn't care less whether she was in agony since she was desperate to meet her partner. At twelve p.m., she was already shackled in her bed. It was honestly rather amusing. At the time, I was ten years old." Aunt Talina chuckled and wiped a tear from her cheek.

Every sentence of Talina explaining the story showed the scenario in her dream as if she was there.

"I then departed to go to the packhouse, which housed underage youngsters," she added. "At home, your mother was attacked by a rabid wolf. We lived near the packhouse, and although she was able to flee the home, she was unable to reach us fast. I stood there helpless as it occurred. All we could do was hurl pebbles at the wolf as it approached your mother, but the creature continued to approach. We were unable to intervene. She was bitten on the neck by the wolf. Her scream pierced the darkness. A dark brown wolf lunged at the frenzied wolf and tore through its neck with lightning speed. The brown wolf returned to your mother and licked the bite mark, overlapping it with the mark left by the crazy wolf. That brown wolf was your father. He averted the death of your mother. While the bite mark may have saved your mother, she was also rapidly deteriorating. The healers were unable to determine why she was not healing. She was unable to change into her wolf due to her wolf growing aggressive. We cannot exist for an extended time without changing or without our wolf. However, your mother's hold over her wolf was gradually disappearing. It was not interested in having children. Your mother had no idea why her wolf had ceased communicating with her. They were pregnant with you after a month of mating. Their miraculous child. Despite their ordeal, you arrived as a blessing from the moon goddess. Your mother did not change for the whole time she carried you in her tummy; this was because she could sense the hostile wolf's intentions. It was not interested in having you. Something happened to her as a result of the attack, but the cause remains unclear. Your mother died shortly after giving birth to you. Your father immediately followed."

Hyacinth now comprehends why she was dubbed a miraculous child. No werewolf has ever given birth early. A werewolf would take years to procreate. Hyacinth sighed, feeling sorry over her mother's death after delivering her.

"You should realize that nobody was at fault. Your mother's wolf may have lost her mate that night or may have been too frail to govern your wolf. "Are you listening?" Talina said as she took Hyacinth's face in her hands and forced her to gaze into her eyes.

Hyacinth opened her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. She remained in bed, her gaze fixed on the ceiling, as she remembered the nightmare. She smiled a little because, at the very least, she was able to see her parents' faces in her dream, which matched the photographs Talina had given her when she was a little kid. When she was feeling down or missed them, she would look at the photographs. She moved her head to gaze at the side table, where she had put a photo of her parents, with an insert cut-out image of herself, which she changed every year during her birthday celebration. She felt happy because she could see herself growing up in the photos with her parents, even though it was simply a picture frame.