Between Two Worlds

Chapter Seven

Liora



As soon as the door was closed, I let out a loud sigh. I didn't notice before how much I was nervous coming back here. Maybe it's just because it's been so long since I was last here, perhaps the chance of failing to convince Logan, or just the proximity with him — knowing what we are to each other — and thinking about everything I will have to do in the next few days. It's making me uneasy.

Or it's a combination of all the above.

Leaning my back against the door, I let my body slowly slide to the ground. I've always known my destiny. The mission that was bestowed on me at birth... Hell, I have been preparing myself for this moment my entire life! I was born for this exact purpose! But now, being so close to the actual thing, closer to revealing the whole truth to these people, I find myself trembling and thinking ''Am I truly capable of accomplishing all that? What if I fail? What if he doesn't believe in me and sends me away...?''

These damn ''What if's...''

Self-doubt has no space in my mind and I know that, but I can't stop these self-depreciative thoughts from running through my head right now.

Too many lives are at stake here. And I am a bigger player in the future of all of them. Us.

After a few minutes of trying to get myself out of this uncertain-future state, I finally get up, shaking my entire body to get rid of the tension and occurring bad thoughts. ''Let's go back to the positive mindset!'' I said, reassuring myself as if I hadn't just gone through a semi-mental meltdown.

It's funny how some minds work. A second ago I was in a frenzied state incited by a fear that came out of nowhere, and now I am just taking my time to observe my new room.

Thank the Moon Goddess, these self-doubts went away as fast as they appeared.

And dare I say having a room this big, it's making wonders for me to forget any non-important existential crisis. I would be lying if I said I am not used to luxury and that's why I am suddenly in a happy-by-materialistical-things-induced state. It's nothing like that since I was raised in an even bigger room and with an even more luxurious lifestyle.

That's one of the perks of being MY father's daughter.

What made me so happy was that Logan actually chose this room for me. And he can try to use the ''I need to keep an eye on you at all times'' excuse, but I know better. There are several ways he could keep me in check (as Lafayette just showed me) without putting me to stay on the third floor.

The third floor is a special area in this packhouse.

Common guests usually stay on the second floor. Even if the special guest is another Alpha accompanied by his Luna or the Beta — for those, there is a distinct area on the second floor that can even be compared with the Alpha's Quarters. After all, no one wants to show disrespect to another Alpha by giving just any random room.

But the third floor is almost off-limits. Even though it's massive and has several rooms. It's not only where the Alpha's chambers are located, but also where the most special visitors get established. Special visitors as almost non-existent ones.

There's rarely a guest that special around here.

Only Logan, Dominic, and his parents used to live on this floor.

Putting me to stay in this particular room — so close to his — makes me all giddy. And I am still trying to decide if I like that or not.

Unconsciously, I grip my right hand around my necklace as if silently praying for the protection it provided. I need to get an assessment of my emotions. I need to focus on the road ahead. My feelings are not what's important now.

Focus on the room, for now, Liora! I state to myself. And that's what I do.

The walls are in a dark shade of green with details in grayish black. Everything else contrasts the walls, from the color of the bedsheets to the huge fluffy rug on the floor, and the curtains. Some freckles of golden color complement the aesthetic of the room. It looks outstandingly beautiful and comfy.

The combination I needed.

I walk to the bed, sliding my hands on top of the amazing silky sheets and a groan of satisfaction leaves my mouth. Hell, yes! I will sleep like a newborn baby in this bed! I am gonna enjoy this room as much as I can.

My journey back to the Blood Moon River Pack was long and tiring. It took me nearly a week of traveling almost non-stop through three different Realms to get here. And do I need to convey how dangerous it was? Not that I was in the least worried about being attacked. I am no damsel in distress who needs saving.

And even if I needed, I'd do my own saving.

But I also needed to get to him without being delayed by any inconvenience along the way.

Walking in the pathway between the realms is not an easy stunt. Not every supernatural is allowed inside the boundary between the very well-guarded lands if you don't belong to said Realm. And not everyone who tries going through the ''in between'' survives — it's the small expanse of land that doesn't belong to any specific supernatural race. That's why we call it the ''no man's land''.

What happens in that place is unforeseen and dangerous. It's the ''home'' for the outcasts and pariahs of our world.

That's the reason most supernaturals, more usually the powerful ones, make use of other more effective means of transportation. Like the witches with teleportation or elves with their unique spellbound doorways.

Noticing for the first time how tired I actually am, I yawn and throw my body on the bed making a muffled sound. Just so I can rest with the feeling of slight safety, before closing my eyes, I reach to grab with my right hand one of my moon-silver daggers that I keep hidden into two holster fastened on both my tights.

Keeping the dagger close to my body in a protective stance, I exhale a long calming breathe and like I have no care in the world, I close my eyes and lull myself to a peaceful sleep.

Or so I thought.

In what seemed only a few minutes after I fell asleep, a low creak of the door of my room being opened woke me up. Even the smallest of sounds would. It's a survival instinct thing.

As soon as my eyes were opened, I was ready to face the intruder. Any sleepy-haze or tiredness is long gone. In a split second, I was ready to face an army if needed.

The soft and quiet steps revealed that the intruder was a female. When I felt the mysterious presence close enough from the side of the bed I was laying on, I got up fast enough so the intruder could not react and back away. In a blink of an eye, my dagger was against my enemy's throat, while we were facing each other.

I arched an eyebrow when I recognized who it was. The dim light coming from the small crack of the door she left open was enough for me to identify who she was. It pissed me off at the same time that it made me curious about the reason why this person thought it was a good idea to invade my room.

"I don't remember inviting you to my room, Rariel. And you didn't even welcome me properly when I got here" I clicked my tongue, speaking slowly disapprovingly, my face a cold-mask of disdain.

The thing is... Rariel was a female wolf around my age who had a huge crush on Logan. More like an obsession.

Since I was constantly close to Dominic and Dominic was always with Logan, I inadvertently spent most of my time around Logan too. She hated me for that. And for the attention Logan would pay to me whenever I was visiting the pack. Which was a constant thing. Even though we were bickering all the time, I was still getting some type of attention from him.

Leaving her only to seethe with jealousy.

Rariel didn't expect me to be awake and waiting to ambush her. I could see the surprise in her eyes when she felt the coldness of my blade against the soft skin of her neck. And obviously, she was also speechless.

Whatever courage she had or the reason why she decided to invade my room was long gone. Her little plan backfired — she got trapped in her own trap. Because I know, without zero doubt, she wouldn't come here simply to welcome me.

Her intentions were a little more devilish than that. She meant to hurt me or scare me. However, she did not know either would not work. There is no way in hell she would ever be able to scare me.

"Why are you here?" she gathered all of her courage to say these words. Her voice quivered.

I smirked at her bold question and just to mess with her, I will play dumb and pretend I didn’t understand what she meant.

"Wouldn’t it be me who should ask you that question since I don't remember inviting you in?" I faked a confused expression as I said that.

"You know that I meant here in my pack" her words were more firm this time. Emphasizing the two last words.

Did I hear it right? Did she say “my pack” as if she was the Luna?

"It’s none of your business, Rariel. And I will ask nicely for you to leave my room!" I said nonchalantly, accentuating my last words too.

"I won’t leave until you state your business! Why are you really here for?" she insisted. "You have no right to invade Alpha Logan and Beta Dominic’s lives again. They are happy now and you shouldn’t ruin it!" She was almost screaming in the end.

Oh, dear Goddess… This girl is getting on my nerves now.

"I said it’s none of your business. Leave. Now!" there was no friendly tone anymore.

"You are the one who should leave at once!" She declared with renewed courage.

I scoffed. Who is she again? She was not of much importance 7 years ago and If I remember correctly from the recent reports I got about the pack, now she is just the head trainer of Logan’s warriors.

She is a good fighter, to be honest, but she isn’t a match for me. And she knows it.

"Oh, nasty little Rariel. How rude of you to tell me to leave when I just arrived" I spoke pretending to be offended.

"I am just—" she started talking, but I cut her off.

"So did you finally grab Logan’s attention and stole his heart?" I asked, making her confused by my sudden change of topic. One that made no sense nonetheless. And as she opened her mouth to reply, I kept going. "Finally, getting the love you so deeply desired from him and as a bonus also the position as the Luna of the Pack as you always craved so vehemently?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" she screamed at me, my words having the effect I intended.

"Why, do you need to scream now? My ears work just fine, you know…" I said shrugging as if my ears were really too sensitive. "I am just trying to understand where did you got the idea you can tell me to leave if you are not the Luna…" I trailed off, and at the same time pressed my dagger deeper against her neck.

She whimpered and tried to back away from me, but to no avail. She was not gonna escape from me so easily.

"You’re a freak of nature!" she spat, reducing to dust the last strain of my self-control.

She should not have said that. A quiet wolf is better than a beaten-to-a-pulp wolf. Doesn’t she know better?

"What? No smart reply now? Is it because you know you are nothing more than a freakish creature, an outcast without no friends…" and she kept throwing insults at me, confounding my lack of immediate response as weakness, which propelled her to keep shouting.

That was the last straw.

Now I will show her what a freak of nature and heartless creature I am.

My eyes, which were a dull deep purple because of my calm demeanor before, were now getting the extinct glow of the manifestation of my powers. The enchantment was silent this time.

If it’s a Siren monster she sees when looking at me, a monster I will be.

I could see in a split second the complete change in her demeanor, her trembling hands, her face contorting when she tried to fight it, to fight me. But it was of no avail. She was trapped and with no escape… the calling taking effect, the ‘’song’’ doing its job.

It was easy to recognize the signs of someone under the Siren charm. One would think I don’t know what feels like being under the hypnosis of the Siren song, with me being a Siren myself.

They are wrong.

I know very well what it’s like to be under a Siren’s mind control. It’s indeed rare for a Siren to seize control of one of its kind, but not impossible. It happened to me once, a long, very long time ago.

The Usurper Siren Queen wanted me dead. And how do you guarantee the deed if you don't do it yourself? And who else can take control of another Siren’s mind if not the strongest of them all?

I remember it as if it happened just yesterday. How wrong and intruding the feeling was. How sick I felt at that moment. The tingling sensations took hold of my entire body, spreading like liquid ice running inside my veins and reaching my limbs one by one.

However, the worst wasn’t gradually losing control of my body… no, that was easy compared to what happened next… the worst thing was the heaviness that took hold of my mind, the feeling of intrusion as if I wasn’t welcomed in my own subconscious anymore. Being set aside while something else got hold of me, standing in the back of my own mind incapable of taking back control and watching as my body is used as a rag doll for the puppeteer’s wishes.

I was lucky the control thing didn’t work as the fake Queen intended, and after a few minutes, precious minutes that were stolen from me, I was able to regain control of my body again. Seconds from my fated demise. I escape the fated end the hoax Siren Queen had planned for me, which was not the same as the Goddess of Fate planned herself.

That day I was able to escape with barely enough time to save myself from a horrible death, and I ran without looking back.

It was the last time I saw my birthplace. The first place my naive-self called home.

Since that day, my home has become someplace else.

In honesty, for me, home is not a place anymore, but two living and loving supernaturals.

Furthermore, as I was tying the last strings of my ''mind control'' into Rariel's mind, pushing deep aside my own sour memories, the door of the room was swung open aggressively, the hinges shrieking as a result of the brutal force that was used. And the first thing that I registered was Rariel's body being pulled away from my hold and Logan's enraged voice screaming:

"What the f*****g hell were you doing to her?"

Oh f**k.

Great. This is just great.

Logan appearing in my room at this exact moment was the last thing I needed.