The Future Alpha's Forbidden Love

Chapter 6: Insane

A frown twisted Lysabel’s face as she stared at her mother. " I didn't do anything, Mama." She muttered in a low voice.

“Don’t lie to me, Lysabel! I know you always wanted to be like your brother, but what you did—”

Iora’s eyes locked with hers, and her mother's disappointment hit her like a crashing wave, sharp and undeniable. “What… What did I do? I remember my bones breaking, which means I shifted, right?

Crossing her arms over her chest, Iora said, “ Yes, you did.” With a short pause, she continued, “ You shifted to a royal purple wolf. Do you know what that means?” Tilting her head to the right, she waited for her daughter to answer. A tight lump pushed up her throat, and she pressed her lips to stop them from trembling. She watched as the truth dawned on her daughter, the slow unraveling of understanding flickering in her eyes—until she turned away, unable to look at Iora directly.

“Nuh-uh. You don’t get to do that. Face me and tell me what you did and when. Did you do something that made them choose you, or did you purposefully wish for it? No. They can't choose you. So, you did this to yourself and to us, am I right?” Lysabel flinched visibly when it was her turn to speak. Curling the corner of the white blanket around her forefinger, she stared at the footboard of the iron bed.

Letting out a weary, shuddering breath, Iora sank onto the edge of the bed, the consequences tightening around her lungs. Her trembling hands reached for her daughter’s palm, yearning for comfort. Her fingers traced delicate lines as if their paths would lead her to the answer she sought.

Lysabel squeezed her mother’s hand and said, “ Yes. I went to the cave and wished to be an Alexandrite Phrynge, Mama. “

Iora’s lips parted, but words died before they could escape. Sensing that her mother would demand to know when she had gone to the cave—and why—Lysabel pressed on, her gaze unflinching as she stared into her mother’s brown eyes. “Before the ceremony, I went to the cave—”

“How could you? After everything we have been through, you chose to decide your fate on your own? I trusted you! How could you? Do you know how your father is feeling about this? Do you know we had to get help from a kid from the Merxan Kingdom? Alpha has erased his memories, but who knows what will happen? Moreover, Alpha Rendell and Luna Beatrice are involved in this. What if their lives are in danger?” Words poured from Iora’s mouth, dripping with venom, each drop burning her daughter’s pale skin.

“I never wanted to hurt any of you. But I had to do this,” Lysabel stated, her eyes burned with truth as they locked with her mother's.

“Why, Lys?” Iora cupped her daughter’s left cheek, her palm flinching at the searing heat beneath her touch. Eyebrows crinkling, she placed it on her forehead. “You have a high fever. Lay down.” Iora sniffled and gently guided Lysabel until her head sank into the pillow.

“I am fine, Mama,” Lysabel murmured, eyelids drooping. Her lashes fluttered close, leaving feather touches on her undereye skin. In a fleeting heartbeat, sleep crashed over her like a high tide, drowning her before she could resist.

Calloused fingertips grazed her cheek, stirring Lysabel from the depths of sleep. Limbs leaden, she attempted to see if her mother was still seated by her side. Light pierced her pupils like shards of glass. Whining, she squeezed her eyes tight and twisted onto her left side.

“ Easy, Lys.” She heard a voice, it felt like a warm hug and a silent echo of a wish fulfilled. Lysabel jolted upright, a sob tightening her throat.

Pulse racing, heart slamming against her chest, she threw her arms around her best friend. Sniffling, she whispered in a hum, “ I missed you.”

“ Glad to know that I wasn’t the only one.” The words that came out of his mouth were clipped, as if something bothered him.

Lysabel backed away and observed him. His jaw was set, the muscles there twitching now and then. Her eyes flicked toward his fists, realizing he hadn’t hugged her back.

“What happened?” She asked, searching for the kindness and warmth in his eyes that was always present.

Shrugging a shoulder, Archelaus quirked his lips to one side. “ Nothing.” Averting his eyes, he said, “ Just that my best friend didn’t tell me she wanted to be a Phrynge, none other than Alexandrite one.” His lips thinned and curled into a sharp hint of sourness.

Lysabel’s heart cracked. Biting the inner cheek, she focused her gaze on the headboard. She felt an aching emptiness hollow out her stomach, a cold, consuming void that seemed to pull at the edges of her being. She had thought that her half-truth wouldn’t hurt him, but the raw pain in his eyes was telling an entirely different story.

“I am sorry, Arch. I never wanted to hurt you.” She murmured in a low voice, not daring to look at him.

“ But Lys, we don’t hide things from each other. That’s not us. What if something had happened to you while you were in the wild? I have heard lots of stories regarding that area. It is not safe for you; it is not safe for anyone.”

“I know. But I had to.” Her brows knit tightly, and her voice went up an octave, trying to make a point. Her gaze darted toward the metal bedside table, partially hidden behind him, instead of looking directly into his eyes.

“ Why? And when did you start wanting to be an Alexandrite Phrynge? “ His voice thundered through the room, raw and confused.

Wetting her bottom lip, she muttered, “ I have always wanted to be one.”

Archelaus let out a breath somewhat between a sigh and a scoff. “ Liar.” He simply stated.

Her eyes met with him, and she knew Archelaus wouldn’t give up until he knew the truth. Gulping the acidic lump, she pressed her lips in a thin line.

“ You are not going to tell me, are you?” His voice croaked, betraying the pain he fought desperately to conceal.

The room lay in breathless silence. Eyes refusing to look away, unmoving as their uneven breaths mingled in the thin cold air.

With a nod, Archelaus stepped away from the bed, avoiding her curious stare. “ If you feel well, you are needed in the study. It’s just beside your room.” With that, he left her alone, knotted in her thoughts and maybes.

Changing into jeans and a brown sweatshirt, Lysabel reached for the doorknob. A voice, raspy and rich, sounded in her head while she turned the doorknob. Pausing for a second, she thought she was hearing things— an after-effect of the transition.

But the voice responded, “ Great, think like that and don't listen to a word I say.” She heard it scoff.

“Excuse me?” Lysabel backed away from the door, pivoted, and scanned the room. Nothing and no one was present or visible.

“ You can’t see us, child. We are in your mind. Consider us your conscience.” Another silky, melodious voice purred.

“Or a collection of centuries-old wisdom.” A stern and controlled voice tuned in.

A dull ache gripped the veins along her temples, leaden and sharp, humming as if a witch had cast a spell. Whimpering, she pressed her fingers on her temples. A crown of thorns made of fire pricked her skull, and she slid down the door. The light seemed too painful, stinging her eyes as if needles were piercing through her eyeballs.

Subsequently, in a flash, her head was quiet. Too quiet. Throbbing disappeared gradually, and the fog that had wrapped around her thoughts started to lift, clearing her head. Relief settled in her mind, enveloping her with warm, fluffy clouds. She could hear her pulse slow down along with her heartbeat. The pressure that was trying to crush her skull ebbed away inch by inch.

Heaving a shaky sigh, she tried to rise to her feet, but her knees couldn’t take the pressure. They started trembling violently the moment she pressed down, ready to crumble beneath her.

“ I am sorry, but you need to sit here for a minute. It is taking a toll on you.” A voice sounding rather intellectual advised in a gentle murmur. It held a mesmerizing lull, compelling everyone to stop, listen, and believe each word.

Wolves are taught about the core powers they will gain after shifting as soon as they learn to read and understand words. Lysabel knew once she transformed, her wolf would speak with her. But she hadn't known that a single wolf can have different voices, ranging from sweet and melodious to deep and raspy.

“ It is because we are not your wolf.”

“Stop yapping, Ruther. She needs time to adjust.” The intellectual voice stated in a quiet and gentle tone, a hint of authority laced with it.

She heard nothing from Ruther after that. A veiled hush settled in her mind as the voices waited for her.

Lysabel’s mind whirled as she scoured her memories for stories in the ‘A Tale of Stones’ book that their father used to read to her and her brother every night. No matter how many stories she remembered, they always led her to an exasperating dead end. The voices could hear several wheels turning in her head, and her teeth grinding against one another.

“ Not everything is in the book, Lysabel. Some things were kept secret.” This time the intellectual voice tried to ease her mind.

Lysabel was done being confused. If she was going insane, so be it. She needs to know who the voices belong to.

“ Who are you?” She whispered in her mind, not wanting to speak louder than necessary. The voices perked up, finally permitted to speak after waiting for what seemed like an era. Their emotions formed bubbles of ecstasy and somersaulted in her consciousness.