healing shadows
870 Words
Chapter 4: Healing Shadows
I woke slowly, the weight in my head pressing down like a heavy fog. My body felt strangely light, almost as if I were floating, disconnected from the pain that had consumed me just hours before. The room around me was unfamiliar-walls painted a soft gray, a single window filtering pale morning light. This wasn't my room. Panic fluttered in my chest as memories surfaced, slow and cruel: Parker's betrayal, Kelly's mocking smile, my wolf's silence, and my father's cold rejection.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady my trembling breath. My life, once filled with hope and dreams, now felt shattered, scattered like broken glass beneath my feet.
The door creaked open, and he stepped inside.
Alpha Lucien.
Tall, commanding, and calm in a way that made the chaos inside me still for a moment. He wore a black fitted suit that hugged his broad shoulders and tapered to a lean waist, the fabric catching the light just enough to hint at strength beneath the elegance. His dark hair was neatly styled, though a few rebellious strands fell across his forehead, softening his sharp features. His eyes-stormy gray and deep-scanned me with a mixture of concern and something gentler, like a promise to protect.
Behind him, a maid followed silently, carrying a tray with a steaming cup of herbal tea.
"Mira," his voice was low, smooth, and steady, vibrating softly in the quiet room. "How are you feeling?"
I blinked, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Physically... fine. Mentally? Not so much."
He sighed, sitting beside me on the edge of the bed, his gaze never leaving mine. "What happened to you... was wrong. Unfair. But there's a reason. It's not your fault."
I searched his face, confused and desperate. "What do you mean?"
"Your wolf didn't come out-not because you're useless, but because you consumed something that killed your wolf inside. It's not dead, Mira. Just weak. It needs time to heal."
His voice was steady, like an anchor in the storm of my thoughts. "What did you take?" he asked gently.
I shook my head quickly. "Nothing. Just juice... the juice Kelly gave me."
The realization crashed over me like a wave. The juice. Poisoned. Laced with something meant to destroy me from within.
Tears spilled freely down my cheeks. "This isn't right," I whispered. "Why do they hate me so much? Tell me... please. I miss my mum."
Lucien reached out, brushing a tear from my cheek with surprising tenderness. "Don't cry, Mira. It's not your fault. You have to be strong now. The stronger you are, the faster your wolf heals. The weaker you are... it kills her inside."
I looked up, searching his face for answers. "Why are you helping me, Alpha Lucien?"
For a moment, his expression froze, unreadable. Then, with quiet intensity, he said, "Your mother was my best friend. I won't let her daughter go through hell."
He stood and left the room, leaving me with a fragile spark of hope flickering in the darkness.
Alpha Lucien's POV
I hadn't wanted to go to the party. The Blood Moon Pack's celebrations were always suffocating, filled with politics and painful memories. But something inside me pulled me there-an invisible thread I couldn't ignore.
Then I smelled her.
A scent so powerful, so enchanting, it made my wolf howl with longing. When Mira descended the stairs in that crimson gown, my breath caught. My wolf-Alf-shouted inside me: Mate. Mate. Mate.
Shock and awe collided within me. The Moon Goddess had taken my first mate years ago, but now she was giving me another-my best friend's daughter. My heart pounded, waiting for her transformation so I could claim her, but nothing happened.
I saw her father's cruelty, the humiliation she endured, and my blood boiled. I had to hold Alf back. I didn't want war-not yet.
When Mira fainted, I knew her wolf's silence was no accident. I called my trusted doctor, confirming my worst fears: Mira's wolf was suppressed, weakened by poison.
Alf growled, restless, pacing the edges of my mind. She's ours. Mark her. Claim her.
"Not now, Alf," I whispered, struggling to calm the beast inside. "She's passing through a storm. She needs time. And what if she doesn't want me? Because I'm older?"
Alf snarled, but I held firm. "Calm down. We take it slow. We help her heal."
Back in the quiet room, Mira's fragile form stirred as the poison's grip slowly loosened. The journey ahead was daunting-a fight against time, against betrayal, and against the darkness within her.
Lucien's presence was the first light she'd seen in a long while.
But outside, shadows stirred.
Kelly's smile was not just cruel-it was a mask hiding darker schemes.
And in the distance, the full moon watched silently, waiting for its next move.
Cliffhanger
Late that night, as Mira drifted into a restless sleep, a faint whisper echoed through the trees outside Lucien's home-a voice only a wolf could hear.
"She's weak... but not for long. The bloodline will rise... but at what cost?"
A shadow moved swiftly beneath the silver moonlight, eyes gleaming with a dangerous secret.
The battle for the Blood Moon Pack was just beginning.
- Writer
