Chapter 37

Celia

Soren’s Beta contacted me the following day. The Alpha King has accepted my healing method for both himself and his mother. I can’t help but feel proud over his accomplishment but an overwhelming sense of dread overtakes my body.

My pride comes from being able to heal the former Luna, to be able to bring her out of her long coma and back to life. My dread, on the other hand, is linked to having to see Soren and Bianca again and again. I know that neither wish to see me, or be near me for that matter, and the feeling is mutual.

I have to do what I can to save the former Luna, though, and to help alleviate Soren’s headaches before I go. It is the least I can do after all of the financial support he has given to me throughout the years.

Arriving at the lakeside villa for the third time this month feels like it has become a part of my weekly routine. The lakeside villa, a place that once felt so strange and unfamiliar, now feels like it is a second place of work, a place that I can feel comfortable in and navigate without having to ask for help.

I enter the villa with Healer Anderson and Lily. Soren opted to have as few people as possible inside while his mother is being treated on. I don’t blame him for that. If it were me, I’d make the same choice, not wanting my mother or father to be bombarded by chaos as soon as she wakes up.

Soren sits beside his mother at her bedside, holding her hand. Bianca is nowhere to be seen. A sense of relief is about to flood throughout my body but is instantly killed when she enters the room with medical supplies in her hands. Her eyes meet mine in a deadly glare. I swallow the lump in my throat and divert my gaze.

“We are here, your Highness,” Healer Anderson informs the Alpha King.

Soren barely turns to look at us and instead waves his hand to beckon us towards the bed. We approach and bow our heads, a sign of our never ending respect towards the Alpha King, and immediately begin to build the set up we have made for the mind link.

Healer Anderson has helped cover for me with the Lycan practice, opting to tell people that it is an old and ancient werewolf technique that has been lost throughout time but I have found through a novel I was reading. It worked for the most part and kept people’s eyes off of me, especially those who could suspect that I am the missing Lycan princess.

Healer Anderson, Lily, Bianca, and I surround the bed and join hands. I stand beside the former Luna, my hand placed on top of her forehead, with Bianca on the other side and holding the woman’s hand. We close our eyes and begin to resonate with the former Luna, trying to lure her wolf back out, to bring her back to life.

We stand there for an hour. We work nonstop, Soren not allowing us to take a break even if we get tired, stating that a man of his stature deals with much worse so we are lucky.

My wolf trots through her inner mindscape, sniffing around for the remnants of the former Luna. Her mind is dark and quiet; it is so silent that you can hear a pin drop.

I can feel a slight tingle in the back of my mind. I squeeze Lily’s hand, face scrunching. From behind me, I hear footsteps draw closer, a man’s body warmth radiating into mine.

My wolf, while still very young, heads towards the warm sensation. There is a quiet laugh that echoes throughout the dark space. The closer we get, the louder the voice and laughter is.

I gap, my eyes flying open as I release Lily’s hand. I stumble backward, losing balance, and my back falls into Soren’s chest. He places his hands on my waist and stabilizes me, his hands burning into my skin. I turn to look at him but he looks away, taking his hands off of me.

“She’s awake!” Healer Anderson exclaims. My head snaps to look at the former Luna.

Her eyes flutter open, her irises a vibrant green color. She looks around, remaining in her spot in bed, as a few coughs fly from her mouth.

“Water, get her water!” Soren demands. He slips into the space next to me and takes his mother’s hand in his. “You’re awake!”

“Soren? Is that you?” the former Luna reaches her free hand up to cup his cheek. Soren nods and I can tell that he is holding back a smile. “Who…who woke me up?”

All eyes in the room turn to me. I gulp, awkwardly chuckling, and bow my head to the former Luna. When I look up, her smile is warm and bright, very much welcoming.

“You will be my guest of honor at my son’s engagement banquet,” she says, her voice so gentle and caring, “you deserve to be rewarded for helping me in my time of need.”

My eyes widen and I shake my head, ready to deny the invitation when Soren shoots a glare in my direction, instantly shutting me up. I nod and smile instead.

“I would be honored,” I bow my head.

“It’s my pleasure,” she smiles. “You are extraordinary…you will make your future mother-in-law proud. You will be a very fine daughter-in-law to your future husband’s family.”

I cannot even find the words to respond. Her high praises of me make me feel whole, like a missing part of my heart has been returned to me. It is as if my own mother is here and complimenting me.

A set of eyes burn into the side of my face. My cheeks heat up, angling my face to look at Bianca. She stares at me with a sickeningly sweet smile. It makes my teeth hurt. She bats her eyelashes at me, gently caressing the former Luna’s arm.

“She would make a fabulous daughter-in-law, Mother,” she affectionately calls the former Luna, “she is capable of…many things indeed.”

My mouth goes dry. Lily’s fingers curl around my wrist, squeezing my limb. I turn to look at her when Bianca looks away and begins to dote on the former Luna. Lily and I step away from the bed and seek refuge in a nearby area.

“She has to be up to something, right?” Lily whispers into my ear. We busy ourselves by placing Healer Anderson’s medical supplies back into his bag.

“A part of me wishes that she isn’t,” I admit with a sigh, chills running down my spine. “If she is, I would be her biggest target.”

“Let’s hope she isn’t then,” Lily wraps an arm around my shoulders, giving me a tight side hug. “And if she is, then just know that you have me to help back you up against her. I bet healer Anderson would be on your side as well.”

“That is very kind of you to say,” I smile at my best friend. She nods at me and we fall silent.

We both know that Bianca is the type of person who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. The real question here is not why, but when she is planning to strike and how deadly it is going to be.