*Zander*
Why was there so much darkness everywhere that I couldn’t see a thing? I rubbed my eyes and blinked, trying to adjust, but it was useless. Spinning around, I searched desperately for a glimmer of light, for any sign of illumination, but there was nothing-just an endless void.
Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed past me, forcing me to lift my arm to shield my eyes. The air was so powerful it pushed me back a step, but as it calmed slightly, I lowered my arm and glimpsed something-a faint glow ahead.
There she was.
A mysterious woman stood bathed in soft, otherworldly light.
“Hey! Who are you?” I shouted, trying to move closer to her, but the relentless wind resisted every step, pushing me back as if trying to keep me away.
Then it hit me. Her eyes. Those eyes. They were the same as I’d seen in my dreams. I froze. Were they really? Yes. They were. Those eyes belonged to my savior.
“Tell me your name!” I shouted again, my voice filled with desperation as the light began to fade. “No, don’t go! Stay!” I screamed, running toward her.
The wind suddenly stopped, and the light was swallowed by the darkness. I reached the spot where she had been moments before, but I was left with nothing-just empty air. My hands flailed, hoping to grasp even a fragment of her presence, but there was nothing. Only silence and an overwhelming emptiness.
“No, come back! Please!” I screamed, collapsing to my knees, my voice breaking. My heart raced with an unknown fear, an unbearable ache I had never felt before. For a fleeting moment, it felt as though if I didn’t find her, I would lose everything that mattered in my life.
Suddenly, my eyes flew open, and I found myself in my bed, panting and drenched in sweat. I wiped a trembling hand across my face, looking around the room. Everything seemed normal, quiet, still. Yet, the apprehension in my chest lingered, refusing to fade away.
But I needed answers, and I knew exactly who could provide them. Without hesitation, I left my room, still dressed in my sleepwear. The sky was cloaked in the dim, heavy darkness before dawn-a fitting reflection of the turmoil in my heart.
The guards bowed respectfully as I passed.
“I’ll be back soon,” I said in my alpha tone, and without waiting for a reply, I took off at full speed, my feet carrying me through the still night. I only stopped when I reached the Moon Goddess Temple.
Standing at the base of the temple steps, I stared upward. The massive doors were open, revealing an interior bathed in an otherworldly glow. The light spilled out softly as if beckoning me closer.
I climbed the steps swiftly, my movements purposeful, and entered the temple. My breath caught as I stood before the core, where the towering statue of the Moon Goddess loomed, serene and powerful, illuminated by a silvery glow that seemed to pulse with life.
“Goddess!” I called out, my voice echoing through the serene temple. “I need answers, and you must give them to me,” I demanded, my tone unwavering.
Staring into the carved, ethereal face of the Moon Goddess, I pressed on. “Who is the girl that keeps appearing in my dreams?” My voice trembled slightly, but I forced it to remain steady. “Is she my mate?” I paused, hoping for even the faintest sign of a response, but the silence loomed heavy around me.
“My mate died,” I continued, the words laced with frustration and confusion. “Or so they told me. Yet, I have no memory of her death. The High Priestess said it was erased from my mind so I could be strong-as the Alpha King, I’m supposed to be unyielding.” My voice rose, carrying the weight of my rage. “But if that’s true, why do I feel as if she’s still alive? Why do I sense her presence somewhere out there?”
“Tell me, Goddess!” I shouted, the silence growing more deafening with each second. My heart raced as the stillness persisted, filling the temple like an unspoken refusal.
“Alpha King,” came a calm, familiar voice from behind me. I spun around to see the High Priestess standing at the entrance, her serene smile unwavering.
“Why are you troubling the Moon Goddess with such a simple question?” she asked, her tone calm but firm, her expression one of quiet authority.
Her dismissiveness only fueled my irritation, and I frowned deeply.
“Simple question?” I gritted out through clenched teeth, my fury barely contained. “This is about my whole life!” I yelled, my voice echoing through the temple walls.
“Calm down, Alpha King,” the High Priestess said softly. She paused for a moment as if choosing her words carefully. “That feeling… it’s only happening because you haven’t been with a woman since your wife’s death. It’s clouding your emotions, nothing more.”
Her explanation made logical sense, but my heart rebelled against it. Why couldn’t I accept it? Why did it feel so… wrong?
‘I’m not buying it either, Zander,’ Lyon’s voice echoed in my mind through our link. ‘I’ve felt your emotions, your dreams-something’s off, and I know it.’
If neither the Moon Goddess nor the High Priestess could give me the answers I sought, then who could?
I gave the High Priestess a curt nod before turning on my heel and striding out of the temple. My footsteps quickened as I descended the stone steps, urgency coursing through my veins.
‘So now we’re on our own and we have to find the truth, Lyon,’ I muttered to my wolf.
‘And we’re the best team. We are invincible,’ he whispered, and I could feel him smirking.
But the words struck a chord deep within me, as though I had heard them before. But where? And from whom?