Chapter 76: The Repercussions
Melissa’s POV
Pain. My whole body began to ache dully, heavy, and strangely. The world was blurry, but my eyelids flickered open. My nose was flooded with the smell of damp dirt and burning wood. A searing flash of pain went up my spine when I attempted to move, but my fingers twitched against the uneven ground.
My heart was thumping when I gasped. There was a problem. I didn’t feel like I was in my own body.
I sat up against my will, breathing in short gasps. Above me, moonlight poured through the cracked ceiling, creating unsettling shadows on the walls. I was inside a wrecked building of some sort. Was I taken here?
Then I became aware of it.
The quiet.
Desperate to sense the familiar presence that had always been a part of me, I reached for my wolf. However, nothing was present-nothing but a nothingness.
“No,” I muttered, my voice beginning to waver with panic. “No, no, no.”
I gripped my head, attempting to concentrate. Perhaps I was simply too frail. Perhaps my beast was there, hidden by fatigue.
I froze when I heard a sharp noise.
Steps.
Kane hurried in as the door flew open, his face white with anxiety. “Elissa!” There was genuine emotion in his scratchy voice.
My throat was dry as I tried to speak.
His hands clutched my shoulders as he fell to his knees next to me. “You’re conscious. Give thanks to the moon. As though he had been holding his breath for hours, he let out a heavy exhale.
I swallowed, finding it difficult to speak. “What happened?”
His face grew serious. “You can’t recall?”
Even the act of shaking my head made me feel lightheaded.
After hesitating, Kane responded. “You passed out following the fight. You wouldn’t become conscious. He squeezed my hands. “Melissa, you were gone three days.”
Three days? My stomach turned over. It makes sense why I felt so weak.
My legs swayed under me as I attempted to stand. I was about to fall, but Kane grabbed me. I hardly noticed when his arms encircled me, firm and warm.
I was too preoccupied with the unsettling void within.
There was a gap.
And I didn’t know how to retrieve it.
The clearing was illuminated by the golden glow from the high-burning bonfires. As wolves celebrated their win, the air was filled with the sound of drumming, laughter, and the aroma of cooked flesh.
I watched from the edge of it all.
Normally, I would have experienced my pack’s vitality, our shared link, and the rush of victory during a protracted conflict. However, I felt nothing tonight.
With his arms folded and his mouth clenched, Kane stood next to me. I understood why he was observing me more than the festivities.
I had changed.
Lydia came over, her face beaming. “Elissa!” She drew me into a close embrace. “You completely frightened us!”
I made an effort to grin. “I’m all right.”
She withdrew, looking at me anxiously. “Are you certain? You don’t appear to She stumbled over her words, and her voice drifted off.
I understood her meaning.
It seemed like I wasn’t myself.
Kane cleared his throat. “Melissa needs some downtime.”
Lydia nodded after hesitating. “Obviously. However, you ought to feel proud. We were all saved by you.
I ought to have been pleased. Rather, though, I felt alienated by myself.
Around me, the festivities went on, but I couldn’t get rid of the uneasiness that was wriggling in my chest.
Because I knew in my heart that something wasn’t quite right.
And I was afraid it was just the start.
Kane and I left the revelry behind and went in silence. The tempest that was building inside of me was not much calmed by the cool night air that surrounded us.
At last, he came to a halt close to the forest’s edge and looked at me. His eyes, which were always kind, were filled with worry.
He remarked, “You’re not telling me everything.”
I turned my head away. “I have nothing to say.”
He clenched his jaw. “Don’t do that, Melissa. I am familiar with you. He moved in closer. “There’s a problem. Do you not sense it?
My fingers clenched into fists as I paused. “I’m not sure how I feel.”
He gave a quick breath. “Your wolf…” The words were difficult for him. “Isn’t she gone now?”
Between us, the truth weighed heavily.
The lump in my throat was swallowed. “I’m not sure.”
Frustrated, Kane raked his hands through his hair. “How is that even possible? You’re still breathing and standing.
“But I’ve changed,” I muttered.
He took hold of my hands and held them tightly. “We’ll work it out. Together.
I wanted to think he was real. I wanted to cling to his confidence and strength.
However, I had a nagging feeling that I was no longer entire. And I wasn’t sure if I would ever be.
That night, I lay awake and gazed at the wooden beams overhead. Sleep would not come.
Then I heard it.
A murmur.
My breath caught. I sat up and looked around the room.
“Melissa…”
It was a gentle, almost enticing voice. My wolf wasn’t it? I didn’t recognize anything.
Unease pricked at my flesh.
With my heart racing, I threw my legs over the bed and got to my feet. “Who is present?”
Not a word.
In the room’s corner, a shadow flickered.
I took a step back.
Once more, the whisper coiled around me like smoke.
“You are now mine.”
The temperature dropped sharply. My blood froze.
And I knew at that very instant.
Someone had woken up.
And it had me in its crosshairs.