Chapter seven.

Flynn's POV

The first thing I feel is pain. A splitting ache digging deep into my skull, it feels like claws scraping behind my eyes. I groan and press my hand to my temple. My body feels heavy, so heavy that my limbs are weighted like stone.

I try to adjust to the other side of where I laid, that's when it hit me. I’m warm… too warm, not like the cold marble floor of the council room. The sheets are soft beneath me, softer than anything I’ve slept on in years.

I blink slowly, and piece by piece the full picture of the unfamiliar room opens before me—dim lights, thick velvet curtains drawn half shut, golden rays slipping in through the cracks, bringing with it the soft breeze that caresses my skin. The bed beneath me smells like pinewood and ash, clean but earthy, comforting in a strange way.

Where am I?

Then I remember—screaming voices, angry stares, the sharp sting of betrayal… Ranon, Celine… the council… and—

I jolt upright.

A gasp escapes me and my heart begins to pound.

“Easy, my dear.” a voice from an unfamiliar face comes gently from the corner of the room.

I twist toward it. An elderly woman stands near a chair, her hands folded in front of her apron. Her silver hair is pulled into a bun, her face soft with wrinkles and calm eyes. She’s smiling—but I don’t trust it. I don’t trust anything right now.

Instantly, I shift back against the pillows, my breathing running fast like an athlete in a marathon–quick.

“Who are you?” I snap, voice hoarse. My fingers twitch on the sheets. I don’t feel safe.

“It’s alright,” she says, tone soothing like warm tea. “You’re in Lord Ray’s home. You’ve been unconscious for nearly a day—”

Lord…Ray?

Who is Ray? I try to think, rolling my eyes as if that will help but a sharp pain hits my head.

“You are safe, you don't need to worry, my dear.”

Her voice sends a shiver through me, everything those, though I can’t explain why. Sitting clutching the sheets almost to my face, I remember flashes… green eyes… a strong arm around me… the voice that roared into the council room. But nothing makes sense.

The old woman takes a step forward, and I flinch, putting my hands forward like a barricade. “Don't!”

“I won’t hurt you, child.”

I don’t answer. Her smile suddenly feels too wide. Too practiced. I know what fake kindness looks like. I grew up with it.

“Please,” she adds, “you have to relax. Take this tea, it will be of great help”

Relax?

The same word Celine would always say before one bad omen strikes me.

“This is another of her excellent plots.” I think. “Get someone to care for me, then poison me to death.”

I stare up at her again.

My chest tightens. My ears ring. A sharp stab shoots through my temple, and I press my palms against my head, groaning. Everything feels louder. The clock is ticking. The birds outside. Even the slow drip from the sink across the hall.

Something’s wrong.

“I need to leave,” I mutter, pushing off the covers.

“Wait—my lady, please! Lord Ray will…” she pleads, rushing toward me.

I swing my legs to the floor, unsteady but desperate. As soon as her hand touches my arm, something inside me snaps.

A growl builds deep in my throat before I can stop it.

Two more maids rush in—young, startled—but the moment their hands reach for me, I shove them away. Hard. Too hard. One hits the wall with a cry.

I stumble back in horror, my eyes gazing at my hands.

“I…I …”

“What’s happening to me?”

“Get help!” the elder maid yells. “Now!”

But I don’t wait. My vision sharpens like a blade. I see their every twitch, hear their panicked heartbeats. My body trembles, something inside clawing its way out.

I run without hesitating, my bare feet kissing the cold marble floor with a speed and energy I am unfamiliar with.

I run through the long hallways, past startled servants and high walls, and no time and to my amazement, I crash through the back door and into the open woods behind the mansion. I hesitate for a bit, I had no idea where to turn to, I scan the area, trying to trust my instinct to guide me on the choice to make.

“She's over there,” I hear a voice scream behind me. “You have to get her back in, if not Lord Ray will deal with us.”

Without waiting for my logic side to decide, I dash out to the left, running as fast as I could. twigs snapping beneath me, the cold earth pressing into my feet. My breath comes in shallow gasps and my heart is hammering but I do not stop.

Leaves whip against my skin, the scent of wildflowers and damp earth clinging to me.

Every sound is louder. The rustle of squirrels. The echo of voices far off. My senses are sharp—too sharp.

This can’t be real.

But it is… does this mean?

Suddenly, a sharp pulse tears through my skull and I drop to my knees, clutching my head. My vision darkens—and I’m not in the forest anymore.

I’m running.

But it’s not me.

It’s her.

A woman—identical to me but older. Blood streaks her dress, her hair tangled and wild. She’s barefoot too, limping, glancing over her shoulder like someone’s chasing her. Her eyes—my eyes—are filled with fear.

She stumbles, then vanishes into the darkness.

Frightened all over, I scream so loud that the vision ends, and I’m back in the woods. My skin is slick with sweat and my hand shaking with fear. My heart feels like it’s going to explode.

What was that?

By this time, the sky is a lot darker and though I don’t know how far I’ve run, I keep walking.

Suddenly, my ears pick up music. Laughter. Human chatter in the air.

I try to walk away, a human gathering is the last thing I need now, especially in this state, but that's when it wafts through my nose. My favorite—grilled chicken and fresh baked bread. No matter how hard my brain is saying no, my stomach rebels.

I am so hungry. So hungry that I may die out of it.

I step out from the woods, and… in a few seconds, my fears began to unfold to reality.

No…no…no.. not here please, we can't.. we shouldn't.

My heart pounds deep in my chest. My limbs, my hands, my entire body is changing. Fionna, my wolf is waking up.