Chapter 9

Aurora’s POV

As I got ready for bed, I could still hear movements around the house. It was still quite early. As I glanced around I felt a sense of being stifled, restless.

I couldn't simply sleep.

Then I recalled Elder Miriam’s words.

‘When you find yourself unable to rest, then meditate. It would give you clarity and ease, Luna.’

I sat on the floor, cross-legged, and straightened my posture while letting my breaths fall into that familiar, calm routine. It was the same technique I had long learnt when I was a child, and had been taught to me by Elder Miriam.

I continued to breathe, falling into a smooth, unburdened state.

But then, something changed.

It started with the sense of being watched. I continued to breathe, but the feeling intensified with each passing second. Then it hit me like a jolt out of the blue.

My eyes opened, slowly. And I saw it.

Purple seeping from the cracks through my bedroom door. It made the ambience in the room shift, tilting towards a dark aura, corrupting everything it came near. My heart began to pound in my chest, and I sat still, blinking slowly.

Was I really seeing this?

But the longer I looked the worse it became. The door had been swallowed in the mire, and the purple threads began to spread out on the ceiling, the floor, the walls. It was reaching for me. I was the target.

I grit my teeth. Another move from Seraphina. Really?

DId she think I was that weak?

Maybe I had been before, but today I would resist.

I closed my eyes again, falling back into the meditative breathing pattern pushing away the invasive sensation, like ants running over my body, searching for a way to push through, and under my skin.

As I continued to breathe, I felt a warmth spread through my body. That familiar silver strand flashed in my mind, and I opened my eyes once again, to see the entire room was glowing, pushing back the purple bit by bit. It fought relentlessly.

My head began to hurt, the headache blooming from one side of the back of my head, then spreading to my entire head and neck, it felt so stiff that I couldn't even think of moving.

Stay calm, Aurora, I told myself.

I remembered why I had been chosen by the Elders to marry Alaric back then. Not because of my noble lineage, but because i was the only one who showed definite signs of having the True Luna’s essence. It was a mark of leadership, of prestige. Not every pack had a True Luna.

I expended my mental energy, outwardly calm, facing the dark aura that was slowly forced to recede. I felt something warm trickle down my nostrils.

Only when the purple aura had almost completely vanished did I lift my hand to my nose. Pulling it back, I saw red.

I rose, shakily, but rushed to the door as the last vestiges of that dark aura left my bedroom.

The hallway was well lit, but somehow it felt a lot darker. I turned to see Seraphina standing far off into the distance, at the end of the hallway. She was staring right at me, and her lips were curled into a smile, a sharp smile that felt less human and more like a caricature. It was uncanny, and I watched her eyes gleam coldly.

I gasped, my heart burning and the sunlight streaming in through the windows. It was morning. My mind caught up before my body could properly understand. I felt numb, number than before, and wondered why. What was going on?

Was it all a dream?  I looked around my bedroom, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just in case, I went to check my door and found it was locked from the inside. I had locked it.

A sharp breath left me and I went to the bathroom to get ready for work. I didn't even bother looking at the time. As I finished brushing my teeth, I noticed something odd, pausing as I saw my reflection. My brows furrowed and I leaned in closer, only to see something that looked like a stain right under my nose. It was red.

The memory flashed: the blood that had streamed form my nose the nigth before. A chill ran through me. So it wasn’t a dream.

At least, not that  part. I left the bathroom and got dressed, picked my bag and headed to the dining room. Seraphina was there, and Asher was eating beside her, chatting like nothing had happened the previous day.

Alaric was smiling but his smile faded when he saw me.

“Good morning,” I said calmly, completely unruffled. Then I turned to Asher, walking over to my son. “How are you feeling sweetheart?”

My tone softened at the end, but just barely. As I reached for him he tilted his body back, avoiding my touch.

Coincidentally he also leaned into Seraphina who was at his other side.

“I’m fine,” he stated, but there was a hint of coldness in his tone that I had never seen before. “Aunt Sera took care of me.”

Aunt Sera.

I hummed, ignoring the pang that struck my heart. It was to be expected, and if I kept losing my mind over the things he did, it would be a long time before I could focus on work.

I grabbed a bottle of freshly-squeezed orange juice and placed it in my bag, grabbing only one slice of toast and spread some butter on it.

The awkwardness was clear in the room, and as I ate silently, I knew that I had been the one to cause it.

When I was finally done with breakfast, I stood to place my plate in the sink when Seraphina softly spoke.

“Aurora– I mean, Luna,” She sounded like I had done something to hurt her. “You’re heading to work again? I mean, Asher just got better a bit. Can you not spare some time for him? He’s your son.”