Healed by the Alpha (Hunted Book Two)

Chapter Eighty Two

Emily

The run was, for lack of a better word, exhausting. When he first arrived here three days ago, we were able to stop and rest about half way. We didn't have that luxury now.

Ferdinand had been in a strange mood ever since Dom had asked him where the moon goddess was. I wanted to ask him about it, to confront him about his quietness, but I decided against it. He'd agreed to help us get back, which hadn't been okayed by the moon goodness first, I'm sure he would be in some kind of trouble when he got back.

My eyes drifted to Malik as we shifted and changed. The usual happy-go-lucky smile was missing from his face, replaced only with determination. What was happening around me? It's like this place was sucking the lives out of the people I knew. Dom's declaration of love made my heart shoot and soar, but the consequences of his actions were weighing down heavily on me. I wasn't worth the cost of everyone and everything.

The snow crunched under my feet as I struggled to get changed into the clothes Ferdinand had thrown my way. The snow didn't feel that bad in wolf form, but as soon as the icy blanket had touched the bare skin of my legs, I started to wish we didn't have to get back on the plane. I would take running all the way home over this.

No one was speaking and it just felt awkward, I couldn't stand it anymore...

I threw my arms up in defeat, "okay, someone needs to explain why things are so awkward and someone needs to explain now." All three sets of eyes snapped to me, "what're you talking about?" Malik asked, his face neutral and not giving anything away. "It's been silent this whole time and I'm sick of the silence. Something has happened, I just don't know what." I accused them. Dom ran a hand through his hair, "We can't do this right now Emily, we need to go."

I stood my ground, I wasn't going to give up this time. "Why!" I shouted, "why do we have to go right now. What aren't you telling me?" Ferdinand stepped forwards first, "the moon goddess doesn't just decide to 'disappear''. She's never lied to me before, and yet she lied about where she was taking Dominick." His openness was a reassurance, it had clearly been playing on his mind. "I don't know what to think anymore, but I have a bad feeling." He tapped his right pocket on his shirt, "I still have her amulet and I can feel the magic surging, but there's no reason for her to be using magic right now. Is there?"

The last part of the question was directed at Dom. He gulped, "she took me to the dream realm. She showed me what the future would look like if I didn't agree to her terms." If I was sitting down, I would be on the edge of my seat. He waved off the memory, "but what she had really done was take me to a different dimension or realm, one in which all of us..." He stared at the circle around him and swallowed, his eyes blinking rapidly. He didn't need to finish his sentence, the heaviness of his shoulders was sign enough not to ask.

"And that happened because you weren't with her?" I asked, my voice raspy. He shook his head, "that happened because she isn't the person she says she is. She'll destroy everything anyway, Emily. She wants to eradicate everything." Ferdinand's laugh was short and sharp, "she's the moon goddess, why in the world would she try to destroy everything?" She sighed, "Helios left her for a wolf woman and gave up his own life when he couldn't choose between his duty and his love."

My eyes bulged out of my head and I gripped his arm, I knew how hard it was for him to split between the two. He placed a hand on mine, "she doesn't want anything to stand in the way of getting a descendant and until this dimension, I always fought for you." What was he trying to say? That he wouldn't fight for me anymore? He saw the look of confusion on my face, "I don't need to fight for you here. You're linked to this world differently because you can dream walk. That's something that all of the other Emily's couldn't do. You didn't meet Whitt the way that you did in this realm."

It was hard to take all of this in.

But the only thing that had made any sense was the last thing that he'd said...

"I sciphoned from Whitt for years, that's the reason I can dream walk right?." He nodded his head, "then why don't we just ask Whitt?" I suggested. Malik chimed in, "Looks like your sister has been giving us trouble right from the start." Dom rubbed his eyes ignoring Malik's comment, "that was the plan before we got into this discussion, we really need to get going." My eyes found Ferdinand's, "you're going to tell her aren't you?" His face contorted like he was in pain. "He won't." Dom said, "in all of the other realities he never questioned her motives. He wasn't this close to you either." He nodded at me.

Ferdinand smiled and shoved his hands into his pockets, "how can someone meet you and not want to be part of your life? You're so lovable, Emily." Dom's warming growl was clear, "a.. as... a friend." Ferdinand finished, I smiled back at him, "even with my terrible skiing skills?" He laughed, "even with your terrible skiing skills." Ferdinand reached into his pocket and took out a key. He clicked on the fob that was attached to it and the sound of car doors opening blasted through the quiet winters forest. "Safe trip."

I was about to respond with something saractic when an intense shooting pain shot through the side of my head. I cried out and held onto my temples. All three men were there in an instant, "Emily! What is it? What's going on?" Dom's worried voice was rising with every word. In a quick flash, I could see Whitt's face, only she didn't look like the Whitt I knew. She was different. My heart rate sped up, "we need to go. Something is going on with Whitt." Malik held his hands up, "I take back everything bad I have ever said or done." Dom glared at him. "Not the time."

He helped me up from the ground, my head was starting to hurt less as time passed, "what's wrong with Whitt?" I focused on him, watching as his beautiful purple eyes searched mine for the answers I didn't have. "She looks different, she looks like she's going through a lot. I.. I can't explain it." I told him, "but I can feel it." We wasted no time in saying goodbye and getting into the car. It was a race against the clock.

Suddenly, the road in front of us started to shake. "Is that an Earthquake?" I said aloud to myself. Dom's eyes were like steel on the road. "I hope for all of our sakes that it's an earthquake." How could he just say something like that? What could possibly be worse than an earthquake right now?