Finding your soulmate in a werewolf community is the greatest thing that could happen to you. But not to Chase.
Chase, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Blue Moon pack, finds his mate. His preference? Someone with a high rank. Yet he's stuck with Ava, an...
Pistanthrophobia:// The fear of trusting someone.//
Trigger Warning!!!: The main protagonist gets hurt in a somewhat descriptive scene.
Third Person's pov.
As Sophia slowly comes to, the first thing she notices is the tight restraints binding her arms and legs. Her eyes flutter open, frantically taking in the grandeur of her surroundings. High ceilings adorned with sparkling chandeliers, walls made of dark, aged bricks illuminated by soft lantern light, and wilted plants scattered across the marble floor. It's as if she has stepped into a scene from a horror movie rather than the real world.
Struggling and contorting her body, she eventually maneuvers into a standing posture. Frantically scanning her surroundings, she searches for some feasible object that could serve as a means of defense and escape but unfortunately finds nothing. She opts for the doors, kicking with all her might. They seem to exist more for show than actual use, as they won't budge no matter how hard she tries.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" Sophia's voice quivers as she utters her first words upon regaining consciousness. Panic sets in as she struggles to recollect any memories beyond her confrontation with Chase and the subsequent fall down the cliff. Has she succumbed to death? Is she now a captive of Chase? How can she possibly break free from this predicament? A cyclone of questions engulfs her thoughts, but solutions remain frustratingly elusive.
"Sophia?" a hesitant, feminine voice echoes through the quiet room as Astra unexpectedly emerges.
"Astra? What happened to you?" Sophia's eyes widen in awe and curiosity at Astra's transformed appearance. Astra's once white-colored fur is now a striking, dark royal black, matching the intensity of her eyes.
With cautious steps, Sophia approaches Astra and wraps her arms around her, conveying a flood of emotions through her tight embrace.
"Where are we? Why is your fur black? How do we escape from here?" Sophia bombards Astra with questions.
As they disengage, Astra settles on the floor, and Sophia sits opposite her.
"To find a way out, we must first recollect how we arrived here. Can you recall anything leading up to this?" Astra inquires.
Sophia's attempt to retrieve memories of the preceding events ends in frustration, leaving her disappointed as she shakes her head in defeat.
"After the distressing encounter with Chase, you ended up in the water. At first, you struggled to stay afloat, but eventually, you started sinking. Thinking that you had perished, Chase fled the scene. However, you suddenly managed to resurface. Instead of being in the water, you were inside a colossal bubble hovering above the water's surface. That's where you have remained ever since."
"I'm not in a bubble, I'm right here beside you," Sophia exclaims, raising her eyebrows and widening her eyes to convey her point. However, things are not always as straightforward as they seem.
"Your spirit? Yes, it's right here, but your body is not. It's currently lying motionless inside that bubble, deterring anyone from getting near."
Astra rises from her seat and with a flick of her head, Astra motions for Sophia to join her. Intrigued, Sophia follows Astra to a door, which Astra confidently nudges open with her paw.
"Check it out for yourself," Astra urges.
Sophia nervously clasps her hands together as she peers through the door. To her surprise, she sees the bubble Astra had mentioned, along with a figure lying inside. However, the scene has changed dramatically, with the addition of familiar faces—her mother and mate among them with the latter spiking up her heart rate.
Julian nervously approaches, his heart pounding as he stands frozen before the still figure of his beloved partner. After a moment of stillness, he turns to face the unfamiliar woman standing before him. She is middle-aged with gray hair, and she wears a dark cloak.
His voice quivers as he asks, "What can we do to help her?"
"She's your mate," she states. "What do you think she needs?"
Trembling, Julian extends his hand toward his mate but quickly pulls back as a powerful electric force jolts him.
"Why can't they get me out?" Sophia wonders aloud.
Astra's answer is cryptic yet thought-provoking: "For the same reason you can't escape. You still haven't figured out how you got yourself here, because this"—she motions to the room behind them—"is made by you."
Julian's tense jaw and clenched fists communicate his determination as he marches resolutely toward the shimmering bubble encasing Sophia. Her urgent pleas for him to halt fall on deaf ears, and the enigmatic woman, who exudes an air of mystique, finally breaks her silence. Her voice lacks urgency, yet it carries a weight of warning as she advises Julian against his course of action, "I wouldn't do that if I were you," cautioning that he could vanish into thin air with a mere flick of her hands.
Despite the inherent danger, Julian's desperation is palpable as he expresses his frustration and anguish at being unable to reach the unconscious Sophia. "Then what am I supposed to be doing? Because I'm no closer to getting to her!'
The woman unveils the underlying truth behind Sophia's protective barrier, "It's a defense mechanism fashioned after the trauma she endured. Betrayed by those closest to her, Sophia has retreated into self-imposed isolation, shunning all contact in a bid to shield herself from further pain. To breach her defenses and gain access to the safety of her bubble, you must first rebuild Sophia's trust and make her feel secure once more. Only then can the tenuous barrier be transcended."
The change in the atmosphere becomes palpable as the weight of the words sinks in, igniting a tumultuous internal struggle within Julian. He wrestles with deep concern for Sophia's welfare while grappling with frustration over his perceived failure to shield her from harm and his inability to rescue her.
"What are you doing, Julian?! Get back here!" The Queen desperately tries to stop Julian by grabbing his shirt and pulling him back, but he skillfully evades her grasp. With determination, Julian presses forward, entering the protective bubble surrounding Sophia. In a dazzling display, the once tranquil dark sky erupts with a radiant flash as Julian collides with Sophia's defense mechanism, hurling him several meters backward onto the ground. Undeterred, Julian rises to his feet and attempts to breach the barrier only to be met with the same forceful resistance.
Sophia's eyes widened with fear, her body swaying from one leg to the other as she anxiously scratched her arms, leaving behind faint reddish marks. "Do something! He's going to get himself killed!" Sophia hollered at Astra, pointing towards her mate, who was now bleeding.
"I am you, and you are me. I can help Julian only if you can as well."
Sophia's heart pounds as she watches in horror, her eyes fixated on Julian's relentless collision with the bubble. Time seems to slow as Julian struggles to regain his footing, oblivious to the desperate pleas of those around him. At this rate, it won't take long for the unthinkable to happen. Julian appears visibly exhausted, his body littered with burn marks and blood, so much so that even his supernatural abilities can't catch up to heal him.
Sophia lets out a resounding 'No!' as Julian crumbles to the floor, his body lying motionless beside her. His eyes lock on her before they close, succumbing to the darkness pulling him in.
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