The Queen's Conquer

Chapter 29 : Mind Over Matter

Succiduous • [sick-sid-u-us]
Ready to fall; falling.

🖤

~+~

Somehow, the rest of our weekend remains serene and tranquil; most of it is well spent enjoying each other's company. Though Samuel seems shaken up after confronting me about his past—about reliving it, too—I make sure he knows he's loved. Because him doubting his own self-worth—especially during a time like this—could be detrimental to the future. To his future.

Monday rolls around soon enough, and I find myself up at the crack of dawn being dropped off at the packhouse by my mate who sends me off with a goodbye kiss—and a word of good luck as a way of cautioning me about Lilith's potential wrath. I'm not all that worried about being reprimanded for ditching Saturday's training, but my growing nerves still put me on edge with every minute I spend waiting for the young warrior to join me in one of the dozens of sparing rings.

Today, my eyes have especially decided to take their sweet time waking up. It's likely why I don't notice the braided back glint of brilliant red hair catching in the sunrise as it sways from side to side, approaching me as I lace up my shoes. My eyes are forced to stare up at Sterling with nothing but complete confusion.

"Good morning, Luna," Sterling says with a gentle smile, the rogue strands of her hair glowing against the faint sun.

"Sterling?" I question, a bit baffled. A weary Lilith appears behind her, halting by her side as both females stare down at me. Thankfully, it looks as though Lilith has gotten over my decision to skip practice—or she simply didn't let it bother her further than needed. But I look to my instructor with that similar, perplexed expression. "Why is she here?"

"To strengthen your abilities and help you learn how to mindlink," Lilith says. 

"I don't understand how Sterling's involved with my powers—and I already know how to mindlink," I argue, my brows furrowing as I finish tying my laces before standing.

"With your mate," Sterling counters, crossing her arms. "Since you're now bound to Phantomridge with his mark, you're able to mindlink anyone in the pack. Besides, Lilith just needed an extra body to help her out."

"Well, it can't be that much different than what I do with Samuel," I scoff.

"You've only been a wolf for a few months, Anastasia," Lilith intervenes. "Most wolves learn mindlinking at a young age—when they're already bound to a pack."

"And with your upcoming trip to Mylithia, the pack leaders want to make sure all safety precautions are taken, meaning you're able to communicate with us from the inside," Sterling adds.

"You're really that worried about my visit?" I ask.

They both exchange a glance with one another, revealing some of the deep-rooted worry concealed beneath their eyes. "If there's a chance that anything goes wrong, we want to be prepared for it," Sterling answers.

"And this has nothing to do with your capabilities, but moreover the fact that we barely have a good idea of what's been happening behind those walls," Liliths says.

I look at her skeptically before Sterling explains, "While planning this entire trip, the leaders determined that they wanted to send a dozen warriors to scope out the area of the Ancient Forest surrounding Mylithia just so we could get a better idea of their infrastructure. According to those who went, their defenses are pretty impressive when under a lockdown. Xander was the one who brought up the idea at one of our meetings the other day and it was approved the next morning."