In the midst of a new beginning, troubles start to arise. Thrown into a world she thought was fantasy. Artemis now has to learn how to live with a new being inside of her. She needs to learn to trust people if she wishes to survive.
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Third
"Are you serious?! Did you hit your head too hard?! You were screaming at the top of your lungs. Like..." Elli stops to control herself. It is all too much for her, like reliving the past all over again. "You were being tortured as if you were burning alive. And you ask about the nurse?! You are unbelievable Ari." She finishes, feeling drained and weak.
The moment she says screaming, the nightmare plunged into Artemis's mind, her realistic nightmare. She remembers every little thing, her screams, her fear, their sadistic smile, the way they enjoyed her pain.
Its crystal clear it was not a nightmare, but a night terror. Artemis shudder at the memories.
Her smile falters, sadness and fear consume her body. Taking her to the far side of her mind, the side of Artemis where no one is allowed in. The side of Artemis where if a person enters they would be in so much pain to even worry about exiting. Where all her dark memories are buried, of them. Of what they did to her.
Artemis feels a small shake and hands on her. The touch reminds her of them; when they touched her body, making her feel worthless, disgusted with herself, making her claw at her own skin at night.
Making Artemis feel ashamed when she flinches as her parents hug her at night. When she's going to therapy, the tears and sobs prevent her from talking. The same hands that made Ari believes she's not worthy to live in this world, that she doesn't deserve to receive love. The same hands that haunt her dreams, the dreams she so badly wants to forget.
They watch as she closes herself off, hiding in her mind, as sadness and fear take over her body. Not knowing what is she feeling, one thing they were all sure of, she remembers her nightmare. They can still hear her screams echoing in the back of their minds.
Elli watch as her best friend disappears into herself. She knows that if she won't act fast, it could take hours, days, or even weeks to help her get out of this state. She shakes her, trying to ground her, not knowing she's making things worse.
Elli realizes that her sister is trapped inside her own mind. Surrounded by words that cut deeper than a knife. She knows Artemis wouldn't let anyone inside; her only hope is Nyx. A wolf she feels connected to, a sense of belonging, a place she knows is safe to let her emotions out. Even if Artemis doesn't believe in werewolves.
Elli closes her eyes, focusing on her wolf, Sky. A majestic silver wolf, a rare wolf, a royal wolf. A wolf who strikes fear in other werewolves. "Can you speak with Nyx?" Elli asks her wolf.
The others in the room can feel the power; still not used to the fact that Elli is a royal wolf. They watch amazed as her aura changes and power drip from Elli. They know if someone passes by, they would put Elli in danger.
Grey, realizing the situation, mind-link his alpha. Telling him not to allow any pack-members into the west wing. Not waiting for an answer, Grey focuses back on his daughter.
"I think so, she's in a tornado of emotions," Nyx answers. All she wants is her human safe and sound.
Elli feels the connection and leaves them alone. Knowing, that's not a territory she's allowed in.
"No, no! Keep them away from me," Artemis yells with tears. Nyx is looking at her with her own teary eyes. Knowing what horrors her human is going through.
Nyx walks towards her slowly, not wanting to scare her more than she already is. She puts her snout on Artemis's knee and whispers. "You're safe, no one is going to hurt you. You are in a safe space, you can cry, scream, do whatever you want because you are safe, from them."
All while Nyx tries to calm Artemis down, Elli remembers something. She takes out her phone, searching for the "cure". Taking the phone, Elli plugs in the headphones and puts them on Artemis's ears. Playing the one song that can help Artemis understand she's safe.
"What are you playing?" Dean asks, curious about Elli's doings. "One time, she played me this song. Saying it helped her understand she's not alone. That there are others in this world with stories similar to hers." Elli sighs, remembering the day she first heard it.
"I hope she can hear it and helps her understand that she's safe." They watch carefully, in silence. Hoping the young and strong pup lying in front of them would come out of this horrid state. None of them ever experience such trauma.
They all know that being a werewolf makes you stronger, physically. You have better health, a stronger immune system, werewolf can't get sick. But, what they don't know is that being a werewolf strengthens your mental health as well.
You deal with emotions better than the average human. Trauma proceeding is a lot easier. And having a wolf who has the mental capacity to help, makes it more painless to deal with trauma.
Victoria starts pacing around, feeling suffocated by the situation, while her wolf starts raging inside her mind. Not understanding why she feels like that, why does she feel the need to comfort Artemis? Why does her wolf feel the same things as she does?
Dean watches his sister pacing while listening to the song's lyrics. Wondering which song can possibly help Artemis. Listening closely he shut his eyes and focus on the lyrics.
'You used to put me in the corner, so you could see the fear in my eyes.'
'Then took me downstairs and beat me 'til I screamed and I cried Congratulations, you'll always have a room in my mind But I'ma keep the door shut and lock the lyrics inside.'
Understanding the meaning of the words, Dean can't help but wonder if Artemis went through something similar. After all, Elli did say this song helped Artemis realize she's not alone.
The thought of something like this happing to Artemis fills Dean with anger and despair. "Dean, help her," Fenrir says quietly to Dean. Fenrir cannot take it anymore. He wants Artemis safe in his arms, and he knows his brother Tyr feels the same way.
Grey stands next to his daughter, knowing she needs someone to lean on at the moment. He met Artemis only a few times, but Elli always speak about her.
He knows he wasn't the best father to Elli, but missing your other half is hard; it takes a toll on you. If it was another werewolf, they would probably suffer from depression.
He looks at Artemis, feeling proud his daughter was there for another person in difficult times. But also feeling proud that Artemis was able to pull herself out of the pit of trauma. Admiring the young adult for all that she went through. Knowing well, he would have never been able to live afterwards.
Tuning out the world, Elli focuses on her connection to Artemis. She never knew why she had that connection in the first place. If Artemis was from the same pack it would have made sense, but she isn't.
Not dwelling on the matter, she calms her heartbeat, clearing her mind of evil thoughts. Replacing them with warm feelings and thoughts. She doesn't know if Artemis can feel the connection, but she's going to try.
Nyx let Artemis cry on her. All while talking to her sister.
Artemis raise her head as she realizes the morbid truth. She knows damn well, Nyx is real. There is no denying it anymore. "I am really a werewolf, huh?"
