The Spellbound Heart

Chapter 18

Lily Pov

I could hear everything around me, My dad Willing me to come back and to be ok. I could hear grandma Lenora whispering something over me that sounded creole because it sure wasn't English. The only person i couldn't hear was Shalom or Harlou, which scared me, Did something happen to them? The last thing i remember was reading something in the grimoire then everything went black and i felt hot. I tried speaking or moving but i couldn't i felt trapped inside my body, i even tried searching for alex but i couldn't feel our bond anymore like she wasn't there. "You must be the newest one mated to my Harlouson." Came a deep voice within the darkness. "Who is that? Alex?" I called out. It was still dark, and it felt cold. "It's not every day that I get visitors, much less ones who are willing to sacrifice themselves to save a Hell Hound" The voice said to me letting out a chuckle that echoed within my head. "Who's there?" I asked again but it went silent as I felt myself falling deeper unable to catch myself or wake up from this nightmare.

Shalom's Pov

Eventually I forced myself upstairs feeling empty being away from her for so long. I sat in the chair beside our bed taking her father's place. His eyes where red and puffy but he was barely standing. I sent him down the hall to one of the spare bedrooms so he could try and get some rest. I sat down grabbing her hand in mine before I laid my head on our hands to close my eyes for a bit. I'm not sure how long I managed to sleep but I woke up to her squeezing my hand. Her eyes weren't open, but she was breathing heavily like she was running from something. I leaned over her trying to get her to open her eyes. "I'm here, Lily babe I'm here. Its ok I've got you" As I spoke to her, she calmed down, her breathing slowing and going back to normal, but she didn't open her eyes. It killed me not being able to do anything. "Can you feel for Alex?" I asked Harlou. Hoping for anything positive to come out of this. "No, I can barely feel lily, but I can't feel Alex at all. It's like she's gone..." He said quietly. which scared me even more. We waited for days for some sort of change, but nothing happened. The moon goddess gave us little hope the only thing she could tell us was that she couldn't see into her future anymore. Not that she was going to die just that fate couldn't decide what would happen next and that wasn't a good sign. In the meantime, other wolves came to our pack some came back that were a part of my father's old pack. Others were looking for shelter having been on their own for a long time. They each pledged their loyalty to me and by the end of the week there were a little under fifty wolves not including children. With things stressing me out with lily everything in me wanted to turn them all away a part of me not being so trusting to just let them in. But Lily's father along with Oliver and Kayan helped set them up in the houses throughout the pack. Kayan even offered some of the previous pack members their old homes back. I pulled myself together and participated in any way I could. I couldn't have the thinking their Alpha king was in hiding and I didn't want them to grow suspicious of their Luna's whereabouts, if anyone had ill intentions it would make her an easy target. "Shalom there's someone at the entrance i think you should come and see." Abraham called to me through the mind-link. "What is it a new pack member?" I asked curious as to why he didn't just take care of it. "Just come" he said getting agitated. "On my way" I said biting my tongue I was on edge with lily's condition and sometimes i think Abraham forgot i was his king but him treating me like a son and not cowering at my presence gave me more respect for him. I grabbed my shoes and made my way down to the entrance of my territory hoping it wasn't some rogue trying to get in. I welcomed old pack members and wolves who never belonged to a pack, but rogues were a no, not all of them were bad but some of them couldn't be trusted. As I got to the entrance, Harlou growled withing my chest. "It's Naomi's sister, they smell alike." I felt my fangs protrude from my gums involuntarily. As a low guttural grow escaped my lips. "I didn't come here for any of that." She said bowing her head in submission, i could tell she had no wolf though. "Are you sure this is her sister?" I asked Harlou confused. "I never officially met her but i know of her having a sister and since they smell almost the same this has to be her. "Why are you here" I asked trying to contain Harlou's anger. I know he'd have no problem killing her if she seemed to pose a threat. "I know she's dead..." She said nonchalantly. "If you've come for her body your too late i put it in the incinerator" Harlou spat at her. "I had an inkling you might've been the one that finally killed her but i was hoping it was lily for all she's done to her. I cocked my head to the side in confusion. "Id like to speak to lily if that's alright". I looked to Abraham, and he shrugged his shoulders. "Put some extra men on patrol at the boarders." I mind linked to Abraham. "Follow me" I said to her. My trust didn't go that far outside of my family and i barely trusted my new pack members, but their lives were still entrusted to me, the last thing I needed was this being some sort of set up to get to my people. I'd rather be safe than sorry. I led her back up to the pack house telling her a little bit of what happened before getting there. I couldn't tell if it was genuine, but she started tearing up and her voice cracked. "How long has she been this way?" She said to me as we reached the pack house. "It's been a while and nothing we've tried has changed anything. The moon goddess doesn't know what to do, and we have no answers. She just lays there mumbling every now and then but that's it" I said pausing. I led her upstairs to our room and she all but choked on her own words looking at lily. "Oh, sweet child" she said laying a hand on her cheek. "Thats not all" I said pausing. She looked up at me expectingly her age showing in her eyes as i saw real fear shine in them for lily. "She's carrying my child" I said letting out a shaky breath it's the first time I've said it out loud in a while and it made my stomach twist in knots. "Where is the book?" She asked. "The moon goddess took it back with her when she found out, she didn't want anyone else getting hurt." I said walking around to the other side of the bed. "Well, what did the seal look like?" She asked curiously. "It had a pentagram with a black wolf in the middle, but it all sat inside a sigil that had some foreign language written around it." I said trying to recall it. "Something along the lines of armet diam" Harlou repeated. She looked up at me as if something clicked in her head. "Can you call on the moon goddess?" She asked. "Seeing as I'm only human i can't call on her like you can id have to do a summons ritual and that's a tedious process" She explained. "What for?" I asked not knowing what she was getting at. "Every spell, every curse can be reversed you just have to know what you're doing." She said with a hopeful tone in her voice. "But the moon goddess said there could be consequences for changing fate" I retorted. "Every time a witch casts a spell or creates a curse, we are altering fate. And even if it is a risk...I'd be willing to make that sacrifice for her. I always felt like I never did enough for her, i did the best I could when i took her from Naomi but i always wish i did more." She said looking down at lily smiling solemnly. She looked up at me waiting for me to call on the moon goddess. It took a second, but she soon appeared in the room. She looked tired. "Shalom, i have told you there is nothing i can do at the moment, I'm trying to find her fate but at the moment it's still blank" she said running a hand down her face. "Maybe you can't, but i can" Elldrid said to her. The moon goddess stopped looking at her. Cocking her head to one side she scoffed at her. "Thats an interesting disguise" she said to her. Elldrid squirmed in her seat a bit. "Well people are more approachable when they have something nice to look at, I was never a pretty girl growing up, but thanks for pointing that out" She spat back at the moon goddess. "And what exactly do you think you can achieve that I can't?" The goddess asked her. "I'm willing to make the sacrifice you can't" She retorted back. "But I need the grimoire" The goddess laughed loudly as if she'd said the funniest thing she ever heard. "I can't make that sacrifice for many reasons that i know lily would understand, as for you i don't trust your kind, the last time one of you had access to that kind of magic my grandchild ended up cursed." She argued. "That may be true but at least she was awake and living her life, one of you goddesses misplaced a grimoire and now she's like this, if anything you owe it to her to make that sacrifice, it may not directly be your fault, but it may as well be!" She spat. The goddess pinched the bridge of her nose, her anger radiating off her in waves it was almost palpable. It was also the first time i directly heard her refer to lily as her grandchild. "You think i sit by, watching her like this on purpose? There isn't a thing on this earth i wouldn't do for her, but there are things that i cant do this is one of them if i alter her fate i damn my own, and the next goddess may not be so helpful" She said stalking over to her. Elldrid whimpered at the energy radiating off of the moon goddess a bead of sweat falling down the side of her face. "You may not be a wolf, but you should still know your place little witch, mind your tongue" She said turning away from her pulling her energy back in the room began to cool down. She must've really ticked her off because I've never seen her angry like that before. "I will not give you the book, but seeing as your willing to help lily i can do this much" She said snapping her finger a small piece of paper appeared on the bed containing the sigil that was in the grimoire along with some of the writing. I turned to thank her, but she was already gone. "She's a bit testy" Elldrid said wiping her face. I chuckled under my breath trying not to let my amusement show. She paced back and forth studying the sigil. Her brows furrowed in confusion, and she stopped pacing looking at lily. She explained the sigil as best she could. "This sigil is made for breaking seals bound by the goddesses, like any magic when casting a spell you have to have intent, she had to have been thinking of you and was intending on finding a way to break your seal. My heart sunk at the thought, she's the most stubborn woman I've ever known, and I love her more for it.  "This doesn't make any sense..." She said walking over to her. "What doesn't make any sense?" I asked worried. "This incantation, this sigil. If lily broke the seal and it was too powerful, it might've killed her or made her extremely weak but the magic I feel from this wouldn't have put her in this state" she said sitting down. "Why didn't the moon goddess notice that?" I asked. "She wouldn't have she's looking for a way to wake lily she might not have bothered reciting the incantation to read the magic." She spoke. I looked between her and lily trying not to let my emotions get the best of me, but things just became more complicated. "So, what is it then what has her like this?" I asked standing to my feet feeling anxious. "You may be able to find that out...well not necessarily you, but Harlou" she said as a matter of fact. "Just temporarily i should be able to send you into her consciousness if you can find her then maybe you can find what has a hold on her, it may be the key to waking her up. It's a long shot but for now it's a start" she said. "What do i need to do" I said impatiently if it meant getting my mate back, I'll do anything. She needed some specific herbs so i mind-linked grandma if there was anyone that could have the herbs she needed, it was her. Still cautious of her intentions i had her send over Kayan with the herbs and had him stay to keep watch, i also mind-linked Abraham to stay outside our room in case anything happened Kayan couldn't mind-link without a wolf but i also didn't want her to feel too intimidated if she could actually help. She Made some sort of drink that would supposedly knock me out, once under she'd chant a spell binding my consciousness to lily momentarily. I swallowed down the drink that tasted like shit and waited. After a few minutes i felt my body get a little too heavy to hold up so i sat on the bed leaning against the headboard. Before long i couldn't keep my eyes open and i fell under. Still hovering at the precipice of consciousness i could hear everything. I heard Kayan speaking to Elldrid asking her questions each step of the way being just as cautious as me. Then i heard her chanting, repeating the same words over and over again as they began to Echoe and the words became faint. I started to feel a pull like a fish on a line but i didn't fight it I let it reel me in until an image came into view. From the pictures Abraham showed me i knew it was lily as a small child. She was playing with a woman who looked eerily similar to the moon goddess, i assume it was her as a mortal when she was younger. A young lily ran in my direction being chased by her grandmother squealing and jumping when they went straight through me. "This must be one of her lost memories" Harlou calls to me. I kept moving still feeling that same pull as that memory faded out into another. This time she was a bit older standing in front of her father, he took a swing at her, and she pivoted just in time landing a blow to his ribs. He must've been training her. She laughs throwing her arms up in victory just as he recovered wrestling her to the ground tickling her. "Thats cheating!" She shouted her face turning red from laughter. Following the pull, I kept moving, image after image of the life she'd forgotten until everything went black. A sinister laugh whispered through my head as i looked around. Harlou instantly standing alert coming forward before I had the chance to do anything. "It's been a long time Harlouson" The voice called out to him. I could feel Harlou had shoved me back almost pushing me out of her consciousness. Fear hitting me through or bond. "What's going on" I asked frantic, I've never felt harlou afraid like this. "Hello?" Came lily's voice. Sending relief flooding through me. "Lily" Harlou called out to her. "Harlou?" is that you" she shouted. "I can't see you!" She said fear causing her voice to tremble. "Always trying to do what's right" The voice called out. "Let her go!" Harlou demanded. His anger and fear intertwining and hitting me like a train. "Harlou?" Lily called again her voice sounding closer. "Here! Follow my voice" Harlou shouted frantically searching for her. Reaching out i felt something graze my hand. frantically reaching out i began to here Elldrid's voice come back in, feeling her pull me back awake I felt a hand in mine and grabbed onto it just as she pulled me back. I gasped for air holding my chest. It felt like a bolder had been sitting on my chest. I immediately turned over to lily hoping i was able to pull her back. When she blinked her eyes open wheezing like she had just run a mile. Recognition shown in her eyes as tears filled them and she grabbed onto my shirt. Sobbing into it i held her tight to my chest. Looking around i could see the emotion on Kayan and Elldrid's face, hearing her sobbing Abraham burst into the room. Nearly knocking me off the bed he ran over to her side hugging her tightly. sobbing into her hair, he looked over to Elldrid. "Thank you!" He said sobbing. She smiled weakly at him grabbing on to the chair by the bed she steadied herself. I Jumped up to help her sit down. "I'm fine, that just took a lot out of me" she said. "If you don't mind i need to lay down for a bit" she said laying a hand on lily's head. She looked up at her smiling. She stood helping me get elldrid down the hall to the other guest room. saying our goodnights, we went to get some food from the kitchen. I stared at her for hours afraid if i looked away for a second she'd be asleep again and it would all be a dream. "We need to talk" Harlouson called to me. When it dawned on me that he hadn't come forward since she opened her eyes and it alarmed me that he wasn't just as excited as everyone else that she was back.