𝙴𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜𝚎𝚍

Chapter Thirteen

"Eliza darling," A soft, kind voice called out to me, soothing my aching mind. "I need you to listen to me."

I opened my eyes to find nothing but an endless night sky, a blanket of stars twinkling in the abyss. Everything was fuzzy, and I could hardly recall what had happened to me before I had opened my eyes.

"Where am I?" I called back, uncertain where the voice came from. "Who are you?"

I searched the nothingness, trying to find the owner of the voice but the pressure in my head grew worse and worse. Suddenly, without warning, my lungs tightened. My breaths became shallow as each one I took felt as if I had been breathing in fire. A harsh cough had escaped me, then several more until my hand had been completely covered in my own blood.

"What-" I stumbled as the memories of being chained to a post while Alison whipped me over and over flooded my mind. And with it, a searing pain slowly branched throughout my back, enveloping me in agony. My legs gave way beneath me, all the feeling in them had vanished and I fell to ground. Tears poured down my face, as I started to writhe in the unimaginable pain. I screamed, but it only made the pain worse.

"Sweet child, breathe." The feminine voice coaxed, but all I could focus on was the feeling of drowning in my own lungs. That was until a comforting coolness soaked into me. "I shall not let you die."

Gentle hands cupped my face as the woman tilted my head up towards her. She was encased in a soft incandescent light, akin to that of the moon, and her pale hair danced around her. The woman wore a white gown and her feet bare, while her sliver eyes glowed with a loving warmth.

The agonizing pain came to an immediate halt, and my skin tingled in its stead. "You. . . you are her, are you not?" Tears still streamed down my face, though now they had been tears of relief.

"Yes, child." She hummed, "I am the mother of all Wolves, and the Goddess of the Moon."

"But why have you come to save me? I am not worthy of your love." I shook my head in disbelief. It had to have been a dream, something my mind connected to soothe me just before the last bit of life finally left me. For it was clear I was dying.

"You are worthy of more than you know, Eliza." She brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes. "Which is why we cannot waste any more time." She coughed, and the light in her eyes slightly dimmed.

"Listen, Eliza." Her tone stiffened, and her presence started to waiver, "You must attend the Ball, no matter what, do you understand?"

"Why? What does that have to do with anything?" I looked at her perplexed.

"I do not have much strength left. . . it took everything in me to. . . heal you." Her breathing started to sound labored, "He. . . will be there. You must find him, and he will keep you safe."

"I don't understand, who must I find?' I begged, but she was slowly slipping away from me, her light darkening as the endless night around us swallowed her whole.

"Your. . . mate." She touched my cheek once again, "His name is. . . L-"

I woke up gasping for air as the morning sun forced me to squeeze my eyes shut.

"Was that just a dream?" I opened my eyes again, then wiggled my toes to make sure I could still feel them. The numbness that I had a vague memory of was gone, yet I still pinched my skin all the way up both legs to make sure. Then I quickly climbed out of bed and made my way over to the dressing mirror that stood in one of the corners of my room, hoping to see if my suspicions had been correct. And they were. Not only had I not looked like I had just been at the brink of death like in my dream, I also had not felt like it either. All the pain had vanished and there was no sign of me ever having been beaten. "Perhaps it has yet to happen?"