Raised Among Alphas

76 - A Song

Alora POV 

There was a light current of fresh air traveling by the passage of the cave that brushed against my fur. It smelt like salt and wet earth.

Do you know how sometimes certain smells transport you back in time? Well... this smell, it takes me back to the time when I was young. When I came here to play with the Varon brothers growing up. 

The three of us would spend hours hiding in here until eventually Luna Saurey or my dad would come in to drag us out. This place smells like childhood and innocent rebellious spirits. 

Shortly after my father died, I came in here once. I stayed, wishing and waiting for him to come for me, to chastise me for not returning in time for dinner.  But he never came. Jathred and Kasthor were the ones who found me instead. Thinking back, that was the last time I was here. And now I'm back. 

More than 10 years have passed... but this place remains the same. 

The luminescence coming from the glowing moss that covered most of the walls looked like a mix of blue and green. 

The closer we got to the heart of the cave, the brighter it glowed. 

"We are here," I told my mate as the thin passage opened and we reached the heart of the limestone fortress. 

The view was just as majestic as I remembered.

A huge opening with several limestone pillars joined the floor and the top of the cave, some of them thicker than the others. The crystals in them glowed in different tones reflecting the light from the luminescent moss that decorated the walls and portions of the ground. Some pillars were purple, blue, pinkish, and golden, while others had darker tones as deep green, crimson, and copper tones. And then, of course, the cream-colored ones took over most of the area. They were all beautiful and unique in shape. 

I felt Ithax holding his breath taking in the sight of this place. I knew he would like it. 

"It's... wonderful," He said through our link. 

I shifted back to my human form. With so many pillars, it's easier to walk around when you aren't a huge wolf. 

Ithax followed my lead and shifted right beside me. His hand found mine and the sparks he always causes in me, ignited my skin. 

"Here... the pool is this way." I turned to look at him and the wonder in his gaze made me smile proudly. 

I felt a sense of greatness, being able to share this underground palace with him. A secret beauty hidden in my lands, making the Desert so much more mysterious than what you can tell from the outside. 

It feels great to share this place with my mate, and the way he admires it reminds me why I love him this much. The fact that he can appreciate this masterpiece of nature makes him worthy of being here. 

The path to the underground pool was steep downhill. It's a hike I wouldn't recommend to try naked, you end up with dirt and limestone in places where they do not belong. But I didn't quite think of it until it was too late. 

The lower we went the stronger the smell of fresh water became. Simultaneously, a sentiment of calmness began to sprout inside me. It is hard to put into words but it was as if we were reaching some other world in which all that ruled was good and peaceful. Like reaching a celestial ground. 

"Hey baby, come here." Ithax reached out his hand to grab my waist pulling me to his side. His voice stern.

"What is it?" I asked him not quite understanding the reason for his sudden protection. 

"Something is odd." He told me. His eyes scoured around the cave. 

I don't know what he was feeling or what had him on edge. Neither Thana nor I were able to sense any threats, quite the opposite. We were relaxed enjoying the graceful atmosphere spread all around this place. 

"I can't sense anything. Come... we'll be fine." I told him with a smile pushing my sense of easiness through our bond. 

He kept walking but his hand remained on me, not leaving an inch of space between us. 

After a couple of minutes, we were low enough to see the water in the distance. It glistened as if it was hosting a million little stars. The crystals in the water were shining in it, and the closer we got to them a little humming noise called me in. It started as white noise, some sort of ancient sound trapped in the water. I was irrevocably drawn to it, and the closer I was, the clearer the noise became. 

The white noise transitioned into a subtle orchestra composed of dozens of different sounds all interwoven to create the most delectable of all sounds. Almost as if the water, the crystals, the limestone, the moss, and the dirt underneath me had voices of their own and were singing to each other. 

I don't ever remember hearing anything like it before. Maybe I was too young to fully appreciate such beauty. 

Hypnotized by the rhythm, my feet followed the melody until without realizing what I was doing,  I found myself at the edge of the water. 

"Come in... get in the water... come in..." The song surrounding me extended its invitation. 

And I listened. 

Without warning my body left the edge and dived into the water. I was suddenly too heavy to float. Or maybe too light to move. It was a new sensation. Like losing all gravity. I couldn't go up to breathe, but I wasn't sinking down. And for some reason, breathing wasn't necessary. I wasn't desperate, I wasn't lost. I was perfectly comfortable trapped in the water. The crystals reflecting the light made the water look like a rainbow. 

Maybe I was trapped in the inside of a rainbow. Maybe we indeed reached another world. 

"Alora" The song recognized me, calling me to it. 

"It's me," I told it. Not quite knowing what else to say. 

"You are not afraid." The song said to me, it wasn't a question. 

"Who are you?" I asked intrigued, not fully aware of what was happening. 

"You are stronger." The song said to me disregarding my question. 

"What is this place?" I asked another question, my body perfectly still surrounded by the dazzling waters.

"Go to the Forest, towards your destiny. Grow stronger and remain fearless, then you'll be able to answer your questions." The song said to me, and suddenly I was aware the water was loosening the grip it had on me. 

It was releasing me, but I wasn't ready to leave. I wanted to stay a little longer. I was magnetically attracted to this place.

"Wait! I don't want you to go." I told the song as I felt it fainting away. 

"Be light and live the void, then come back true to yourself. That's the key to succeed."  That was the last thing the song said before fully vanishing away. 

Like everything it said to me, I couldn't understand its full meaning. I felt it must have been something important but I couldn't get a grasp at its hidden intentions. 

Then, the burning need for air attacked my lungs. My body was no longer trapped in peaceness, now the freezing cold water was biting into my skin. 

I need to get out of here.