It was so dark and cold that for a moment, I thought I was dead. Every single cell in my body was aching and my eyes felt like they were lit on fire.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCpIARTsE3
My body trembled as ice cold fear snaked its way into my veins. My heart was beating so erratically that I was shocked that it hadn't burst into a million pieces already.
"Ariel," A voice whispered, and I spun around in the dark, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from.
"Who're you?" I screamed, or at least, I tried to scream it. My words came out low and weak and instead of the demand I wanted them to hear, all I released was a pathetic whimper.
It didn't matter though. The voice responded nevertheless.
"You know me," the voice responded and I wanted to shout at it, demanding him or her to be more clear with their words. The voice was too soft and I thought for a second that it sounded like a female's voice but I wasn't too sure.
The voice even sounded a bit familiar but I couldn't remember for the life of me.
For a long time, the only voice I heard was the dark one always echoing in my head. The one filled with menace, anger, and dark words. This was a different voice.
A kinder one.
"Who're you?" I cried hoarsely, terrified how dark the place I was in was. I couldn't see anything; not who the voice belonged to and not my hands that were trembling at the side of my body.
"I need to tell you some things, child," it said, sounding soothing and calm. "But before you do, I have a question for you."
"What is it?" I asked warily, clenching my hands into fists. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to forgot how much my eyes were hurting. Where was the burning coming from?
"Do you want to be free, my child?" She asked, and I snapped my eyes open from the idiocy of this question.
"What kind of question is that?" I shouted, my voice filled with exasperation. "Of course, I want to be free. Anyone in my position would want the same thing."
"I see," the voice stated, and I barely restrained a growl.
"Who are you?" I demanded again. "Can you help me escape this place? My friends too? Can you help them too? Answer me!"
"How far would you go for your freedom?" It asked, ignoring everything else I was screaming about.
"Anything. I would do anything for it," I shouted back.
"Then kill him," it said, and my anger flared.
"You don't think I tried that already?" I shouted, tears mixing with the excruciating pain still in my eyes. "You don't think I dreamed about it for years? Begged for it? If I was more powerful, if I had even an ounce of strength that could beat Lucius', I would've killed him already. And I would have done it with a smile."
There was a long pause where all that that can be heard was my rough sobs. I wanted her to scream back at me, so that I can yell back. I felt so angry and I wanted to use this imaginative figure in front of me as my outlet to all the sources of my problem.
"You misunderstood me, child," the voice said in the same grating tone that expressed feelings as blank as a white canvas. "You misunderstood my words."
"What're you talking about?"
"Lucius is too powerful to defeat," it said, and if my eyes weren't burning, I would've rolled them.
"I know that," I mumbled, not surprised by her pointless remark.
"In your state, you can't even hurt a fly."
"I know that too," I gritted out, urging her to get to the point.
"But you can get stronger," it finally said in a soothing tone. "You can even get your powers back. Only this time, it would be more sinister and far more powerful than the powers you have ever wielded before."
"How?" I breathed out, my thoughts filling with the elements of nature. Earth, fire, water, and air. It's been so long since I was able to connect with them.
"Not only would you get your powers back but you'll be able to hone it with sharp precision," it said, and I realized immediately that she can see read my thoughts as well. "The world will be at your fingertips."
"How did you read my mind?" I asked instead, yet I didn't fully dismiss her other words.
The thought excited me to a certain level. If I can get all my powers at full strength, then I might have a chance. A chance to escape.
I didn't need the world as the voice has suggested. I just needed my freedom. Our freedom.
"And you can achieve it," it said, and I noticed that she didn't answer my previous question.
"And how do I achieve it?" I asked, a giddy feeling exerting at the pit of my stomach. "I'll do it. I'll do anything. Just tell me. Please. Whoever you're, I'm begging you for your help."
"It's not something that I can do," it explained softly, but I heard it. The regret in its voice made my mind stop and think to what I actually had to sacrifice.
"What are you saying?" I asked, my lips trembling as I let the hope that I felt before drain down in me. "You said I had to kill "him". Who's him?"
If it's not Lucius, then it has to be- No. Don't let it be like that.
"I'm sorry," the voice said gravelly but I didn't believe that she was truly sorry about it. "But if you want to be free from Lucius' clutches, if you want to live again, then you have to kill him. You have to kill Trenton."
"What are you saying?" I shouted back, not caring about my powers anymore. No power is worth the death of an innocent - especially the life of my mate.
"I hid my presence from you for years. I was too ashamed for you to see how weak and pathetic I have become," it said sadly. "It's a surprise I'm still a presence in your head."
And with those words, all my questions were answered. I knew exactly who or rather what I was currently facing.
"I thought at first that you were the evil villain in my head," I replied, clutching my fists at the side. "The one who's been constantly drilling my head with evil thoughts and ruthless words. The voice that tells me I'm worthless."
"That's not true, my child," the voice pleaded. "I would never say that to you. You are the most precious girl I ever had the pleasure of meeting. I'm constantly in awe seeing you fighting for not only your life but the life of your friends."
"You're the silver wolf, aren't you?" I asked, deadpanned. I ignored all those pleasant words she used to describe me. I am none of those things. Not anymore, at least.
"You are everything I said and more," it replied back anxiously and the fact that she didn't correct me, made my assumption correct.
"The silver wolf," I murmured instead, feeling the burn in my eyes intensify. "After all these years, you finally made an appearance."
I sounded calm, saying those words but I was anything but. I wanted to rage at her, question her on why it took so long to answer my pleas.
"I was weak," the silver wolf replied, but I heard the regret in her voice. "I tried so hard to fight for you, but I couldn't, my child."
"And now you can?" I shouted, surprising myself with the tone of my voice. "Why now after all these years? Huh? I begged for you to come, but you never did. I was so alone, so useless. I had no wolf and no powers. I was his slave." Tears blurred my vision and offered temporary relief to the burning in my eyes. "I'm still his slave. And you never helped me. And now you're saying that you still can't help me!"
"I'm sorry," my wolf replied, but I ignored it. Sorry was a stupid word that didn't mean anything to me. I hated that word. Lucius made me use that word so many times and even though I was forced to say it, I never once meant it.
"That word means nothing to me," I said hoarsely.
There was a long silence after that, but I didn't want to break it. I had nothing else to say to her.
"Are you sure you have nothing to say to me? Nothing else to ask?" She replied back and I bit my lip, forgetting that she can see into my mind.
"No," I said adamantly, but I changed my mind a second later. "How are you to speaking to me now then?" My tone wasn't as hateful this time.
"It's because of our mate," she finally replied. "Trenton's wolf, however weak it is, was able to call out to me. Pull me out of the coma that I was heading to."
"Coma?" I asked, a bit of guilt entering my mind. "Is it because of the silver that Lucius keeps using on me?"
"Yes, Ariel," my wolf said. "That so;ver immobilizes me; making it hard to make an appearance. I'm sorry you felt betrayed by my lack of presence. There was nothing I can do."
"I believe you," I assured, but I knew some part of me was still unable to fully forgive her. "So now what? I knew being kept captive in this basement did change me as a person but surely you know I'm not so far gone that I would actually let Trenton die. I can't believe you even put that on the table."
"Then understand this," my wolf admonished in a voice that now seemed stern. "I was barely alive. The only thing keeping me alive was that my spirit knew that my soul mate was out there. It refused to die without knowing my mate."
"And now we know," I said. "Trenton recognized us as his mate. Shouldn't you be stronger because of our mate bond? Don't you feel more powerful now? Why on earth would you want to kill that only source of power."
"Too much time has passed," my wolf said and I heard the tiredness in her voice. "I am no longer the same wolf you once knew me as. I'm so weak and I'm unable to give you the powers to defeat Lucius."
"You said that already," I said, hating the fear in her voice.
"In my time of absence, another presence entered your mind," the wolf replied, ignoring my biting remark.
"You mean the other voice?" I asked, hating just thinking about the crazy cruel thoughts the other voice tells me to do." Who exactly does that voice belong to? If not you, then who?"
"It's the Crimson wolf," she whispered finally, and my eyes burned even more from just hearing the word. "The evil side of me. The one that is much more powerful than I am. The one that'll give you all the power in the world."
"That sounds terrible," I cried out. "I do want power and I do want my freedom, but not like that. The Crimson wolf, or whoever it is, is deranged and evil. She won't be able to help me. Only you can do that for me."
"Make up your mind Ariel," my wolf said, her tone now harsh. "It's either you or him. This has gone long enough. There is no other way."
"What exactly are you asking me to do?" I asked, my voice sounding dead to my own ears. "You want me to kill Trenton so that you can be killed as well?"
"Yes," my silver wolf answered simply. "If Trenton dies, I die...and the Crimson wolf emerges. You'll be stronger. And more importantly, you'll be free."
"The Crimson wolf is evil. She whispers dreadful things in my mind," I said again, trying to get her to see things from my perspective. "If she is set free, I will not be able to control myself. I might hurt someone that I love."
"Yes, that's possible," my wolf replied. "But you'll be free, child. Isn't that what you just begged me for?"
"Not like this," I protested weakly, but I could already feel my wolf slipping away from my mind.
"The crimson wolf is the key to everything. And I mean everything."
And with those last parting words, I was left alone.
***
"Ariel?" A new voice shouted desperately in my ear. I jerked back, surprised by the deep male sound, so different from the alluring voice of my silver wolf. My eyes, despite the fatigue and exhaustion I felt from staying awake for eleven days, no longer hurt.
"Yes?"
The excruciating pain in my eyes I felt when talking to my wolf was gone and in place was a relaxing bliss. I felt like my life was spiralling out of control these days and I don't even know who and what to believe anymore.
"Oh thank god," another voice breathed out, this time much closer to my face. I blinked rapidly trying to clear my vision before looking up into Scott's green eyes. "I thought for a minute you were a goner."
There was tears streaming down his face and despite the pain I felt in my entire body, I reached up to wipe his tears away. I hated seeing any of them cry.
"Ariel," Leon croaked, causing me to jerk my hand away from Scott's face.
"I'm okay now," I whispered, giving him a nod. I rubbed my eyes, still trying to process everything that I just went through. I still couldn't believe that I spoke with my silver wolf. It's been so long since I heard her mothering words.
But you'll be free, child. Isn't that what you just begged me for?
I bit my lip, remembering that not all of her words were mothering.
"What happened, Angel?" Cameron asked, shooting Leon a glare. "One minute you were calling out for Trenton, and the next you went total banshee on us."
I sighed, trying to alleviate the tension of this situation. I didn't want to give them hope, especially knowing exactly what hope entails. "I have no idea. My eyes starting burning and all of a sudden, everything went white." A horrible thought struck through me then, and the guilt that I never thought about this before, entered me as well. "Did I fall asleep?"
My head whipped around, trying to find Trenton. Was I knocked out when I was talking to my wolf?
"No. Like I said, you were screaming like a banshee the entire time," Cameron said, but I can tell that he knew that I was holding something back. "He's fine though," he said, nodding to someone behind me.
I turned around and saw Trenton staring down at me, with something akin to fear in his eyes.
Was that fear for me?
Or of me?
"What happened?" Trenton demanded, and there was panic coating his words. "Were you hallucinating or something? You sounded like you were dying!"
"I'm not sure," I mumbled weakly, but I could tell he wasn't buying it. It was an unusual sight to see Trenton look so worked up about anything. Especially when that topic was me.
"You're lying," he mumbled angrily, staring holes down at my face. "I can see it in your expression. Something happened, and I want to know what. For fuck's sake, your eyeballs disappeared. Don't tell me shit that nothing happened. I know something happened." The last words were forced out behind gritted teeth.
"Just forget about it," I mumbled, tearing my eyes away him. I'll never tell Trenton about what the silver wolf told me.
I don't want my mate's death hanging over my shoulders. I wanted freedom, but not only for me. I wanted all of seven of us to be free.
Trenton, Arlo, Cameron, Orion, Scott, Leon and I.
We all deserve a chance to be free.
That kind of thinking will only end in your death. Kill Trenton and set me free.
"No," I replied out loud, sending my message across to the evil voice. To the voice that I now know belongs to the crimson wolf. "I'll never do that."
"Do what?" Trenton asked sharply, squeezing my chin with his hand. "What the fuck is wrong with you these days? Is Lucius' game making you go crazy?"
"Fuck off," Cameron grumbled, shoving Trenton in his chest and making him release his hold on me. "She's doing it for you. Why the hell do you have to be an asshole about it?"
"I never asked her to do shit for me," Trenton mumbled to which I ignored. I got up from the ground with Scott's help, trying to focus on on my bearings.
The sudden movement of getting up brought blood rushing to my head. I let the dizziness wash over my body before looking for Orion.
My eyes widened when I saw him across the room, standing beside Arlo and the dreadful brothers who I came to hate. David and Derick, if I remember.
The sight of them all together looked strange but what was more strange was the smile playing on Orion's lips and the fear etched on the brothers'.
I didn't understand what was going on until I looked carefully at Orion and saw the item clenched in his hand.
All thoughts flew right out of my head when I saw what was in my friend's hand.
"Is that what I think it is?" I asked huskily, forcing myself to walk over to them. I tripped in my rushed state, nearly falling over my own feet.
"I got you," Orion spoke out, catching me before I fell flat on my own face. His arms felt strong against my fragile build as he placed me back on my feet. "Are you okay now? You worried me, Angel."
"How did you get it?" I asked instead, my words filled with wonder. I reached for the book that Orion still held in his hands, and gripped it in my own when he relinquished his hold on it.
"We blackmailed the brothers," he whispered in my ear, but I can hear the tease in his voice. The brothers growled from the other side of the room but I didn't care about what my friend used to blackmail them with.
Those brothers worked for Lucius. And because of that, they got no sympathy from me.
"I can't believe you got it," I murmured, pulling away from Orion. I looked down at the book, feeling the surge of power in it. I frowned though, seeing the chains still meshed around the book.
"What about Lucius?" I asked, still looking down at the chains. I traced the chains lightly, feeling tingles spread around my fingers.
"Him and his father are out of the country for the time being," he easily replied, making me look up at him sharply.
"Which means...?" I left my question hanging, not believing that this was actually happening to me. The words of my silver wolf was long forgotten. She was wrong for once. I don't need the crimson wolf to help me. I can do it on my own.
"Which means that if we have any chance of making an escape, it would be now," Orion answered, but looked down at me regretfully a second later. "Unfortunately getting the book is just the first step. Both Arlo and myself already tried to open the book but the chains wouldn't move an inch. We have a hunch that you'll be the key to opening it."
"Oh," I answered, the earlier excitement that I felt mellowing down just a bit. His last words sounded strange to me, and I couldn't help but feel a bit anxious hearing his choice of wording.
We have a hunch that you'll be the key to opening it.
I don't know why but his words left a bad taste in my mouth. I forced myself to ignore it for now, and instead wrapped my hands around the chains on the book.
"Here I go," I mumbled, and tried to rip the chains of in one swipe. Tears welled in my eyes when it didn’t budge at all.
"Looks like you're out of luck, kid," David spoke out in a nasty voice, his fear filled face now looking smug at our predicament. "Just give it up, brat. I told your mutts before that there is no key to your freedom. Looks like you're stuck being Lucius' pet, princess. "
While the others growled, telling me to ignore his words, I found myself actually captivated by it. There was that word again.
There is no key to your freedom.
And then before with Orion...
We have a hunch that you'll be the key to opening it.
I looked down at the book again, a heavy feeling building up in my heart. I tried ripping the chains off the book one last time, before stopping to place my hand on it.
A new dreadful thought was lurking at the corner of my mind. The more I tried to ignore it, the clearer the thoughts pricked my mind.
Seeing the black book in Lucius' office before, I knew there was a power in it that was calling out to me. Now, holding it in my hand, I realized too late that I was mistaken.
The power wasn't calling out to me...
It was calling out to it.
I'm insulted, princess. I have a name and "it" isn't it.
I clenched my eyes shut, trying to block her cackle out while scolding myself thinking that this was going to be easy.
Again, I thought that I was finally getting somewhere, only to have it all crashing down at me.
The words that seemed strange to me a moment before now all made perfect sense as if the pieces of a puzzles fit together like magic. The words that I was trying to block from my mind, shattered me into oblivion.
"So it's like that, huh?" I whispered to myself, sounding craze and hopeless as I mulled over everything that was said to me today.
There is no key to your freedom.
Wrong. There is a key, but not what I was originally hoping for.
We have a hunch that you'll be the key to opening it.
"Not me," I whispered, and finally the parting words that the silver wolf said to me, before vanishing into God knows where.
The crimson wolf is the key to everything.
And I mean everything.
Looking away from the book, I searched the room until my eyes connected with Trenton's. All the silly notions that I could do anything by myself escaped my mind when I saw the look in my mate's eyes.
He knew something was up and he's right for once.
The key to this book, to my freedom, to our freedom...was the Crimson wolf.
And the only obstacle that was keeping the key away from me...was him.
Kill your mate and set me free.
And Goddess forbid, but I couldn't stop myself from answering her.
"I see."
----
Any predictions ? Silver or Crimson...what do you think she's going to do next?
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