Chapter Eighteen
I woke up to the feeling of someone lightly shaking my shoulder.
I wanted to protest against the touch, refuse to open my eyes, but the shaking was insistent.
“Aria?” a voice called to me.
It was familiar and warm. It sounded like home.
I managed to open my eyes a bit, fighting against the bright artificial light that assaulted me as I did so. But after several seconds of adjusting, I managed to make out the face of my mother.
“Aria?” she called again.
“I‘m alive…?” I said, my throat dry and sore.
She quickly brought some water to my lips and I began to sip on it, enjoying the refreshing feeling that came with it.
“How are you feeling?” she asked as she began to look over my body, making several notes in a chart by the bed.
How was I feeling? I was sure I had died again. I was in the Abyss, I saw the memory. It was just like how i t had felt last time.
…So, how was I feeling?
I felt confused by the entire situation right now.
“I should be dead,” I replied.
She instantly turned to look at me, a little shocked by my blunt response.
“Don‘t say such an awful thing,” my mother said, her eyes full of concern. “You‘ve fully recovered, there‘s n o need to say something like that.”
Did this mean I was never in the Abyss? Had it just been a nightmare the entire time?
My mother looked like she wanted to say something else, but she was debating internally.
“You know…as a doctor, I‘m happy to see that you‘ve healed so well, but…as a mother, I want to scold you for stupidly running into danger like you did. What were you thinking, Aria?”
| already realised it was dumb the second I came face–to–face with the sandy wolf. She didn‘t really need t o scold me further. On the other hand though, if I hadn‘t been there then there was a good chance Cai would have died fighting off all four wolves, or Myra would have been killed.
me. I was sure I was only still alive
bleeding, not to mention how he‘d carried me
horrible realisation, I remembered then that Cai had been
okay?” I
to one of
to walk around again. I‘ve instructed for him to take it easy over the
hear he was going to be fine but
Chapter Eighteet
How long have I
unconscious for three days
was uncertain when inside the Abyss. Even if it was only a dreamed up,
else that we need to discuss,” she said. “I‘ve been trying hard to come up with other explanations for it but I‘m at a
What could be so serious that it would make the
“...What is it?”
your body… It looks like you‘ve
my jaw could have hit the floor, then I‘m sure it would have. What she
that possible? I haven‘t even been close to any
that sort of
be going around with a mate‘s marko n me. Not only that, but sure Aleric
on your back… with
And, internally, I cringed.
me choose my own fate. She seemed to have plans o f forcing me to stick around
Goddess had now marked me
what
expect a fourteen year old to know. No one had seen the Goddess‘ mark in over a millennium and even then, the accounts were iffy at best. I learnt about it very vaguely during my Luna studies and knew the ramifications it held. However, it was basically considered a
at her. My life
know why you were
the ranked members and elders would be pressuring
want to break her heart by telling her my story either. I wanted things to be normal between us. I wanted her to care for
cheek and shrugged my shoulder,
thankfully,
“You‘ve physically healed fine,
a few moments. Did I want to meet with him? Not particularly. But I knew it
Chapter Eighteen
that I would need to do eventually. I felt completely fine other than the shock and
with
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