AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You have always been different,” Nicolai speaks up, his expression thoughtful. “Even before your magic manifested.”
The two of us had grown up together. Honestly, I had a huge crush on him. When we were older, we started to become much closer, and his flirting felt much more meaningful. He remembers everything about our lives in our remote pack, and he is the only one who knew me before.
Being described as different always used to seem like a bad thing, only making me stand out from everyone else in the pack. I was an orphan with bright red hair and lilac eyes, not to mention my connection to the goddess. Then my magic appeared, confirming once and for all that I was different from everyone else. However, now that I see the path my life has taken and who I’ve met in the process, being different doesn’t seem to be too much of a bad thing after all.
Atlas has been quiet for a while now, his brow furrowed, and I’m worried about his reaction. Of my mates, he knows me the least, and although both the witches and werewolves worship the same goddess, they have different beliefs about her. Therefore, I don’t know how his knowledge of the goddess will affect how he sees me.
A small, thoughtful noise pulls my full attention to him, and as his eyes meet mine, nerves twist in my gut. “I have heard of the archway giving truths about a person’s life in the form of memories before, but we always thought it was nonsense, because no one survived the arch with their mind intact.” He looks apologetic, and I sense his regret over the situation. “We thought it was babble.”
“Did you meet any of them? What happened to those witches?” I’m pretty sure I already know the answer to my final question, but I need to know if they are still around, and if I can speak to them and try to decipher their visions.
Atlas’s face is drawn, as if he’s lost in an unpleasant memory. “I only met two of them. The archway isn’t used often.” Sighing, he rubs a hand roughly through his dark hair. “Those witches died.”
“At whose hand?” Scott asks quietly. The question is asked neutrally, but it’s pretty clear Scott already has an idea of exactly how they died.
Atlas’s whole body stiffens at the unspoken accusation. “Some of those witches were dangerous. They were spouting nonsense about being attacked from the inside and were trying to hurt other witches within Haven. They had to be dealt with.”
We all know what that means. Those witches are now dead and were put down like stray, feral dogs.
I wonder how many of those witches actually had visions like mine but were dismissed as insane. The archway leaves no mental stone unturned, so I know how easy it would have been to fall into madness. There’s no denying that they were broken from their experience, but all of the memories they saw are now gone forever. Their truths were wiped away and forgotten just like they were.
“The others just retreated into their minds and eventually died within a couple of days,” Atlas continues, his arms crossed over his chest.
That final comment seems to break what little restraint Syn had been holding onto, and within a flash, he crosses the room and pins Atlas up against the wall. Gasping, I step back as Scott and Joel jump in to separate the two.
“You didn’t think to mention this before now?” Syn snarls, his face a mask of rage. “Our mate is at risk.”
An icy breeze suddenly fills the room, and Syn is shoved back several feet, the two werewolves holding onto him stumbling back in surprise. Atlas stands in a defensive position, ready to use his ice magic again, but I can already feel him calling it back to himself.
“Laelia is a completely different case. Don’t you think I’d be panicking if I thought she was ill in the same way? If I thought she might die?” he barks, his own anger spiking over the implication that he would allow me to get hurt and not say anything. His pride as a mate is wounded, and after bonding so recently, that’s got to sting.
Thankfully, Syn shuts his mouth, sensing that anything he says will only hurt me despite his anger at the witch.
Joel, ever the peacekeeper, steps into the gap, pulling all eyes to him and helping to relieve the tension in the room. However, he turns his gaze to me, his expression expectant. “What do we do now?”
It takes me a minute to accept that they are all looking to me for guidance. All I know is that I’m having to take this one step at a time. I can’t think too far ahead without panic seizing my gut. My darkness has been suspiciously quiet, and I wait for her to chime in, but when she doesn’t, I take a deep breath and focus on coming up with a plan.
“Now,” I start, glancing between them, “we get ready for a party.”
ChapterFive
“You look badass.”
Luna’s comment makes me smile as I finish swiping my blood-red lipstick over my lips. I’m wearing minimal makeup, only a dusting of powder over my face to give me a slight shimmery look in the light and some mascara to frame my unusual lilac eyes. My scarlet hair falls around my face in loose curls.
She’s right, I do look badass.
“Thank you, that was the vibe I was going for.” I grin at her in the mirror, my eyes widening as I take in her barely there outfit.
I was assured that tonight will be different from the other balls and celebrations that have been thrown since I’ve been here. Ball gowns, corsets, and formal suits are being ditched in favour of modern clothing, apparently all in my honour. Stepping into Haven had been like stepping back in time, and I never really understood why. It’ll be interesting to see what everyone else is wearing and how they interpret the dress code.
Luna spins around, and I let out a low whistle. Her dark hair is pinned up in an artfully messy bun, and several strands curl around her face, showing off her glittering silver eyes. Her body is clad in a skintight red dress that ends halfway down her thighs. Triangular slits in the dress show off patches of her tanned skin around her waist, the neckline dipping dangerously low. The outfit leaves nothing to the imagination, and honestly, she looks amazing.
“I know, I look smoking.” She grins, posing with a pout for a moment to give me a better look at the overall effect.
Laughing, I raise my brows. “Whoa, stunning. Has Kano seen you yet?”
The question is asked innocently enough, but Luna instantly turns suspicious, narrowing her eyes as she plants her hands on her hips. “Why do you ask?”
