Chapter 17 - Arianna
My heart pounds with the panic that seems to settle in my throat like a lump lodged there, preventing me from saying a word to my son as I hold him tightly and rush to Tyler's house.
It's not the sighting of the terrifying rogue, but whatever happened to me in the pack center, and especially what I saw.
It was like one of those nightmares I've been having every night—being chased until I'm caught by the treacherous creature with yellowing teeth and darkening claws—but it was different this time.
The creature shifted and revealed himself to be James, but that's when Noah appeared from behind me and called out to me.
James's smirk turned sinister, and he lunged for Noah then.
I snapped out of the vision just when Tyler shook my shoulders, and now, as I rush to his house, I can't stop thinking that what I experienced was a vision.
Like A.B. from the journal. Her visions were described clearly, how she'd often snap into a daze where she'd see things so vividly, it was as if she was living through them.
Despite putting her gifts in the past when she met her true mate, her visions still came sometimes, and he described what she looked like on the outside when she had them.
Milky white eyes, and pale flesh as if she were seeing a ghost. During her visions, she couldn't see anyone in the physical plane, while she tapped into the future through a mystical realm that she couldn't control.
It's how she found out she was pregnant, and how she was able to tell what time her mate would be home, down to the second.
Is that what Tyler saw when he found me? Milky white eyes and pale skin?
I shudder when I think about it, still not wanting to believe that I could be like A.B. I don't trust that all these pieces seem to be tying together just to tell me that I'm special.
Tyler made it abundantly clear that I'm not.
I get inside the house just as pattering feet stop on the porch. I turn to find a heavily pregnant stranger holding onto Brynta, her breath coming out in hot pants.
“Brynta!” I exclaim, and she pulls the other woman inside after us, locking the door behind her.
“Alpha Tyler's instructions,” she explains quickly. “This is the Lunaris luna. He said you'd know where to hide us.”
I nod firmly and lead them down the hallway to the main bedroom while carrying Noah, who appears as frightened as I feel as he keeps his lips pursed. Using a strong foot, I push the bed toward the window, revealing the latch that leads to the bunker Tyler told me about before.
“Get the latch!” I instruct Brynta, recognizing the sternness in my voice and wondering where it's coming from. She slides the latch and opens up the trap door, and I glance at the window once as the siren continues to ring out to signal the danger outside.
I nod at the woman whose name I don't know yet, wanting her to get down first since she's pregnant. She takes the flight of wooden stairs down, and I turn to Noah and gently tell him, “Go down with Aunt Brynta, okay?”
He nods timidly as I pass him to Brynta, appearing comfortable with her since he met her again this morning, and she'd taken us to the nursery. Once they're halfway down the stairs, I crouch and hold the trapdoor, about to replace it over the bunker.
“I'll be back in just a moment!” I call out to them, seeing their shocked faces turn to me before I close the door and secure the latch, before they can talk me out of this.
I know that whatever is out there is here for me. It's been chasing me from Salem, and it's somehow tied to a shady fling I now regret entertaining at all. Not able to stand idly by while Tyler is out there chasing the creature, I rush out of the room and sprint down the hall.
Just as I'm about to throw the door open, a stampede of heavy footsteps shakes the ground outside, and I sense Tyler's presence in wolf form, the scent of old leather and spice strong from behind the door.
The sickly-sweet undertones of his scent are a not-so-gentle reminder of our mate bond and how he continuously rejects fulfilling what is fated. But that's not what's important now, and I take a step back just in time for the door to come crashing in.
Tyler's eyes meet mine, dark and appearing murderous, as a group of three men and one woman follow him inside. He doesn't take his eyes off me as he speaks to the woman and directs her to the underground bunker in his bedroom.
The strangers seem familiar with him, and they're as bulked-up and strong as he is, their eyes equally intense when they see me. Only one of them—a blond who's slightly taller than Tyler—stares at me with softness in his green eyes, and grins from ear to ear as if he recognizes me.
I've never seen the man before.
“Hey there…who—”
Just as the other man is about to speak, probably to ask who I am, a guttural growl forms in Tyler's chest, and he grabs my arm and forcefully pulls me down the hall.
We stop outside the guest bedroom I've been using, and he doesn't let go of my arm until he's pulled me inside and shut the door behind us.
“You need to tell me what happened back there,” he says in a commanding tone as he finally releases me. The mild sting from where his fingers had me cuffed is bitter, and I rub my arm, frowning at him.
“Has the rogue wolf been taken care of?” I ask, to which Tyler clicks his tongue and shakes his head.
“It's been chased off our territory, but I think it might come back.” He steps forward, wearing an irritated expression. “You need to tell me what happened in the scullery. You said you saw yourself being chased. What was chasing you? How did you see it?”
“I—I don't know…” I say as I tremble fearfully, reminded of that strange vision and having no idea what it could mean.
“What do you mean you don't know, Arianna?!” Tyler huffs discontentedly, grunting as he turns his back on me.
He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated.
“Goddess! I'm really trying to understand you, Arianna.
But you're making it so hard when you have these walls up to keep me out!” He spins around again, his eyes cold depths of accusation. “It feels like I don't even know you!”
“I don't even know myself anymore, Tyler!” I snap back, battling the internal wars in my head. “I don’t know what's happening to me, and I'm afraid, okay?! I've been living in fear these past few weeks, and it's only getting worse!”
The anger that bubbles in my chest forces me to turn my back to him this time, taking in deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself as I hug my arms across my chest. When his large hands settle on my shoulders, a wave of relief washes over me, and I feel no urge to pull away despite everything he's done to hurt me.
Truthfully, I need my true mate more than I've been willing to admit.
“You need to tell me what's going on,” he whispers, his voice softer and soothing now. “That's the only way I can help you, Ari.” Tyler sighs as he retracts his hands once I've calmed down, but I'm left with the remnants of flickering awareness from his touch.
“I don't even know where you were all these years, or what your life was like,” he continues, sounding so sad that I'm compelled to turn around and see his head hanging bashfully.
“It's all just so…confusing,” he sighs as his shoulders slouch, becoming weighted by all the things we have yet to speak about.
I gulp hard, knowing that I can't tell him everything yet. Not when he showed me a second time that he can't be trusted with my heart. As if to offer me an escape, the pendant on my chest begins to warm up.
This part is important because if my vision is linked to the rogue appearing in Portland, then this affects not just me or Noah, but the whole pack. I can't let the lives of others be endangered because I'm withholding something from their alpha.
“If you must know, I was living in Oakland all this time…with Noah,” I begin, and Tyler finally lifts his head and stares at me with keen interest. “I was pulled to return to Portland when someone or something trashed the cottage we were living in.”
“Noah's father was already dead?” Tyler quizzes, and I gulp, knowing that there are some things that I'll have to lie about.
“Y-yes,” I concede with a nod, walking backward toward the bed and sinking on it as if the weight of that lie is bearing down on me. “He died many years ago, before Noah was born.”
Tyler nods thoughtfully and takes a deep breath.
“Do you know who trashed your cottage and forced you out?”
“No,” I shake my head slowly, reaching under the bed to retrieve the blue box.
Tyler frowns as he watches me lift it onto my lap.
“I have my suspicions, but I can't be sure.
I've been having dreams…nightmares that have somehow turned into visions.
Well, one, today. At least, that's what I think it is.”
Tyler nods thoughtfully, hooking a hand under his chin. “That's what happened to you today, in the pack center. I saw it, you were staring blankly at the garden, and your eyes had turned white.”
A shiver courses down my spine when he reveals this. It's what A.B. described in her journal when her mate would watch her have her visions.
“I don't know what's happening to me, or why it's happening,” I whimper as I drop my head, staring at the lid of the box, my fingers skimming the corners.
“I just know that my inner wolf is guiding me toward figuring it out. And I…” My voice trails off when it feels like I've said too much, and I've become too vulnerable in front of a man I should be protecting myself against.
That man drops to his knees in front of me, placing his hands over mine and staring into my eyes.
“Look…I don't know what kind of life you had while you were gone,” he says softly, and there are still traces of sadness in his voice that pangs my heart with guilt. “But you had Noah, and that means that you were happy. And that's alright.”