Chapter 19 - Arianna
Watching Noah play with the toys he'd received as gifts from Delilah when she returned from Scarborough to retrieve the things she needed for the ritual, I smile.
Tyler has barely left the house these past two nights, babysitting Noah while I learn more about my mystic heritage from Delilah.
Our grandmothers were good friends, and her grandmother is still alive to recount more tales about Azura's past. Delilah promised to take me to Scarborough to meet her once we've taken care of whatever this is with the visions and the mutated rogue werewolf.
“Ready?” Delilah asks from behind, snapping me out of my daze from watching Tyler and Noah play with a set of building blocks. As I nod, a pang of guilt sets in.
Tyler has been so supportive about my learning about my abilities, and I've been so preoccupied that I haven't decided if I should tell him about Noah or not. There's a part of me that wants to, but another part keeps my mouth shut until the right moment presents itself.
We haven't really spoken about anything apart from my powers and unlocking them tonight, under the full moon. I'm not even sure if there is something between us, and the kiss we shared on the mountain is slowly starting to feel like pity, like he just wanted to lift my spirits at that moment.
Maybe it's just better for me to think of it that way, so I don't have to feel too guilty about the secret I'm keeping from him.
It's growing increasingly difficult to imagine Tyler and Noah apart, since they've been growing closer by the day. Deep down, I know Tyler will probably reject Noah as his son, just as he's rejected me as his mate in the past.
“I am,” I say, clearing my throat and turning to Delilah. Just then, a knock on the door signals Brynta's arrival. She's come to babysit Noah while Delilah, Tyler, and I go to the pack den to perform the ritual.
“Mama, look!” Noah exclaims, shuffling off the floor and running over to show me the house he and Tyler built with the blocks.
“That's amazing, Noah! Wow!” I praise him as I hug him goodbye and meet Brynta to thank her again for offering to babysit.
Our group of three heads to the pack den in the meadow, near the opening of the forest, well-lit by the moonlight.
Coming out here with Tyler brings back memories of the night I lost my virginity to him and became pregnant, but I compose myself with steady breaths not to dwell on those memories tonight.
I'm meant to have a clear mind to participate in this ritual—one that will determine if my nightmares and that vision were correct, and that James had disguised himself as a human, while being a mutated wolf.
I'll also have a clearer vision and tap into James's thoughts as he's about to kill me to understand why he's after me.
“So…tapping into my powers means performing a ritual…?” I giggle nervously, feeling strange about this new world I discovered as Delilah opens her bag and pulls out vials of vibrantly colored serums. As she lifts each one out and holds it up to the moonlight, she mumbles under her breath—words in a different language.
“Spanish,” Tyler whispers as he leans over, sliding one arm across my shoulders. “I've heard her muttering in that language a few times. She learned it from her mother.”
I nod thoughtfully as I try not to focus too much on Tyler's arm around my shoulders, watching Delilah as she pops open the lid on each vial and throws some of the serum into a wooden bowl.
“What are those?” I ask with a frown, as Delilah turns stern eyes on me.
I guess this is the part when she becomes authoritative and controlling, because her imposing stare sends a shiver down my spine.
“Licorice root…” she says as she pours the first vial into the bowl. “Elderberry….” A rich, violet-colored serum goes in. “And Deadly Nightshade.”
“D-deadly…?” I gasp, and Delilah snaps out of her concentration.
“It's not actually deadly, silly!” she chuckles and waves a dismissive hand through the air.
“It just has very potent hallucinogenic properties, to strengthen the vision you already had and infiltrate the rogue's mind.
I'll be going under with you, just ‘cause I have more experience, and I'll be able to read his mind. Hence, the deadly nightshade.”
I nod slowly, exchanging a wary glance with Tyler before Delilah calls me over. She fills two cups with the mixture of brownish liquid, passes me one cup, then turns to face me.
She begins muttering in Spanish again, before lifting her cup to her forehead with both hands. She nods at me to do the same, and when I do, she speaks louder.
“We give thanks to the Moon Goddess, who orchestrates and guides our purposeful work in the physical realm…our bodies are merely vessels, and our minds are portals to show us the visions of the path we must travel.”
Delilah lowers the cup and tips it to her lips, and I follow her lead, drinking the tart mixture and chugging it down despite the tanginess that stings my throat.
When I'm done, I pass the empty cup to Delilah, wincing and grimacing as the odd drink flows down my throat. She returns the cups to her bag and turns to Tyler.
“Make sure that we're not disturbed under any circumstances,” she instructs in a stern tone. “We need to be uninterrupted for this to work.”
Tyler nods, remaining tight-lipped when Delilah gives her orders. He's clearly had experience with her when she's in strictly business mode, but she's not harsh with me.
“Come, sister…” she says in a gentler tone as she offers out her hand.
Once I take it, she leads me to the tip of the forest, guiding me down onto the soft blanket of grass in the meadow. She proceeds to lie down on her back, and I do the same, a profound thought entering my mind when I look up at the sky.
This isn't as bad as I thought it was…
The whole notion around being a half-breed isn't what I thought it would be. A wave of calm, powerful energy settles around my body, my fingertips and toes gently tingling with pleasant sensations.
It feels…familiar…like the warmth of a mother's embrace.
Delilah already explained that this ritual would be a calm one, and I should always keep one thing in mind.
“This, too, shall pass.”
It's how I'll be able to tell the difference between reality and the vision.
Inhaling deeply, I gaze fondly at the stars in the sky, a faint, distant voice calling out to me, echoing in my mind as if the stars are speaking to me. I surrender fully and allow the potion to work through my nerves, pulling me into a trance.
Swirling patterns in vibrant, bold colors dance across my vision, each outlined by strokes of gold that frame the bright blue, pink, and purple-shaded shapes. Like a flower in bloom, the painting of colorful patterns soon opens up, revealing the forest that usually shows up in my visions.
I hear my name being called again, this time recognizing Delilah's raspy voice. She's in my head, just as she warned me, threading the fine line between the physical plane and the astral realm where she can tap into the mutated rogue's thoughts.
At least, the thoughts he might have if the vision is true, and it foretells the future.
The same scene opens up, but I don't feel even a flicker of fear when I know this isn't real. The mutated creature chases me, but I'm not running for my life.
I'm running to buy Delilah enough time to read the creature's thoughts. The moment I crash and hear Noah's name, I'm abruptly snapped out of the trance.
Sucking in a full breath, I feel Delilah's hand on one shoulder, while Tyler's is on the other.
Delilah chuckles. “That was a wild ride!”
My nervous half-laugh comes sporadically as I cough, my throat dry. Tyler helps me sit upright and passes me a bottle of water.
“Did you get what you needed?” I ask Delilah before taking a long pull of water.
She nods as she stands up, towering over Tyler and me and planting her hands on her hips.
“That man you're seeing is definitely the rogue wolf. You're not just putting a random face to the creature.”
Partly shocked, I gulp. I had no idea James was a dangerous, mutated wolf creature, and I'd been so close to him.
“Okay…what else? Why is he after me?”
Delilah begins pacing in a circle, biting her bottom lip in contemplation. “He is not after you, Arianna. He's after your son.”
“Noah…?” I gasp, my heart freezing at the revelation that it's my son who's in danger.
Instinctively glancing at Tyler, I notice his face paling, as shocked as I am.
“It appears you're running only to save your son from the rogue,” Delilah continues, still pacing around.
“Why is he after Noah?” Tyler asks, straightening up and helping me to my feet.
“Because…” Delilah turns and meets my eyes. “Noah is a precious, gifted child, Arianna. You are a witch, and Noah is the son of an alpha.”
My heart instantly sinks, and I pick up on a distinct glint of recognition in Delilah's eyes as she purses her lips.
She'd been inside my head, so of course, she knows who Noah's father is.
She presses her lips in a firm line, a frown flitting across her brows as if she's gauging my reaction.
She gives me a brisk nod as if to encourage me to take the leap of faith.
There's no hiding the truth from her, and I can't hide it from Tyler any longer.
I gulp hard, turning slowly toward Tyler, knowing that this is the moment I will have to seize to tell Tyler the truth. It's the only way I can keep Noah safe, and Tyler is bound to find out eventually.
This is bigger than either of us, and I've been contemplating telling him, anyway. Especially since he's been so supportive these past few days, and I've been growing to trust him again.
When I catch him frowning at me with pain in his eyes, I want to change my mind.
“So, James was an alpha, then?” he scoffs, running a hand through his hair, but I'm left frowning.
“James?” I ask, frowning back. “No, James is the name of the man who I thought was human, but turns out, he's the mutated rogue that's after Noah.”