21. Ava
The stars are bright tonight. Each and every one of them. I’m not usually a stargazer, but right now, it’s a beautiful sight. There are constellations in the sky I’ve never noticed before—glowing like fireworks.
I can’t take my eyes off them. I’m in a trance. They make the dark night sky feel warm.
A presence has the hairs on my arm standing, and I turn towards where my intuition directs. That’s when I spot a woman with floor-length white hair and eyes that practically glow in the dark. She’s not dangerous; I can sense it.
She takes long, languid steps to meet me, her purple and cream dress dragging along the forest floor behind her. Her glittery skin shines in the moonlight. Iridescent and breathtaking.
“Who are you?” I exhale when she stops in front of me.
A line of gleaming makeup runs across her cheeks and over her nose to the other side of her face. The mark is unique. I wonder if it’s a tradition from wherever she’s from. I know she’s not human, but I don’t know where she belongs.
“I’m sorry, Ava.” Her voice is a velvety whisper of sorrow.
“For what?”
“For not helping you sooner. My powers were misdirected.”
My brows pinch together. What is she talking about?
“Who are you?” I repeat.
Whoever she is, she’s beautiful. Mysteriously beautiful.
She raises her hand and caresses my cheek. I half-expect it to fall through my face with how she looks like a spirit from above, but it doesn’t. Her fingers are soft like expensive silk, and I close my eyes to the sensation.
“I never wanted you to suffer. I’m glad you’re on the right path now.”
“What do you mean?”
When I open my eyes, she smiles, her cheeks creasing around her mouth. “You’re home, Ava. You are exactly where you are meant to be. I never wanted it to be through these circumstances, but this is where you belong, where you’ve always belonged.”
I flick my gaze between hers slowly. “Home? I don’t remember my home.”
“No.” She shakes her head and drops her hand. My cheek turns cold without her magical touch. “You don’t. But that was never your true home. This is your forever home. I know it’s hard for you to trust, but trust me when I say you’re exactly where you’re meant to be. I will keep saying it until you believe me—until you see for yourself.”
My gaze turns hazy for a second. “With Jaxon?”
Her smile is calming. “With the family that was meant to be.”
“Who are you? Tell me who you are.”
“I am always here, Ava. You might not be able to see me, but my energy will always be present.”
I blink at her words. “But I can see you?”
The next second, she’s gone, and I turn around to find myself alone. I swipe a hand over my forehead. “Hello?” I call out, but all I can hear is my voice echoing against the trees.
My hand touches my cheek from where I can still feel her presence. The moon above me glows so bright I shield my eyes from the sharpness of it. I wince and turn away.
“You’re home, Ava.”
I gaspa silent breath and sit up in my bed. My head whips around my room, but I’m alone. It was a dream. I press a hand to my chest and listen to my heart rattle against my ribcage.
Although I’m coming to terms with the fact it wasn’t real, an eerie feeling buzzes around my head. I close my eyes and attempt to control my breathing with large gulps of air.
She felt so…real. A mythical creature of some kind but, at the same time, a soul with heartfelt emotions. My fingers graze my cheek. I can still feel the warmth of her touch despite her pale skin. She radiated heat—comforting heat.
I’ve never seen anything like her in my life. She’s a mystery to solve. I crawl out of bed and get dressed into comfortable clothes before heading downstairs to the library. My eyes swipe past the clock on the wall. It’s barely eight o’clock in the morning, and I doubt anyone will be in the library this early.
My feet creep into the room as I turn on the light and glance around. It’s empty, thank goodness. I step forward and analyse the walls of books as high as the ceiling. A lot of them look ancient, covered in years worth of dust.
I chew on my lip. I don’t have a clue where to start. My hand rests on my hip as I walk to the furthest ladder. I test out the sturdiness of it before climbing the steps to reach the top. My eyes scan the spines for words that might stick out to me, but I’m not entirely sure what I’m looking for.
It’s more of an instinct than actual knowledge.
My fingernail hooks onto a book, and I pluck it from the shelf. I lean onto the ladder and flick open the pages, eyes scanning the contents. Pictures.
I focus on the pages, eagerly sweeping over the drawings in the book, but none of them are what I’m looking for. Instead, it’s a bunch of historic werewolf artefacts and heirlooms.
“What are you doing up there?”
The unexpected voice has me jumping out of my skin. I drop the book. My foot slips off the ladder, and I fall. I squeeze my eyes shut and release a squeal, ready to hit the floor, but instead, I land directly into strong arms.
I snap my gaze open to find Jaxon staring down at me with a wide smile, flashing off all his white teeth. A shiver runs through me as he holds me in his arms like I weigh next to nothing. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I murmur as I take in his handsome face. His stubble is neatly trimmed today, and his dark hair is swept back as if he’s styled it for the first time. Those blue eyes simmer against mine with peaceful stillness.
“Sorry,” he whispers. “Did I startle you?”
My throat tenses. “I thought I was going to hit the ground.”
“Never.” He drops his eye into a wink. “I’ve got you. Always.”
For a moment, I forget his arm is wrapped around my back and the other under my legs. My hands grip his T-shirt tightly, and I eventually start to peel them away when I realise I’m safe and not about to break my back.
“I’m going to put you down now,” he clarifies, and I manage a nod.
He lowers me to the floor with ease, and my knees wobble slightly. I pray he’s none the wiser. “Thanks,” I rasp and brush myself off.
“What were you looking for so early in the morning?”
I clear my throat, trying to ignore the tingles that flicker over my body like little fireflies. I’ve come to the conclusion that I enjoy touching Jax, but I also don’t want to get used to the feeling and rely on it when I’m down. I don’t want my own emotions to be masked.
“Do you have any pictures of the Moon Goddess?” I ask.
Jaxon’s brow quirks, a thousand questions passing his eyes. “Well, there are many different interpretations of the Moon Goddess. Us wolves don’t meet her personally; she’s more of a spiritual energy. The Goddess is our version of the human’s God.”
I nod. “Can you show me?”
“Yeah,” Jaxon hums and beckons to the other side of the room. “I believe there are drawings in here. Can I ask why?”
My lip finds its way between my teeth. “Just curious.”
Jaxon’s head moves upwards as he grabs a book I wouldn’t be able to reach without the ladder. “Let me have a look,” he says before removing a couple and laying them out on one of the wooden tables.
I follow him as he opens the pages to find what I’m after. At first, he shows me a picture of a woman with dark hair. She wears silver beads and charms in her hair with blue eyes. I hum softly, and he flicks to the next book.
“Wait,” I say, grabbing his wrist before he can turn the page.
He pauses. I take the edges of the book in my hands and bring it up to my face, shaking at the picture before my eyes. It’s not a spitting image of the woman I saw in my dream, but it’s very, very close.
“That’s what we picture her as,” Jaxon comments as he stands back and folds his arms over his chest. “White long hair and misty eyes, but no one knows. I don’t know anyone who has met her. It’s more of an idea, a feeling.”
My heart thumps in my throat. I know it was just a dream, but it felt incredibly real. It wasn’t like anything else I’ve ever experienced.
You’re exactly where you’re meant to be.
Her voice echoes around my head, and I take a shallow breath. No. No. I’m going crazy. My dream couldn’t have been real. I’m imagining things. It was just a dream—an overstimulating visual dream.
The thought of being visited by her makes my body vibrate. Those words she spoke into existence, I find myself wanting to believe them, as if I’ve been waiting for confirmation this entire time.
“Ava.” Jaxon’s voice snaps me back to reality. I look at him. “You okay?”
I flash him a weak smile. “Yeah.”
He quirks a brow, clearly not convinced. “Sure?”
“I just had a weird dream,” I admit. “It was nothing. Now, I’m just curious.”
I shut the book between my hands and lay it back down on the desk.
“Are you hungry?”
“Yes,” I answer far too quickly. Jaxon releases a laugh.
“Do you want to make breakfast together?”
I nod. “I’d like that.”
It’ll certainly take my mind off my crazy dream.