Chapter 134 — The Dream

Aria tossed and turned in her bed.

Exhaustion had pulled her into a restless sleep, but it did not bring her peace.

It pulled her into a nightmare, the likes of which she hadn't faced in a while.

She found herself standing in a dense, fog-laden forest, the moonlight could barely penetrate the thick canopy above.

The only sound was that of her own ragged breathing. An overwhelming sense of dread weighed on her, urging her to turn back, but an inexplicable force drove her forward.

“Where am I?" Aria whispered, her voice swallowed by the dense fog. "Why does this feel so familiar?”

It was unlike any of her previous nightmares. It was like she was watching herself from a third person’s perspective along with being in the dream as the first person, all at the same time.

The path beneath her feet was uneven, littered with decaying leaves and gnarled roots that seemed to grasp at her ankles, trying to pull her down because they were so deep. She stumbled, catching herself on a nearby tree, its bark rough and cold against her skin.

"This is in my head," she told herself, a vain attempt to quell the rising panic. "It's just a dream.”But the dream felt far too real. She could smell the damp earth, the rot of the fallen leaves, and the faint, metallic tang of blood in the air.

She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as she continued onward, drawn inexorably to an unknown destination. The trees began to thin, revealing the shadowy outline of ancient ruins. Crumbling stone walls, remnants of a civilization long forgotten, an inn, a marketplace, and rows of houses lined up as she moved through them.

The air grew colder, the chill seeping into her bones. The unsettling laughter from earlier still echoed in her mind. Aria's breath came in visible puffs as she passed the ruins, her eyes wide with a mix of curiosity and fear. The ruins seemed to pulse with a malevolent energy, as if they were alive and watching her. She could hear distant murmurs from the inn, sounds of old hustle and bustle from the marketplace, wails of small children from the homes.

She hesitated at the threshold, a voice in her mind screaming at her to turn back.

"I have to know," she whispered, stepping forward. "I have to understand.” It was a voice inside her, commanding her. She navigated through the ruins until she came to an old cave.

The temperature plummeted further. The air was thick with the stench of decay and something far worse and then inside the chamber, she saw David.

He stood with his back to her, pushing back and forth, his movements slow, in a rhythm. A woman lay under him, her body writhing in ecstasy. Aria's heart shattered at the sight, a cry of anguish escaping her lips.

"David! No!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the cave. David turned slowly, his eyes locking onto hers. But his gaze was vacant, his face twisted into a grotesque mask of dark desire. The woman beneath him looked up, her features contorted into a hideous grin, her eyes black and soulless.

"Aria," David said, his voice a chilling monotone. "You've come to join us?”Aria stumbled backward, her mind reeling. "This isn't real. This can't be real."She grabbed her head, shaking it, praying for the image to go away.

But the scene before her was all too vivid. The woman's laughter filled the chamber, a dark, mocking sound that sent shivers down Aria's spine. She watched in horror as David continued his sordid act, oblivious to her presence."This is your doing," the woman hissed, her voice a venomous whisper. "You brought this upon yourself."

Aria's vision blurred with tears. "No, please. Stop this.”The woman stood, her body shifting and morphing, becoming demonic. "You cannot escape your fate," the demon intoned. "He is mine, just as you are."

Aria tried to back away, but her feet seemed rooted to the ground. She felt a cold hand wrap around her wrist, yanking her forward. The demon's touch was icy, sending a jolt of pain through her arm. She struggled, but the grip tightened, pulling her closer.

"You will suffer as I have suffered," the demon whispered, her breath hot against Aria's ear. "You will know the pain of betrayal and loss.”Aria's vision darkened, her body growing weak. She felt herself falling, the ground rushing up to meet her. The last thing she saw was David's blank, emotionless face, staring down at her as if she were nothing.

And then she heard her name again and again as someone shook her shoulders.

"Aria! Aria, wake up!”

Aria gasped as she opened her eyes. The moment she saw David bent over her with worry spilling from his eyes, Aria jumped up and hugged him tight. As tight as she could, burying her face in his chest and whimpering.

“ Aria? What's wrong?" His hand held her tight, his voice aching with concern.

She struggled to find the words. "I had a nightmare. A terrible nightmare."

David sat up, pulling her closer into his arms. "It's okay. It was just a dream."

Aria shook her head, the images from the nightmare still vivid in her mind. "It felt so real. There was a cave, and you... you were with another woman. A demon."

David's brow furrowed with concern. "A demon?”

She nodded, tears streaming down her face. “I was in a place that had old inns, and a marketplace in ruins, I could hear voices… And it said… It said I brought this upon myself. That I would suffer as it had."

David held her tighter, pressing her so hard, he could have broken her ribs.

He tried to steady his voice, "It was just a nightmare, Aria. It doesn't mean anything.”

But his mind was reeling. The description she was giving eerily matched with his past reality.

It couldn't have been just a dream.

Her body was drenched in sweat. She touched her wrist, half expecting to find the mark from the demon's grip, but there was nothing. Or so she thought. Slowly a faint mark appeared exactly where the demon had grabbed. It was blue, like a bruise, then red, orange, and yellow before it disappeared.

Aria gasped, looking at David, terrified, “ Did you see it? ”

David's eyes were wide in horror implying he had seen all of it. He grabbed her waist and pulled her onto him. “ I won't let anything happen to you. I promise! ” He caressed her hair, kissing her head like his life depended on it but Aria's mind was somewhere else.

“David, I saw you on top of that woman,” Aria’s voice trembled, her eyes pleading for some explanation. “You were… you were inside her. She was smiling at me, and you… you didn’t even care.”

David’s face went pale, the words slicing through him like a knife. “Aria, I…”

“No, let me finish,” she interrupted, her voice cracking. “You looked right at me, and it was like you didn’t even see me. You were lost in her. And then she turned into something else, something evil. And you just… you kept going. Like you were under a spell.”

David’s heart ached at the pain in her eyes, the sheer vulnerability that stripped her bare before him. He wanted to erase the images, to soothe her fears, but he couldn’t find the words.

“ It's like something I have seen before. It's like something I can't remember! ”Aria grabbed her head, eyes shut, as some images flashed in and out of her consciousness. Images of her younger self with David, images of him scooping her away from the Silverscales, images of her running away, Alpha Sebastian and then Ava with David when she had come back.

Her eyes shot open as she let go of her head.

“ David… ” She was struggling to get the words out. “Didn't you sleep with Ava? Do you think this could be her doing? Could she be the one who took our daughter? She despises me, hates me. She is trying to take everything away from me… ”

It wasn't just her voice, her entire body was trembling as she held onto David as if he were her last anchor.

David knew all too well it wasn't Ava. He never truly slept with that woman but there were others he had in mind. But there was no way he could tell Aria about it. He had to figure it out by himself.

Just then, there was a knock at the door and one of the guards asked for permission to come in.

“ Come in! ” David yelled, unwilling to let Aria go. She was cocooned in his arms, completely shaking.

“ My king, we have a lead.” The messenger delivered after a bow.

David's eyes sparkled at his words. “Tell me! ”

“ There is a man. He can explain it better than I can. He is waiting for you at the grand hall! ”

David's eyes furrowed, “ Ask him to wait at my office! ”

The messenger bowed and left.

David turned to face Aria, “ I need to take care of this. I will be back in no time. ” He kissed her forehead passionately as Aria murmured, her voice lost in all the crying. “ What is it about? ”

David smiled and replied, “ Our daughter. We will be getting our baby girl back home soon. "