Chapter 118 - Trinity POV
Sleep claimed us sometime after sunrise.
I woke wrapped in warmth, my body deliciously sore in the way that only comes after something sacred and consuming. Irune lay beside me, breath slow and even, one arm draped possessively across my waist. In sleep, he looked younger. Unburdened. Like the weight of the world had finally loosened its grip on him.
I would have stayed there forever if my bladder had not staged a full rebellion.
As I shifted slightly, Zuri stirred in my mind.
She stretched, her presence brighter than it had ever been. Not stronger exactly. Renewed. Whole. This was what she was always meant to feel like once her life had been returned to her. No curse. No chains. Free to love. Free to live. And when this life finally ends, she and Malik will be free to rest. Truly rest.
The old ache was gone.
But something else hovered beneath her calm.
Before I could ask, pain detonated behind my eyes. I wanted to scream from the pain but it was too intense.
It felt like my skull was splitting apart from the inside as hundreds of voices flooded in at once. Thoughts. Emotions. Fear. Hope. Desperation. They slammed into me in a tidal wave, stealing my breath.
I collapsed back onto the bed with a gasp, clutching my head.
Zuri, what is this?
Her voice sharpened instantly.
The final thread of the mate bond has locked into place. You are now fully connected to the Cooper Mountain Pack.
This is not a pack link. I had been part of a pack before. I had felt their presence, their hum in the background of my mind.
This was nothing like that.
It’s too much, I whispered. It’s like a thousand conversations happening at once. I need to shut it off. Make it stop.
This is new for me as well, Zuri admitted. I never heard others’ thoughts. This may be tied to your dreamwalker ability. We will need to learn how to shut it down.
I tried. Gods, I tried. I willed the noise to stop, begged my mind for silence.
Nothing.
The pressure intensified until my vision blurred.
Trinity, Zuri said urgently, I think the Seer is knocking. Focus on him. Remember his aura.
I forced myself to breathe. To reach for that familiar presence. Slowly, the door appeared, just like before.
When I opened it and stepped through, silience. The noise gone instantly.
The silence was so abrupt it left me dizzy.
I sank to my knees, pressing my palms to my temples.
“Well,” a voice said lightly, “this is interesting. I hadn’t planned on seeing you again.”
I didn’t bother turning. I stared at the door.
“The noise is still there.” he continued. “I felt your distress. With all that chaos rattling around in your head, you wouldn’t have noticed me otherwise.”
“Do you know how to stop it?” I asked flatly.
“Nope.”
I sighed.
“But,” he went on, “you will need to control it. Soon. The more people you touch, the more voices you will hear. Everyone felt your shift in power last night. The supernatural world tilted on its axis, and you now sit at the center. They will seek you out.”
I stiffened.
“Those who fear Stephen will come to you,” he said. “They will look to you for protection. As you connect with them, you will gain access to their truest intentions.”
“I was not told about this,” I snapped. “How do you know all of this?”
He chuckled. “You really should read up on your history. And the prophecies of our kind.”
“That’s all well and good,” I said through clenched teeth, “but I need to learn how to shut the noise off.”
He tilted his head. “Have you tried listening?”
“There are too many.”
“Then try speaking. You are now their queen.”
Before I could respond, the space shattered.
“Good luck, my Queen.”
Within seconds, I was hurled back into the chaos of my mind.
Talk to them, he said.
I rolled my eyes and muttered out loud, “That’s insane.”
Instantly, it was as if someone had slammed a gavel down.
The voices fell silent.
“Oh shit,” I whispered. “Did that work? Can you hear me?”
In perfect unison, they answered.
“Yes, my Queen.”
My stomach flipped.
Zuri, I whispered. What do I say?
May I? she asked gently.
Be my guest.
Her voice carried through the mental space, calm and commanding.
Everyone, please be patient with us. We are still learning our powers. I know you have come seeking answers.
“We are afraid,” one voice cried.
“Stephen and his army are at our doorstep,” another shouted. “How will you protect us now that you are our Luna and Queen?”
Zuri steadied them, then yielded the space to me.
“Please,” I said firmly, “calm down. I hear you. I understand your fear. But this is not the place for these conversations.”
I swallowed, forcing strength into my words.
“I am glad to be connected to you all, but I need my mind back. Having hundreds of voices here has incapacitated me. I promise I will hear you. I promise we will speak. But not like this.”
I took a breath.
“Let me wake Irune. We will call a meeting on our pack lands at the training grounds. All who want protection are welcome to come. There, together, we will answer every question you have. I will return to send you the time once I have had a chance to speak with Irune, but I must wake first. There is nothing I can do here while in this state.”
“Yes, my Queen,” they answered.
One by one, the voices withdrew, and silence returned.
Now, I thought grimly, I need to learn how to lock the damn door. Control who can come and go into my mind. And learn how to reach all when needed.
When I was certain it was only Zuri and me, I forced my eyes open.
Irune was already awake.
He was sitting up, eyes locked on mine, intensity radiating from him.
“You had them in your head, too?” he asked quietly.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “But I was pulled into yours. Then you vanished.”
“The Seer came to me,” I said, swinging my legs over the bed. “Told me this is our new normal.”
Irune exhaled slowly.
“Well, so much for rest. We need to call a meeting.”
I met his gaze, power humming beneath my skin.
“Yes,” I said. “We’d better.”