Chapter 168: Her Daughter Is in Peril!

Chapter 169: Her Daughter Is in Peril!
Zephyra's POV

Amara nodded understandingly. "That's good."

I gazed out the window briefly, gathering my thoughts. What Ophelia needed was a family that loved and valued her. She would grow with time, and I needed to keep showing her that I would never leave her. Unlike my own mother, I would be there for my daughter, no matter what.

Taking a deep breath, I turned back to Amara. "Amara, I need your help with Fiora, my wolf."

Despite being marked and bonded, Fiora was still causing trouble. It took tremendous effort to control her, to prevent Noah and Storm from discovering just how out of control she was. The constant struggle for dominance with her left me exhausted.

"What's going on with her?" Amara asked, her expression shifting to professional concern.

"That's the problem... I don't know," I replied, frustration evident in my voice.

Amara leaned forward slightly. "Why don't you start from the beginning, and then I'll break it down step by step."

I nodded, gathering my thoughts. "Her strange behavior started when we were rescued. At first, it was little things, but over the years, her behavior has gotten worse. She constantly lashes out, says cruel things, and calls me names. She blames me for everything that happened to us. Sometimes she takes control and forces me to shift, then pushes me to the back of my consciousness and blocks me out. One time she tried to attack Marcus, another time it was Noah."

Amara's brow furrowed with concern, and I felt my anxiety spike. That expression meant she thought Fiora's issues were serious.

"Anything else?" she prompted, pen poised over her notepad.

"Yes. She's always threatening me. Telling me I'll pay, that she'll make me suffer. One time I was in danger, and she refused to shift. She told me she hoped that rogue wolf would tear me apart and kill me."

I didn't mention the truth about the beast—Dominic and Noah had insisted that information remain confidential, known only to the Lycan Council, the Alphas, Marcus, and myself. Something was hunting wolves, and we needed to keep it quiet.

"Has she shown any contradicting symptoms? Like being fine one moment and not the next?" Amara asked while taking notes.

"Maybe once or twice. Those times I could see the old Fiora. The gentle wolf I got when I was thirteen. Most of the time, she's just angry and in pain. Sometimes I wonder if she's been replaced." I sighed in frustration.

Fiora's behavior was driving me insane. She was always watching me, telling me how much she hated me and wished I would suffer. The constant effort to suppress her left me mentally drained, especially after sleeping with Noah. I was always exhausted, moving through life like a zombie.

"I can't be certain yet and would need to run more tests, but my conclusion is that Fiora's consciousness may have split," Amara said carefully. "Usually, when someone experiences trauma like you did, it's possible for them to split or dissociate from the trauma. It's a coping mechanism."

I stared at her, confused. "I don't understand. Why would it happen to her? She's in my consciousness, Amara. I was the one who went through torture and hell."

Amara shook her head. "Yes, but you intentionally or unintentionally pushed the emotional trauma onto her. You may have endured the physical trauma, but she endured the emotional one. You have physical scars, she has emotional ones. Why do you think you didn't break like others would have during the torture? Why do you think you became numb? It's because Fiora was processing the mental and emotional parts. All that trauma would inevitably cause the bonds holding her together to start breaking, and when that happens, her consciousness begins to split."

I sat frozen in my seat, trying to process Amara's words. Fear gripped me as I realized everything I thought I knew was wrong. I had assumed I went through hell while Fiora remained unscathed, but in reality, she might have experienced something even worse. My body had healed from its trauma, though I still struggled. But Fiora had emotional and mental trauma, and those scars sometimes never heal.

I had been selfish with Fiora, seeking help only for myself while trying to hide the fact that she was falling apart. I hadn't realized she needed help too, rather than being pushed to the back of my consciousness and hidden away.

"I'll schedule another session," Amara said gently. "I think we should do a comprehensive evaluation to get a proper diagnosis and find the best help for Fiora. In the meantime, I want you to try communicating with her instead of pushing her away. Even if she's cruel or hurts you, try to understand her and get her talking."

I nodded numbly.

After scheduling my next appointment, I left feeling like a mess. Now I understood why Fiora said I was selfish, why she hated me so much. "I'm a terrible partner," I whispered to myself.

I made my way back to the pack in a daze. I realized that if I could do it for Ophelia, I could do it for Fiora too. It was time to start taking her issues seriously.

I opened my mental barriers. "Fiora..." I began, intending to ask if she wanted to talk or go for a run.

Before I could finish, a scream tore through the area.

Without thinking, I sprinted toward the sound of Ophelia's terrified scream.