Her Warning
\[Elise’s POV\]
A gasp escapes me as my eyes fly open and I sit up. My breath comes in puffs, and my heart hammers while the memories of what I just saw hit me.
“What was that?” I whisper, trying to make sense of what I just saw. “It felt so…”
Real. It felt so real, like I was actually there witnessing what was happening.
“But why?” I murmur, my mind whirling. “Why would I dream of such a thing?”
Was it really a dream?” The small voice in the back of my head says as I try to decipher why I felt so uneasy from something that wasn’t even real.
“Maybe I’m going crazy.”
That was the only plausible explanation, right? I was going crazy from everything that was happening. Even if I didn’t know exactly what was going on around me, I could feel the tension and the fear of those around me. It was like they were walking on eggshells waiting for something to go down, but when I would ask my attendant, they wouldn’t tell me. Instead, they would tell me to not worry and work on recovering from what?
What exactly happened to me? When I tried to think of it all, I saw was a dark tunnel with no end in sight. It was terrifying and left me feeling like I was suffocating.
“Stop thinking.” I huff, throwing my legs over the side of my bed and standing. “There’s no point in it.”
Sighing, I get out of bed and head to my window, preparing to open it. I could only hope that getting some fresh air would clear my head, but before I can even do as planned, I spot something in the distance.
Frowning, I lean forward, trying to make out what it is, and when I finally do, I realize that it is wolves.
There are many of them. They’re just sitting there staring.
“What?” I hiss, unable to believe what I’m seeing. “What’s happening around here?”
Nothing was making sense; how could it? When everything I saw shouldn’t exist and when no one would tell me anything. And when I tried to remember my life before any of this, I was met with absolutely nothing.
“Dammit.” I growl, pulling away from the window and turning toward the door to my room. “I can’t stand this.”
I hated everything about being so clueless and weak. It was like everything in me was screaming that this wasn’t me. That this wasn’t the person I was meant to be, and that pushes me to head out into the hall and then head toward the room of the one person I was certain would tell me what was happening.
My light. I think, remembering exactly where her room is located in the large building. And when I reach it, I don’t hesitate to knock on the door and then wait until it opens so she can peer out at me.
“Aunt Elise?” She gasps, intentionally blocking the inside of the room with her body. “Why are you here?”
“I had…” I begin, attempting to see what she was hiding. “A dream… I think.”
For some reason when I thought of it as a dream, it just didn’t appear to be that to me. Instead, it felt like it was the most real thing I had ever encountered.
“You think?” She repeats, raising a brow. “That doesn’t really make any sense.”
“May I come in?” I ask, not wanting to discuss this where anyone could hear us. “I’ll explain everything.”
“About that…” She begins but doesn’t get to finish before Mavrick appears and stares down at me.
“Why’s the pipsqueak here?” He asks, not even attempting to hide his annoyance over my disruption. “Shouldn’t you be in your room?”
“I could ask you the same.” I point out, feeling a wave of annoyance slam into me. “Don’t you know that this is the women’s wing?”
“Women’s wing or not, I’m not leaving Serenity’s side.” He counters.
Opening my mouth, I prepare to argue but stop as a wave of dizziness hits, and before I fall on my ass, Serenity reaches out and grabs me.
“Hey,” she says, her voice filled with concern. “Are you alright?”
“I am,” I respond, though my spinning head says otherwise. “I’m just…”
“Come in,” she says, not even waiting. “You should try to rest a bit. Should I call the medic to come and check on you?”
“No.” I gasp and then immediately regret it. “No, I’m really fine, just a bit dizzy.”
Growing quiet, I wait while Serenity and Mavrick stare at me, clearly debating whether they believe my story, and when Serenity nods and begins to lead me into her room, I feel a wave of relief.
“Here,” she says, leading me to a comfy chair. “Have a seat. Maverick, would you please go and fetch her some water?”
“Sure.” He nods, being completely obedient. “I’ll be right back.”
Smiling, she gives another nod and then watches as Maverick heads out of the room, and once he is gone, she turns her gaze on me.
“You wanted to speak to me alone, right?” She asks, making me realize that she sent Maverick away for this reason. “We don’t have long, so why don’t you tell me what happened.”
“I think I had a premonition.” I admit, not wanting to waste the time she bought for me. “But I can’t be sure. I was in a cavern surrounded by many cloaked figures, and I was speaking about a prophecy that was coming to fruition.”
“A prophecy,” Serenity repeats, her eyes widening. “What kind of prophecy?”
“The end of the world as we know it.” I respond. “And…” I continue, wondering if she would believe what I was about to say. “The end of wolves.”
It was crazy, to say the least, but there were crazier things, right? Even when I woke in this time and place, I watched with my own eyes how humans turned to wolves and fought with all they had, and even though it shouldn’t make sense, it does.
“They said that with someone’s blood they would annihilate all the wolves and become the supreme beings.”
“With their blood.” Serenity whispers, and I see fear flash in her eyes. “They said they intended to use someone’s blood to get rid of the wolves?”
“Yeah,” I nod, eyeing her. “Do you know something about that?”
“I do,” she admits. “And, if you were still you, you would also understand as well. But that doesn’t really matter right now. Instead, figuring out who was talking is the most important.”
“You’re right.” I agree.
“Do you have any clues toward who it could have been?” She asks, hope appearing on her features. “They had to have done or said something to give way to who they were.”
“Well,” I murmur, letting the memories of that dream come back to me. “There was a mention of them pretending to be a pathetic and helpless woman to be here amongst us.”
“What?” Serenity gasps, her eyes widening. “Did they really say such a thing?”
“They did,” I confirm, both fear and hope beginning to bubble up in me. “Do you have an idea of who they could be?”
“Yes,” she responds as Maverick returns with my drink. “And if I’m right, then my uncle could be in danger as we speak.”