Aria
Floating.
That's the only word that can describe the feeling. Everything feels so strange, like a dream. No sense of time. Just… nothing. I feel like I'm floating aimlessly through a void, cut off from everything.
The feeling wasn't soothing, even though it should have been. It didn't feel natural like something crucial or significant was missing.
Then I started hearing voices through the fog of my mind. They were far away at first, like whispers in the wind. They gradually became louder, several voices mingling, each distinct yet incomprehensible.
"When do you anticipate her waking up?" The first was a gruff, low masculine voice. His tone was laced with frustration as if he had been waiting for too long.
A gentler voice, this time female, answered, "Soon." She spoke in a calming, even melodic tone, yet with a hint of concern. “She has experienced a great deal. We must exercise patience.”
The conversation faded, and for a moment, I was left in silence again. But then, like a dagger piercing the silence, another voice joined in.
"What if she doesn't wake up?" This one was colder and tougher. Another man. “What happens then?”
As far as I could hear, there was no answer. Like it was intended for me, the question hung in the air, ponderous and unnerving.
I wanted to yell so they would know I was there and could hear them. But I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. I didn't own my body.
The voices swirled about me, overlapping, reverberating, their voices becoming fainter, as though they were drawing me farther away. Fading again. Slipping into the darkness.
When I became aware again, it was different. The floating sensation was still there, but now the darkness seemed lighter somehow, less suffocating.
This time, I could hear one voice in particular, clearer than the others. It was deeper than the others, commanding and yet gentle, drawing me in with its warmth.
“Aria… open your eyes.”
That voice. Like a cord fastened to my breast, something about it pulled at me, pleading with me to respond and answer its call.
I tried to listen and concentrate, but I was still immobile. My limbs didn't feel like they belonged to me. I was stuck, yet I wanted to fight it, to escape this cage of nothingness.
Then I felt it, a warm, powerful arm slipping around mine, my skin tingled with electricity. I gasped at the sudden and intense sensation.
My eyes popped open, and all I saw was darkness.
I was filled with panic. I gasped for air as I tried to figure out where I was. My hands fumbled to feel my surroundings, but there was nothing there; all I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears. No walls. No light. Just the suffocating blackness.
“Where…?” My voice cracked, just a whisper, as I attempted to speak. Disuse had left my throat raw and burning. My entire body was trembling, and the terror was enveloping me with its relentless grip.
Suddenly, I heard a shuffle of fabric beside me, followed by a deep, quiet voice. "Hey, hey, it's all right. You’re safe.”
I flinched at the sound. A man. He was close, but I couldn’t see him in the darkness. My chest tightened. Who was he? Where was I? A hundred questions raced through my head, none of which I knew the answers to. My breathing became frantic.
“Who are you?” I croaked out, attempting to push myself further away from the stranger.
"It is okay," he said in a soft yet firm voice.“You’re in the Silver Fang Pack’s clinic. You’re safe here.”
The words barely registered. My panic was too strong, too consuming. My hands grasped at the bed sheets, trying to ground myself, but it didn’t help. I felt trapped.
My head swirled with disjointed memories, pain, darkness, that strange dream in the meadow. None of it made sense.
"I…I can't." I stumbled, my chest heaving as I gasped for air. I felt like the room was closing in on me and pressing down on my lungs. I needed to leave.
"Doctor!" the man said sharply, and I heard him move away from me.
A few seconds later, I felt hands on me as frantic footsteps filled the room. I jerked away, panic coursing through me.
“It’s okay, you’re safe," a woman said, attempting to reassure me."We are here to help you."
But nothing they said mattered. Nothing could penetrate the storm inside me. I thrashed, desperate to get away, to escape the darkness and the strangers surrounding me. The voices were too much, the room too small. It was suffocating.
“I tried the mate bond,” the man’s voice, the first one I’d heard was saying, but it sounded strained. "It isn't working."
Another voice ordered, "Sedate her," and before I could respond, I felt a sharp prick in my arm. My body instantly started to feel heavy, and as the surroundings became hazy, the panic started to fade.
I struggled against it but to no avail. Once more, the darkness engulfed me.
When I woke up the second time, the world had changed. A warm, golden light was now streaming in through the window next to me. I blinked to adjust to the brightness, and as I did, I realized that I was not alone.
"Good morning!" A cheerful voice came from across the room.
I turned my head slowly and noticed a girl my age standing close to the door. She had a big smile on her face and green eyes that sparkled. She held up a banner that read, “WELCOME TO THE SILVER FANG PACK,” in big, colorful letters, as if this were some kind of celebration.
I stared at her in complete shock. After everything that had transpired, the excitement in her voice was almost startling.
“I'm Kiera, by the way.” She approached my bedside with a spring in her step."I have been waiting for you to wake up for ages! Actually, everyone has, but me in particular. I was eager to meet you.”
I blinked again, trying to understand what was going on. My body still felt weak and my throat was dry, but my mind was racing. Who was this girl? Why was she so happy to see me?
"I know this is all probably really overwhelming, but I am here to help you with whatever you need," Kiera said as she settled into the chair by my bed.
"My brother Jaxon is the Beta here, so if you ever need anything, we’ve got you covered.”
Despite the kindness of her remarks, my guard went up right away. I didn't know this place or these individuals.
For all I knew, this was just another nightmare. My body tensed as I looked at her carefully and pulled the blanket firmly about myself.
"Oh, don’t worry," she replied quickly, noticing my defensiveness. "I promise you, no one will hurt you. You’re safe here.”
Safe.
It seemed like everyone kept telling me I was safe, but I didn’t feel safe. Not in this strange place, not with these strangers.
However, Kiera's excitement and vivacious energy made it difficult to remain tense. It was disarming and warm, like the sun on a stormy day.
Still, I couldn’t let down my guard. "I...I do not understand," I muttered in a raspy voice."What am I doing here?”
Kiera’s smile softened. “You were found near the border. You were pretty bad off when they brought you in. Alpha Kael was the one who found you.”
At the mention of his name, something flickered in my memory. That voice. The one I’d heard when I was floating. The one that had drawn me out of the darkness. Was it him?
Before I could ask more, the door opened again, and another voice cut through the room, colder and sharper than Kiera’s.
“So, this is her?”
My body tensed as I heard the disdainful tone. The air seemed to change, getting colder as a woman entered the room and narrowed her eyes at me.
Kiera's cheerful expression faded as she turned to face the newcomer.
“Lilith, please…”
Lilith.
The name alone sent a chill down my spine, and before I could even fully process it, the woman stepped into the room; her eyes narrowed as they settled on me.
Lilith laughed sarcastically, "Welcome to the Silver Fang Pack," she said, her voice full of sarcasm. “Let’s hope you’re worth all the trouble you’ve caused.”
My heart tightened in my chest as her words hung in the air, heavy and foreboding.