The Gate of Shadows

Standing in front of two Lycans should’ve made me tremble where I was, yet all I could feel was my temperature rising.

"Let me correct you there. You’re wrong about a few things. It wasn’t Fenris's choice to make me his life charge. Did you ever think why they forced me on him? Why he’s so desperate to make sure I’m safe?" I scowled at Kira, voice colder than before.

My wolf grabbed my hand, "Lily..." he mumbled my name, voice quivering.

It was the first time I had ever heard him like that.

Is that fear?

Liam sobered up faster than ever. They were fully aware of the terrifying consequences that could happen if I lost it. Behind me, Shade paced back and forth, anticipating a fight, ready to rip into them if I chose to.

Layla backed off, knowing what the silver wolf would do if she did anything else. Kira, however, didn’t.

"Oh yeah? What could a little witch like you do to me?" she challenged.

I couldn’t help but want to laugh at her stupidity, but then I remembered Melody's words.

I have to be different.

I was still cranky from the weird dream I had the days before, and the sexual frustration wasn’t helping either. The lack of touch that Fenris had accustomed to me was getting to me. I knew I had to take a step back.

Yet something pushed me forward.

Her arrogance...

I wanted to squish it.

Wouldn't the world be a better place without it?

"I don’t get how you can always be so high and mighty. Doesn't it tire you out?" I poked her ego.

Kira snapped, raising her hand to strike me, but Liam clasped her arm before she could swing it down. Fenris tore me away from the white wolf and into his arms.

Meanwhile, Shade paced back and forth on the bed. Lilith let me rip her anew. She snarled, fur puffed up.

All the anger and darkness swelling within me dissipated when I was in Fenris's arms. I realized what I was about to do in my moment of clarity. It caused me to hold on to him for dear life.

"Enough! This will be your last day here! I’ll go to Ryker myself to get the lock changed tomorrow! I don’t care what consequences it brings!" My wolf snarled at everyone.

Kira noticed Liam's hand tremble before glancing at Fenris, who held me protectively. My heart was racing as I found myself feeling something wicked within me.

Something’s wrong with me. I didn’t want Fenris to step in; no, I wanted it to blow! What’s happening to me?!

That was the first crack in the fake mask I had built over the years. I had always tried to be better than the rest of my kin, but then again, I was a witch at my core, too.

Perhaps that’s all I can ever be.

When it was finally quiet enough to call it a night, I dug myself into my side of the bed, feeling hollow. I wanted to yell so loud that everyone in Silverant would hear me. A desire to let all the bottled pain within me lose was growing.

Even after all the kindness that I experienced, it didn’t change who I was at my core.

I’m not okay.

No matter what I did, I couldn’t be as beautiful and bright as Melody. There was a darkness in me that desired to break loose. Like any other night, Fenris waited until everyone was asleep before tugging me into his arms.

However, this night, he held me tighter than any other night. My worries melted, surrounded by his warmth. This wolf was my only true anchor in this world. Though it took longer than usual, I eventually relaxed, closing my eyes before drifting into darkness.

When my eyes fluttered open, I stood in a fiery scene of what used to be Silverant. A red moon loomed over the city as shrieks erupted everywhere before utter silence hazed. Hesitantly, I walked towards where the chorus of horror originated to see everyone I met until this point mauled on the floor.

Tania... Ben... Ryker... Layla... Kira... Ezra... Owen... Cora... What… happened?

There were other unrecognizable bodies all over, too. Shivering where I stood, I shook my head before pushing through and searching for the only one that mattered to me the most. The only thing that stopped me was seeing Melody on the floor.

I ran to her only to gasp when I recognized another body next to her.

Liam!

He had reached for Melody in his final breaths, holding onto her hand. Again, they were clawed into by an unknown beast. All the bodies around were in similar condition, too. I tore myself away from them, as I couldn’t find Fenris anywhere.

Everywhere I searched, I called out his name, but his reply never came. Instead, I saw destruction around me; the once-rebuilt Silverant was again on her knees. Yet this time, there were no survivors around.

Whatever caused this covered the streets in blood and body parts, leaving behind a fiery inferno. I ran for hours, searching every place for Fenris, yet he was nowhere to be seen. After investigating the entire city, I headed into the forest towards what used to be my prison long ago.

It was another blaze, yet I persevered no matter how hot it got.

Fenris! Where are you?!

His safety outweighed mine. Eventually, I made it to the manor, which had burned to the ground, too. I finally found who I was looking for, but not how I wanted to see him there. A dark figure held Fenris by his neck where the manor once stood.

Bloodstained the silver wolf’s hair as it trickled down his face, and one of his legs was missing, too.

“Please don’t hurt him!” I begged the shadowy beast, voice trembling.

Upon hearing my voice, my beloved wolf reached out to me. Tears swelled in my eyes, unable to handle what was happening before me. In response to my pleas, the figure turned its face towards me, revealing a wicked grin on its lips.

Even though I couldn’t see its face, it made my core run colder than ever before. This monster didn’t look human, neither did it look like a shadow demon. No, it was something else. It had piercing crimson eyes and a human-shaped body, though.

This beast was taller than Fenris, as his remaining foot couldn’t even reach the floor beneath him. Suddenly, the fiery scenery changed to black as purple flowers erupted around us.

Wolfsbane?

Before I could even understand what was happening in front of my eyes, the shadowy being released an inhuman snicker, enjoying the pain it inflicted on everything around it.

“Lily… Run…” Fenris voiced weakly, gluing my gaze onto him.

“No! Please don’t!” I broke, reaching for my beloved wolf.

A soft smile rose on his lips before the being that held him ripped his head from his body, throwing it by my feet. It felt like my entire world had turned black momentarily, filling me with a hollowness I had never felt before.

I fell onto my knees, reaching for my beloved’s severed head as the figure walked towards me.

Once in my trembling hands, “Fenris? Fenris!” I desperately called out to my wolf to hear no reply.

Touching his cheeks, they were still warm, but when I saw the color of his eyes fade, I lost it. Jolting awake, I shrieked louder than I had ever in my life. Not even Stella's carving techniques made me scream like that before.

With it, I lost control of my magic, triggering the building to quiver. The amount of pain that swelled within me was too much to bear. Shade was on my lap in an instant, warily searching for what had made me like this.

Tears streaked down my cheeks before I covered my eyes, sobbing. My sudden shriek startled everyone in the room awake. Especially Fenris…

“Lily?! Are you okay?” He grabbed onto my chin, forcing me to glance towards him.

He winced when he saw my expression before placing his forehead on mine. “It’s okay. I’m here, Lily, I’m here.” He assured me.

His words, touch, and warmth made me realize what I had experienced was nothing more than a nightmare.

You’re alive… but it felt so real.

My legs ached from how long I searched for him in that burning city, and my trembling hands were stained red from when I clasped onto his head. The feeling of his blood-soaked hair on my fingertips still tingled, too.

No night of terror had ever made me feel like this before. Liam turned on the light in the room to bring clarity. Fenris continued to comfort me, whispering sweet things. Layla, Kira, Ezra, and Owen stood there, stunned at what happened.

I was out of breath, unable to control the emotion within me.

“Liam, turn on the aromatherapy machine,” Fenris asked his friend without turning away from me.

Shade rubbed off against me, assuring me that everything was okay. Yet I couldn’t believe any of them. It wasn’t until Shade connected her mind with mine that she realized the full extent of what I had experienced.

The red stains from my hands wouldn’t go away even when she placed her black paws on them. Even Fenris's constant comforting didn’t help me. My heart had become an unstoppable thundering storm that left me utterly unstable.