Chapter 20: Memories

AsaLynn

My body trembles as I see my best friend lying in a pool of blood. Why would the Goddess tell her to kill herself? Why her? I should have been the one to die.

I hear a strange voice.

~“Who is that?”~

~“Asa. Listen to me. I’m Cypris. I am you. Look inside and release what has been hiding in plain sight.”~

~“Why do you speak now!? After two hundred damn years, why now? What are you even talking about!”~

~“I never had the need to speak before now. Now I need to. Stop fighting me and listen! You have to search inside.”~

~“You’re all I have inside, and this fucking collar won’t allow you to get out!”~

~“You don’t need me for this. You need to search. Think, you idiot. Close your eyes and think back. Think about your mother. Think about the day you were born.”~

~“How am I supposed to remember shit from when I was born! I don’t have time for this, Cypris. My best friend just killed herself.”~

Cypris huffs in response.

I look up, and all I can see is that man’s sick face and that twisted smile. He speaks, but I cannot hear anything he says.

I can only see the ruby-red liquid flowing on the floor toward me.

~“Fine, I will make you see.”~

His voice is a roar.

Images come barreling at me a thousand miles a minute. It’s hard to see any one individual image. They are all blurring together.

~“Slow your mind, Asa. Listen to my voice. Steady your heartbeat. Calm. Relax. Hear my words. Think of our mother.~

~“The way she smelled. The color of her hair. The warmth of her skin. Feel it.”~

I do as my wolf says and calm myself. Closing my eyes to push out the horror I see before them.

~Think think, think, dammit.~

It’s like a train of images, and I command them to slow. The images slow down until I can see one. It’s weird.

I’m not looking through my eyes, but rather I’m looking at the scene as if I am watching it from some other perspective.

^200 YEARS AGO^

There a sickly but beautiful blonde woman lying in a hospital bed, holding a newborn child.

She caresses the babe’s cheek softly, taking in the miracle that she just brought into this world. A mother’s love is all anyone can see or feel.

A stray tear falls from her eye and lands on the cheek of the child. The baby only pulls at her mother’s hand trying to suckle on her finger.

She pulls the baby closer before she sees another woman walk into the room.

“Lilliana, it is time.”

“Not yet, Julia, just give me a few more moments with my daughter, please.” Lilliana cries softly, trying not to disturb the baby in her arms.

“You have done wonderful hiding from the public for these thousands of years, but now you are too weak.

“It’s only a matter of time before you can’t control it anymore.” Julia looks as if she is about to cry herself.

“It was so hard to hide who I was from everyone. So tiring to hide I was not a wolf from my own mate.

“I know the facade will break soon as my body gives out. She is my blood, though. I cannot leave this world without knowing she will be okay.

“Does she have my power to shapeshift?” Lilliana questions, still looking lovingly down at her child.

Julia places her hand on the babe and gasps.

“She is part wolf so she will shift to one, but her powers are not like yours, Lilliana.

“Her powers are beyond what even the Moon Goddess would have guessed. She has the powers of the first born!” Her eyes widen, and she takes a step back.

“How will we hide it? Nobody can know who she is! What she is! The world is not ready for our kind to be known yet.

“They will see what she is and kill her before she even has a chance, just as they did to my ancestors,” Lilliana says frantically, squeezing the baby just a little more.

“I can do a spell on her. Just as I did on you when you were attacked.

“It was simple enough to hide your scent and keep you alive in a coma long enough to heal a little and bring her into this world.

“For her, it will take so much more. You will have to sacrifice the few years you would have left for the spell to hide her for that length of time.”

“No! I can’t leave her! I don’t care if I only have a few years left. I will protect her!” Lilliana sobs.

“We both know her power is too great. She will be sensed within days, and you will be found out. It’s a death sentence for you both.”

“I promise I will watch over her. If you do this, I will hide her power and her scent until she finds her mate.

“I’ll pull every trick I have to keep that from happening for as long as I can.”

“What about when she finds her mate?”

“When she finds her mate, her powers will slowly unravel. Not all at once, but by that time, the world will be ready for her.”

“Are you sure? How can you be sure?” Lilliana questions.

“The Goddess has come to me and foretold how this will play out. It will only work if you commit the ultimate sacrifice…a life for a life.”

Lilliana stares into her eyes and brushes her lips on her baby’s soft skin.

Taking in every small detail. Her little blonde curls. Her pale white skin. Her tiny hands. And small little feet.

She counts each toe and each finger, memorizing every small detail, before she places a final kiss on her daughter’s head.

“Her name is AsaLynn. You will tell my husband. He will protect her from this cruel world.” Her hands begin to shake.

“Sweet little Asa, my beautiful girl. Know I love you, and I will watch over you. I will happily give my life so that you may have your own.

“You will be strong and powerful. Men will fall at their knees before you. You will make me proud. I ~am~ proud of you, baby girl.

“Grow and be the fighter I know you are. I love you.”

Lilliana lifts AsaLynn up to Julia’s arms, and Julia gently takes her.

“What will you tell Nathan?”

“I will tell him you died during labor and I had to save AsaLynn but wasn’t able to save you both. He will mourn, but I will help him,” Julia says through her own tears.

“You have been my best friend, Julia, since the beginning. Thank you for keeping my secret and helping my daughter.

“I hope one day you have a daughter of your own and our children become best friends as well. Take care of my baby.”

With that, Lilliana puts out her hand one last time to touch her child, then looks up to Julia and nods.

Julia places a hand on Lilliana and begins to chant. Power rushes into the room, and the room shakes.

Magic flows through Lilliana and into the baby like a bright blue light. It looks as if water is flowing through the air.

The light becomes blinding before slowly growing dimmer. Each passing second it fades until the light is gone. Lilliana’s hand drops, and the last tear falls from her eyes.

Asa begins to cry, and Julia bounces her up and down softly, trying to calm the distressed child. She slowly quiets and begins to coo.

“Shhhh, shhh, child. One day you will come forth and bring on a new era of creature. You will be the mother to a new world.

“You are destined for greatness. Let the first born’s wings guide you.”

Nathan bursts through the door and sees his mate’s lifeless body. He falls to his knees and howls in pain, and tears angrily fall.

Julia bends down and places her hand on his back as she places his baby into his arms. He looks at her, and his tears slow.

“She looks just like her mother,” Nathan mumbles.

“Before Lilliana’s passing, she told me to let you know her name.” Julia’s voice chokes through her own tears as she pauses.

Nathan looks up at Julia, holding his beautiful child close.

“Her name is AsaLynn.”