Memories Resurface

Quinn

“Jaxon, open the gate!” I yelled.

He was standing in the way of the dungeon entrance.

“You’re not going down there,” he said, trying to keep his cool. “Not after what happened last time.”

The last time I was down there, Carl had hinted at knowing something about my dad—right before he tried to kill me. But I wasn’t about to let that happen again.

Time was ticking away.

We’d been arguing for over an hour, and my patience was wearing thin.

“You!” I said, pointing at one of the guards by the door. “You must have a key.” He was short and stout—not the typical warrior type who guarded the borders, which was probably why he was stuck with this job.

“Well, uh…” the guard stuttered, scratching his stubble.

“Do you have it, or not?”

“Sure…but we’re not supposed to open this gate for anyone but the Alpha.”

“And I am your Luna!“ I said, getting in his face. “Does that mean nothing to you?”

This wasn’t like me, but I was livid. Carl was hiding something about my dad, and I needed to know what it was.

“Umm…” the guard said, glancing between his Alpha and Luna. “I really don’t want to get involved in this.”

“That’s not an answer,” I growled.

The guard was visibly shaken.

“Your job is to guard the entrance and keep it secure,” said Jaxon, “and it’s most secure when the door is shut, right?”

“Well, yeah…”

“Then keep it locked!”

“Look, my shift ends in thirty minutes,” the guard said, torn over what to do. “Can’t you just wait for the next guy to show up—?”

“NO!” I shouted. I turned back to Jaxon. “Didn’t you promise to treat me as an equal?”

“Well, I can’t do that if a lunatic strangles you!” he yelled back.

He was losing his patience. “I’ve been more than patient,” he continued, “but this has to stop! You need to be reasonable.”

“Reasonable?!”

I was seething.

There was no point arguing with him. He’d made up his mind and wasn’t going to change it. And this guard was more afraid of Jaxon than he was of me.

At a loss for words, I turned and walked away.

“Quinn…” Jax called after me. “Where are you going?”

“Doing something ‘reasonable’,” I replied. “Going to bed!”

Jaxon

I knocked on the bedroom door.

“Can I come in?” I asked.

“You’re the Alpha,” a soft voice replied. “You can open and close any door you want.”

This was going to be tough.

I walked in and saw Quinn lying in bed, her wall of pillows dividing the mattress again. She was getting pretty good at building it.

I went to the wardrobe and started to undress.

She wouldn’t look at me.

I didn’t care how angry she was. Her safety was my top priority. And if that meant protecting her from herself, then so be it.

After undressing, I turned off the light and slid under the sheets.

We didn’t say a word for what felt like forever.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the danger I’d let her walk into.

I was reminded of my past…of what it felt like to suffer the worst loss imaginable. I couldn’t let that happen to Quinn. I wanted to tell her but was scared of how she’d react.

~If only I could make her understand.~

“Quinn,” I started, “there’s something I need to talk to you about. Something important.”

This was harder than I thought, but I knew it had to be done.

“About opening the gate?” she asked, her voice icy from behind her pillows.

“No, not that, it’s about—”

“Then there’s nothing to discuss,” she cut me off.

So, I dropped it. Quinn wasn’t in the mood to talk. But I couldn’t keep what I had to say a secret forever. She’d have to know eventually.

I just hoped that when I did tell her, she wouldn’t leave me for good.

Quinn

Jaxon took longer than usual to fall asleep. I could tell by his snoring.

I got up and put on my robe, then tiptoed over the stone floor to his pile of clothes. He never put them away. I searched his pockets until I found his keys.

I carefully pulled them out without making a sound, then quietly left the bedroom.

The door creaked as I started to close it.

I froze.

~Did I wake him up?~

His snoring continued, so I hadn’t.

I quickly made my way down the hallway and the spiral stairs until I reached the dungeon entrance. Two different guards were on duty, so I straightened my shoulders and walked up to them confidently.

“Good evening, Luna,” one of them said.

I nodded in response as I continued to the entrance.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, stepping in my way, “Alpha Jaxon gave us strict orders not to let anyone down here.”

“It’s okay, he gave me the keys,” I said, holding them up. “You can check with him if you want.”

He looked at me curiously. Was he buying it?

“Okay, go for it,” he said. “If you want company, I’m here to—”

“No need. I’m good.”

That’s when it hit me. I had no clue which key to use. There were like thirty of them. I chose the biggest, rustiest one and tried it in the door.

It worked!

The door was heavier than I thought, so the guard gave me a hand. The sound of him locking it behind me sent a chill down my spine.

I was alone.

I went down the stairs and walked through the dark hallway. The familiar scent of mildew hit me. I passed so many cell doors, each one holding someone as grim as the place itself.

It felt like this maze went on forever.

Then I saw him.

He was leaning against the wall, chained to the back of his cell. He looked beaten up, but beneath his swollen eyes, I saw a spark when he saw me.

“Quinn,” he croaked, “I thought that was you. I could smell you coming.” His words felt like an invasion.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again after last time,” he said.

It took all my courage to walk up to the man who’d tried to kill me. My heart was racing, but I kept my cool.

He frowned as I got closer.

“This isn’t a zoo, if that’s why you’re here.”

“It’s not,” I said.

“Let me guess…you’re here because of your father.” He stood up and came close to the clear barrier. I wanted to step back, but I stood my ground.

“Yes, actually. You talked like you knew what happened to him.”

“Don’t you?” he smirked.

Back home, my dad was a touchy subject. I didn’t know much about him. All I knew was that one day, he left and never came back.

My mom and I hardly ever talked about him. I wanted to know what he was like, but my mom always got upset when I mentioned him.

“I know he’s dead.”

Carl smiled. I could see in his eyes that he knew something I didn’t.

“How did he die?”

“I don’t know…my mom said it was an accident.”

“Was it, now?” he asked, his voice full of threat.

What was he suggesting—that it wasn’t?

“Tell me what you know!” I demanded.

He came as close as his chains would let him.

I didn’t back down.

“Do you really want to know?” he whispered.

I nodded, scared of what he might say. “Tell me.”

“Oh, I’ll do more than tell you…I’ll show you!”

He furrowed his brow and locked eyes with me, connecting our minds again. Suddenly, my mind was somewhere else.

A whirl of images filled my head until I found myself in a wooded grove. There was a bonfire, surrounded by faceless figures, and a woman tied to a tree. The figures around the fire were laughing…but why?

As I tried to make sense of it all, I saw someone standing in the middle of the fire. He was screaming. He was tied to a post and was trying to break free.

At first, I couldn’t see clearly, but then, through the flames, I saw his face and knew right away who it was…

“Dad!” I yelled, but I couldn’t look away. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. Carl was making me watch.

“Make it stop,” I pleaded.

“What was that?” he taunted.

“I said, MAKE IT STOP!”

But the images of his torture kept coming. My mind was on fire. I could hear Carl laughing at me. I held my head and hit my temple until I finally broke the link.

I gasped for air.

All my life, I’d wondered what happened to him…and now that I knew, I almost wished I didn’t. He didn’t just die…he was murdered—in the worst way!

I felt like the prison walls were closing in on me.

I started to hyperventilate.

I had to get out of there, so I backed away from the cell and started to run.

“Where are you going?” Carl taunted. “Leaving so soon?”

I ran down the hallway as fast as I could. I didn’t dare look back.

“I knew you couldn’t handle the truth,” he yelled after me. “Your bloodline was always weak. But run along, little wolf! I’ll see you again soon! You can count on that!”

I ran harder and faster.

I wanted to forget, but I couldn’t shake those visions. They’d seared into me, forever tarnishing the pure image I had of my father.

~How could they do that?~

~And why?~

I didn’t remember the dungeon gates opening or rushing past the guards. I didn’t know where I was going. I just knew I had to get as far away from there as I could.

As I turned down another long hallway, a dark figure stepped out from the shadows. It moved towards me, reaching out.

I screamed.