The Gate of Shadows

My eyes flung open, gasping for air before I peered around to find Alijah, but he was nowhere to be seen. However, the feeling of his lips left on mine remained. My mind, a thundering storm, couldn’t focus enough before Melody hugged me, trembling and crying my name.

It appeared I was only seconds behind her, but I felt I had been with Alijah for much longer.

I’m sure I spent more than an hour with that wolf!

There wasn’t any way to erase what happened from my mind, but what Melody said made me wonder if I imagined everything.

“What was all that?!” She questioned.

"I... don’t know. It was a dream," I mumbled.

Did you see me with Alijah? Or are you talking about the dream? Ah… I can’t tell.

“What?! What do you mean you don’t know?!” she huffed, her hands still trembling, as I attempted to shake off the feeling Alijah had left me with.

You weren’t a figment of my imagination, or were you?

I glanced at Shade, only for her to seem utterly unaware of what happened to me.

Lily… What happened? Why can’t I see into your mind like I usually can? The cat tilted her head, triggering me to wince.

You can’t see?

This had never happened before, almost like it was blocked from her. Before my mind could wrap around anything coherent, Melody went to find a first aid kit to help me with the gash in my hand. The cloth had done a decent job keeping the blood from spilling everywhere, but it wasn’t the best remedy.

Shivers ran down my spine as I didn’t wait for her to return before I rushed into the bathroom, wanting to wash Alijah's touch off me. A flurry of emotions invaded my core, from disgust to sadness, making it hard to tell them apart. I felt disgusted, annoyed, and saddened by it all.

It feels like I betrayed Fenris somehow—nothing like when Cora kissed me. Perhaps it’s because I don’t see her as something that could be, but Alijah… he was… serious. No! Fenris is my world, even if... I had to...

When I tried to remove my clothes, my body failed me, causing me to crash onto the floor. The sound of me falling onto the floor made Melody rush from where she was. For the first time, I didn’t mind someone seeing my bare skin.

Instinctively, she grabbed a towel to cover me with, but instead of accepting it, I pleaded with her to take me into the shower. She hesitated to do so, but I could not shower by myself.

“Please… help me,” I begged, shifting my gaze towards her.

A soft sigh left her lips before she sat me inside the bathtub and turned on the water.

Handing me the showerhead, “I’m staying here until you get out, okay?” she sighed.

Melody appeared tired of everything that had happened while I wasn’t being rational with every action I took. Part of me wanted to tell her everything that happened, but I didn’t understand half of what happened.

Will you believe me? And more importantly, will you tell Fenris?

My body was fragile from when I overdid it with the inhibitors, too. We were under the spell for most of the day, but my mind hadn’t rested even though we slept. Worried about me, the black wolf sat beside me on the floor while I tried scrubbing every part Alijah touched.

"Fenris’s going to kill me." She sighed.

I glance at her to see her contemplating life choices that were to come.

"He won’t." I tried to assure her, struggling to scrub my back.

"You got injured under my watch, and you think he won’t bite my head off? How do you see him as anything but intimidating?" she asked, reaching to help me.

Her touch, I didn’t mind.

"I’ll tell him it was my fault,” I mumbled, skittish from her touch.

"Do you think he’ll buy it?" Melody questioned, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes... he will. I’ve done things like this before." I assured her, remembering setting the painting on fire when the room was full of wolves.

That alone would have been enough, but that wasn’t the only time I cast a spell that required bodily harm. Cora caught me a million times reviving flowers with my blood, something Fenris had seen before and scolded me for.

But it isn’t like I’m not used to it. You never like it when I hurt myself, such a caring wolf.

"Will he?" The black wolf asked, shaking her head.

I glanced at her again, only to see gloom planted on her face.

Is this all too much for you?

"Yes," I assured her again.

"I see; if not, you’ll have to visit me in the Silverant grave!" Melody giggled, helping me finish bathing myself.

“It won’t come to that.” I smiled.

This wolf amazed me in ways I could have never predicted. My grotesque body didn’t bother her in the slightest as she aided me to wrap up in a warm towel before drying my short hair. It wasn’t long until I was clothed and sat at the table where everything started.

Melody warped bandages around my wounded hand, ensuring I was fine before shifting her attention to clean the room from the mess I had made. All I could do was follow her with my gaze as Shade joined me.

However, as she worked in the room, I could tell her mind was storming to find a way to convey what she wanted. Once the room was sparkly clean, she turned to me, grabbing onto my hands as a bitter smile rose on her lips.

"Something happened that you aren’t telling me, right?" Melody read me like an open book.

She was as sharp as Liam and watchful as Fenris, but I was no match for her.

Typical. These wolves care too much, but you’ll push when no one else does.

"I…" I trailed off while my hands trembled in hers.

Just remembering everything is making me… queasy.

"That... was horrible... but if it were a dream, you wouldn’t be shaking like this. You seem genuinely terrified." Melody breathed, gazing back at me.

I hadn’t noticed that my body was still quivering like a branch on a windy day. This wolf was doing something Fenris didn’t dare to do for fear of hurting me. Unlike him, she saw most of everything I went through and knew what I had survived.

With that alone, she knew I wasn’t as brittle as Fenris made me out to be. No, to her, I was something else.

"I..." I trailed off, unsure of where to start.

Should I lie? Or...

"You can tell me anything you know," Melody assured me.

Instead of saying anything, I stayed silent, releasing a soft sigh from her lips before letting go of my hands.

It wasn't long until she turned to me again, "We’re partners in crime now. I mean... if I dare say a word of what happened, Fenris will murder me, and I like living a lot, Lilith." She raised her eyebrows, triggering me to giggle.

“I mean, look at me! I helped you clean the scene of the crime; I’m so dead.” She sighed, appearing defeated by the entire thing. However, a slight smile rose on her lips as I laughed.

Hey, can I trust you with this insanity?