Chapter 71: Phantom of death

Wren closed the final stretch of distance between them in a silent blur. Before Alyssa could process the looming shadow, a hand clamped ruthlessly around her wrist.

The moment their skin made contact, a kinetic shockwave of raw magic surged straight through Alyssa’s veins. Wren’s eyes widened beneath the deep shadow of her hood, her breath catching in her throat.

This was her daughter. This was Solange.

Alyssa whirled around, a terrified gasp ripping from her lungs as she backed hard against the Bentley. Wren grabbed her hand again, and a brutal onslaught of suppressed memories violently slammed into Alyssa’s mind.

Images flashed in rapid, dizzying succession–a red-haired woman standing at the edge of a cliff; a buff Lycan, tossing a baby high into the air with booming, joyful laughter; fire, blood, wild flames, screams...

The visions flitted past so fast her temples throbbed with a blinding pain. Wren’s hand turned scalding hot against her flesh, and the sudden heat snapped her back to reality.

With frantic force, she yanked her wrist free and flattened herself against the car door, her chest heaving, her blue eyes wide with horror.

"You," she gasped, her voice trembling violently. "Who are you? What did you do to me?"

Wren stood frozen, paralyzed by the shock of her own pounding heart. All these years, she had carried the soul-crushing certainty that her baby girl had died with Nolan.

But Miranda had been right. This girl, this woman standing before her, was her blood.

She took a slow, desperate step forward, her hands shaking as she pulled her dark cloak tighter around her face to shield her tears.

"It’s you," she whispered. "You’re alive."

Alyssa’s mind reeled in absolute chaos. She felt a sense of bone-deep familiarity crash over her, the exact magnetic pull she had felt toward Luna Kalista, but amplified a thousand times over.

Her soul recognized this stranger, even as her locked memory refused to give her a name.

She flinched back when Wren reached out a trembling hand again. "Who are you?! Why do I feel like I know you?"

Wren didn’t get the chance to answer. Dorian appeared like a phantom of death, his eyes pitch-black, his lips drawn back over gleaming, sharp fangs.

Before Wren could react, he stepped between her and Alyssa. His hand shot out, wrapping brutally around Wren’s throat and lifting her off her feet.

"Who the fuck are you?" he growled, the guttural, unnatural voice of Shadow vibrating through the entire lot.

Alyssa snapped out of her stunned state. She threw herself forward, grabbing Dorian’s forearm, her voice rising in panic.

"Dorian, stop! You’re hurting her."

Her pleas barely pierced through the dark haze of rage clouding Dorian’s mind. Shadow was fully in control, his grip tightening ruthlessly as Wren clawed at his iron grip, her eyes bulging, her boots kicked out.

Seeing the cloaked woman struggling violently for oxygen, Alyssa pulled on Dorian’s arm with all her strength. "Let her go, Dorian! Please! You’ll kill her!"

Dorian’s frame went rigid. The pitch-black coals of his eyes flickered, receding slowly before morphing into deep gold. He locked his jaw tight, his chest heaving as he stared down at Alyssa.

"Let her go," Alyssa repeated, her voice dropping into a breathless, trembling whisper. "Please."

He finally moved, slowly loosening his grip. Wren dropped heavily to the concrete, clutching her bruised throat as she drew in long, ragged gulps of air.

As she collapsed, a gust of wind swept through the parking lot, yanking the fabric of the dark hood slightly off her head.

Alyssa looked down–and froze in absolute, paralyzing horror. The stark, undeniable resemblance hit her forcefully. It was like staring into a mirror twenty years into her future.

Wren realized she was exposed and frantically grabbed the fabric, pulling the hood back over her head. Scrambling to her feet, she turned and fled, her dark form vanishing into the bustling crowds of the marketplace.

Alyssa stood rooted to the pavement, her mind spinning out of control. What the hell was happening? Why did that woman look like her reflection? What were those vivid images she saw when they touched?

A warm hand touched her shoulder, making her jump. She shook off the shock and turned to face Dorian.

​"Are you okay?" he asked, his deep voice laced with razor-edged concern.

Alyssa cast a frantic glance toward the direction the woman had vanished. She knew she should tell him. She knew she should spill out everything she had just felt.

But how could she explain something she didn’t even understand herself?

"I’m okay," she lied, her voice small as she forced her eyes back to his face. "I was just startled."

"Did she hurt you?"

She shook her head quickly. "No. No, she didn’t. I don’t know why, but she looked vaguely familiar. I felt this strange pull, like I knew her."

Dorian’s eyes narrowed sharply. He pulled her into his chest, one arm coiling tightly around her waist. "Did you see her face clearly?"

Alyssa hesitated, her heart hammering against her ribs, before shaking her head. "No. It was just a feeling. Did you find the other person?"

Dorian nodded grimly, opening the passenger door of the Bentley and carefully assisting her inside. "It was a sorceress. She used her magic to cloak her trail, but Lycans are immune to it. She slipped away before I could reach her."

Alyssa sank into the leather seat, pressing two fingers against her throbbing temples. What on earth was happening to her in Ashgard?

Dorian crouched in the doorframe, remaining at eye level with her, his face a mask of concern. "Do you want to return to the villa? Cole will understand if you’re not up for the visit."

"No," Alyssa insisted, forcing a reassuring smile onto her face despite the storm raging in her chest. "I’m fine. Really. We can go."

He searched her face for a long moment before touching her cheek. "Alright."

He straightened and stepped back, shutting the door gently before walking around the front hood toward the driver’s side. But before opening his door, he pulled out his phone and dialed a contact.

The call was answered on the first ring. "Alpha?" a sharp voice came through the speaker.

"Cade, I need you to track down someone for me," Dorian instructed, silently scanning the parking lot with narrowed eyes.

"Right on it, Alpha. Who am I tracking?"

"A sorceress."

There was a short pause on the other end. Then, Cade repeated, "A sorceress?"

"Yes. White hair, black eyes, about five foot tall. There might be another woman moving with her. I don’t have her description, but keep your eyes peeled. I need you to find her within the week."

"Understood, Alpha. I will mobilize the tracking unit."

"Good," Dorian muttered and hung up. He slid behind the wheel, revved up the engine, and pulled out onto the main road.

He gently reached across the console, wrapping his fingers around Alyssa’s smaller hand.

"Sure you’re okay, my love?"

Alyssa looked at him, giving him a genuine smile. "Yeah. I’m okay."

The rest of the drive continued in blissful silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

Alyssa’s mind was wildly replaying the kinetic burst of memories, the woman’s face, and the feeling of familiarity.

As for Dorian, he wasn’t letting anything slip past him. First the broken glass, and now this strange woman. He knew something about Alyssa was different when he suddenly had the burning urge to find out what she was.

He just had to move fast before someone else did.

...

Long after Dorian and Alyssa were gone, Wren slipped out of the alley she had been hiding in. She dropped to her knees in the parking lot, feeling extremely weak after the truth she just realized.

Beside her, Miranda materialized from thin air. She crouched beside Wren, wrapping a firm arm around her shoulders.

"You were right, Miranda," Wren whispered, tears spilling down her cheek. "She really is Solange. My daughter is alive."

"I knew she was," Miranda said gently. "What are you going to do now?"

"I don’t know," she whispered. "Her powers are still dormant. She has no idea what she truly is, or the danger surrounding her now that she’s here in Ashgard."