Chapter 88: Pieces of memories

Alyssa opened her eyes again and found herself in a strange, unfamiliar forest.

She was lying on her side in the damp grass, the crisp morning air chilling her skin. Above her, birds chirped loudly. She knew this sensation immediately; she was trapped in another dream. Another memory bleeding through from her suppressed past.

She wasn’t a helpless toddler this time, but rather her adult form, draped in a white gown, entirely invisible to the world around her.

A sudden burst of distant laughter echoed through the trees. Alyssa pushed herself up and followed the sound, her bare feet cutting through the thick moss. The woodland around her felt strange. The trees were towering, ancient sentinels, bathed in an ethereal, golden light.

This wasn’t Wintercrest. She had never set foot here, yet every step felt eerily familiar, like a song she had forgotten the words to.

She emerged from the thick grove into a sunlit clearing and a rushing river, and the sight before her instantly nailed her to the spot.

Dozens of women and children were gathered along the riverbank, their hair glowing like flames in the sunlight. Children splashed in the river without a care in the world, their laughter ringing out happily.

Then, Alyssa saw her.

Sitting near the water’s edge was the young woman from her very first vision, the woman who had carried her out of the burning cabin. Her mother, Rachel. Her belly was swollen with late-term pregnancy.

Alyssa’s breath hitched. This woman was very different from Wren. Wren possessed sharp, fierce features, dark hair and brown eyes. But Rachel’s face was softer, her eyes a deep, vivid blue. Yet both women shared that undeniable, terrifying resemblance to Alyssa herself.

If Wren claimed to be her biological mother, who was Rachel?

Before Alyssa could process the thought, Rachel suddenly doubled over with a painful cry, her hands clutching her belly.

The calm clearing erupted into instant chaos.

"She’s coming!" a woman shouted, dropping to her knees beside Rachel. She turned and waved frantically at a young girl nearby. "Run to the borders! Tell Nolan his daughter is coming!"

"Yes, Nadine." The girl nodded and bolted toward the woods. She sprinted directly through Alyssa’s body like a gust of cold smoke, sending a shudder down Alyssa’s spine.

Alyssa moved closer as the women gathered around Rachel, supporting her as the labor pains began. Rachel writhed on the grass, her knuckles white as she pushed through the blinding pain.

A final, agonizing cry echoed across the riverbank, followed instantly by the sharp, piercing wail of a newborn.

Alyssa froze, her heart hammering against her ribs. The baby swaddled in rough linen had a full head of unique hair; an unmistakable blend of midnight black and blood red.

She had just witnessed her own birth.

Rachel gathered the infant against her chest, tears tracking down her cheeks. "A girl," she sobbed softly, kissing the baby’s forehead. "My sweet girl..."

"Rachel, you have to move. Right now," Nadine urged, her voice trembling with sudden panic. "Now that she’s born, the veil is broken. Ozai will track her signal. You cannot remain in the haven."

Rachel looked up, her blue eyes wide with exhaustion. "He won’t find us, Nadine. We’ve been hidden here for years."

"This child changes everything!" Nadine cut her off, her hands shaking as she packed their supplies. "She isn’t just another redhead, Rachel. She is the first of her bloodline. If Ozai claims her, every sanctuary in this realm will burn!"

A terrifying, unnatural screech suddenly ripped through the trees at the edge of the border, followed by the deafening sound of timber splintering.

Loud, horrified screams erupted from the perimeter as flames burst into the sky, turning the golden sunlight into a suffocating haze of black smoke.

A massive, dark Lycan burst through the burning brush, sprinting toward them before shifting mid-stride into a towering man with wild, terrified eyes. It was Nolan, her father.

He dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around Rachel and the newborn. "We’ve been breached," he choked out, ash coating his face. "Ozai is inside."

Rachel’s face drained of all color. "How? How did he find us so fast?"

"There’s no time to explain!" Nadine yelled over the roaring fire, pushing them toward the river. "He’s here for the child, and we can’t let him have her. Go! We will buy you whatever time we can!"

Nolan grabbed Nadine’s arm, his eyes gleaming with gratitude. "Thank you, Nadine. I won’t forget this."

Scooping Rachel into his arms while she clutched the swaddled baby to her heart, Nolan waded into the rushing river, using the current to mask their scent as the fortress behind them dissolved into a furnace of screaming voices and dark, shadow-draped monsters.

Alyssa tried to plunge into the river after them, but the dream twisted violently and changed. The river vanished. The burning haven dissolved.

She was suddenly plunged into a pitch-black forest at night, rain hammering down through the canopy.

Nolan and Rachel were fleeing through the mud, utterly exhausted. Behind them, an invisible terrifying entity was chasing after them through the forest.

Nolan suddenly skidded to a halt near a stone border marker, an idea forming in his mind.

"Listen to me, Rachel," he rasped, cupping Rachel’s wet face. "There is a pack territory a few hundred yards West. Find a place to hide with our daughter. I will hold Ozai back."

"Nolan, no..." Rachel sobbed.

"I will find you, I promise!" Nolan said, pressing a silver dagger into her hand for protection. "Hide our daughter and wait for me. Don’t trust anyone."

He gently pushed her toward the direction of the pack, turned, and let out a deafening roar. His Lycan form erupted as he threw himself directly into the path of the unseen nightmare.

Alyssa’s dream then shattered into rapid, chaotic flashes.

She saw Rachel being dragged into a mansion; she saw Kalista helping Rachel and the baby; she saw Rachel creeping out of the mansion and reuniting with Nolan...

Then, a sudden force slammed into Alyssa’s chest, pulling her backward through time and space. The dream tore apart like burning paper. Blinding white light flooded her vision, and everything went completely silent.

***

Alyssa snapped awake with a soft gasp, her lungs heaving for air as her eyes flew open.

She was back in the bedroom. Beside her, Dorian lay fast asleep, his arm draped securely over her waist, his steady breathing a stark contrast to the storm in her head.

She lay motionless in the dark for a long time, listening to the rhythm of his heart until her own pulse slowed to a quiet thrum.

The pieces were finally falling into place. She now understood why Kalista had mistaken her for Rachel weeks ago; Kalista had sheltered her mother all those years ago.

But as the silence of the night settled around her, more questions took root in her mind.

If Rachel was her mother, who was Wren? And what kind of monstrous, ancient force was Ozai that an entire fortress had to burn just to keep her hidden from him?