Page 32 of Shattered and Saved

Kea was also disquietingly on edge. Through our shared thoughts and feelings, I could sense her mood swings. One moment, she was ashamed of the anger she had felt toward our former mate. She would apologize and whimper regretfully. A minute later, she would blame him for turning our life upside down, cursing him just like she used to do before he thawed out our frozen heart. Sometimes, I was so affected by her emotions I wondered if they were my own.

Alone and haunted by the terrors in my mind, I tried to stay calm by researching any information I could find on dark magic, curses, and plagues - anything that might shed light on the problem we were facing. Since the books detailing my kindand our history had failed to offer any useful insight, I was even willing to consider the possibility of divine intervention.

I just prayed I could find a solution before I was too far gone.

After spending the night awake, afraid I wouldn’t be myself when I woke up if I let my guard down, I was finishing yet another book in my concerningly diminishing collection when my delta’s voice echoed in my head. “Alpha,” she called. “Don’t get your hopes up yet, but I might have good news.”

Honestly, I didn’t even remember the meaning of the word hope at this point.

“Shoot,” I replied emotionlessly.

“We’re right outside the door. Open up,” Rhea asked, making me tense up.

“Who’swe?” I asked, but I found the answer myself after drawing in a deep breath. Koen’s scent was unmistakable. Panic surged through me.“He shouldn’t be here, Rhea!”I snapped.“Tell me what you need to tell me and leave!”

“I’m afraid what I have for you can’t be delivered through mindlink,”she insisted, her defiance already getting on my nerves before another voice sounded.

This time, out loud.

“Avril, please listen to me,” Koen pleaded from the other side. My breath hitched when Kea raised her hackles, alert; wary. “We have something to show you. Something that might fix all of this.”

I backed away into a corner, inhaling and exhaling in a desperate attempt to keep my volatile rage at bay. It was the first time Koen spoke to me since I almost hurt him yesterday. I couldn’t risk losing control near him again. Shit, for all I knew, I could even end up hurting Rhea. But I also knew that I wouldn’t succeed in sending them off, and the longer they stuck around, the higher the chances of senseless anger consuming me again.There was no way the wooden wall separating us would keep Kea contained if she managed to take over.

“Fine. Rhea can come in,” I gave in at last. Taking a few more breaths, I let them know, “I’ll unlock the door and step back.”

With shaking hands, I turned the lock and rushed back to the corner, keeping a safe distance from the door. Rhea waited a few seconds before slowly cracking it open, and my heart rate spiked up.Don’t lose it, get a grip, stay calm,I repeated to myself over and over again as I watched her take a couple careful steps in.

Once inside, she stood still. “Want to murder me yet?” she joked.

“If you don’t get straight to the point, I might,” I half-complained, half-warned.

“Alright, check this out,” she said simply, tossing something at me.

Thanks to my heightened reflexes, I managed to catch it despite the surprise. When I opened my fist, I found a rough, hastily assembled band, crafted primarily from thick strips of bark tied together with coarse hemp rope and thin iron rings. Small, uneven chunks of some black gemstone were woven into the rustic bracelet.

When I shot Rhea a questioning glance, Rhea explained, “Vereya made this bracelet using rowan bark, iron, and black tourmaline. It’s supposed to suppress our powers.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Why would I want to do that?”

To say that I was confused was an understatement. After years dreaming of recovering the sacred ashes of the original banyan to restore our powers to its fullest, I couldn’t understand why I would want to suppress them again. I couldn’t see how that could possibly help. In fact, her suggestion was revolting.

“Just put it on. I’ll explain everything if it works,” she urged.

I frowned at the object, but then remembered my vow to do anything and everything to save my pack from this plague. Evenif I was still uncertain, my trust in Rhea was enough to convince me to try it.

As I slid the bracelet onto my wrist, an eerie sensation forced a shallow gasp out of me. The wild energy pulsing through my veins, igniting every single nerve in my body, suddenly died down. It was a little dispiriting to feel the raging inferno that set me alight slowly shrink. Although the heat was still there, it was now a steady flame instead of a wildfire, pulsing under the surface like a caged storm, but… it no longer threatened to overwhelm me.

Shortly after, I sensed Kea gradually calm down. The tornado of emotions emanating from her, strong enough to blur my judgment, stopped raging. As the agitation that had gripped her subsided, she became peaceful for the first time in a while.

My mind went blank as I drew in deep breaths, focusing solely on my state of mind. Was the rage truly gone, or was it just lurking beneath the surface, waiting for a moment of weakness to break free?

The answer became clear the second Koen stepped into my room.

“Did it work?” he asked, hopeful.

When our eyes locked, my inner peace intensified. At first, I was afraid, bracing myself for the moment it would suddenly shatter. Yet, it never came. Instead of barking about how our former mate had messed up our life, she wagged her tail slightly, basking in the comfort those serene emeralds always brought us.

“I guess,” I finally replied, allowing a half-smile to appear through the shock and fear. “How?”

---