Page 114 of Anaki

“And try not to get upset. I can’t have you shift.” I stepped forward and rubbed my neck along them both to conceal their scents. My tongue slithered out of my mouth and slowly ran up her neck. “Stay safe, stay hidden.”

Elena rubbed her head against mine. “Don’t tell anyone what Abuela did. That she could change herself.”

I stood still and searched through her mind. While we could see each other’s memories before, with the bond, it felt so much easier to comb through. My eyes widened in shock the more that was revealed.

Abuela was a fierce female.

“You have my word, love. No one will know.”

Before Scales could persuade me from leaving and taking care of only our immediate family, I slithered into the forest with speed.

It didn’t take me long to reach the lake. Voices were constantly going through my mind. Bear, Hawke, Locke, I could hear them all. Where theywere and how I could find them. The link was strange, and Scales didn’t know what to do with it. We were not programmed to hear other people’s thoughts, only emotions.

I wasn’t supposed to have a dragon speak to me, but here we were.

The lake enveloped me with a soothing embrace as I plunged into its depths. It felt inexplicably right—not to my physical self, but as if I had found the place where I truly belonged. Slowly, I descended to the bottom, where the world above faded away, and I waited, nestled into the soft, cool embrace of the sediment that cradled me like an ancient, welcoming bed.

Only weeks ago, I thought I should stay down here forever as a human, and let my life be taken from me. Thank the goddess I hadn’t.

As I gazed upward, the moon boldly pierced through the heavy clouds, its luminous glow struggling to reach the earth below. The silvery light danced delicately across the surface of the lake, shimmering faintly amidst the gentle ripples that disturbed the otherwise tranquil water.

There was a commotion on the shore, and with the link, I tried to pinpoint who it could be. It was two powerful entities, and Scales immediately recognized it as the source of our mind-linking abilities.

Alpha and Luna.

Locke and Emm.

We propelled ourselves upward, slicing through the water with powerful strokes until our eyes and nose emerged into the open air. The cool surface of the water kissed our skin as we hovered there, barely allowing our ears to rise above the surface. From this position, the muffled cacophony of the battle reached us, a chaotic sound of bullets whizzing, animal roars, and shouted commands. Every fiber of my being was poised to surge out of the water and join the fray, yet a persistent whisper in the recesses of my mind urged patience, forcing me to bide my time.

It was a battle for Emm that she must do on her own. I listened to it, andit seemed familiar. I only listened to it for so long until I couldn’t take it anymore.

There was more fighting and yelling. Locke struggled into a position where he couldn’t move. He was yelling, then grunting, but again, it was like I was frozen in place.

If Locke knew I was there, he would’ve had my head.

But again, I watched.

Scales was pounding in my mind to go, and I was holding back as hard as I could, but slipping.

“Wait.” The voice called to me.

I squeezed my eyes tight as I watched my new Luna take a hit that would hurt later. I somehow know she needed this pain.

“Almost.”The voice was the goddess. I was listening, waiting. If it were any other member of the Fang, I was sure they wouldn’t listen. No male would listen to her, but I did. She gifted me a mate, and I would do what she said. A mate, a son, and my dragon’s voice.

I owed her.

I watched for what seemed like forever, as I witnessed the pain and destruction that all parties seem to do to each other’s bodies. I didn’t look away, I watched it all. Scales’ anger rose, while my worry for my friends grew.

Until the final word tickled my ear.“Now!”

Scales took over.

I was utterly powerless over my own body, as if I were a puppet on strings. We surged up from the lake, the water cascading off of us in shimmering droplets, and there he was—the imposing figure of Duke Idris himself.. The shoreline was a gruesome scene. It was splattered with crimson streaks of blood. Emm lay sprawled on the ground, motionless and vulnerable, while Locke stood poised, every muscle tense and ready todeliver the decisive blow to the Duke.

Idris was unmoving, cackling like a madman, ready to die.

Locke would want to kill him, slowly and painfully. But Scales and I could smell Abuela on his clothes, and in my hearts, I knew she was already gone.

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