Chapter 15

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　A　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

The sun was shining through the trees, casting a sparkle like glow on the ground around me.

"Amara!"

The voice calling my name was like a lullaby and gave me a warm and safe feeling.

"Coming Mama!" I shouted and then paused. I looked down at my hands. They were much smaller.

I looked down to my feet and wiggled my tiny toes in the grass. I was a child again.

I let out a gleeful giggle and skipped over towards the river looking down at my reflection. My hair was untamed and all over the place and in the middle of my tousled mahogany curls sat a crown made out of all sorts of beautiful wildflowers. I looked around for any sign of my father. He wasn't here. I grinned and jumped into the shallow water, splashing about, trying to catch minnows that swam by.

I heard a laugh from behind me and realized how desperately I missed that sound.

"What am I going to do with you, my wild one?" My mother asked.

I turned around anxious to see her face again but when I did, I frowned. It was my mother, but her face was paler, and her eyes were tired. She was sick. My heart sank. Why would the Gods remind me of this? No... I couldn't take this for granted. At least I was seeing her again.

"Come on Mara, I want to show you something." She smiled and held out her hand.

I walked to her, as quickly as I could while the mud on the bottom of the river was suctioning to my feet. I climbed back up onto the grassy bank and ran to her, not taking her hand, but throwing my arms around her waist, hugging her.

"What's wrong sweet girl?" She asked me, running her hands through my hair.

"I missed you, that's all." I replied.

"Well, I'm here now." She spoke. I pulled away and looked up at her smile. I smiled back and took her hand as she led me through the trees.

"Where are we going?" I asked after we had walked a little way.

"You'll see." She replied and looked around cautiously before she stepped into the water looking like she was about to cross over to the other side.

"We can't! Papa says never to go over there!" I exclaimed.

"Your father says a lot, without knowing for himself. But don't worry, we aren't crossing. Come here." She said.

I stepped into the water. It was somehow warmer over here than it was closer to home. She took my hand again and we walked up the middle of the stream.

"If we aren't going to the other side, where are we going?" I asked.

"Where we are going is kind of an in-between. It's a place where only special people can go."

I looked down at the water.

"Jamie says there isn't much special about me." I mumbled.

"Don't you listen to Jamie. Don't you listen to anyone who tries to tell you what or who you are. You decide that for yourself." My mother said in an almost scolding tone.

"Yes Mama." I nodded.

We stopped suddenly and she turned to me.

"Are you ready?" She asked.

I nodded again. She smiled and put her hand up.

I jumped back, startled as it looked like the area in front of us wobbled like jelly.

"Don't be afraid. It's okay. This is a safe place. The safest place actually." She giggled while holding out her hand. I took it hesitantly and we stepped forward.

I was surrounded by a bright golden light. I squinted waiting for it to fade and once I could see again, I gasped.

We were still in the forest, but everything was colored much more vividly. There were so many trees, and fields of the most beautiful flowers as far as I could see there seemed to be gold and pink sparkles floating everywhere. I looked up and the sky was painted with pinks and purples. It was simply the most beautiful place I'd ever seen.

My eyes went back to my mother. Gone was the frail and sickly woman, her dark brown colored hair flowed in the warm breeze and her tan skin had a youthful glow.

"You aren't sick!" I grinned.

"No one ever gets sick here." She smiled at me.

"Why can't we live here? Me you and Papa?" I asked.

"Papa wouldn't be welcome." She said her eyes darkened but she looked down at me noticing that I tensed.

"He's just too much of a grump." She said with a giggle.

"Oh." I frowned.

"But it's okay because you are welcome here, and whenever you are sad, or you are in trouble you can come here."

"But without you? I don't want to." I sighed.

"I will always be with you Amara even after I am gone. But before I leave this world there is something I want you to know." She said. "I know that if I don't tell you, you may never know."

"What is it?" I asked.

"I want you to know who you are." She said but as she spoke it began to sound like she was underwater, and I could just barely hear her.

"Who I am? What do you mean?" I asked.

I could see her mouth moving, but I couldn't hear what she was saying.

"I can't hear you!" I said and my eyes began to water. I looked around as a dark shadow was casting over the area. I reached out for my mother, but the shadow engulfed her, and she was gone.

"NO!" I screamed.

"Mara!!" A deeper voice came through. "Mara sweetheart, wake up."

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"Amara!" Kieran called, and I felt myself being lightly shook.

I struggled to open my eyes, apparently having cried in my sleep making my eyelashes stick together like glue. I rubbed my eyes as I sat up and then blinked them open looking at Kieran who looked worried. I just sighed heavily and leaned into him pressing my forehead to his chest. He ran his hands up my back soothingly.

"Bad dream?" He asked.

"No... it was quite lovely actually." I said. "But it was over too quickly."

"I'm sorry, but you were screaming No and crying in your sleep. I can't imagine that producing a lovely dream."

"I was dreaming about my mother. But it wasn't exactly a dream. It felt more like a memory somehow and she took me to this place." I said.

"What place?" Kieran asked.

"I don't know. I don't remember ever being there before. But it was beautiful Kieran. There were flowers everywhere and the colors you should have seen them!" I said and sat back kicking the blankets off of me and standing up pacing the room. "Everything sparkled." I smiled.

Kieran raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe you were dreaming of your mother, in whatever you believe heaven to be. But that doesn't explain the screaming."

I sighed.

"It wasn't heaven, Kieran. She was alive. And she was trying to tell me something. Something important but before she could..." I frowned and shook my head not wanting to think about watching my mother be swallowed by a huge black shadow.

"Never mind... You don't believe me anyways." I muttered.

"Love it's not that I don't believe you. I'm just telling you how it sounds."

"And I'm telling you it wasn't just a dream!" I argued. Kieran put his hands out.

"Okay... Okay. Calm down. Roxy is downstairs and ready to take you to the city to get some things you need, why don't you get ready?"

"Are you going?" I asked with uncertainty. I'd never been to the city. My father went every now and then to get supplies and things for the pack, but I was not allowed to go.

"I don't want to intrude on your girl's day with Roxy. She knows her way around it will be fine." Kieran smiled.

"Alright." I nodded. "I'll go get ready."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　K　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

While Amara was getting ready, I went back downstairs to speak with Roxy.

"She, okay?" She asked as I walked into the den. She had heard the scream from downstairs.

"Aye. She was dreaming about her mother. So, if she seems distracted today, don't take it personally, she's had a rough few days."

"Exactly why she needs a girl's day. Shopping makes every girl feel better."

I chuckled.

"Amara is not every girl. She's a little nervous about going to the city. Please keep an eye on her."

"You know I will, Kieran." Roxy sighed. "I'm not going to lose her."

"Where exactly are you two going?" I asked.

"We're going to the mall for clothes and whatever, and then we're going to go eat." Roxy shrugged.

"You know the places that hunters frequent. I don't have to remind you to stay clear of those, correct?"

"Duh." Roxy said and rolled her eyes. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I promise Kieran." She sighed heavily, clearly annoyed.

"And please do not take her to the Rabbit Hole. The girl took a couple shots of rum and was three sheets to the wind."

"Well, you just take the fun out of everything." Roxy winked.

"I mean it Rox. Mall, food, home. Preferably before it gets dark." I said.

"Aye, Aye Captain." Roxy smirked and shook her head.

Amara walked into the den I turned and smiled at her, her usually wild and untamed dark mahogany hair had two braids, wrapped around the sides of her head like a crown, and the rest of her long hair cascaded down her back and shoulders in waves. She was wearing, a pair of her jeans, with a hole torn in the knee, her snow boots and my navy-blue plaid over shirt, with the sleeves rolled to rest above her elbows.

"Your shirts are washed in love." I smirked.

"I know... But I like this one." She shrugged and gave me a small smile. She walked over and stood beside Roxy. I turned to them.

"Text me, as soon as you get into town and as soon as you leave to come home. If I happen to call, you know that little green answer button that you love to ignore? Don't." I said, narrowing my eyes in a warning at Roxy. She just scoffed and crossed her arms.

"Can we go now?" She asked.

I looked at Amara, hesitant to say yes. I knew she needed things, and she needed to get out of the house for a bit and have some fun, but I was terrified of something happening to her out of my control.

Roxy sighed and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Kieran, I promise you I will not let anything happen to her, any sign of hunter trouble and we will come home...but of course Jake's car… Is slightly less reliable..." She said and gave me a hopeful grin.

I grumbled and fished in my pocket for my keys.

"You hurt her, and I hurt you." I said and tossed her my car keys.

"Yes!" Roxy said and squealed in excitement.

"Why would Roxy hurt me?" Amara asked.

"He's talking about his precious car." Roxy snorted.

"Same goes for her. I don't want a scratch on either of them. Understood?" I asked.

"Yes! Gods. Can we go now?" Roxy groaned.

"Aye. but while you're out get Mara a phone and put her on my plan. Show her how to use it."

"I get a phone?" Amara asked.

"Of course, you do." I said and smiled. Roxy took Amara's arm.

"Come on or we'll never get out of here." She said and pulled Amara out of the house.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　A　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

I barely had time to tell Kieran bye before I was pulled out of the house by Roxy.

"Sorry, If we didn't get out of there soon, we never would have made it out, he was seconds away from locking you in the broom closet to keep you safe from the world." Roxy smirked.

"He... wouldn't do that...would he?" I asked.

"I was kidding." Roxy laughed. "But he is incredibly protective, I can't really blame him after Michela but at the same time, he needs to give you room to breathe. I know you are both nervous about this, but I know that you are going to have fun, Alexander kept you in the dark for way too long. It's time to experience the world he stole from you." Roxy smiled.

"Okay." I said, returning her smile.

Roxy led me to the garage on the side of the house and clicked a button on the keys Kieran gave her and the door opened slowly revealing Kieran's car.

"Whoa..." I mumbled.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Roxy asked.

I nodded looking in awe at the car.

"What kind of car is this?" I asked, stepping in the garage running my hand along the side of it.

"It's a 67 Chevelle ss. Get in." She grinned.

I opened the door and slid in the seat. Roxy slid into the seat next to mine and put the key in the ignition and turned it. I jumped as it sounded like a beast was coming from the car.

"Easy. Have you never even been in a car?" Roxy asked.

"Been in one yes. But I've never rode in one." I said and quickly buckled the seat belt.

"Well, this is just one huge adventure for you then. I promise. I am a safe driver." She smiled and peeled out of the garage, and I swore I felt my intestines jump into my throat and I held onto whatever I could to brace myself for inevitable death and squeezed my eyes shut waiting for it to be over.

"Amara, open your eyes." Roxy giggled.

I opened my eyes, and we were driving down a dirt path that led to the main road, and we weren't going nearly as fast as I thought we were.

"See? Nothing to worry about." Roxy said and turned on the radio.

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I watched out the window as we drove by the large buildings in the city. The air seemed thick, and smoggy here and there were so many people. I shrank back in my seat nervously trying not to panic. I didn't know what I expected, but this was not it.

"It's not so bad once we are inside the shopping center, The outside is horrible compared to home. Kieran hates coming here."

"I understand why." I said. "I already miss the trees... and the..."

"Lack of people?" Roxy smirked. "You didn't seem like a social butterfly. If anyone approaches you, I'll do the talking, don't worry about it."

"Why do you like it here?" I asked.

"Well, at night it's an entirely different place. There are neon lights everywhere, and the people are different too. Sometimes it's just fun to get out of the woods and mingle with humans. The nice ones anyways, the ones who aren't hunters can't tell that we aren't like them. Besides, I met Jake here."

"He told me that he almost hit you with his car." I glanced sideways at her.

"That he did." Roxy giggled.

"What brought you here?" I asked.

"I actually used to live here... With my grandmother." She said and her eyes clouded over with grief.

"She passed, and I went to find my mother in her pack but her pack...they did things much like Alexander's, they hated humans and because I grew up with them...I wasn't accepted. So, I had to find a new pack. Kieran took me in, I was 17 and an ungrateful little shit." She sighed.

"We didn't get along too well at first, I thought he was an overprotective prick. I asked if I could go to the city because I wanted to visit my grandmother's diner and he told me no. So, I waited till everyone was asleep and snuck out." She smirked. "I ran into the road and didn't see Jake's car until he almost hit me."

"I'm sorry about your grandmother." I frowned.

"It's okay, it's just a part of life." She said and smiled.

"I ended up sneaking out again, but I took Kieran's car, and took Lacey with me. We went to the Rabbit Hole, and she got wasted, and then we ended up in a high-speed chase with hunters, Lacey vomited in the backseat, and I almost wrecked Kieran's car and it scared us both enough to not do it again."

"You and Lacey are friends?" I asked.

"Yeah. We are. You know she told me about what happened in Kieran's gym. She was just trying to get a rise out of the new girl...but she's too damn proud to apologize. But she is sorry."

I shrugged.

"As long as she keeps her hands where they belong..." I muttered.

Roxy just grinned at me and pulled into the parking lot of a large shopping center.

Once inside, Roxy was right; it was much better than the outside. There were a lot of people, but there were also a lot of things to keep my mind elsewhere occupied.

I sniffed the air as an intoxicating smell came through the area.

"What... is that?!" I asked. Roxy laughed.

"That's the pretzel kiosk." Roxy informed me. 

"First off, I want one." I said.

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We walked around the mall as I stuffed my face with a huge pretzel and cheese. I had gotten my phone, all set up and sitting in my back pocket. I wasn't nearly as interested in it as I was the pretzel which Roxy found amusing.

I gasped as I set my eyes on a shop with loads of crystals and pretty clothing.

"Mara, wait!" Roxy said as I took off and walked into the shop.

"Hey!" I heard someone say. I turned and looked at an angry looking woman. "You can't have food in here!" She barked at me.

"Sorry, sorry. We'll be back in a minute." Roxy said and started to lead me out of the store, but I proceeded to shove the rest of the pretzel in my mouth and turn back into the store. I showed the grumpy old woman my food-less hands and walked further into the store.

"Sorry, she doesn't get out much." I heard Roxy mumble to the woman as she followed me.

I found a beautiful dress, with tribal print and sunflowers all over it and picked it up.

"You would rock that!" Roxy said.

I gave her a confused look.

"It would look good on you. Here's a basket. Pick things you like." Roxy said and handed me a basket.

"Anything I like?" I asked.

"Kieran said anything you wanted you were to have." Roxy shrugged.

"But... no I couldn't do that." I shook my head.

"If you don't, he'll bring you back himself and there's no telling what you will end up with," Roxy giggled. "Go wild."

I grinned and put the dress in the basket and walked around the shop picking out a few other outfits I liked and then I looked at the jewelry. It was mostly made from Crystals, and it reminded me of the stuff my mother would wear. I put my hand around a rose quartz pendant in the shape of a crescent moon and frowned.

"You, okay?" Roxy asked.

I nodded.

"My mother would have loved this place." I said and picked up a few items and put them in the basket.

"I think this is all for now." I said.

"What about shoes? You can't wear snow boots in the spring and summer." She said, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't wear shoes unless it's winter." I shrugged.

"What? Why?" Roxy asked.

"I just never have."

"Okay but what about if we have to come here again? You can't not wear shoes here. There's another shop that has shoes, and something else I think you'll like. We will go there after a coffee break." She smiled and took the basket from me walking up to the counter with it. The lady rang up the items and took the card that Roxy gave her and handed us a slip and we were on our way out of the store.

"Are you having fun?" Roxy asked.

"Yeah, I am actually-" I started to say but was cut off as I ran straight into someone.

"Oh! I am terribly sorry." I said and looked at the woman with blonde curly hair, and bright green eyes. She looked at me and looked stunned for a moment.

"No... It's okay." She stammered in a thick accented voice. "My fault." She added and bumped me again as she hurried past me.

"That... was weird." Roxy said.

"Yeah..." I said and watched the woman as she walked out of the mall. Something seemed strangely familiar about her.

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I sipped at the frozen coffee that Roxy had ordered for me and looked down at my jittery hands.

  "Is this normal?" I asked.

"If you've never had coffee, yes."

"I've had coffee... Just not coffee like this but it's delicious. Will I stop vibrating?" I asked.

Roxy laughed.

"Yes, you will eventually."

I smiled and sipped at the coffee and looked around at the people.

"So... Kieran mentioned you had a dream about your mother and if you want to talk about it… With someone less...you know Kieran I'm all ears." Roxy smiled.

"Oh. I wouldn't want to bore you." I shrugged.

"You wouldn't bore me Amara, I'm your friend this is what friends do. We talk and help each other."

"It didn't feel like a dream. It felt real." I blurted out. "It felt like something I was supposed to remember. I was a child, and my mother took me to this place that she said only special people could go. It was beautiful, there were trees and flowers as far as my eyes could see, everything seemed so vivid, and vibrant and every glittered. There were these creatures that were running around but I don't remember much about them." I shrugged. "She was trying to tell me something important, but I woke up before she could."

"It sounds a lot like a place in this story my Granny used to tell me. Eiravale." Roxy said. "It was about a Wolf king and a Fae queen who were in love or something...But it was only a children's story. I still have the book if you want to read it." She offered.

"Maybe." I shrugged.

"Why don't we go to the other store I wanted to take you to?" She suggested.

"Sure." I smiled.

We were in a very large shoe store, and Roxy kept showing me shoes that she thought I would like. I picked a couple pairs just to appease her, they weren't bad, but I really didn't like shoes. I did kind of like the pair of yellow sneakers with the flowers all over them, and a pair of sandals she found too.

"Come here." She grinned mischievously and pulled me over to a section of the store that was nothing but socks. My eyes widened as I saw a huge bin of all sorts of colored fuzzy socks with a big yellow sign that said "Clearance."

"What does Clearance mean?" I asked Roxy.

"It means they're on sale." Roxy said and then let out a snort and a laugh as I reached in the bin of socks and came out with my arms full of socks and walked to the counter and tossed the pile of socks on it.

The boy behind the register looked at me like I had gone mad.

"I want all of these." I said and pointed to the socks.

"Don't forget your shoes." Roxy reminded me.

"Oh!" I said and took the shoes from her and put them on top of the pile of socks. "And these." I said and smiled at the boy who stared at me awkwardly as he began to ring up the socks.

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"Roxy, what is going on here?" I asked and showed her my phone with Kieran's name and a facetime request as we continued walking around the mall.

"Oh! He wants to talk to you, probably to check in. just press the green button and hold the phone out so he can see your face." Roxy said.

I did as instructed and smiled as Kieran's face popped up on my phone screen.

"Look!" I spoke.

"We see him every day." Roxy snorted.

"Hello to you too, Roxy." Kieran said. Roxy wiggled her fingers at him.

"How's it going?" Kieran asked.

"It's going great!" I said "I got socks. Show him Roxy!"

Roxy held out the huge bag full of socks.

"That... is a big bag of socks." Kieran said not as amused as I was.

"They were on sale!" I grinned.

"Roxy. What have you done to my Amara?" Kieran asked.

"We had coffee." Roxy smiled.

"It was Frozen." I added.

"I can see that." Kieran chuckled. "Did you buy anything else to wear or are you just going to be wearing socks? Not that I'm complaining."  He said, giving me a cheeky grin.

"Ew. I'm complaining." Roxy said and stuck her tongue out.

"Yes. I got other clothes." I said and blushed. "We are going to go eat lunch and then head home." I smiled.

"Great. I'll see you two then and you can tell me more about your socks?"

"I got so many colors!"

"I'm sure you did." Kieran laughed. "See you two later. Drive safe."

"As always. Bye Kieran." Roxy smirked and hung up the phone. I put it back in my pocket.

"What are you in the mood for?" Roxy asked.

I shrugged.

"I don't know. Why don't we go to that diner you mentioned that your grandmother owned?" I asked.

"Oh. we couldn't. It's become a hunter's hang out." Roxy sighed and I could see that she was upset by that.

"I'm not scared." I shrugged, though perhaps it was the coffee making me brave.

"Kieran would kill me if I brought you there. No way."

"Come on Roxy. That place belonged to your grandmother. It's just as much yours as it is theirs. This is my day out, so, I say we go there."

Roxy thought for a moment.

"Maybe... There won't be as many hunters?" She said tossing the idea around.

I grinned.

"Okay. Okay we will go." Roxy said.

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Roxy parked outside Granny's diner. Her knuckles were white around the steering wheel, and she was clearly nervous.

"It will be okay." I smiled. "We'll just go in and eat and ignore anyone who tries to bother us."

"You sound pretty brave for spending 3 seconds in the city." Roxy smirked.

"I know, let's go in before the caffeine wears off." I giggled and unbuckled the seatbelt and got out of the car. Roxy got out and we walked inside.

It wasn't too busy; there was only a few other guys inside and they didn't seem bothered by us at all, which seemed to calm Roxy down.

We sat down at a table, and I looked at the menu.

"What do you recommend?" I asked.

"Depends on what you like. Granny always had something on the menu for everyone. I personally love the cheeseburger and fries" Roxy shrugged.

"I think I will get that too then." I smiled.

Once our food arrived, we sat to ourselves eating, Roxy seemed happy and at peace.

"Thank you for talking me into this." Roxy said.

"It's what friends do." I smiled.

The bell on the door jingled and in walked a group of men. I could tell they were hunters by the smell of them but as one of them spoke my eyes shot up at the man with the familiar voice as I was hit with a wave of memories.

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I heard a loud bang and felt something stick me in the thigh. I looked down at the tranquilizer dart.

"No..." I whimpered as the tranquilizer's effects began to work quickly and my legs felt like they were weighted down with every step I took. I made it to the river and about halfway across before I collapsed in the cool water, paralyzed and hardly able to keep my eyes open. I saw three silhouettes around me. And heard their boots splashing in the shallow water.

"Look at her, She's a young one." One of them said.

"But she sure is pretty." Another said. "Maybe before we kill her..."

I felt calloused hands snaking up my shirt. I couldn't move, I couldn't fight.

  These were the hunters who chased me the night Kieran brought me to his pack.

"We need to go." Roxy hissed at me.

I nodded and Roxy left some cash on the table for the food and we both walked towards the door.

"Where do you think you two are going?" One of the men asked and stepped in front of us.

"We were leaving." Roxy said.

"Oh... no. I don't think that you are." He grinned and turned his beady little eyes to me. "Long time no see wolf. You two are a long way away from home, and that big bad Alpha bastard."

"Just let us go." I sighed and tried to push my way past him, but he shoved me backwards.

"Mara!" Roxy shouted as I hit the floor with a thud. She walked towards me, but another hunter grabbed her from behind.

"Let her go!" I screamed.

"You aren't going anywhere. You and I have unfinished business." He grinned and stalked towards me.

Mara of all the foolish ideas you've had, this has got to be the worst. If these hunters don't kill us, Kieran will for sure.