<b>Chapter </b><b>154</b>
<b>-Alex’s </b><b>POV-</b>
My <b>eyes </b>flickered open, <b>slow </b><b>and </b><b>heavy</b><b>. </b>It took a few seconds for my brain to catch up with my body. Where was I? The ce was dark, too dark. No windows<b>, </b>no doors<b>, </b>just endless darkness. I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my thigh. My hand went to the spot, and my fingers found something cold and hard. The knife. Delores had said it would hurt. She hadn’t lied.
I pulled the knife out. The pain <b>was </b>blinding, but I ignored it. I had to get up. I had to find him and the urgency was overwhelming. <b>I </b>stood up <b>slowly</b><b>, </b>my legs shaky. The ground <b>was </b>cold and hard, like concrete.
<b>As </b>my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I started to make out the shape of things. It looked like a vast, empty in. There was nothing around me, just endless nothingness. <b>It </b><b>was </b>cold, too, a bone–chilling kind of cold that seeped into my skin. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold in the <b>heat</b>.
I started walking, not knowing where I was going but driven by a need to keep moving. I walked for what felt like hours,my legs burning with every step. There was nothing to see, nothing to hear. Just the sound of my own footsteps echoing in the silence.
Then, <b>a </b>flicker of light appeared in the distance. It was small, like a tiny star in the vast emptiness. Hope ignited in my chest. I quickened my pace, my legs feeling lighter. As I got closer, the light grew brighter, revealing a scene from my past.
I <b>was </b>young, maybe five or <b>six</b>. <b>I </b>wasughing, running through a field of wildflowers. My mother was chasing me, her face a mask of pure joy. I could hear herughter, high–pitched and carefree. The scene <b>was </b>perfect, a moment frozen in time.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.
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STT PEARS
But then, the scene changed. I was still young, but theughter was gone. My father was there, his face dark and angry. He was yelling at me, his voice like thunder. I felt small and scared. I turned away from the memory, unable to watch.
I continued walking, the scene fading behind me. More memories appeared, flickered, and disappeared. Happy ones with my mother, painful ones with my father. I tried to ignore them, to focus on finding what I was looking for.
But the memories were relentless. They kepting, one after the other. Each one a piece of my past, a part of me that I had tried to bury. I felt overwhelmed, like I <b>was </b>drowning in a <b>sea </b>of emotions.
And then, I <b>saw </b>it. A storm was brewing in the distance, a dark, angry mass of clouds. It was different from the other memories. It felt…alive. It just couldn’t be cupcakes and rainbows. I took a deep breath and started walking towards it, my heart pounding in my chest. This <b>was </b>it. This was what I had been looking for.
The storm <b>was </b>closer now. The wind howled like a wounded animal, whipping around me. The ground trembled beneath my feet. I could see the storm now<b>, </b>a dark, swirling mass of clouds <b>that </b>seemed to be alive. I could hear thunder rumbling in the distance, a low, menacing growl.
<b>Fear </b>gnawed at me<b>. </b><b>It </b>was <b>a </b>cold, icy <b>fear </b>that gripped my heart. I had faced danger before, but this was different. This was <b>a </b>confrontation with <b>myself</b><b>, </b>with the <b>darkest </b>parts of my soul. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I had to do this. I had to <b>face </b>my demons.
<b>As </b>I stepped into the storm, the wind knocked me <b>off </b>my feet. The rain was freezing, stinging my skin like needles. The thunder roared, and lightning shed, illuminating the darkness. <b>I </b>was alone<b>, </bpletely and utterly alone.
Then, I <b>saw </b>him. My <b>father</b>. He stood in the middle of the storm, <b>tall </b>and imposing, his eyes burning with hatred. A cold dread washed over me. I knew <b>what </b><b>was </bing.
<b>“</b>You,” he growled, his voice like thunder<b>. </b><b>“</b>You weakling.”
I tried to <b>speak</b>, but no words <b>came </b><b>out</b><b>. </b>My throat was dry. He took a <b>step </b>forward, and I stumbled backward. I could <b>feel </b>my <b>heart </b>pounding in my <b>cars</b>. I was trapped. There was nowhere to run.
“I tried to toughen you up but in the end you <b>remained </b>that little boy that would forever <b>cower </b>at my voice. All you do is disappoint<b>, </b>cause <b>pain </b>and betray everyone around you.”
The words cut like a knife. They <b>were </b>true. I had betrayed <b>Amaya</b><b>, </b>I had betrayed my children by not being there. I had been weak.
<b>“</b>You’re not a man,” he continued. <b>“</b><b>You’re </b>a coward.”
The words ignited something in me, a spark of <b>anger </b>and I rose to my feet, <b>“</b><b>I </b><b>am </b><b>not </b>a coward. <b>If </b>anyone is the coward here<b>, </b>it is you. You <b>were </b>so blinded by <b>your </b>insecurities which fueled <b>your </b>need to be better <b>than </b>everyone else. You could <b>have </b>loved me,” <b>I </b>felt <b>the </b>first <b>tear </b>drop from my <b>eyes</b><b>, </b><b>“</b>You could have loved her but instead you tormented us<b>. </b>You <b>made </b>our lives miserable and then you took her from me<b>. </b>As if <b>that </b>wasn’t enough, you molded me into this man <b>that </b><b>I </b>hated every time I stared in the mirror. A man that <b>had </b>to build a wall around him so <b>no </b><b>one </b>could get to him because you made me believe that everyone was out to <b>get </b>me.”
I sucked in <b>a </b>deep breath, the intensity of the rain increased, stinging my skin even more, “I hurt people, <b>people </b>I should have loved because <b>you </b>broke my ability to trust. <b>I </b><b>am </b>not the coward father. You <b>are </b>and I am done. <b>I </b><b>am </b>done letting what you did to me control me and I am done running.”
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10:21 <b>AM</b>
Chapter 154
My father <bughed</b>, <b>a </b>cold, cruel sound. He charged at <b>me</b>, his <b>eyes </b>filled with rage. I raised the knife<b>, </b>ready to fight. The battle <b>was </b>brutal. We fought with the ferocity of wild animals. I was stronger than I thought, but my father <b>was </b>relentless. Every blow hended sent pain shooting through my body.
Finally, I managed to disarm him. He was bleeding, but he was still standing. I looked at him, my heart pounding. I could kill him now<b>, </b>end this nightmare <b>once </b>and for <b>all</b>.
But I couldn’t do it. I <b>had </be here to confront my demons, not to add another one to the <b>list</b>. I lowered the knife. My father looked at me, surprise and confusion in his eyes.
Then, the world started to change. The storm faded, the wind died down. The ground beneath my feet started to dissolve. I could hear voices, faint at first, but growing louder. Amaya’sughter, the sound of children ying.
I wanted to reach out, to grab hold of something solid, but there was nothing. I was falling, but there <b>was </b>nothing tond on.
<b>A </b>low growl rumbled deep inside me, a primal sound that was both terrifying and exhrating. It was my wolf, calling out, desperate to break free. I wanted to answer but something held me back, a thick, invisible wall blocking our connection. It felt like a lifetime of pain and regret had solidified into this barrier.
Just as I was about to give up, the growling stopped. The world around me shifted, and there she was – my mother. She stood before me, looking
exactly as I remembered her<b>, </b>her smile warm and inviting. Her eyes<b>, </b>the same shade of blue <b>as </b>mine, held a depth of love that took my breath
<b>away</b>.
“I’ve missed you, my darling boy,” she whispered, her voice soft and gentle.
Without thinking, I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around her. It had been so long since I had felt her warmth, her scent. I held her tightly, <b>as </b><b>if </b>afraid she would disappear.
She returned the hug, her hands stroking my hair. “You’re not my little boy anymore,” she smiled, pulling back to look at me. Her eyes held a mixture of pride and sorrow. “We don’t have much time, Alex. The spell is weakening. You need to find your wolf and leave this ce.<b>”</b>
A <b>wave </b>of panic washed over me. “But I don’t want to leave you,” I pleaded, my voice trembling.
She ced her hands on my <b>face</b>, her thumbs wiping away a tear that had escaped my eye. “You have to, my darling boy. There are people who need you. And remember<b>, </b>even though I won’t be there physically, <b>I’ll </b>always be with you and I’m so proud of the man you’ve be.”
I nodded, but my heart ached. I wanted
<b>to </b><b>stay </b>with her <b>forever</b>.
The growl started again<b>, </b>louder this time. <b>I </b>could feel my wolf’s desperation, his frustration at being trapped. I tried to reach out to him, but the barrier was still there, solid and unyielding.
“<b>I </b><b>can’t </b>reach him,” I said, my voice filled with despair. “<b>I </b>can feel him, but <b>I </b><b>can’t </b>reach him.”
My mother’s smile faded, <b>reced </b>by a look of understanding. “You have to let go of the past, Alex. Forgive yourself. Only then can you be whole again.”
I shook my head. “I have done so many horrible things<b>. </b>Hurt the very people I was meant to love. I just can’t. I <b>can’t</b>.”
Her eyes softened. “You’re stronger than you think, my darling. <b>I </b>know <b>it’s </b><b>hard</b>, but you have to try. The world is fading<b>, </b>and soon it will be toote<b>. </b><b>If </b>you disappear in this world, you die and this time there will be nothing <b>I </b>can do again.”
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It finally clicked. When I had died, when it <b>had </b><b>all </b>ended <b>I </b>felt <b>something</b><b>, </b>someone <b>so </b>familiar. <b>It </b>was her. She <b>was </b>the miracle that <b>gave </b><b>me </b>another chance to live. <b>A </b>second chance. A chance to right my wrong but I still did not <b>want </b>to <b>leave </b><b>her</b>.
“Please don’t go,” I begged, my voice breaking.
She reached out and touched my <b>face</b>. <b>“</b><b>I </b>won’t <b>leave </b>you, Alex. <b>I’ll </b>always be with you. But you have to find your wolf. <b>It’s </b>time<b>.”</b>
<b>was</b>
I closed my eyes, trying to focus<b>. </b><b>I </b><b>could </b><b>feel </b>the <b>world </b>around me starting to disappear. The ground crumbling <b>beneath </b>my feet<b>, </b>and the light was fading. I had to do this. I had to let go. With a deep breath, <b>I </b>pushed <b>away </b>the <b>fear </b>and the doubt and <b>as </b>soon <b>as </b>the words formed in my mind, the world around me exploded in a blinding light and I plummeted backwards.
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