Ch. 6 Unwanted Memories
Ch. 6 Unwanted Memories
The moon hung high, casting a silver glow over the pack territory, illuminating the world with an ethereal light that felt almost surreal. I tossed and turned in my restless sleep, unable to shake the weight of Lyra’s words from my mind, each syllable echoing like a distant drumbeat. As I drifted deeper into the realm of dreams, her haunting violet eyes lingered in my thoughts, stirring something deep within me that I thought had long since faded into the shadows of my heart.
In the dream, I stood alone in a familiar clearing—our clearing, a sacred space where laughter and love once flourished. Eira appeared before me, bathed in moonlight, her amber eyes shining like twin suns, illuminating the darkness that surrounded us. The gentle breeze rustled through the trees, whispering secrets only she could understand, carrying the scent of pine and earth, evoking memories of a time when life felt whole.
“Zane,” she called softly, her voice wrapping around me like a warm embrace, soothing my tumultuous spirit. “Why do you linger in darkness?”
I reached for her, desperate to touch the woman I had lost too soon, to feel the warmth of her skin against mine. My fingers passed through the air as if she were made of smoke, a fleeting apparition that taunted me with its elusiveness.
“Eira.” The name slipped from my lips with a mixture of longing and grief, each syllable heavy with the weight of my sorrow. “I miss you.”
A smile broke across her face—a smile that felt both tender and teasing at once, a reminder of the joy we once shared. “You have so much to live for,” she said, stepping closer until our faces nearly brushed together, the air between us crackling with unspoken affection. “Don’t let your heart harden.”
“I don’t know how,” I admitted, my throat tightening with emotion, the truth of my despair laid bare before her.
“Lyra is not your enemy.” Her gaze pierced through me, cutting past the pain and guilt that had taken root in my chest since that fateful night when everything changed. “You must find your way back to life.”
“But it’s different with her.” My voice faltered as doubt crept in like a shadow at dusk, wrapping around my heart with icy tendrils. “She’s a vampire—my people hate them.”
“You think love can be bound by blood?” Eira tilted her head, studying me with an intensity that made my heart race, igniting a flicker of hope amidst the darkness. “You know better than that.”
The clearing shifted around us; shadows danced along the edges like specters waiting for their moment to pounce, threatening to consume the light. “It’s not just blood,” I replied, frustration lacing my tone, my emotions simmering beneath the surface. “There’s history—a feud that runs deep.”
Eira stepped forward again until we were inches apart, the warmth radiating from her felt all too real, grounding me in this surreal moment.
“The past is a ghost,” she murmured softly, her breath brushing against my skin like a caress, sending shivers down my spine. “Do not let it haunt you forever.”
“But if I move on…” The words tasted bitter on my tongue as I spoke them aloud, a confession that felt like betrayal. It was as if I were clawing at my own heart, ripping away the delicate threads of memory that bound me to Eira. Each syllable echoed in the stillness, a heavy weight that threatened to crush me under its enormity. How could I let go of the love that had shaped so much of who I was? The thought of embracing a future without her felt like an unforgivable sin, a dark shadow looming over my soul.
“You carry me with you wherever you go.” Her expression softened further, full of understanding and love that transcended even death itself, wrapping around me like a protective shroud. “Let yourself feel again.”
I wanted to reach out and pull her close—feel the softness of her hair between my fingers and breathe in the scent of pine and wildflowers that always clung to her—but before I could act on it, she began to fade, slipping away like grains of sand through my fingers.
“No!” Panic surged within me, a relentless tide of fear crashing against the shores of my sanity. Desperation clawed at my insides like a wild animal, gnawing at the edges of my composure as my heart raced against the inevitable loss that loomed ever closer. Each beat felt like a countdown, echoing the reality I desperately tried to deny.
“Remember what I said,” she whispered just before everything turned black around me, her voice lingering in the void, a haunting melody I couldn’t forget.
I jolted awake, heart pounding against my ribcage like a caged animal desperate for escape, the remnants of the dream clinging to me like a second skin. The essence of Eira was still there, vivid and alive in the quiet corners of my mind, a bittersweet reminder of what was and what could never be again.
Lyra’s face emerged from those shadows unbidden—the memories from our conversation replaying over and over like an echo bouncing off canyon walls, a relentless loop that refused to fade. A battle raged within me; questions spiraled into chaos—could love exist between two worlds? Was it right to even entertain such thoughts when Eira's memory loomed so large, casting a shadow over my every decision?