Asra never let go of me.
After carrying me the entire walk home, he had resorted to keeping me perched on his lap like a child. The moment his ass sat down in his office chair, he placed me sideways across his thighs. He even discarded my towel before he pulled a random shirt from his desk and forced it over my head.
"Asra, I am a grown woman." I huffed, wriggling away.
The moment I stood, he was pulling me back onto his lap with a soft growl. I glared at him, crossing my arms.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Keeping you close." He stated, watching as the witch took a seat across from us.
"Why?" I probed.
He didn't answer, his gaze unwavering from the woman in front of us.
"I'm sitting in my own chair."
"No."
"Asra." I grumbled.
I didn't want to do this here, not in front of prying eyes.
"Sebastian, you may go." Asra commanded.
Sebastian was quick to bow and scurry out of the room, and I shot him a thank you before he slipped out the door. The room fell silent, and I awkwardly shifted my weight to face the witch.
"Shall we begin, Alpha?"
Asra adjusted me, rubbing his jaw across my shoulder. He was like a love-sick puppy!
"Before we begin, I am sitting in my own chair."
"No." He stated.
I levelled my gaze, narrowing my eyes. "Yes, or I will leave the room. She won't touch me with you here."
His eyes hardened too, the darkness overtaking most of his iris. I wasn't sure why he was so grouchy today; this was the first I'd seen of him all day!
Asra grumbled lowly, dropping his eyes to stare at my lap. I grinned, taking his defeat with a prideful heart. I grabbed a chair from the other side of the room and placed it beside him; appeasement. He observed me with a grimace, but I ignored his frowny face and got comfortable.
"Where shall we begin?" I asked, glancing between the two of them.
The witch seemed cosy in her chair; her legs crossed beneath her and arms loosely hanging in her lap. There was a quirk to her lips, but she narrowed her eyes with soft curiosity.
"I have many questions, but I know the alpha has more." She smiled.
Looking at Asra, he nodded and leaned forward. "Ailia, this is Evangeline. She is..."
"An old family friend." Evangeline grinned.
"How long have you known each other?" I wondered.
"Evangeline was friends with my father." Asra explained.
"You barely look older than thirty." I muttered.
Evangeline grinned. "Thank you, Ailia."
I chewed on my lower lip for a moment, debating on my next question. She didn't take her eyes away from me, as though she knew I was about to say something only to her.
"In the forest, you knew my name."
"Yes."
"How did you know my name?"
"I am a witch, Ailia. I know a lot."
"Like what?"
She cocked her head, flickering her eyes down at my seated form. "I knew you were the luna, despite appearing a human. I often just get basic facts, but if there is a spiritual connection, I can sense more."
"Spiritual how?"
"Auras... Deep emotions..." Her eyebrows crinkled, her pretty features marring with concern. "I see so much pain... I see bruises and blood, knives and glass... A closed off cold, bare room with no escape."
I froze, my jaw fingers tightening on my shirt.
"That's enough." Asra snarled.
I was sure my face had paled at the witch's confession. My belief in her ability was completely concrete. If she saw the room, and the knives, then she knew more than anybody in this pack. Only Mya, Caleb and Asra knew of my past, and even that was scarce. I liked to keep it to myself.
"It's okay." I shook my head, awkwardly clearing my throat. "Those things are true."
"I can see your scars, child. I feel your pain as though it is my own." Evangeline smiled sadly. "Being a witch is hard when empathy is so strong."
I muttered a thank you, dropping my gaze to fiddle awkwardly with the hem of my shirt. Asra was tense beside me, his nostrils flaring as he observed the situation. He grumbled softly, pulling my chair so it was flush against his. His hand secured itself onto my thigh and I dropped mine on top in gratitude.
"Enough of this," He murmured. "I called you in for a favour, not to delve into something you have no business in."
Evangeline's lips quirked. "If I am to see her childhood past, I need to get through the adolescent first."
"Don't overstep your boundaries."
"When the lines are drawn, I will not." She nodded firmly before turning her gaze to me. "Your soul aches. I can feel its deep grooves of pain. You need to lock those feelings away, because all they are doing to me right now is screaming for attention."
"I didn't... I didn't know witches could do such soul searching." I frowned.
"I am not a witch. Not a full one, anyway."
"What are you?" I breathed, and she glanced at Asra.
"Evangeline is half-fae." He stated firmly. "Her powers are... unique."
Unease dawned on me as everything I ever learnt about the two species came to light. Not only was she a witch who could control elements and cast spells, but she was a creature who could see souls and fates, and eat them whole. I didn't like it, and I was fast to throw up my defensive walls, curling into my seat more.
"I see that did not appease your mind." She smiled. "I will not harm you, Ailia. I am not that powerful."
I shook my head, silently disagreeing.
"Can we just get this over with?" I muttered.
"Of course." Asra squeezed my thigh. "Ailia's childhood is patchy and new things have come to light that may give us some information about her bloodline."
"You mean the dead dad thing?" Evangeline was quick to answer, tilting her head.
"What do you know of it?"
She glanced between us, and I watched as her face grew weary. She was becoming nervous, the charismatic smile she held drooping.
"There is... a lot of magic. There may be a spell. It hides most of her past."
"Can you bypass it?"
"I can try." Evangeline nodded. "It will require her to sleep."
Asra turned to me, his eyebrows raised. He was trying to ask me if that was fine, but my eyes were wide with horror. He frowned, humming softly.
"Does she have to be asleep?"
"It is when the mind is most relaxed, I can navigate it better." She shrugged.
"How long will it take?" Asra wondered.
"Depends on the magic, or how well Ailia has hidden it." She frowned, her features marring. "Anywhere from twenty minutes to a couple of hours."
Asra nodded, looking back at me. "It would give you a lot of answers if she can navigate those memories."
"I'm not tired." I shook my head.
"I can put you to sleep. Don't worry about that."
My horror only deepened, and Asra sighed, taking my hand.
"This may be your only chance to know what happened that day. You say they did not find two bodies. What if this man is your father, Ailia? All those wonderful memories, all those secrets waiting to be unlocked. This could be the first step." He squeezed my sweaty palm.
I shook my head, struggling for words. I felt scared. I was scared.
I didn't want to be put to sleep to have a witch wander my mind. She would see things that I have locked away for years, and years, that not even Asra knew about. Things I didn't want myself to even remember.
"You could have your father back."
But what if he didn't want me anymore? If this was all true, what if he faked his death to escape me?
Asra noticed my turmoil, sighing softly. "You don't have to do this, Ailia. It is your life, your past. I will not force you to do anything. This is all your choice."
He was right.
Of course, he was, dammit. This was Asra.
He would never force me to do anything. Maybe eat my veggies, but that was just him being a pest. Asra was not my past, he was my future, much like this all could be. I just had to take the step and discover it myself.
It was my life. It was my past. I had every right to control it, to navigate it. The witch would just be a spectator.
"How will you put me to sleep?" I whispered.
She beamed. "It's a simple spell. Drops you straight into your deep sleep part of the cycle when your brain waves are most quiet. It will be easier for me to see the cause of your...blockage."
"How will we know you are not lying?" I probed.
"I can still feel your mind even when you sleep, Ailia." Asra muttered.
I didn't realise I was chewing on my lip until Asra shifted his grip from my hand to grab my cheeks. His thumb pried my lip from between my teeth, frowning at me.
"I will let nothing happen." He promised.
"I know you won't." I whispered.
"Want to take it to the sofa?" Evangeline grinned, waggling her eyebrows.
I gave Asra a look before rising from my chair. The witch giggled, clapping her hands as I rounded the desk. She took a chair, moving it to the end of the sofa. I hesitantly sat in the middle, my hands falling to my lap. Asra hadn't moved, remaining on his side of the desk as he observed me. His saw was tense, flexing when we locked eyes.
"If you lay down, Ailia, we can begin." Evangeline's cheerful voice broke our eye contact.
I nodded softly, shifting to lie down. My head hit the pillow she had placed there, eyes blinking up at the white ceiling. I shifted my attention to one of the many golden sculptures Asra had hidden in this pack house, the golden teeth and jaw open wide with a snarl.
Asra shifted, his chair sighing with relief as he rounded his desk. I turned to watch him, only to smile softly when he brought me both my towel and a blanket. Placing the blanket over my lower body, his fingers traced my body. He then forced me to raise my head, wrapping the towel around the ends of my hair before settling it back on the pillow.
"Will it hurt?" I wondered.
"It may sting." She nodded. "I'm practically shutting your brain waves down. Like switching something off at the plug."
I cringed, not like the sound of that. But having no other option but to endure it, I mumbled an okay. Turning to Asra, I found him leaning against the front end of his desk. His hands were clasping the wood, legs crossed at the ankle as he watched. Eyebrows furrowed, he intently watched as the witch positioned my head upright. Her touch was warm as it pressed into my temples, and I blinked back up at the ceiling.
"What if you find things I don't want to discover?"
"I won't find them unless you convey as much." She shook her head. "Don't think of it, and it won't happen."
"Easier said than done." I muttered.
She smirked. "Think of something else, Ailia Thorne. What were you doing before I found you?"
"Swimming." I stated, and she took hold of my head.
Her hands coiled around the sides of my head as she hummed. "Just swimming?"
"I was diving. Trying to see how deep I could do and how far I could go."
"Why?" she probed, her thumbs gently pressing into my eyebrows.
"To beat my record." I mumbled as my eyes closed.
"What record was that?" Her voice whispered.
"I bet I can brush my tummy against the floor with one dive!"
My voice echoed around the open space, light like a child's. I gasped, jolting, as it threw me into another world. Looking around, I found myself in a familiar place. I wasn't sure where this was. The lake and river attached to it was not the magical lake I now called home.
This was one smaller, its water less blue. There were no trees around it, however, just tall shrubbery full of various berries. It was a sunny day; the rays burning my damp shoulders.
"I told you she couldn't do it!"
Arabella?
Turning to my right, I wiped the water from my eyes as I came to find my tiny sister paddling in the lake's shallow. There was a booming laugh from near her, and my gaze flickered to the large man. I couldn't see his face. No matter how hard I tried to picture it, to see it, my eyes couldn't focus.
"It was her first try, Bella. First steps are just the beginning."
That voice was my father's. I knew it as much as my own heartbeat.
That only meant that I was back in my past.