"I'm fine now, really. I've calmed down," I told Alpha Trey, trying to assure him that my emotions wouldn't interfere with this process.
"That's not what I mean, Luna," he replied, shaking his head. "You will have to meditate and block out your emotions completely in order to heal anyone, whether it be Daphne, or your parents."
I let out a deep sigh. This really was going to be a challenge, but I was determined, so surely that would help. Sofia had worked with me on meditating already, so at least the concept wasn't completely foreign. She'd taught me how to focus and channel my energies. Hell, I'd even managed to heal her when she decided to put me to the test with her little knife stunt.
"I've had some practice already, and from what I've been told, I did exceptionally well," I told Alpha Trey, hoping it would boost his confidence in me. In all honesty, I didn't care what he thought about me, but I knew this whole process would move faster if Trey believed that I at least somewhat knew what I was doing.
Trey nodded, "That will help this process move much more smoothly then. Just remember everything that you were taught previously, and it should come naturally."
I raised an eyebrow, "Not to sound ungrateful, but why are you here if this is apparently so simple?"
Trey and Derek both chuckled, "We have some very valuable tips and tricks, especially when it comes to the more advanced powers you possess and likely haven't accessed yet. We've also brought along some books from our pack as a gift to you. I don't know if you're much of a reader, but they should be immensely helpful once we're gone," Trey answered.
"Okay," I replied with a nod and a short sigh. "So, Daphne first. My parents have waited this long, they can wait several more hours. What's the game plan? How do I approach this?"
Trey smirked, flashing his perfect, pearly white teeth at me. He almost seemed...amused...which both annoyed and intrigued me. I also couldn't help but admire his good looks for a moment. He was a very handsome man and clearly a strong Alpha. I pitied the she-wolf who was his Goddess-given mate. She was missing out on a wholesome man, all because of his pack's long history of ignorant traditions. Part of me prayed that she never found him. I wouldn't wish the pain Daphne was experiencing on anyone.
"Why don't we just get started?" Trey finally replied, his wide, curious smile never fading.
~~
After several hours of meditation review and learning about some of the practices of Trey's people, I felt increasingly confident that I'd be able to help both Daphne and my parents. Much to my surprise, Trey and Derek held a lot of knowledge about healing and the many powers I apparently possessed. The process was long and a bit painstaking, but most of it seemed to revolve around being able to focus and meditate so that I could channel my inner abilities and energies.
Much to my dismay, Alpha Trey had cut his hand with a knife, much like Sofia had done, to test my abilities during the beginning of our practice. Apparently, that was a fairly common method of motivating a healer such as myself.
Part of me wondered why Trey would cut himself rather than using his Beta as the test-subject, but the more I thought about it, the more I figured everyone believed that I'd be content with letting Beta Derek suffer.
"Healing your parents will likely be easier than healing Daphne," Trey told me. "With your parents, their afflictions are mental and physical. Those kinds of ailments are always treatable to an extent, even without healing abilities. Daphne, however, is suffering mentally, physically, and emotionally, all from a source of power much greater than ourselves."
I sighed heavily, growing rather tired of Trey's methods of explanation and teaching. He constantly went back and forth from being encouraging, to really being a downer and explaining all of the negatives of the situation. Healing Daphne would be a lot harder than healing my parents – I got it.
Sensing my agitation, Trey continued, "You'll be going against the Moon Goddess, which is risky enough in itself, but it's been done before in various ways, and this won't be the last time it happens."
I simply stared at him this time. No shit – he and his pack went against the Moon Goddess on a daily basis. I was sure they had to be negatively impacted by it in some way, but I wouldn't ask. Not today, anyways.
"Essentially, you'll be putting a block on her mate bond, much like we do with all of our pack members. The only difference is that your abilities will make it more permanent, rather than having to do something along the lines of taking a potion once per year, like my pack does."
"Okay, so can you move on to telling me what I actually need to do? I get it, it's difficult, but more effective. Clear as crystal. So, let's get it done," I spoke up again, unable to hide my irritation any longer. Elijah shot me a warning glare, but I ignored him.
"We need to be in a room with Daphne, just you and I. I'll walk you through it, step by step," Trey finally told me.
"Something tells me you may be the last person Daphne will want to be in a room with," I retorted, narrowing my eyes at him.
"It's either that or allow her to sink further into the depths of insanity. She'd likely have to be isolated and locked up for the rest of her life. I'm sure she'd rather endure being in a room with be, rather than that cruel fate," Trey replied nonchalantly.
A low growl slipped from the back of my throat. I was really growing tired of his apathetic attitude. Elijah grabbed my hand and gave it a tight squeeze. What may have seemed like a sweet gesture, was actually another warning from my even-tempered mate.
Freeing my hand from Elijah's grasp, I stood from where I'd been sitting and headed for the door, "Let's get this over with."
Reluctantly, Elijah allowed Alpha Trey to travel down the hallway with me alone. Elijah and Daphne's mother had already been updated of the plan via mind-link and was expecting our arrival. Daphne's friends had been sent back to their personal quarters, but I was unsure if Daphne knew the reason for it. I had no doubt that she'd be reluctant to go along with this. In fact, there was a very real chance that we'd have to do it by force. As much as I hated the thought of it, it was what was best for her. I couldn't allow her to suffer.
I gently tapped my knuckles on the wooden door before us, which felt extremely odd seeing as it was mine and Elijah's personal quarters, but I had to approach this situation calmly. Bursting through the door with Trey in tow wouldn't provide Diana with proper warning of our arrival, and it would likely startle Daphne, complicating the situation even further.
After waiting a few moments to give Diana time to settle Daphne, I quietly pushed open the door and led Trey inside. I could hear Diana's quiet voice from the living room, attempting to soothe her daughter's broken soul.
I walked into the living room, immediately catching sight of Daphne. Her distraught appearance tugged at my soul, and I was suddenly even more motivated to rid her of the pain she was enduring.
"Diana, Daphne," I spoke softly as I approached the couch, forcing a smile.
Daphne looked up at me, but her attention quickly turned to behind me. Her eyes narrowed, almost instinctively, and her nose curled up into a snarl, "What is he doing here?"
The feral growl that came from the sweet, innocent girl who I considered a sister, was frightening to say the least. I tried to hide my shock, but my face betrayed me. Daphne turned her attention back to me for only a second, but it was long enough for her to see the fear in my eyes. Instantly, her head dropped, and she stared down at her lap.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so aggressive," she whispered.
This was progressing much faster than any of us had expected. If I didn't get to work now, Daphne would likely fully descend into madness within a couple of days.
I quickly moved to the couch and sat on the other side of Daphne, nodding to Diana for her to go ahead and leave the quarters. I gently took Daphne's hands in mine, causing her to look up at me with tear-filled eyes. Her large, green orbs that were normally bright and full of spunk, were now dull and almost unrecognizable.
"He's here to help me, help you," I told her, forcing another smile.
"No one can help this situation. All I want is him. He's the only cure," she told me, her voice cracking as she fought against the tears brimming in her eyes.
"I'm going to help you, I promise. You're not going to hurt anymore. You just need to trust me. Can you do that?" I asked, giving her hands a gentle squeeze.
"Of course I trust you, Lena. But..." she hesitated, looking around the room for a moment. "Never mind, I don't want to know. Whatever you need to do, just do it."
I nodded and looked over at Trey, waiting for him to tell me where to begin. Seeing that we were ready, he took a seat in a nearby chair, but still stayed far enough back to give us our space and to not provoke Daphne any further.
"Stay exactly as you are. Being close and holding hands like that is an ideal position. Both of you close your eyes, and Lena, begin to clear your mind and emotions. You know what to do," Trey explained, his voice much deeper and more soothing than I'd heard before.
We both quickly obliged, holding onto each other's hands and closing our eyes. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs to maximum capacity, before exhaling and emptying them of their contents. With every exhale, I envisioned my thoughts and emotions leaving my body, one by one, until I was nothing but a blank canvas.
In my mind, I saw nothing but white. I felt clear and numb, and my body felt light. This was the first step in using any of my abilities, and it was becoming easier each time I practiced it.
Sensing my change in disposition, Trey continued, "You need to picture your power flowing out of your body, and into Daphne's. Picture it like an electric charge exiting your hands and entering hers. You're going to feel Daphne's thoughts and emotions, and you're going to round up all of the emotions surrounding Derek and the bond. You're going to lock them up tightly, so she will still remember, but she won't feel."
I exhaled again before attempting Trey's instructions. I focused on my energy, and suddenly felt it coursing through my body, towards Daphne's hands. It was exhausting, and I'd only begun.
Once I felt my energy enter Daphne's body, she seemed to relax. It must have put her in some kind of trance, making my job much easier. If she'd fought against any of this, I may have not been able to succeed. My abilities were simply too new to me to overcome such an obstacle.
Slowly, I began to feel Daphne's thoughts and emotions. They were strong and heavy – almost completely overwhelming. I hadn't been prepared for them to feel like this. It made my heart hurt even more, but I quickly pushed that feeling to the side. I couldn't let my own emotions get in the way of helping Daphne.
One by one, I segregated every thought or feeling related to Derek or the mate bond. I wound them up in their own personal ball of energy and sealed it tight, willing it with everything left in me to hold.
"No...no!" Daphne began to mumble frantically. "I can't...I can't feel it!"
Despite her relaxed state, she hadn't been oblivious to what I was doing. Now, she was coming out of it, and I was losing my control over her. I'd used so much energy in this healing process, that I doubted I could keep a hold on her much longer – especially since she was beginning to resist.
"Relax, Daphne. She's almost done," Trey pleaded softly.
My job was complete, so I decided it was time to retract my energy before Daphne forced me out. Although Trey hadn't explicitly warned me of the consequences, I feared being shoved out of her mind may leave me with more deficits than I could risk for the time being. After all, I still had my parents to heal.
Pushing the ball of energy to the back of her mind, I squeezed my eyes tightly, fighting to remain in control. Once I felt everything was in place, I slowly began to reel my energy back in. I pictured the streams of light exiting Daphne's mind and slowly making its way back down her arms and to her hands. My hands suddenly became hot, and I knew I'd successfully pulled back. With another deep breath, followed by a long exhale, I opened my eyes.
Daphne still sat in front of me, gripping onto my hands with tears streaming down her face. She was still clearly upset, but something about the aura surrounding her had changed. The darkness that had been looming, waiting to fully consume her, was gone. I'd succeeded.
"I...I did it! Holy shit, I did it!" I exclaimed, perhaps a bit too loudly.
I turned my head to Trey and smiled – the first genuine smile I'd granted him since he'd been here. He immediately returned the smile and nodded, "Yes you did Lena, and mostly by yourself, I might add. I'd planned on walking you through the entire process, but it seems you caught on rather quickly on your own."
I nodded to him excitedly before turning my attention back to Daphne. She'd opened her eyes, still wet with tears, revealing that some of their natural, bright green color had returned.
"I can't feel it. It's gone...the bond...it's gone. I can't feel anything," she whispered, sounding both sad and astonished.
My smile quickly faded, remembering that this wasn't nearly as exciting for my little sister-in-law as it was for me. Although she was no longer suffering, she remembered everything and was still distraught about it. That was expected, but I'd gotten so caught up in my own success, that I'd forgotten she would still need some comforting through the next few days.
I reached out and pulled her into a tight hug, stroking her hair soothingly, "It's going to be okay now, Daphne. You may still feel sad about it for a while, but your pain and suffering is over. We're all here for you, and it will get better."
A soft sigh escaped her lips as she rested her head on my shoulder, "Will it?"
Yay, an update! I told ya'll I was going to get back on top of more frequent updates! So, what do you think of this chapter? A bit emotional, I know. As usual, let me know your thoughts and feelings about this chapter and the entire situation that Lena and Daphne just had to work through.
Also - here's your official reminder that Luna Lena is almost complete! I'm estimating there will be 2 (3 max) chapters left, plus an Epilogue. I know some of you will be sad it's over, but the good news is, I'll finally be able to start REALLY writing Luna Zahra (which I'm so excited for!!)
Thank you all for your continued support and understanding. Please continue to read, vote, comment, and follow me! I appreciate it all so much. <3
xoxo -V