Page 35 of A Luna's Dynasty
“You tried to.” Her mother laughed. “But when I told you that you were stealing their freedom, it made you sad.”
“I set them free,” Lita finished, letting go of her mother’s hand to spin under the sun. As she stopped spinning, a butterfly landed on her shoulder. “Look, mom!”
Her mother leaned close, her voice soft. “It’s drawn to your light, my love. Just as—”
Suddenly, her mother stiffened. Without a word, she grabbed Lita and rushed to the bushes. In a fluid motion, she draped a cape over Lita. “Stay here and do not make a sound. No matter what happens … don’t move.”
A strong scent stung Lita’s nose. It seemed to surround the area as her mother moved away from her. The forest was silent as something dark approached.
A low growl rumbled through the clearing. From the shadows emerged a pack of wolves, their fur sleek and muscles rippling beneath. Their eyes, glowing with an otherworldly intelligence, were fixed on Lita’s mother. A massive wolf emerged from the group, his midnight black coat accented with delicate white ticking along his back. A unique scent wafted through the air, sweet yet sharp—anise oil. It clung to Lita’s nostrils, imprinting itself in her memory.
“So,” Lita’s mother said, her voice dripping with disdain. “You’ve continued to hunt me down. Well … you found me.”
The black wolf’s amber eyes locked onto Lita’s mother, and an eerie stillness descended upon the forest. His eyes hazed over as he communicated with her mother.
“You have no right,” her mother hissed, breaking the silence. “I never belonged to you.”
The wolf’s lips curled back, revealing gleaming fangs, though no sound escaped its muzzle.
“That was all you ever wanted. It wasn’t me. You just wanted me to give you a child. That’s why I’ve run from you. I can’t give you what you want now. I have already had a child. You will never gain entry—” Her mother’s words halted as her brows furrowed at the wolf. “You can’t have her. She’s safe and back at my home, where you can’t get to her.”
The black wolf’s eyes narrowed, and Lita gasped as she felt a surge of raw emotion—anger, betrayal, and something that felt almost like longing—wash over her. It was as if the wolf’s thoughts had briefly touched her mind, giving her a glimpse into the depth of its connection with her mother.
The wolf’s hackles rose, a low growl rumbling from its chest. Though no words were spoken aloud, Lita could sense the accusation hanging heavy in the air. Her mother flinched as if struck.
“My fault?” she hissed. “You turned yourself into this. You drove yourself to madness.” A distant rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, matching the tension crackling between her mother and the wolf. “Destroy this body if you wish, but you can’t destroy me.”
A flash of lightning illuminated the clearing, casting stark shadows across the wolf’s face. In that brief moment, Lita thought she saw something almost human in its eyes—a flicker of pain, of loss. Thunder shook the ground, and the wolf took a step forward.
The world exploded into chaos. In a blur of fur and fangs, the wolves lunged at Lita’s mother. Her scream pierced the air, mingling with the savage growls and snarls of the pack.Lita’s vision swam, tears flooding her eyes as she struggled to comprehend the nightmarish scene unfolding before her.
A gentle touch on her hand startled her. Lita saw a child’s hand holding hers and their other hand covering her eyes. The wolf’s snarl shook the air, and the sound of thunder boomed above them. Lita’s vision was blurred from the tears, and whoever held her turned her body into them.
The storm raged on, the thunder shaking the ground as the world went black.
“Lita? Lita?!”
Lita began to stir, the muffled, worried sound of her name being called bringing her back. She awoke to someone gently holding her in a strong, warm embrace that made her skin tingle. Asher. No one else could elicit that type of response but him.
She blinked her eyes open and looked up to see Caden and Kristen seated in front of her, with Asher gazing down at her.
Lita started to sit up, but she settled back against Asher’s chest. His arms were wrapped around her, providing a sense of security and comfort. “How long was I passed out for?” Lita asked, still feeling groggy.
“Not long. Are you okay?” Kristen looked worried, and she leaned in closer to look at Lita.
“I’m okay,” Lita rested her head on Asher’s chest. She noticed he had a different shirt on, one that no longer had traces of the anise oil scent.
Asher’s arms tightened around her, and she felt his lips press against her temple. “You’re safe,” he murmured, his breath warm against her skin. “I’ve got you.”
Lita’s cheeks flushed as she glanced around at the worried faces. “I’m so embarrassed,” she murmured, her fingers twisting in her lap. “I didn’t mean to cause a fuss.”
“What fuss?” Asher tightened his arms around her. “Don’t apologize. What happened?”
She closed her eyes, allowing the painful memories to surface. “It was the scent,” she began, her voice barely above a whisper. “Anise oil. It … it takes me back to when I was a child. The night my mother died.
“There was a storm. Thunder, lightning … and that smell. It was everywhere. I witnessed my mother being attacked and torn apart by a pack of wolves. One wolf in particular stood out to me; he had a scent that reminded me of anise oil. Since then, I experience panic attacks whenever I encounter that smell. There are only two triggers for these attacks: thunderstorms and anything with an aroma similar to anise oil. I never thought to bring it up because when my brother found out, he went to great lengths to ensure no one in the pack ever used or wore anything with that scent in it. He can be quite overprotective at times.” Lita chuckled at the extreme measures her brother took.
“Caden,” Asher’s voice was low and commanding, laced with an undercurrent of barely contained fury. “I want every trace of anise oil removed from the pack. Now.”
