Page 41 of Brutal Alpha Beast
Danielle is standing before an ancient tapestry; she raises her hand and rests it on the wall by the tapestry’s side.
She looks as though she’s transfixed.
“What is it?” I ask.
But she doesn’t respond.
Chapter 11 - Danielle
I know this tapestry, the one with the burning willow tree, the woman, the wave of water, and the wolf. I know what it represents—Willow’s curse that almost took over the valley last time, but was defeated by Sawyer and Lacey’s love.
I can’t explain why I’m so drawn to it, but I am. It’s like some strange, deep, internal pull. I’m so hypnotized that when Ellis speaks, I almost forget to respond.
He’s been flooding my every thought ever since that kiss, but now all I can think about is some crumby ancient covering on the meeting room wall.
“Uh, nothing,” I finally say. “Just this tapestry is interesting, is all.”
Ellis gets up and walks toward me. But again, even the sound of his shoes against the floor fades into the background. Everything, even my own voice, is only slightly louder than a whisper.
This tapestry is sucking me in. I want to know... more?
“I guess interesting is the right word,” Ellis says. “It once hung in Sawyer’s pack meeting room. I asked to borrow it for research purposes to learn more about this curse, but I couldn’t find any new information in it. I was stuck. A little like we are now.”
I nod.
He continues. “I was supposed to give it back. It’s not great having it hanging here, it feels like bad luck or something, I don’t know.”
I trail my fingers along its edges; it’s as if the tapestry is whispering to me. I hear faint sounds, little calls, but I can’t deduce any words.
I’m meant to respond to him, but I’m distracted by a strange sensation that flows through my body. The whispers get louder, almost deafening, and somehow, I know what to do to make them stop.
From my fingertips, with hardly any effort, I release a steady stream of magic which starts small, but as it spreads, it opens up as wide as the mouth of a river. It flows around the edges of the tapestry, filling it with a white glow.
I have no spell in mind. No control over what’s going on, but I stare at the tapestry and my magic, hypnotically, in a trance.
The whispers get quieter, but only slightly.
“Danielle?” I hear Ellis murmur behind me.
Suddenly, the tapestry is changing. The image of the tree, the woman, the water, and the wolf slowly fade away as though they’re being burned by my magic that seeps into the center of the tapestry.
Something intuitive tells me this is supposed to be happening. I’m not doing anything wrong.
Then, as the image disappears, a new one takes its place.
Vines in finely painted black ink weave around the edges of the tapestry like silk. I gasp, removing my hands as they snake beneath my fingertips.
The whole thing is alive, moving, changing, expanding. More vines form, existing vines expand, finding their way toward the center.
I’m captivated by the tapestry’s beauty, the intricacies of each perfectly crafted vine. Then, something forms in the center.
At the point where all the vines end.
A burning bright white light.
What?
The air is stolen from my lungs, my eyes are zapped, and suddenly, my vision goes black.
