Page 92 of A Chance at Love for the Twin Alphas

“I know you’re doing things on your own because that’s what you’ve learned to do, but you aren’t alone anymore.” Elden smiles and brings forward a red thread. “This was Flora’s idea.”

Arman looks at the item in surprise. “And this is going to help me leave her mind?”

“We are tying this between you and Harmony,” Elden explains. “It symbolizes the mate bond, but it’s also real. You will take it with you into the dream world.”

“How is that even possible?” Cassiopeia asks. “He isn’t there in person, is he?”

“The borders between reality and dream blur easily,” Elden says. “Arman is here, but he is also at this place Auset created. He can get hurt in there, and he can retrieve objects as we saw.”

Arman sits down on a comfortable chair, and Harmony settles next to him. She starts tying the red thread around Arman’s little finger before doing the same with her hand.

“Am I going to do this?” Arman asks. “Retrieving something?”

“Yes.” Elden looks at him insistently. “Flora and I talked this through, and we want you to go in there, not pay attention to anything else but her lynx.”

“Wait…” Harmony looks at Elden in surprise. “You want him to retrieve the cat!?”

“We know that Auset and her lynx separated. Auset set her free so that they couldn’t use her cat spirit against her,” Elden explains. “But while her spirit is free, the physical part of her lynx is still bound to Auset’s mind.”

“Won’t that hurt my aunt?” Cassiopeia asks silently. “If we take her lynx from her?”

“No.” Elden shakes his head. “She didn’t cut the bond between them. She just allowed herself and her lynx to exist at the same time. It’s a rare gift. The moment she wakes up, they can reunite again. For now, we need to remember that we have two imprisoned minds… maybe even three. Auset, her lynx, and a potential deity. Freeing her lynx is going to be the simpler task.” He pauses. “The cat wasn’t tied down or anything, Arman?”

“She wasn’t,” Arman agrees. “She roamed freely, but it seems she couldn’t leave the oasis.”

“I want you to grab her and run,” Elden says. “And make sure not to pay attention to anything else. Just make sure to save the cat spirit.”

“I will feel it when something is off,” Harmony reassures him, kissing his forehead softly. “When you feel lost, use the red thread to trace back.”

Arman takes a deep breath and nods. “I’m ready,” he says.

*ARMAN*

This time, the entrance into Auset’s mind is far easier than the last time, mainly because I know what to expect. I land in the same desert, and I allow my mind to stay calm and focused until I hear the voice again.

The whisper.

You are here… follow my voice…

“Who are you?” I ask carefully. “You aren’t Auset. I can feel you aren’t her.”

Do you really need to know?

I turn around a bit, my eyes roaming the surroundings, but I can’t see anyone. She must be a higher conscious here. “How can I trust you if I don’t know your agenda?”

My agenda is similar to yours.

“I want to help Auset and stop whatever is going on in the outside world.”

I have an open debt with this woman,the voice claims. She sounds firm, rough on the edges, but also… gentle, like there is a purr in her tone.She served my purpose well, and I want to repay her. Is that enough reason for you?

“For now, it has to be enough,” I say. “But don’t take me to Auset and the deity this time,” I beg. “I want to go to her lynx directly.”

Interesting.The voice comes closer. Something seems to brush through my hair, a breeze tickling my ear. And then it’s silent. Until…

“Mew.”

I blink in confusion, my eyes looking down at a cat brushing around my feet. She looks up at me expectantly, and I pick her up, completely confused by what’s going on. I start moving forward again, just to have the cat hiss and hit her claws into my neck.

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