Filed To Story: Traded To The Lycan King Novel (Colette & Merikh) by MG Wattsons
“But she has never mentioned that part before?” He asks, frowning, and I nod.
“She would say it, I think, but it was always silent…my dreams. More like she was mouthing the…
“Hmm, that is interesting.” Merikh says, getting lost in his thoughts before he shakes his head in thought and takes a sip of his hot coffee. “Did she say his name? Anything to help identify him?” “No,” I frown, “just that he would be there soon. Then the green orb showed up and chased me into the water.”
“Did it hurt you?” He asks. “I saw you from my office window and you looked…” he pauses, clearing his throat and with the sound his face changes from distant to reserved. “You looked very distressed.” “Yeah, it spoke to me, too.” I whisper. A shiver rolls through me at the memory. The voice telling me she needs me. That I need to hurry.
His brows rise in surprise. “It did? What did it say?”
“That I needed to go to her. That my mom needed me.”
“Did you save her? In your dream?” He asks softly and I bite my lip, looking down at the plate, dragging my fork.
over the eggs.
“No, I watched her die…” my voice cracks and his war hand covers mine. “I’ve never seen that part before…”
“Weavers can morph your dreams to fit what they want. But there are clues, little ways to tell what is out of the ordinary.”
“Like what?” I ask, peeking up at him. The image of her dying in front of me won’t ever go away, but if there is a chance I don’t have to see it again, that this nightmare wasn’t originally mine… then I will cling to that tiny bit of hope.
“Voices that aren’t meant to speak sound tinny. Like someone is talking through a metal can and images have a distorted outline, not too distinguishable but enough to make the figure look almost of focus.”
My mouth goes dry, my stomach heavy, and I stop playing with my food. The green orb’s voice was most definitely different, sounding like someone was hollering into a tin can. But my mom, watching her being there was no distortion on that. My brows furrow and the corner of lips tug down in a frown.
“And if the things I saw weren’t distorted…is it possible they are still fake?” I ask in a soft whisper.
“No.” he says, but I don’t see him. I can’t focus on his face, then my eyes are blurring with tears.
“Is there a way to tell if it’s just a nightmare or memories?” I ask, looking up and meeting his guarded eyes.
“Only you can determine that.”
“How?”
“Sometimes there are things we just know. We can feel it in our guts, but we can’t explain it…this is one of those. times to trust your gut, Colette.”
The tears break free, strolling down my face as I bite back a sob. Every fiber of my being is telling me I know the truth. I know the parts that are real and made up. And what I think I know is that I witnessed my murder.
“Colette?” Merikh calls out to me, concerned. I give him the best fake smile I can muster.
I can tell he isn’t falling for it. The fake grin to hide the pain that was creeping in and taking over my heart. He stands suddenly, reaching down and pulling me up into a warm, comforting embrace.
My hands instinctively slide up his back, cradling his shoulders as my grip grows tighter. The replay of my mother’s death in my dream plays on a loop in my mind. I wince every time I see it pierce through her, and he holds me closer.
I didn’t even realize the silent tears had turned to sobs as he strokes my hair and hums in my ear to calm me. I
don’t want to let go, to pull away from him, but after what feels like a long time, I wrap my arms around his waist and press my cheek to his chest with a heavy sigh. “Are you going to be okay?” he asks.
His voice is so tender and full of worry, and I feel the urge to look up at him. The need to see his green eyes and witness his gentle smile is too much to fight right now. For a man of so much death and destruct “Yeah, I don’t really have any other options.” I sigh..
“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?” he asks, looking over my face from feature to feature. My usual blush creeps up my n*ck and seeps into my cheeks as they grow warm. He seems to melt int “Thanks…” I murmur, stepping out of his embrace. “I think.”
“You are so much stronger than you realize. There is so much in you that you still don’t see.”
“And what is it you see in me?” I ask him. His demeanor shifts slightly, his expressions shutting down and going stoic as he seems to think about the question.
“What I see in you is a way forward, Colette.” he says. “I see the future of this pack and it all is riding on you.”
I scoff and roll my eyes. “Now I know you are lying. What kind of future or way forward can I bring? You are mistaken.”
“Not about this,” he says, a small smile cracking through his cool demeanor. His compliments confuse me. The words he speaks seem like they have hidden meaning. Yet, I can’t find it, instead I’m just left feeli confused and a lot more drawn to him.
He reaches for my iced coffee and hands it to me with an indecipherable look. “I think you would really benefit from a visit to the healing waters today.” He announces.
“Uh…
but I am healing fine. Actually, better than fine. I am healing faster than anyone else I’ve ever known now that the poison from Leslie is out of my system. The healers say my leg can handle being walked now a couple of days.”
“You still think it was her poisoning you, don’t you?” he asks, and I scrunch my nose.
“I mean, of course I do. What other reason would it be? I’ve not thought up a more valid reason, can you?” I ask, and he shrugs.
“I’m sure there are many other logical reasons, but that is beside the point. The healing waters will ease your mind in a way that your wolf can’t. The aromatics from the herbs and oils, along with the warm wate I think about what he says, remembering the lake and how cold it is, but then I recall the steam from his bath and how he just mentioned warm water and suddenly the whole idea sounds appealing.