Filed To Story: Falling for the Alpha As a Student Novel
“Then that means Xander can tell us everything and not worry about his people being in danger,”
I said, ready to turn back inside and get some real answers, but Selene stopped me.
“If his family is at risk, he won’t take the chance regardless,”
Selene said, shaking her head. “He’s not going to talk. But the guardian of Earth sees all, and she might know where Xander is from, which is why we need her. She can tell us all that is in Xander’s mind.”
“He has a mental-bound spell placed on his head,”
I reminded her, folding my arms across my chest.
“We have to at least try,”
she said, peering at me with pleading eyes.
I wasn’t going to argue with her if it meant getting answers and getting Lila back.
“Okay,”
I said before turning to the young girl. “Please… try to bring us your mother.”
The girl looked between the two of us before nodding.
She soon disappeared leaving Selene and me alone, staring at the sky.
“I need to get back to Higala,”
I muttered. “I need to search for Lila.”
“Bastien and the warriors are already on it,”
she assured me. “We are doing our part in finding her. If Xander has information that can help us, we need to find out what it is.”
“If he actually cared about helping. He would tell us,”
I growled.
“He cares for his family; he won’t risk their lives,”
she said in return.
We waited for what felt like hours, but in reality, only a few minutes had passed and then the sky opened, just as it did when we first summoned Aura.
A figure floated through the opening and toward us; I stepped back, on alert, though my wolf was oddly calm. It took me a moment to realize what was happening, and then Aura’s glowing and bright face came into view.
She hovered above us with a small smile on her lips as she looked at Selene.
“Hello Luna,”
Aura spoke musically. “My child, Trinity, had come to me and told me you are requesting my presence. Did something happen?”
“Yes,”
Selene said, bowing her head in respect. “We need your help, Aura. I’m afraid darkness has taken my daughter.”
“Yes…”
Aura breathed. “I can sense the girl is in distress. But she is alive and still on this earth. How may I be of service? I’m afraid I cannot be here for long. With darkness lurking around, I must do what I can to protect the earth from the evil force.”
“I understand; this won’t take long,”
Selene assured her. “There is someone in the dungeon of this packhouse who holds knowledge. But he can’t tell us what this knowledge is because he fears darkness will hear him and kill those he loves.”
“It is possible,”
Aura stated simply. “Though Darkness is not in this pack currently. So, he may speak freely.”
“He won’t,”
I said, rolling my eyes in aggravation. “We’ve been trying to get him to speak for weeks, but he won’t.”
“He won’t risk his family or his home,”
Selene said firmly, giving me a look before looking back up at Aura. “We were hoping with your presence, he would feel more comfortable sharing what he knows. You can sense if darkness is nearby so he can speak with you without worry.”
Aura was quiet for a moment; she stared up at the sky frowning.
“Who is this man?”
She asked, still not looking at either of us.
“His name is Xander,”
Selene answered. “We don’t know where he is from or who he’s trying to protect. He won’t tell us anything. But I think it might be able to shed some light on how to save my daughter.”
Aura glanced down at her and to my utter surprise, she floated to the ground. She was a bit shorter than us and when she looked up at Selene, I saw the serenity in her eyes.
“Take me to him.”Selene sighed in relief and looked at me with a faint smile on her lips. I nodded at her and together we led Aura to the dungeon and toward Xander’s cell.
Xander sat up straight, confused as to what was happening and when he saw Aura, his eyes widened in shock.
“Who is this?”
Xander growled, untrusting.
“This is the guardian of the earth,”
Selene said, motioning for Aura who stepped forward. “She is the one who formed the shield that is keeping our pack protected from dark magic. She can also sense if darkness is nearby, and she doesn’t sense anything in our territory.”
Xander looked at Aura, narrowing his eyes.
“It is true that darkness is not here,”
Aura said in a musical tone. “However, I understand your need to keep your home life quiet. I do not blame you for that.”
“So, you get that I’m not going to speak?”
Xander said, folding his arms across his chest. “Regardless of how much you tutor.”
He shot me a look when he said that last part, making a growl escape the depths of my throat.
“I will not ask you to speak. All I ask is that you grant me permission to see into your mind and to share my findings with my dear friends here,”
Aura explained, motioning to Selene and me. “No words need to be spoken. We can watch your memories from the window of light. A window darkness has no access to for it is made up of light.”
Xander’s eyes widened.
“It won’t be able to see?”
“It will not see or hear, even if it was present. You have my word,”
she said, bowing her head slightly. “You can share with us anything you’d like to reveal, and it will be kept safe and out of the eyes and ears of darkness.”
Xander looked at her for a long while before looking at Selene.
“You trust this guardian, Luna?”
He surprised me by asking.
Why did he trust Luna Selene so much after just meeting her? It didn’t make sense to me.
Selene smiled genuinely and gave him a small nod.
“I do,”
she answered.
Xander sighed and then looked back at Aura.
“Okay,”
he finally said after a short pause. “I give you permission to use that window thing to look into my mind.”
Aura’s smile was radiant and shone a bright light throughout the dungeon, making me feel the urge to shield my face. But before I had the chance to use my hand to block the light, it was gone. In its place was an actual window, floating in midair with golden rims and the inside sparkled with light.
My mouth nearly fell to the floor; Selene’s eyes were huge and Xander was standing to his feet slowly, staring at it in shock.
“Holy shit,”