True Luna by Tessa Lilly (The Darkness Within)
The White Wolf Series Book 5 – CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE – Awake
(Hunter’s POV)
“I love you, Angel,” I mumbled as I placed another k*iss on her soft cheek.
I ran my f*ingers through her hair and took a deep breath, letting her scent overwhelm me.
I missed it so much. I missed her so much. I missed the feel of her skin under my f*ingertips. I missed her scent filling every part of my body. I missed the taste of her l*ips on my tongue.
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I missed everything and I couldn’t get enough of it.
She was lying on the bed in the room we made for her. Luna Emma cleaned her up and changed her clothes. She made sure to take care of every wound on her body. The bruises were still there and they were even more visible now when her skin was clean. It angered me, but the man responsible was already dead and there was nothing I could have done to get my revenge.
I turned her head toward me and ran my hand over the back of her n*eck and into her hair. I placed a k*iss on her l*ips. I couldn’t wait for her to k*iss me back.
I tangled my f*ingers into her hair and gently pulled her head up. I studied her beautiful face, trying to stop the tears from falling down my cheeks.
What would happen when she woke up? Would she be the same as she was when we found her? Would she be worse?
“It’s time to go, Hunter,” I heard Alex’s quiet voice. “My mom said that she would wake up any moment now.”
I gulped and tried to take a deep breath.
“Maybe it won’t be as bad as it was when we found her,” I mumbled as I leaned my forehead on hers. “Maybe she would be better now that her dark magic is blocked.”
Alex walked to the other side of her bed. I watched him take her hand in his. He took a deep breath and caressed her cheek.
“I hope so,” Alex mumbled. “But we won’t know if this room will even hold her. Not until she wakes up. We have to leave the room until we know for sure that she won’t be able to do magic in here. You know this.”
I looked up at him and nodded. I placed another k*iss on her soft l*ips and forced my body to stand up. I watched as Alex k*issed her cheek.
“We are doing everything that we can, Fia,” he mumbled as he leaned his forehead on her shoulder. “We will set you free. I promise.”
“Alex, honey, come on,” I heard Luna Emma’s voice.
I looked behind me and saw her standing by the door. She looked worried and tired.
Alex placed another k*iss on her cheek before he stood up and rushed toward his mom. He kept clenching his fists and I could see his c*hest rising and falling rapidly.
His mom pulled him into a hug. She looked over his shoulder and took my hand in hers.
“She is going to be okay,” she said softly. “We will find a way to bring her back.”
I looked over my shoulder at the girl I loved more than anything in this world. My heart clenched painfully. I wanted to go back there and take her into my arms.
I remembered how she wrapped her body around mine when we were standing on her porch. I remembered how happy I was. I remembered feeling like my heart was going to explode.
I missed it. I missed feeling her body wrapped around mine. I missed her smile and the color of her eyes.
Luna Emma pulled me out of the room. She shut the door and locked it. She mumbled some incantations and the door glistened for a second.
I ran toward the little window we built so we could see inside the room. She was still sleeping peacefully.
I heard footsteps approaching and I looked to my right. Alpha Logan and Beta Andrew were walking toward us. Both of them had worried looks on their faces.
“How long until she wakes up?” Alpha Logan asked as he looked at his daughter.
I could hear the pain in his voice. He reached for Luna Emma and she walked into his arms. He hugged her tightly and k*issed the top of her head. “Any moment now,” Luna Emma mumbled.
“As soon as she wakes up and we confirm that the room will hold her in, you are going to bed,” Beta Andrew told his sister. “You are barely standing up.”
“I will sleep once I find a way to free my daughter,” Luna Emma mumbled, making Beta Andrew frown.
I looked to my left at Alex. He was leaning on the door with his eyes shut tight and his fists clenched. He was taking deep breaths and gulping repeatedly.
I couldn’t imagine what he was going through.
I looked back at my mate and gasped.
She was waking up.
Everyone was next to me in a second. Alex was trembling. I could hear him gritting his teeth.
My Angel opened her eyes slowly. They were green again.
My heart raced and I almost bolted toward the door. She was back! My Angel was back!
Luna Emma stopped me, making me turn around and glare at her. She kept her eyes on Sophia.
“What is going on?” my Angel mumbled quietly.
I looked back at her and saw her lifting her head and looking around the room. Her eyes widened when she saw us.
“Lex?” she mumbled quietly, making Alex flinch. “What is going on?”
She looked at me and my heart broke.
“Hunter?” she cried out as she sat up. “Where am I?”
Holden was whining. My whole body started shaking.
“She is back,” I mumbled. “We have to get her out of there.”
“Not yet,” Luna Emma said quietly.
I turned my head abruptly. Why the f*uck not?!
“We found you and we brought you home, Sophia,” Luna Emma said, making me look back at my mate. “How are you feeling?”
My Angel looked around the room and shook her head.
“Why am I here?” she asked as she looked back at us. “Why are you looking at me through that glass? Why aren’t you in here with me? I want to hug you. I missed you.”
My heart broke and I had to hold back a loud whine. Luna Emma’s hand on my arm tightened. I could feel how tense the men around me were.
“Don’t you remember what happened when we found you, Sophia?” Luna Emma asked her. “Your magic was very weak and you fainted. I was worried, Sophia. I’ve never seen you so weak before.”
What the hell was she saying?! Why was she lying to her?
And then I saw it.
Sophia’s eyes blackened for a second.
But it was enough to let us know that she was pretending.
“I don’t remember, Mom,” Sophia mumbled as she stood up and approached the gla*ss window. “But why did you lock me up in here?”
She looked at Alex. “I missed you, Lex.”
He stayed silent, but I could feel him trembling.
She then looked at me and my heart skipped a beat.
“I miss you, Hunter,” she said. “Why aren’t we together?”
Oh, how I wanted to be with her. I couldn’t tell her that, though. This wasn’t my Sophia. This was someone else.
“You know why, Sophia,” Luna Emma said, making Sophia look at her. “You won’t be leaving this room until we get the darkness out.”
It was like someone flipped the switch. Sophia’s eyes blackened and the walls shook.
She smirked and I could tell that she was about to blast us with dark magic.