CHAPTER 7

My feet were hurting from all the walking but I had to continue moving. Walking through the valley that gave off still winds showing that there was no one in sight.

I shuddered at how quiet and eerie this place felt. My feet made their way across the valley heading to the mountains as the violent wind whipped my hair in different directions.

Removing the chestnut coloured hair from my face, I realized there was a river… a small pool or should I say a lake.

It stood out being surrounded by nothing but the little leaves that were scattered all over the place.

"Water" Ana said at once and my tummy grumbled. My stomach agreed.

Although the situation of the lake was weird, I couldn't think of anything else to do as I sprinted to the lake like a thirty horse.

I knelt before it as I took the fluid slowly, relishing the taste of the water on my mouth which strangely tasted good, pure and odorless just like the normal water.

Then I gulped the liquid into my mouth until I was satisfied.

That was when I saw the reflection on the water. I washed my face with the water to get a better view.

I really didn't look anything like myself. Chestnut coloured hair, thick luscious eyebrows, a tiny birthmark underneath my eyes and a pair of jade coloured eyes.

Aside from that, everything else seemed the same as mine. I had the same cherry red lips and a pointed nose.

Ana thumped as if to let me know that we had the two features that looked the same.

'It's not like Ariona is my sister, I didn't know her till I entered her body and am sure there are lots of people that had the same features'.

I combed through my hair with my fingers and a little amount of the lake water, adjusting it in place.

My werewolf senses heightened, the sound of feet shuffling in the sand and then a twig snapped. Someone is here.

No one knew of this place except; I turned around

'Damon'

There he was standing with a bottle of liquor in his hand, swinging it from side to side as he watched me as if to register who I was.

My chest hurt all of sudden, the foreboding pain filling my insides again. I wanted to run to him and hug him and tell him that I'm Lily, but I couldn't because the reflection on the lake made it so clear that I looked nothing like myself at the moment.

Damon wouldn't even believe me, or would he?.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He asked as he approached me still holding the bottle.

I wiped the little tears that had fallen from my eyes and looked away. He never drank when I was with him.

I could feel Ana jumping for joy when he was so close, she wanted to run to him and hug him but I couldn't let that happen at least not now. Too bad am the one in charge.

I quickly grabbed the bottle from his hand when he was close.

His gaze darkened " How dare you take the drink of… the Alpha of Wildfire pack" he stuttered.

"How can an Alpha be drinking by this time of the day instead of leading his people" I retorted.

He seemed to study me, his neon eyes darkening more. "Give me the bottle woman," he said, annoyed.

I thought I would feel butterflies in the pit of my stomach if I ever saw him again but this sight, this show, he was putting on was breaking my heart into a thousand pieces. My heart ached even more.

"And if I don't?" I asked.

He scoffed. Eyeing me like a prey, he drew closer to me, so close that there was just a foot distance between us. I almost retreated, my body shivered from the proximity we were at the moment. I swallowed the imaginary lump in my throat.

"I might as well tear you to pieces," he said gingerly. Letting every word sink into my brain.

'Was he really going to tear me apart'

I shook off the thought at once. He would tear the person in front of him because I didn't look anything like Lily, I guess.

I let him take the bottle from my hand and he gulped down a few mouthfuls of it. I just couldn't understand what was wrong, why was he drinking.

He went over to sit at the edge of the valley. My feet followed him, strolling behind him idly.

I sat beside him as he took another gulp from the drink.

"Why are you following me?" He asked. I didn't have the answer to that I just wanted to know what was wrong with him before I could leave. I didn't agree with that, my mind didn't, I would just stay here a little longer even if it would hurt me, seeing him like this.

"I think you need company" I responded, taking note of the way his eyes looked at everything but me.

He searched his clothes and got out a locket that had a porcelain skin. The locket opened at once revealing the face of who I knew too well.

'Alicia'

He put the locket back into his breast pocket.

"Did he never care about us… were we the only ones that cared" I felt the sadness in Ana's voice.

I dragged my feet on the sand making small circles as my head hung low.

"Do you care about her" I asked my voice shaking as I fidgeted with my hair.

"Huh" his forehead wrinkled.

"Do you care about the woman in the locket"

"She's my Luna, so I do care about her" he said.

"You only cared about her?" He sighed. I knew the question seemed useless but I wanted to know if he actually cared about me or if I was the only one giving my all.

The corners of his lips fell towards the floor. "I cared about someone, she was the sweetest treasure that came into my life, my mate, I thought about her everyday, I wanted to protect her"

"But I couldn't save her, it hurt the most that who I wanted to protect so badly, I couldn't still protect at the end" he took a deep breath as if to make the emotions he felt go away.

"I could just watch her lifeless body that was covered in white sheets"

I wanted to comfort him and tell him who I was but this was only going to kindle a strange fire and bring a curse upon us since its forbidden.

"Lily" he whispered enough for me to hear.

The way he called my name as usual sounded like music to my ears. I felt my wolf dancing to the tune.

I tried to quiet my heart as it pounded hard in my chest, hammering hard like it would break out of my chest at any moment. I took in a deep breath as I tried to stay calm and not nestle into his arms.

I will fight for us, for Ariona, her daughter and for me, for the love I and Damon shared.

He laid on the sand and I joined him.

This is going to be a long day.

I heard his soft snores as he was sleeping peacefully looking different from the strong and mighty Damon I knew. His raven hair was dishevelled, covering his forehead and there was a light stubble on his face.

I want to run my finger across his prominent jawline and feel those luscious lips on mine, how it would feel if he wrapped his arms around me again.

I shook off the thought at once.

Ana wagged her tail in ecstasy, she wanted to be in his arms too.

'Big bad wolf'

She needed a break, I needed one too.

I closed my eyes and succumbed to the darkness.

When I opened my eyes again; Damon was not there but he left me a note and a peach sweater was on my body covering me from the cold.

I inhaled the scent, it smelt like mint and coconut or should I say minty coconut. Its my favourite scent in the world and I wouldn't trade it anything.

I took the jacket wrapping it around my neck before taking the note.

"Thank you for being a good listener" it read.

Looks like he didn't remember when I came to his kingdom after I had woken up in Ariona's body. Thats for the best, I guess.

I am going to find all the answers I can get, know everything about this curse, this feud how things can get better for everyone.

I guess Lana would be fine wherever she was at the moment and Lena, I will teach her to be a good sister, sooner or later.

This time I'm going to get the answers I need. I made my way to the mountains.