When I opened my eyes, the first one I saw was Frances. Seeing me awake she immediately came by my side, a look of relief

"Hazel, oh goodness, you're awake. How are you feeling? I'm calling the Alpha right away."

I was a bit confused when I saw her and as I tried getting up, I understood that I was in a clinic room. My head was throbbing against my head and my stomach was churning and I wanted to vomit.

I tried to remember what last happened and how I ended up here and sighed when I remembered.

I jumped out the window, I must've injured myself while jumping outside.

"What were you thinking jumping in the river like that with no one around! If the Alpha was any seconds later, you could have been swept away and drowned!"

The river? Drowned?

What was she--

A memory of me heading to the Luna Flumine flashed in my head and I took another deep breath. Still disoriented, I looked up to Frances.

When I turned to her, her eyes opened wide she took a step backwards and failed to see a small chair behind and so she fell on the floor, her eyes still intently locked on me.

"H-Hazel, your eyes."

What now?

"What about my eyes?" I asked, but she only kept staring at me.

I looked around to find a mirror or anything to see my reflection on when I saw a mirror above the sink. Despite it being hard to move, I forced myself to because Frances was still in shock and wans't in any condition to help me.

When I faced the mirror, I was also taken aback when my blue eyes weren't blue anymore, but grey. It wasn't just that, a crescent-shape was at the bottom part of my pupils and it was glowing.

I knew at that moment-- the dream I had was real.

"Welcome, Effyía." she said as she stood over the wooden bridge. It's her! The lady I saw when I was five years old, when 'that' incident happened.

"I-it's you!" I blurted out and pointed and that's when I noticed that my arms seemed to be carrying weight. I looked down on myself and found myself to be in a warrior's clothing.

What is... this?

"My poor warrior, it must've been hard." she said as she reached out to my face and let her hand caress my cheeks gently. Her eyes looked at me like the way my mom would look at me.

I observed her, her aura, the obvious power that enveloped her. Her appearance... Legends only talked about it, but seeing this woman in front of me, I was pretty sure that she was the Moon Goddess.

But why? Why am I here? With her?

"Ah, you have questions. Of course, you do. I will help you since Chári has started to awaken, but you must help yourself here on out."

And with such a sweet smile on her lips, she raised two of her fingers and pointed them at my forehead.

Immediately, a surging pain washed over me and I felt like someone had stolen my breath. However, before I could even react to the pain, memories flowed in my head.

Memories that belonged to a warrior. Memories of Effyía, one of the Moon Goddess' moon warriors.

I have seen her memories, but I also saw her abilities, some that I also had. She was a smart warrior, she utilized everything she had to her advantage. Her most powerful weapon was...

"They now call it the 'command tone', but it used to be called Effie's tone because you were the only one who wielded it." the Moon Goddess explained and I suddenly found myself back in front of her.

"Wh--what does this mean? The legend, will it come true?" I asked, my heart was beating hard from the new information that was recently instilled onto me.

For the first time, I saw the deity's smile disappearing as she looked away. Even the way she moved was so graceful.

"Unfortunately. Some have been greedy with power, some have been envious and once their plans materialize, it will set off chaos and bloodshed."

Yeah, I think I remember something about this in the legend.

"I have kept you too long, it's dangerous."

"But I have more questions!" I saw rashly.

She faced me once more and had a pity look on her face that I just could not understand, as if she knew something about me that I don't.

"I've only shown you a part of your memories, it's for you to discover the rest and... make a decision."

As she said those words, I felt a heavy pain in my chest, a familiar conflict that arose in me, but from where it stemmed, I don't know.

The Moon Goddess walked towards me and pushed my shoulder and I was out from her realm.

This is crazy.

That was true?

It wasn't a dream?

And how do I even get rid of these crescent eyes--

'Close your eyes and focus.' my wolf said. She must've known how to and so I followed her voice without hesitation.

When I opened my eyes again, I was relieved that they were back to normal, but the feeling didn't last too long because my strength failed me and I collapsed on the ground.

Well would you look at that.

"Hazel!" Frances screamed and came by me. She tried helping me up, but I guess she wasn't able to carry me up to my bed and I couldn't help her because I could not feel my body at the moment.

"I'm fine Frances, I just need more rest." I assured her because I could how much she was panicking. I haven't known her for long, but I knew that she was a calm person, what had her so stressed out?

"What is happening here?!" we hear someone say so loudly and intimidating. I looked up only to see Archer at the door. Seeing me on the floor, he immediately came and lifted me up, his eyes held anger.

I saw Allan following behind him coming in and I also caught a glimpse of Frances bowing her head down from fear and still on the floor from trying to help me.

I could feel his anger and he needed to calm down, none of this was Frances' fault.

"How could you let--" Archer started but I interrupted before his anger consumed the lovely pack doctor.

"Calm down, I was at fault, Frances only tried to help me." I stated, matching the wilfulness in my voice to his. It worked because he turned to look at me and after staring for a while, he took a deep breath.

He carried me to the bed that I had been on earlier and set me down and then turned around.

I was surprised when he knelt on one knee and extended his arm to Frances.

"I'm sorry Frances, I shouldn't have been so rash." he apologized. Frances looked up slowly and took his offer to help her up. He looked at Allan. "Take her to rest and leave us." he told the Beta.

Allan looked at me, waving his greetings before taking Frances away.

And so it was just Archer and I in this room once again. I didn't look at him, I refused to. I just wanted to be alone. But I heard him taking steps towards me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Is he asking because he cares or is he asking just to make sure that I can still function?

"Would you believe me if I said that I was fine?" I found myself answering him with a question. He looked back at me, the wheels on his minds turning.

"I will believe whatever you tell me, but if you ask me, I don't think you are fine." he answers with more depth than I was expecting.

My eyes wandered to his neck where I inflicted an injury and as if it never happened, it was not there anymore. As expected, his wolf must be strong.

I sighed before a faking a smile to him. "Well, I'm fine, I just need to rest so you can leave now."

"Why are you always telling me to leave?" he asks all of a sudden.

What?

Have I always been--

Ah, come to think of it.

"Well, I just assumed you would like to spend your time elsewhere or with someone else, who am I to hold you back?"

Ugh, Hazel why are you being so bitter and sarcastic?!

Archer sighed and sat down and leaned back on the chair that Frances tripped on earlier. He studied me for a bit and I was honestly scared, who knows what kind of thoughts were spinning around his head right now.

"Do you not trust me, Hazel?"

He was serious. And it even seemed like asking the question was hurtful to him.

"I don't know."

It was the truth. I didn't know if I trust him or not. On one hand, I knew that all he said to me was the truth, he always meant what he said. On the other, he always acted so distant that it feels like it's so hard to reach out to him. Not to mention that his ex hang around him way too much.

"Seeing that you're unsure means that you don't," he starts, his words heavy and dejected, "I'm sorry. But I hope you know that I'm trying."

I felt like my heart broke.

Archer took a deep breath and exhaled heavily as he passed a hand through his hair and for the first time, I noticed just how disheveled he looked right now. He looked tired and overworked, but with the expression he was wearing right now, he looked... hopeless and discouraged.

He stood up and without casting a look on me, pushed the chair back.

"I'll leave for now, call for me if you need me."

Watching him walk away, I felt sorry, but I couldn't take my words back and even if I could, I wouldn't.

"Archer," I called out to him before he could step out the door and I was glad that he stopped, "is that all you had to ask me?"

It took him a while to face me, but he did so as he leaned against the doorframe.

"You want me to ask you why you jumped in the river? What nightmares you have at night that makes you scream in your sleep? Why you're afraid of blood? Why you're so scared of not being liked? I have a lot of questions Hazel."

I froze.

When did he--?

Did he already know the answers to his questions? The thought made me feel sick.

I swallowed hard. "You already know." I whisper more to myself than to him.

"No, I don't, I wanted you to trust me enough and let me know. I don't want you to trust me because I'm your mate, I want you to trust me because you want to."

I couldn't help the scoff that escaped my mouth.

Was he being serious right now?

I felt pissed off with what he was saying right now, with how he was making me feel, like I was being painted the bad guy at the moment.

"You're telling me to trust you, but you're making it so hard to." I answered back. "I'm tired."

I took the blanket and pulled it over my head while I tried to calm how upset I was feeling at the moment.

It didn't take long for me to hear the door open and close and his scent gradually getting weaker.