The Unwanted Luna
Chapter 58

I stare at the river that is a total contrast to the forest that holds it. The water was a blue iridescent blue color that was shimmering with an otherworld glow. The riverbed was made of polished stones of all shapes and patterns that seemed to shift and change with the current. As it flowed downstream, it emitted a soft, soothing hum that resonated with the surrounding trees and rocks. The river's magic was palpable and it had a sort of calming effect.

"Wow" Bianca said next to me. "I've never seen anything so beautiful"

I just nodded my head. Completely transfixed by the river. There was something hypnotizing about it. Something that was calling me to it. Beckoning me to step into its waters. I don't know if it was just me or the rest felt it too.

I released Nolan's hands and stepped forward silently. Cerberus led us here, was now sleeping beside it. His eyes completely focused on me. Almost as if he was asking me what was I waiting for.

"You sure about this?" Nolan asks asked, grabbing my hand again. Stopping my movements.

I pulled my eyes from the river and raised my head to stare at him.

"Yes, the sorcerer said I have to do this first. Plus, there is this pull I feel to just immerse myself in it", I told him. Reassuring him.

He nods his head and lets go of my hand. The moment he does, I turn back to the river and begin walking towards it.

I get to the riverbed and there is a ripple of power just before a woman appeared. She's wearing a white flowing dress. Her long black hair reaches the ground and she has this twinkling stars in her eyes that is almost impossible to describe. She was also sort of transparent. Like what you would imagine a ghost looking like.

"Hello Amelia, I've been expecting you" she said. Her voice sounds lyrical and magical.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Blanca. The river spirit. I've been its guardian since it was created" she pauses.

"How do you know my name?" I asked curiously.

She gives me a small delicate smile. "I was told to prepare for your arrival. It has always been destined that you pass through the cleansing"

I wanted to ask her who she was referring to but she beckoned me to follow her.

"Please remove your clothes and step into the water" she tells me.

I do as she says without question. Once my clothes are off, I step into the water. I expected it to be cold but surprisingly it wasn't. It was hot but not scorching. Kind of like the same temperature I like when I'm soaking in a tub. I looked at her in question. "The river's magic adjusts the temperature according to the person's preference" she explained and I nodded my head.

"Float on your back and close your eyes. Shut everything out of your mind and let its peacefulness wash over you" she continued instructing.

I do as she told me and then closed my eyes. I focus on the steady hum of the flowing river. At first nothing happens, but then everything changes.

I open my eyes when I feel the hard ground underneath me. I sat up and looked around, confusion setting in. Wondering how the hell I got there. "Nolan?" I called out. "Xavier, Bianca, Blanca?"

I got no answer. I sit up and study the place I was in. It wasn't bad per se. At least it was an upgrade from the dark void I woke up in.

The sky was blue and the sun was shining. The grass beneath me was green and lush. The air was clean and different flowers bloomed. The only problem with the place was that it didn't have any life.

No birds or animals. There was nothing. I was probably the only living thing in the area.

If I was here, then it meant I was supposed to be here. Maybe my soul or my consciousness had traveled to this place. I take a deep breath and calm my nerves.

Just as I was settling in, the wind picked up. Blowing my hair in my face. The warm air is replaced by cold air, and a chill makes its way down my back.

All of a sudden, I started feeling the weight of my pain bearing down on me. It rips through me and crashes into me like an avalanche.

My eyes go unfocused before a vision takes hold of them. No, not a vision, memories that I tried burying. Memories I tried silencing.

It's so vivid, making me feel like I'm reliving it. I try closing my eyes but it's right there with me. I try blocking it but there is no way to do it. I can't escape it. I can't bury it like I've always done. This time I can't run away from it.

I see the past. How Bianca and I were when we were kids. The love that flourished between us. I see us playing together. Laughing and happiness filling us.

I also see Xavier. He was three years older than me but we were friends. Our parents were best friends. They used to hold dinner dates, play dates and we got along so well.

I had completely forgotten about that.

I watch my parents getting murdered. I watched as the pack turned on me. But none of that hurt, like seeing Bianca and Xavier look at me with nothing but disgust and hate. She was my sister and he was my friend, yet they turned their backs on me. The pack didn't even let me attend their burial. Instead, they locked me in the dungeon with no food or water.

The memories continue flooding in. The torture I endured from the pack. Each and every day, I asked why Selene hadn't let me die that day with my parents. I kept hoping that things would change and I thought they would when I discovered Xavier was my mate.

I watch as disgust takes over his face when realization sets in. The pain I feel at his rejection slices me. Everything unfolds before my eyes. Both him and Bianca hating me, hurting me over and over again.

I relive the pain and betrayal I felt. Still feel. This time, though, it feels like it's a hundred times worse. It's more painful than before.

I want it to stop because it's tearing me apart. Every wall I built around the pain so that I can't feel it comes down. The dam breaks and everything pours out. Destroying me all over again. I try to turn away from the vision, but it's like everywhere I turn, it's there with me. Playing again and again. Making me watch it over and over.

"Please make it stop. Make it stop!" I screamed.

But the memories persist, unrelenting. Refusing to let me go.

I feel like my heart has been ground through a mincer. It's now nothing but a useless beating organ that is keeping me alive.

Tears fall down my face and I clutched my chest, willing the pain to stop. Begging for relief from the torture. Finally, I fall down on my knees. Exhausted and defeated as I looked at the image before me with a searing pain in my heart.