My eyes flung open while I gasped for air before I peered around to find Alijah. But he was nowhere to be found. However, the feeling of his lips left on mine remained. I only needed a moment to think about what may have happened, but that was robbed from me the moment Melody hugged me in her arms. She trembled, terrified by everything that had happened.

She cried my name, thankful that I had opened my eyes. It seemed I was only seconds behind her, but it felt like I was with Alijah for much more than a few seconds. It felt like it had been an hour or more. I could not erase what had happened from my mind either, but from what she said, it only made me wonder if I had just imagined everything.

I doubted myself while Melody asked me about what had happened, but all I could say was...

"I... do not know... It was a dream I had..." I mumbled, unable to know what she meant by her question.

Had she seen me with Alijah, or was she talking about the dream that I had released her from? However, Melody seemed unhappy with that answer. Her hands still trembled while I tried to shake off the feeling Alijah had left me with. He surely was not a figment of my imagination. Or was he?

I glanced at Shade, only for her to seem completely unaware of what had happened to me. To her... I was only out a few seconds after Melody, too. It was almost as if that memory was blocked from her and she could not access it. This was something that had never happened before.

However, I could figure nothing out. Melody tried to calm herself by breathing deeply before she went to find a first aid kit to help me with the gash. I had done to myself on my hand. Although the cloth had done a decent job of keeping the blood from spilling everywhere, it was not the best remedy, though.

However, before she could come back with it, I rushed into the bathroom, wanting to wash Alijah's touch off me. I felt disgusted, annoyed, and saddened by it all. I almost felt like I had betrayed Fenris somehow. It was nothing like when Cora kissed me. She was just playful, but Alijah was serious. It was almost as if he had vowed to take me away from Fenris.

And that was something I could not allow, no matter what came towards us. Fenris was my world, and he would remain to it so, even if... I had to... When I tried to remove my clothes, my body failed me, causing me to crash onto the floor. The sound of me falling onto the floor was enough to make Melody rush from wherever she was towards the bathroom and towards me.

For the first time, I did not mind someone seeing my bare skin. Instinctively Melody grabbed a towel to cover me with, but instead of accepting it, I pleaded with her to take me into the shower. For a moment she hesitated while I was in no condition to take a shower by myself, but I continued to beg her to help me until she gave in.

Helping me up, she sat me down inside the bathtub before turning on the water and handing me the showerhead. Before sighing and stating that she would not leave me alone while I was in here. She seemed tired of everything that had happened. While I was not being rational at all. Part of me wanted to tell Melody everything that had just happened, but even I did not understand it.

Would she believe me? Would she tell on me to Fenris? I could not think straight anymore. My body still seemed fragile from when I overdid it with the inhibitors, too. We had been under the spell for most of the day, but even though we had slept, my mind had not rested at all.

Worried about me, Melody sat next to me on the floor while I tried to scrub every part that Alijah had touched.

"Fenris is going to kill me." Melody sighed.

I glance at her to see her contemplating life choices that were to come.

"He will not..." I tried to assure her, struggling to scrub my back.

"You are injured under my watch you think he will not bite my head off?" She asked, reaching to help me.

Her touch, I did not mind.

"I will tell him it was my fault. That I tried something new, and it backfired." I replied, feeling a little embarrassed by her help, but grateful.

"Do you think he will buy it?" Melody questioned if Fenris would really buy a simple story like that.

"Yes... he will. I have done things like this before." I assured her, remembering setting the painting on fire when the room was full of Lycans.

With that alone, it would be enough. But that was not the only time I had cast a spell that needed bodily harm.

"Will he?" Melody asked, still unsure.

I glanced at her again, only to see a worried expression on her face. Was this all too much for her?

"Yes," I assured her once again, leaving her seeming a bit relieved by that.

However, she was still on edge.

"I see..." Melody noted while she helped me finish bathing myself.

She helped me to wrap myself up in a warm towel before drying and leading me out of the bathroom. Before I knew it, I sat by the table everything had happened. She warped bandages around my wounded hand. She then helped me in a gown before trying to clean a bit around the area we were in.

All I could do was follow her with my eyes while I could see she was trying to find the right words to say to me. Once she was done cleaning the surrounding area, she grabbed my hands and smiled ever so bitterly. It was the first time I had ever seen that expression on her.

Not even when she spoke of Liam, when he broke her heart, did... she appear this way to me. It was almost as if she was baring herself to me.

"Something happened that you are not telling me, didn't it?" Melody began, almost as if she read me like an open book.

She was just as sharp as Liam and as watchful as Fenris. Typical.

"What?" I mumbled, trying to pretend to not know what she meant.

She turned her eyes back to my hands, who quivered a bit when she asked. She knew...

"That dream... was horrible... but if it were just a dream, you would not be shaking like this. You seem genuinely scared about something." Melody pointed out gazing back at me.

I had not noticed that my body was still trembling. She was doing something Fenris did not dare to do in fear of hurting me. Unlike Fenris, she saw most of everything I went through. She knew what I had survived. And that had made her damn sure I was not as brittle as they made me be.

No... to her... I was something else. Something I did not even know I was.

"I..." I began, not knowing what to say to her.

'Should I lie? Or...'

"You can tell me anything you know," Melody assured once again for me to remain silent.

In response to my silence, she let go of my hands and picked the stuff around the room once again. It was almost as to leave a little of time to let me breathe before turning to me once again. In her hands, she held a bag full of the things that had scattered around the room when I cast the dreamer spell.

"We are partners in crime now. I mean... if I dare say a word of what happened Fenris will murder me." Melody added, to reassure me she would not sell me out.

I gazed at her somewhat in disbelief. Could I trust her with this insanity?

"Melody..." I tried to clarify that Fenris would not harm her.

But instead of letting me speak, she continued.

"So, as you know, I enjoy living, so telling mister alpha anything about this is a big no for me." She pressed onward to fish for my trust.

It left me not knowing what to say to her.

"Thank you," I whispered, causing her to smile before returning to me.

Shade jumped up to the table with the notebook I had forged of my memories. In my rush to the bathroom, I had left it on the bed. Not that I could be blamed... with everything that had happened with Alijah, I had almost forgotten about it. Slowly, I reached for it, only for Melody to intercept my hand with hers.

Grabbing onto my hand, she pulled it towards her, along with my glance.

"Lilith... You are a warrior, but you are carrying too much. I just know it. I feel it. Now I will tell you what you told me this morning. Before all this madness happened. I want to be a friend to you. If... you will let me, that is. I will accept anything you throw at me." Melody urged me to let some of my burdens be carried by her.

Her amber orbs only expressed sadness. Everything she saw and experienced had made her worried about me. She refused to leave me alone any longer. I could not help but bite my lip while I hesitated to say anything, just as she pleaded one more time.

I do not know what was it that broke me, Melody's voice, expression, or words, but... for the first time... and against my better judgment, I let everything go. Everything I witnessed and felt... My purpose... I unloaded it on Melody, who just sat there and listened to everything, no matter how crazy or unrealistic it seemed.

When I finished telling her about the dream, and Alijah, how everything seemed connected. She grabbed onto my hands tightly and said something I never expected to hear from her lips.

"You really carry too much. Let me help you." Melody declared, stunning me right where I was.

I never imagined her believing in me. In fact, I thought she would have been calling Fenris right away after I finished.

"Melody... You believe me?" I mumbled while tears trailed down my eyes, only for her to wipe them away with her caring touch and smile.

"You would have never made something like this up. I mean, I saw part of it with my own eyes. That witch said something about wolfsbane, too. That alone confirms something is up. The order has not said a word about what caused the attacks either. They are just keeping everyone in the dark." Melody informed me.

This was fresh news to me. Ryker had told me it was not wolfsbane, and maybe it was not. Maybe they had created a new material that was closely related to wolfsbane with the one that Stella had gained from that woman...

What was her name again? Wait... what if... they had made a mutant version? One that did not share the same characteristics of the wolfsbane of the old days. Before I could dive any deeper, Melody continued to speak.

"So... if the order cannot figure this out, then I will be your partner in this. If what you said... If what I saw was real or a warning, then I need to do something. After all, we all die in that scenario right?" She retraced herself and concluded that doom would be upon us, one way or another.

"Yes..." I whispered.

She nodded in response to my affirmation of what was awaiting us.

"Then I will do everything within my power to help you. It seems you know more than the order and it also seems they do not trust you. So, I will instead." Melody announced, leaving me surprised yet again.

Did she even understand what was going to happen? What was coming? The danger of it alone should have made her want to run away. Hide and never surface again. Yet instead of that, she seemed to stand strong. Fearless.

"It is... dangerous." I tried to discourage her from working with me.

She smiled in response.

"I trust you will find a way out of this. After all, you want to save Fenris's world, and that kind of includes a lot." Melody assured me of my intentions.

I chuckled a bit, not being able to believe her words. Somehow, she had forgotten herself in all of this.

"I want to save you too," I said without thinking.

It was almost as if my own emotions took hold of my voice. For once, a new light was forming in my heart. One... almost as bright as Fenris was. We had only known each other for a couple of weeks, but she had pushed herself into my heart in a way I did not expect.

Melody crumbled every wall I had placed in my heart. She launched herself into me and brought me into the light again. From a source of inspiration, she had evolved into something else. Something precious to me. Before I realized it, tears were running down my cheeks.

"I know." Melody smiled before engulfing me in her embrace.

Where she hugged me tightly onto her chest. All I could do was cry at her as I, against all odds, had found someone willing to help me. Why did I ever think I could do this alone? For a while, I cried, while she assured me everything would be fine. Maybe... it could free me from my past and save the future that was coming.

Alijah... Somehow... I would be ready for you. But first... other things took precedence. Alijah would be at least half a year from where we stood... Maybe less or more. I had to figure out what the witches were planning, which would be difficult to do.

I needed Melody to regain her Lycan powers, even though she would not understand how to use them. But that would be another problem to fix when it came. Once I calmed myself down enough, I reached for the book we had created and drew a sketch of Alijah within the empty pages.

The end goal for all of this.

"He is... Wow..." Melody said, admiring the appearance of the man I drew.

Alijah... his bright red eyes, long braided black hair that reached his waist, and fair skin were the most eye-catching features. His fluffy ears and tail were normal for every Lycan. Although I could not portray how silky smooth his fur felt through the picture alone.

He wore a black lace vest made from fur which showed most of his bare skin. Alijah also had what looked like silver earrings in his ears. The pants he wore were also made from fur. Probably what he wore the day he was sealed back in the prison he was in. He had said six thousand years had passed since.

"Yes, Alijah was breathtaking." I agreed, knowing full well he was beautiful.

But... his mind was another factor. He and I... were similar... in a way. I would doom the world if Fenris died, but not because I would kill every one of them. I mean... I would hunt down and kill everyone who was involved in his death, but... the reason it would doom the world was that I would have lost my reason to live.

The moment I killed the last person responsible... I would kill myself too, finishing Stella's spell. After all, a world without Fenris was one not worth living in. Even though all these years I had tried to free myself from the spell that was cast that day, I had failed to find anything about it.

"Too bad he is a psychopath and bent on a dead lover," Melody commented, shifting gears while I shrugged in response.

He was much more than that from when I spoke to him. His soul was pure black, but part of me thought I could save him with the right means... but that would be for another time.

"I do not think I would still want him, even if he was not one," I assured her.

She rolled her eyes and cleaned the room with no trace of magic that remained. She still seemed unhappy with what had happened the day before with Liam.

"Speak for yourself." Melody scuffed grumpily about anything that had to do with Liam.

Leaving her to clean, I studied the things I had recorded in the book. I thought everything would be clear after the spell, but it was the complete opposite. Everything became even more complicated. Even though I tried, I could not focus on one task.

It jumbled my mind up and unable to concentrate on anything. After all, everything that I had experienced was jarring. Even though Melody tried to put up a strong front, she seemed terrified by everything that she had witnessed, too.

Hours passed with little to no advancement in any front. Melody cleaned the room before urging me to go onto the bed and rest for the night. Reluctantly I agreed, placing the book into a shelf where Fenris never would find it. On my way to the bed, I glanced at the clock, only to see it was midnight.

Fenris was still nowhere to be seen. Anxiety surged through me, while Melody reassured me he was okay by showing me her phone. In it, there were messages that he had sent asking about me not too long ago. Most of Melody's responses were reassuring to him that everything was fine on our end.

Far from the truth. But she kept her promise. It also showed messages from when we had gone into the spell. Melody grabbed her phone from Shade to send him a preventive message saying that I was about to nap. And that she would let him know when I was up again.

After that, he sent another message, when we were both asleep, informing us that there had been a delay on his end. When Melody woke up, she informed him. She also had fallen asleep next to me, but that everything was fine. However, it seemed Fenris was not coming back tonight. He apologized to Melody for making her take care of me for the rest of the night. And assured her he would be here by the morning.

Part of me felt disappointed in the fact Fenris would not be with me tonight. After all, I wanted to remove Alijah's touch with him. Even after the bath, it still lingered on me. It seemed I had to sleep with the feeling he left on me. Melody promised to not leave my side, though. She grabbed hold of my hands and stayed by me the whole night.

Even though her efforts were comforting, she was not Fenris. Her touch did not soothe me like his. Multiple times throughout the night, I jolted awake. Mostly recurring nightmares of memories of past times. However, luckily, I did not dream of Alijah. He just plagued my waking moments instead of my dreams.

When morning came, I went to work once again while Melody tried to prepare something for us to eat. She had not slept either, waking up every time I did. Grabbing my tablet, I tried to search for any information I could, but could barely find anything. There were many Alijah on social media, but none like the one I looked for.

It was something I expected after all... he had said he was six thousand years old. The technology we had in the present did not exist back then, but I had hoped there were myths or legends about him roamed.

After all, Alijah was the first blood moon, Lycan. If what he had said was true, there must have been something about him. However, the only thing I could find was the other thousands of others that were useless to me. Giving up on the thought of finding more about the rogue wolf, I turned towards the red moon. Only to hit the same blocks as before.

The Lycans were really keeping everything on the down-low. Not that I blamed them after everything that happened. Or maybe it was the way I was searching for things that were preventing me from advancing.

To help me, Melody made pancakes for me to eat. They were probably the most beautiful pair of cakes I had ever seen, too. With a little food coloring, she made one that appeared like Shade, and another that appeared like a frog. I could not help but smile and thank her.

 Melody simpered back with a somewhat saddened expression at me before handing me her phone once again. It seemed Fenris was not coming back yet. Whatever he was doing had delayed him once again. I tried not to think about it while I ate Melody's meal, after thanking her for everything.

With food in my belly, I set back into the research. Shade had suggested making a list of what to tackle first, so I could organize myself better. She thought the reason I was finding blocks was that I was trying to fix everything at once, which I was. I could not concentrate on one thing alone. Maybe that was why I had not been finding anything.

The information was so vast that I could not figure out what I wanted to search for. Maybe it was the fault of my inexperience, too. Stepping back from the papers, I laid down on my bed and stared at the ceiling while I tried to collect my thoughts.

From all the dangers, Alijah was the most worrisome, but he was not what was going to happen within the next few weeks. No... Something told me it was something else. The witches? Maybe...

Stella loved to mess around with Fenris's birthday, which would be the day after the red moon. During the festival itself. I glanced over to Melody to find her again, making some treats in the small kitchen we had in our room. First... I had to fix her, but how?

Sitting up, I picked up Shade, who had laid next to me, and placed her in my lap. To fix her... I needed Fenris and the power he would get from the red moon. From what Stella said back in my memory, it seemed Fenris had the power to cancel out the curse. But how would I be able to harness that power and use it to help Melody?

I pondered for a while before it hit me. Witches... and their orgies. Supposedly, they use sex to gather the magic of the red moon. Maybe... somehow, I could siphon some from Fenris's essence during the blood moon.

Before I could think of anything else, cramps invaded my world, causing me to reach for my abdomen. Usually, Fenris would throw me a pad before I even realized I was getting into my menstrual cycle. This time... it came with no warning.

Before I knew it, my anxiety attacked me. Would it be like this from now on? Alone... Alijah's words invaded my thoughts, causing my insecurities to grow. What was Fenris doing? Was he with Layla? Getting up from the bed, I went into the bathroom while my thoughts kept bombarding me with thoughts of him being with another.

Grabbing onto the sink of the bathroom, I tried to rid myself of these thoughts. Fenris had assured me not a day ago that I was the only one he was doing these things with, but that could all change.

'They will get rid of you as soon as it is convenient for them.' Alijah's words replayed in my mind.

I glanced out the bathroom door and into Melody, who was nothing like he said she would be. It would have been convenient for her to have ratted me out the moment we came back from the spell, but she had not. Instead, she believed me and was there for me. Even when confronted with many unknowns, she reached out to me and helped me stand firm.

Fenris... was the same, too. I had to believe in him. Even though I thought I was fine with it all. I thought him marrying Layla would change nothing, that I would just be happy being by his side, but that was no longer not true. Never was. I would be miserable if that were to happen, but what could I do about it?

Nothing. If Fenris married her, then I could do nothing about it. What worried me more was what Layla said once when I drew into that dream.

'I can ask the elders to spend that night with you.'

What if during the blood moon they would be together? If that were the case, then I could do nothing to help Melody. My worries just made my cramps worse. I placed a pad on my underwear and returned to the room.

Where Melody greeted me with a picture that someone who had been interviewing Fenris had taken. He had dark circles under his eyes, and Layla also appeared in the picture. She was clinging onto his arm almost while posing for the reporters who had swarmed them. The article was 'The long waited Lycan wedding'.

Even though the title was a happy one, Fenris appeared cold and calculating. There was no life left in his eyes, while Layla seemed to enjoy every minute that they were together. He... looked completely different from when he was with me, alone. Reminded me of the way he seemed when he walked through the hallways before I was cooped up here.

"He really loves you. With the way he looks in this picture, you can tell he is miserable." Melody commented, almost as if she had read all my insecurities that had crossed my mind just a few moments earlier.

I quickly denied that could be possible, though.

"No way. There is no way he could love me." I mumbled, trying to calm my heart.

She shook her head in disbelief at my words.

"He does. Just look at him." Melody pointed towards Fenris in the picture just as a message of his appeared on the screen.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw him was wondering how I was. A simple thought was enough for me to smile. Melody took the chance to play with me.

"Do you want me to call him? I am sure if he knows you are lonely, he will come for you." Melody teased.

I fidgeted because of her words, only to reach for my abdomen once again, thanks to the ongoing cramps.

"No... I would not want to bother him. Could I bother you with making me a hibiscus tea?" I mumbled, trying to change the subject, not knowing what to feel about that.

It was true that I did not want to bother him. Especially when he was so busy that he barely had any sleep. If any at all. Melody was quick enough to fetch me my tea, even added some lemon to it. She really loved cooking or doing anything with food, while always placing her spin on it.

Even the way she made the drink was just so pretty that it made me not want to touch it. However, the cramps urged me to as I grabbed the drink off her hands.

"You know... You would be the perfect wife. Seeing how beautiful as you are and capable of cooking." I complimented, feeling jealous of her qualities.

All the talents she had made me feel somewhat tiny in comparison. I could never do the things she did or be like her. In my case, the one who did all the cooking was Fenris. I helplessly depended on others.

"Thank you. I sure hope so, but no one will ever look at a runt like me." She shrugged, while it was her usual response to a comment like that.

Her words rubbed me off the wrong way since she was never one. To begin with. It was not fair for someone to have decided her worth and life before she was even born, either. Even if she were a runt... It would not have changed the way I saw her. Even so...

"You are not a runt and never were. I am going to free you from that label. I promise." I smiled.

She simpered in return and thanked me before turning around and going back to what she was doing. For a few moments, I took a few sips of the tea. Hibiscus was a great remedy for painful cramps during the menstruation cycle women are burdened by every month.

After chugging most of the tea, I sat down on Fenris's bed while Shade hopped into my lap. Before I said anything else, I tried to collect my thoughts before I dove into delicate territory. I glanced at her while she continued to keep herself busy, to not think about anything that had happened with Liam.

The one thing I did not want to happen was for her to lose hope for the future she desired.

"When you are free... Do you think maybe you could fight for Liam?" I poked the bear, worried about what her reaction would be.

And it was not a pretty one. She turned to me, almost as if I had touched something I should not have. The pain in her eyes was as clear as day.

"No way! If anything, I will find myself a better man than him!" Melody tried to shut me down before turning back to what she was doing with a slight pout.

The pain in her voice deceived her, though. It was obvious she still felt for him. One mistake would not change that. That was... if it ever began with. Liam did not seem like the type of man who would have sexual interactions with Kira. Especially after what I had witnessed during the sleepover.

I tried to shove my shyness aside, trying to help a friend recover from what could have been a misunderstanding.

"Why not? Kira? I think she is more of a viper than a wolf." I pointed out.

She turned to me once again. For a moment I thought she would tell me to shut up, to mind my business, but much to my surprise she did not. Instead, she seemed surprised that I continued to prod further. She also seemed more intrigued by what I was saying, too. I had caught her attention. Good.

"Why do you say that?" She asked cautiously.

She was interested in how I would answer next.

"Just the feeling she gives me. She is not right in the head. Layla... is kind enough to be spoken to, but Kira she is a wild card. I do not think Liam would ever touch a girl like her." I answered honestly.

Melody seemed taken aback by my assessment of the situation. After all, even though Liam and I barely interacted in recent years, I had known him ever since that faithful day. He had always been gentle and cunning to the point I knew he was not stupid enough to muddle with Kira.

I knew he had his taste of women before from some of his conversations with Fenris. But never mentioned Kira. And from the way he responded to her approach during the time they were here, I doubted he did anything with her.

"I do not know. She said the elders..." Melody tried to argue.

I scoffed at the mention of them. They were a bunch of old prunes. I had only met them once, and it left me wanting nothing more to do with them. Especially Fenris's grandfather. He was the worst of them. Ryker... was better than them, and that was too much to say.

"The Lycan elders are old-fashioned and would believe a high-ranking Lycan like her with no proof." I blurted out, without letting her finish her sentence.

It was the first time I had ever shown any discontent against anyone, but they had just rubbed me in the wrong way. Especially the way they had spoken to Fenris when I was there. It made me remember Alijah's sentiments about feeling like a piece of furniture. Maybe that was something that had changed a little, as he had said.

Usually, I would sit silently before showing any discontent, but it felt like I had nothing to hide from Melody. For the first time, I felt comfortable enough to speak freely.

"Lilith." Melody seemed surprised by my remark.

The tone she used when my name rolled off her tongue gave it up. She did not expect my outburst, but she also seemed relieved that I was more comfortable with her to that extent.

"I have met a few of them. They are despicably old-fashioned. Racist too." I added, triggering her to giggle upon hearing that.

She also knew how they were. After all, they are the ones who choose who was allowed in the pack. And they also decided who was banished. Much like a 'runt' like herself.

"I just do not know what to believe." She simpered at me as I sighed in response.

The choice was obvious.

"Well, why not give Liam a chance to explain himself? I am sure if you listen to him, he will surprise you. He... really is a gentleman. I also see the way he looks at you when you are near Fenris." I tried to persuade her about her current course.

After all, Liam seemed to care for her somewhat, even though I might not be the best judge for that.

"What do you mean?" Melody spluttered, realizing what I was going for.

"I am sure Liam thinks you like Fenris." I blurted out laughing, unable to contain myself upon seeing her expression of pure disappointment.

I just could not bring myself to tell her he might like her, too. I did not want to bring her hopes up for them to come crashing out later. His feelings were something she would have to discover on her own.

"WHAT! No, that is not possible." She squealed, grabbing me by my hands.

It left me without being able to control myself. It was probably one of the few times I had ever laughed so heartily, too.

"I mean, you speak with Fenris better than you do with him." I chuckled, trying to hold myself from crackling in.

She seemed severely distressed by what I had brought to her attention.

"That is because he makes me nervous!" She assured me, but I was not Liam.

Those words would be better wasted on him than on me.

"He does not know that unless you tell him." I continued to snicker, triggering Melody to take the chance to turn this against me.

My laughter quickly died with the words that left her mouth.

"Well, have you told your feelings for Fenris?" Melody questioned, placing her hands on her hips.

She thought she cornered me, instead it just pained my heart. I knew she meant nothing bad with them. She did not know.

"I have," I confessed, remembering all the times I had tried to tell him how I felt, only for him to deny me from telling him.

Until I took him by surprise, only for him to not respond. No matter how many times I told him, he... never responded to me.

"What did he say?" Melody continued to query curiously.

I glanced to the side and fell back onto the bed.

"He does not know what to say to me," I answered, causing her to gasp before storming around the room.

"What?!?! How dare he?!?! I will murder him!" Melody shouted, genuinely angered by what she had heard.

The way her emotions were all over the place amused me, but all I could do was breathe in. I had to make her understand it was not as simple as she thought.

"It is okay. You know why it is complicated. I mean, I caused his parent's deaths. His sister hates me while his brother feels nothing but guilt for leaving me to my fate." I said, trying to make her understand that there was a lot of baggage with my feelings for him.

However, in her mind, it made little sense. Everything that she had seen made her believe even more certain.

"Lilith... It is not fair. You loved him since you were just a child." Melody frowned, knowing that there was nothing she could do to fix this for me.

Not even I could fix it for myself. Only the future knew what would happen. Though the fact I loved him for so long did not matter, either.

"Life is never fair, but no matter what... I will protect him and the world he lives in." I assured her.

She sat next to me when Shade climbed onto my chest and curled into a small ball to comfort me.

"I... do not know how you do it. Being so strong when nothing is sure." Melody mumbled next to me.

I gazed at her in disbelief. Me, strong? I was anything but that. If anyone was, it was her.

"I am not strong. If anything, my mind is very weak. Even my body... is damaged." I whispered.

She stood up from the bed instantly before grabbing me by my hand and pulling me up as well. Grabbing onto my chin, she made sure I was looking straight into her eyes when she spoke.

"Not true! You are far from that!" She declared while all I could do was stare at her, amazed by her faith in me.

I thought everything she saw would change how she looked at me, but it reinforced her views. She was an unshakable force.

"Melody..." I called out, feeling a bit flushed by her comments. My heart... could barely keep up with her anymore. She was breaking me.

"And how dare you call your body damaged? You are beautiful! You are a survivor who should be proud of all the scars on your body. They only mean you were strong enough to survive that ordeal! That you moved forward no matter what happened! A trophy that screams I survived!" Melody declared, getting very emotional over how I saw myself.

I tried to hold my emotions back while I continued to be honest with her. Not even Fenris... tried this hard to understand me. To push me... Only she could be the one to do this. The one who witnessed mostly everything firsthand. Everything but the month before the fall... but she knew everything about it.

Yet she looked at me as if I was nothing more than a normal girl.

"I... can never think of myself like that. I do not deserve it." I simpered while she seemed to only get more emotional with my response.

She genuinely seemed angered by what I felt. It somewhat made me feel relieved that someone as kind as she existed. It gave me hope that this world had good people, just like I had told Alijah.

"Lilith, you were nothing but a victim. Nothing that happened was your fault." She reassured me, causing me to hug her.

My action stunned her for a moment. She was such a lovable woman. One that I wished only happiness for.

"Thank you, Melody. But I... am not as strong as you think. I wish I were." I whispered.

She hugged me back tightly.

"You will see. One day, everyone will see just how strong and beautiful you are." Melody echoed similar words that Liam had once said to me.

Only that he had called me powerful, while Melody called me beautiful. They truly were kindred spirits that resonated with each other. Hah... These Lycans broke me. They had slowly slipped inside my heart and made me care for more than just Fenris. For their sake... I would protect this world too.

For a moment we held each other, feeling comforted by each other's presence. Only separated, because Melody's phone rang with an alarm she had placed.

"Oh! Oh no... I almost missed it!" Melody exclaimed, grabbing her phone and sitting next to me.

She browsed for something in it as it left me bewildered by what had just happened. I thought we were having a special moment, but it was over quicker than it started.

"Missed it?" I echoed her words, baffled.

I thought we were having a bonding event, only for her to rush to her phone and search for something desperately. The way she searched it was almost ravenous, too.

"A sale! They are selling these beautiful moonstones for the festival. I have always wanted one, but they are really rare, and they just got some in stock!" She declared.

The item she was searching for sounded familiar to me.

"Moonstone?" I repeated after her, trying to think of where I had heard about it.

Shade reminded me it was in an article I had read when she hopped onto my shoulder. The article with the witches and their sex magic I had read not too long ago.

"Yes, it is a gemstone! Beautiful one. They say that it can trap the magic of the moon on some occasions!" Melody informed me, thinking I was asking her what they were, while she tried to buy one for herself.

Upon hearing her say that, it was almost as if the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. The article had mentioned a gemstone needed to collect the magical essence from the moon. The artifact it created could only be used once though, so it had to be a freshly polished one.

If the stone really could harness the power, then I... all I needed to do was... to do something idiotic.

"Melody... Could you get me one?" I asked.

She seemed to be too involved in the event to notice my demeanor had changed. A smile had risen on my lips while relief washed over me.

"Of course. What would you like?" Melody asked, excited by the whole thing.

Her tail wagged uncontrollably too. I had never seen her this interested in something, but it did not surprise me. Even though they banned her from the festival, she still was a Lycan and they loved their moon.

"A necklace." I smiled, not letting her know what I planned.

If she knew. She would have stopped me for sure.