Chapter 152: Chapter 152

The moon hung heavy and bloated in the ink-black sky, casting an eerie silver glow upon the desolate landscape below. Charlotte stood alone on the edge of a cliff, her heart pounding like thunder in her chest, her breath coming in ragged gasps that misted in the frigid air. The wind howled mournfully, whipping her dark hair about her face in wild tendrils.

But it wasn't just the weather that sent shivers down her spine—it was the figure standing before her, a twisted reflection of herself. Its eyes glowed with a feral light, glinting like shards of shattered glass in the moonlight. Its lips peeled back in a snarl, revealing gleaming, razor-sharp teeth that dripped with blood.

Charlotte recoiled in horror, her mind struggling to comprehend what she was seeing. Was this truly her? Was this the monster that lurked within, waiting to be unleashed? The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning, filling her with a bone-deep terror, unlike anything she had ever known.

She tried to turn and run, to escape the nightmare that threatened to consume her, but her legs were rooted to the spot as if held fast by invisible chains. The creature advanced slowly, its movements sinuous and predatory, like a hunting beast stalking its prey.

Desperation clawed at Charlotte's chest, squeezing the air from her lungs as she stared into the abyss of her own darkness. She screamed, a primal sound of anguish and fear that echoed off the cliffs and was swallowed by the howling wind.

And then, just as the creature lunged forward, its claws extended to tear her apart, Charlotte jolted awake, drenched in sweat and gasping for air.

She clutched at her chest, feeling the frantic thud of her heart beneath her trembling fingers, and whispered a silent prayer of thanks that it had all been just a dream.

But deep down, she knew that the nightmare was far from over—that it lingered within her, waiting for the moment when it would be unleashed upon the world.

Taking deep, steadying breaths, Charlotte forced herself to focus on the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest, grounding herself in the present moment. She ran trembling fingers through her tangled hair, the sensation soothing in its familiarity.

With trembling hands, she reached for the glass of water on her nightstand, the cool liquid a balm against the lingering heat of her panic. Sipping slowly, she let the sensation wash over her, anchoring her to reality.

Closing her eyes, Charlotte whispered a mantra she had learned long ago, a simple phrase that served as a lifeline in moments of distress. "I am here. I am safe," she repeated softly, each word a gentle reminder that she was no longer trapped in the nightmare, but firmly rooted in the here and now.

Gradually, the tension began to seep from her muscles, replaced by a sense of calm that washed over her like a gentle tide. She nestled deeper into the warmth of her blankets, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle over her like a comforting cloak.

And as she drifted back into the embrace of sleep, Charlotte knew that whatever terrors awaited her in the darkness, she would face them with courage and resilience, for she was stronger than the nightmares that sought to consume her.

*******

Azraiel was about to leave the packhouse when his wolf started screaming in fear. His wolf wasn’t scared for himself, he realized a second later. Dropping everything in an instant, he rushed towards his home, while mindlinking Theo and Kira to stay alert and secure the borders.

“Charlotte? Charlotte, talk to me?” He tried mindlinking his mate but to no avail.

Her mind was closed, the mental walls made of steel raised high without any loophole. That increased his worries as he knew she was supposed to be asleep.

That sense of dread increases as he reaches his home. The pink sky didn’t look pink anymore.

Theo reaches the house almost at the same time.

Since Azraiel locked the door on his way out, he knew the possibility of someone opening it was slim. He fished out the keys from his pocket and quickly opened the door.

The first thing that struck him odd upon entering the home was the silence. He quietly looked around to ensure that there wasn’t anyone present there besides them.

No.

No intruders!

That gave him a glimmer of relief.

“Do you smell that?” Theo mindlinks him while sniffing the air.

“Smoke, fire!” Azraiel almost screams in the mindlink and rushes for the stairs.

Please be alright, please be alright, his mind seemed to chant with urgency.

Behind him, Theo rounded the ground floor to check if there was anything amiss. Azraiel paid absolutely no attention to him as he rounded up the stairs.

As soon as he reached the first floor, his suspicions were confirmed.

A gasp leaves his lips involuntarily.

“Charlotte?” He whispers outside the room.

He couldn’t sense anyone inside except her and from the way her heart is beating, he would say that she was asleep. Gulping his fears down, he quietly opens the door.

What he sees makes him feel relieved and confused in the same second.

He walks in the room carefully and quietly so as to not disturb her sleep. Azraiel stops at the source of smoke and fire circling the bed. He stares at it for a second and then walks over it to the bed and examines Charlotte.

Unharmed, unburnt!

He hears Theo coming upstairs and sure enough when he turns around, he is standing outside the room, looking as confused as him.

“Quiet!” Azraiel warns him.

He quietly sits on the corner of the bed.

Azraiel bends down and softly kisses Charlotte’s forehead. All he wants right now is to curl up in the bed next to his mate, so that he and his wolf can calm the fuck down. But that would have to wait, his wolf has to calm down only by seeing Charlotte safe.

Azraiel pushes himself up from the bed and comes to stand next to Theo.

They both look at each other and an understanding passes between them.

Around the bed, is a dark black half-circle which is still warm in some places. It wouldn’t be wrong to call it a half-ring of fire. It’s not burning anymore but it is evident that it was fire. The smoke, the burning smell, it all points towards the fire.

Theo points his finger towards the ceiling. Azraiel looks up at what he is pointing to.

Sure enough, the flames were so high that they touched the ceiling. The white ceiling is black in the places where the fire licked it.

He is sure that no one entered the house since he couldn’t smell anyone in there. Then how..?

“Is it magic?” Theo asks through the mindlink.

“Call Katya here.” He says and points to him to get out of the room.

Azraiel pulls out his phone and clicks a few pictures of the ring of fire and the ceiling and leaves the room after staring at Charlotte for a long second.

He climbs down the stairs with a frown etched on his face.

“She is coming.” Theo says softly, probably sensing the worry in his heart.

“She is unharmed?” He asks.

Azraiel simply nods and sits on the sofa. He opens the camera feed to check if someone really entered the house while he was gone.

The more he watches the feed, the more worried he gets.

No one entered the house, which means the source and target of the fire are one and the same!

Within a few minutes, Katya is at the door.

“What’s wrong?” She asks immediately upon entering the house.

Azraiel doesn’t reply but shows her the pictures he clicked upstairs.

“No one entered the house,” Theo says.

Katya looks at the pictures and frowns. But before she speaks anything, her eyes turn sad.

“It’s a protection spell. The ring of fire is cast to protect from all kinds of harm.” Katya explains.

Understanding dawns in Azraiel’s eyes and his fears are confirmed.

Katya looks at Azraiel and nods to confirm his thoughts.

Theo however, looks between them and then asks Katya, “So, she was protecting herself?”

Katya shakes her head sadly, “No, she was trying to protect everyone from herself.”