🕯️Content Warning: This chapter includes emotional vulnerability, trauma recovery themes, fear of abandonment, magical/physical flare‑ups, temporary loss of bodily control, caretaking and magical sedation, Alpha/Omega dynamics (aura and scent influence), flirtation, sexual tension, and adult humor.
Zenaida
—Same Day, Main Residence Garden Gazebo—
I followed behind LĂma as she guided me from the teleportation pad to where Nyx was waiting for me. Looking around at the garden that had evolved in my years separate from Nyx, I once again felt nostalgic. As far as my eyes can see, nothing has physically changed, but emotionally this feels all new to me. I've been in these gardens many times over the years, yet this is the first time I truly feel welcomed. Not anxious about Minette arriving. Not having to be careful about what I say when it comes to the disjointed behavior of Koba.Â
Ten years. I did not lose faith for ten years. I believed Nyx would regain herself. The small voice I heard the day I stepped back told me she would. We will be able to keep our secret vow to ascend to Mythos tier together. The Creators answered my prayers. How could I not believe even more deeply now?Â
As Nyx came into view, I noticed how while she smiled brightly and appeared very energetic at first glance, a deeper look revealed she should have stayed in bed. Why is she pushing herself so hard? She is well on track to join us in the fall. She will be a semester behind, but if she chooses the accelerated courses, she will still be able to join us in the field a few months after our on-the-job training begins. I couldn't stop my concern from showing as I seated myself across from Nyx.
"Oh, stop looking at me like that. I just had a rough few days. No need for you to worry. I promise I'm healing and should be 100% soon." Nyx sipped her grape juice, then picked up her sliced pork sandwich. I did not say anything at first, just let Nyx rant about how her brothers seemed to be on a campaign to annoy her these past two days.
I nodded, smiled, and actively responded to Nyx's commentary but also watched her slowly become more and more exhausted. Finally, her rant petered off, and she gazed back at me with equally analyzing eyes. She had finished her lunch just as I had finished mine. With a wave of her hand, LĂma swiped away the remnants of our lunch and had transformed the table set into two reclining loungers facing each other. She left a pitcher of tea & lemonade and cookies between us before she withdrew a distance away.Â
Nyx poured us both a glass of the arnold palmer as I plated cookies on plates for each of us. Now settled, Nyx returned to staring at me with searching eyes. "You have something on your mind. Tell me, and I'll share the burden with you."
It didn't even cross my mind that she might assume my worry was personal and not about her. My chest felt warm at the show of care. It brought a smile to my lips. I briefly bowed my head in gratitude. "Thank you for the kind words, Nyx. If I should need your help, I will come to you. However, my current worry isn't for myself but for you."
She sat back, and her expression shifted from concerned to neutrally confused. I couldn't tell if she was genuinely confused or if she was pretending. Regardless, I spoke my mind. I must see it through, else I will feel as if I failed her again.Be the person you had wanted to be all along. Someone strong enough to stand beside and for her no matter what.
"Nyx. You are very obviously exhausted…not just tired from some rough days. Are you sleeping or just continuously training like some kind of machine?" I kept my voice soft but firm. My expression concerned but determined. I will not be distracted from getting answers.Â
Nyx doesn't answer me. She just eats her plate-size cookie and looks up at the ceiling of the gazebo. Since I didn't get the impression she was upset just ignoring me, I continued my inquisition. "You train like you are on an apocalypse deadline. Which is fine. I know you are striving to return to the program in your best shape. But can you guess what I can't seem to wrap my head around?" I muttered, "Vael'thor (water)," shaping a small water bubble with my finger and flicking it at her for attention.
I smiled innocently when she looked at me with irritation. I kept eye contact until she wordlessly shook her head and crossed her arms. "What I don't understand is why when I hear you talk about getting better, I hear desperation as if you will be abandoned by the enclave if you don't keep pushing yourself to heal in the shortest amount of time." Her momentary freeze confirmed the random guess I had made. After everything, Nyx still doesn't trust that she will never be abandoned. Her family would never forsake her even if she became an enemy to the world. The Ajéà Enclave isn't like the Dillard Enclave after all.
"So tell me, Nyx… what do you really think would happen if you weren't healed by your deadline?" LĂma had come closer but still outside the gazebo. She made eye contact with me, then held up a poster board behind Nyx that said 'Tread lightly'. I gave her a nod in acknowledgment.
Nyx was sitting up now, looking at me with searching eyes. She looked conflicted, so I asked one last question in hopes that it would sway her to, as she had put it just a moment ago—share her burden with me.
"When you had your accident…were you trying to survive?" The question seemed to shock her more than I anticipated. She hurried over to sit next to me, looking so deep into my eyes, I wouldn't be surprised if she could see my soul.
Her grip on my hands was tight but not hurtful. I let her see me thus ended up enfolding her in my aura and scent of lemon and osmanthus. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled, relaxing completely against me. I pulled her into my embrace and got her settled with me on the lounger. She burrowed into my arms, making me giggle. It was my first time soothing someone outside of my family. Half my focus was on keeping my scent and aura within the gazebo. I'm not trying to attract any Alphas right now.
In a slow manner, Nyx told me the truth of her situation. She told me about the gamble she made to break Minette, Koba, and the Dillards' hold over her. She won the gamble but at the cost of her memories and dealing with the remnants of the Velintra.
 She confirmed she is on a self-imposed deadline to sync her soul and body up enough to go through a ritual to recover memories locked away in her mind so she can have her body and soul 100% synced. She has to be ready to return for spring semester by the end of the year; otherwise, her family would not allow her to return until fall. She quietly admitted that she was scared that if she didn't meet expectations, her family would give up on helping her. She is worried they will send her away to finish her recovery out of sight.Â
Nyx felt as if she was constantly fighting with herself. Part of her believed in what she saw, felt, and was told about how much her family loved and supported her, yet the other side of her constantly whispered it was all lies that perfection was the only way to keep their love. I held her as she told me all these things. I silently cried into her hair. Holding her tight, with the realization that I could have lost her forever if she had lost that bet.Â
"I promise you, Nyx. I promise I will help you become whole again. I will speak with Master Aspen and see where I can be of help. And going forward, when you start to doubt—tell me. I will be your looking glass. I'll tell you what is real and what is not. I will help you tell the others that you need reassurance. Lean on me and LĂma. We will be your hands and feet. Trust me?" I said the words softly into her ears. I tried to convey my utter loyalty to her.Â
LĂma had come over to kneel and hold one of Nyx's hands. "Yes, Mistress. Trust us. I'm learning, but I agree with Ms. Zen. Trust us to help you when you can't tell truth from lie. We want to support you. We can only do that if we are allowed to do so."
Nyx was quiet and still for so long that I was beginning to think she had fallen asleep. I was about to ask LĂma if Nyx had fallen asleep when Nyx spoke. Then I experienced what Nyx meant by a Velintra flare-up. She warned me this might happen, but hearing about it wasn't the same as seeing it unfold.
"Yes. Yes, I will trust you both to be my eyes of truth." She hugged me tight, then suddenly it felt like she was alternating between being a block of ice and a roaring flame. Her body started to spasm, and I didn't know how to help. "LĂma. Code Yellow. Administer sleep charm. Zen, I promise I'm okay. LĂma is going to put me to sleep so I can ride this flare out without damaging myself. I'll call you when I wake up…" LĂma had administered the charm, and Nyx relaxed into my body. She still had small tremors, and her temperature was still fluctuating, while black-looking tar oozed from her pores, but overall not as bad as just a moment ago.
"Ms. Zen, I will be taking my mistress inside to wash up and relax. Will you be staying here for now?" LĂma asked as she picked up and rolled Nyx into a large towel sheet.Â
"Yes, I'll stay here. If you could notify Master Aspen or Scion Lux that I would like to speak with them at their earliest convenience, I will stay here for another hour before going home. Please let me know when Nyx is ready for visitors." LĂma's cold eyes analyzed me before she gave a nod of her head. "Will do, Ms. Zen. Master Aspen will be required to examine the mistress, so Scion Lux has agreed to come speak with you. He said to expect him in 10-20 minutes while he finishes up his current meeting."
I tried not to freak out that my unrequited crush was about to come speak to me, most likely alone. It will be okay, Zen. You are going to maturely discuss how you can assist in the upcoming ritual, not ask the man out. Plus, you are exclusively dating Byron right now, so no adding additional partners right now.
"Thank you, LĂma." I watched LĂma walk away with Nyx. I pulled out my tablet to sketch out how I could help in the ritual when the scent of cold smoke and black cypress began to mingle with my lemon and osmanthus. Oh shit, I forgot to tuck my aura and scent away. I slowly pulled in all of it just as Scion Lux sat on the lounger across from me.
His ruby and gold eyes glowed, and the wolf tattoo on his face seemed to come alive under my gaze. He was physically, a wet dream I would never admit to dreaming about. "Don't withdraw such a delicious scent and vibrant aura on my account, Ms. Zenaida." He practically purred the words. His own aura and scent filled the gazebo enticingly. "Is this why you called for me? You wish to test our compatibility?"
While I tried to regain my wits, the dangerous man poured himself a glass of Arnold Palmer, watching me. "No, Scion Lux. I requested an audience to speak of how I can assist in Nyx's upcoming memory ritual." Lux's aura and scent immediately withdrew, and he relaxed back, looking as if he hadn't just been flirting with me. "I see. How do you propose you can help?"
"Well, I just jotted down some ideas based off of what Nyx shared about the ritual intention. I don't know the specific ritual, but I'm sure I can help streamline the process and increase the success rate to 100%. Here are my ideas. Have a look, please." I pass him my tablet. When he takes it from my hand, his fingers graze mine.
"Are you single, Ms. Zenaida?" His question seemed casual as he looked at my ideas. Keep calm. Keep calm. He probably just wants to question why I was letting my aura and scent out like that.
"No, Scion Lux. I've been in a dating relationship for almost a year now. He is decently compatible scent-wise, so we are dating to see if we are compatible in other aspects." I played with the buttons of my cardigan to keep my hands and mind busy so my mouth didn't mention how I was already pretty sure scent was the only aspect my boyfriend and Byron were compatible. As Mother Nina tells me, I have to give him a chance since she went through a lot of hoops to find me a good match.
"Ah yes, I remember now. Byron Ivey of the Ivey Military Clan from the Korr'Vellyn region. I believe he is also a classmate of yours and Nyxara. He isn't worthy of you." I was trying to wrap my head around my crush commenting on how my boyfriend isn't worthy of me when my tablet was placed in my lap, and a hand briefly touched my head.Â
"I circled the idea that best fit the ritual. I sent myself a copy of the idea to share with Aspen. I'll be texting you soon to let you know how we will proceed. Have a good rest of your day, Ms. Zenaida. Try not to entice any other Alphas today. Not everyone has my level of control."
I watched him walk away. Based on how much swagger was in his stride, I'm sure he knew I was watching him. I'm going to have wonderful dreams tonight. Just gotta make sure my toys are properly charged when I get home. With a smile, I walked myself to the teleportation pad so I could get home, flesh out the selected idea before I allowed myself so much-needed me time. I wonder if I should use bunny or big dong first?