Linked

**Artemis**

“It was like a flash of light, and then I saw her”

*” Artemis I don’t understand what did you see ?”*

“Sekreta, I saw Sekreta. She was in this room and she was with Aria”

*” That’s not possible Arti, or she would still be here “*

“Ryan, I might have only woken up 5 minutes ago but I’m not crazy, I’m telling you she was here “

*” But I can’t feel her Artemis, I can't feel Aria. I think... I think you might have been dreaming”*

I throw myself back on the bed in frustration, this is the second time that baby has pulled me out of myself. When I woke up everyone looked amazed but I needed to talk to Ryan.

**67G5WZ**

Now they are all standing outside while I try to explain to him what happened and he just keeps staring at me like I’m bonkers.

“Ryan. Please just listen to me”

*” No Artemis. You need to listen to me.”*

It's the first time he’s ever really raised his voice or used his Alpha tone before, although we handed over the pack he was and is still an Alpha.

*” I lost you, got you back and lost you again. When are you going to stop all of this, Sekreta doesn’t want our help. She tried to kill you Artemis, and forgive me but we had this conversation already. When are you going to stop fantasizing about saving someone who doesn’t need saving and instead save yourself”*

“Ryan Please. I know things have been hard but just take my hand. Aria is back, I know it, and I think you can help me bring her out.”

He stares at me and I know he doesn’t want to, I know he wants to help me get back to normal and he thinks this isn’t the right way.

“If you do this and it doesn’t work Ryan, I'll stop it all. I’ll focus on getting back to normal”


He moves to sit on the end of the bed, his eyes still fixated on my own.

*” Do you mean that?”*

“Yes. If this doesn’t work then clearly there is something wrong with me and I need help. Now please “
I extend my hand to him to hold. Internally praying to Aria.

“Aria if you are there please don’t let me down now. Show yourself”

The second is skin touches mine. The air around us lights up, it’s like we can see every connection, every line that links one person to another. The bright coloured strings surround us like a map.

Then there is our own. We have two lines pulling from the centre of our chests, one has connected.
The other is distorted and twisted on my side, Ryans its poker straight towards me, it’s like it’s trying to make itself longer and it’s fraying.

*” Arti, what is this”*

“This is us Ryan”

The two of us stare at the threads between us, fixated on the twisted ball on my side. I raise my hand slowly, the other still clinging tightly to Ryan's hand, I begin to untie the knots.

I focus on unlooping it from itself, it feels weird between my fingers like it's there but it's not. With every loop I release, the threat shines brighter.

Ryans hand joins in with mine untying it.

*” I can feel her, every time you loosen the strings it’s like a heartbeat “*

The two of us continue to untwist it, with each pull, Ryans seems to heal, the frayed edges become smooth once more.

As we reach the last knot he pulls his hand away and holds my other with both his.

*” Artemis, If this doesn’t work or if what we think this is doing isn’t the case, Just know that I love you. Always “*


I nod and smile as I nervously unwrap the last section, in another flash of light the threads connect once more, My body begins to burn and I can see Ryan is feeling the same.

He doesn’t let go of my hand but he searches for my other, holding onto one another tightly we ride out the heat.

My body starts to shake and I can hear Aria’s voice once more.

** It’s almost over Artemis, just hold on for one second**

I do as she says, squeezing Ryans hands, I feel a surge of power and then everything goes dark. All of the lights in the room blow out, the machines I’m still hooked up to die.
**GK7WVM**

*” Artemis, Artemis are you okay?”*
“I’m fine”


I feel better than I have for a long while, it's as though I have taken some magic medicine and it put me back together.

*” We can feel her she's back”*

I’m pulled forward out of my seat and into the embrace of Ryan, smiling as he places kisses all over my face.

The door bursts open and my sisters walk in, both of them grinning from ear to ear and I know they feel her too.

**You cannot be rid of me that easily **

“I didn’t ever doubt you were gone”

I feel the warmth from the inside, I feel complete. Like finally every cell in my body has reconnected with its better half.

The next hour goes by in a blur, from tests, lights shining in my eyes, my sisters trying to use their wolves to talk to me, the whole thing is pretty exhausting.

The one thing that holds me together is Ryan, his hand has not left my own and it has been a real source of comfort in this situation. He keeps staring over at me and half smiling.

That twinkle in his eye that I missed now back in full force and Aria and I were loving every minute of it.

**Artemis**

Aria’s voice resounds in my head like a piece of music.

**I’m sorry to bust this bubble but...They are coming **

Her sudden urgent-ness is alarming and Ryan senses it.

“What are you talking about ?”

**I’m saying what you saw was real, I’m saying Sekreta was here**

“What do you mean, I know she was here I felt her “

**I mean she was here in this room, she healed you not Frode. She is the reason we are united again**

“That can’t be right Frode healed me before, it was him”


**You were on the brink of death, for Frode to do that to you would have cut his life short. You were saved by Sekreta **

I contemplate her words, the room around me now having gone silent as I focus. They are all watching me, clearly wondering what was going on. Wondering what was happening.

“So when you say they are coming, you mean Salvi”


**Yes! She and her mate are coming in Three days Sekreta told me **

“Why would she tell you that, she is with them “

**I don’t think she fully is with them, or she wouldn’t have saved you would she. She said Salvi will not stop to you are all dead**

*” Artemis, you’ve been silent for Forty Minutes now. What’s going on ?”*

Ryans voice pulls me from my trance, and I could have sworn he said forty-five minutes. Aria and I were speaking for merely seconds.

I look up at him and then at them, knowing that I am the part of the reason destruction is on its way to their door.

“She’s coming. Salvi is coming and she isn’t going to leave until we are all dead and she has taken what she feels is hers”


*” What do you mean what she feels is hers”*

Ryan has stood up and has begun pacing, his hand still tightly gripped to my own.

“I mean she thinks that we are not deserving of our gifts, she thinks we shouldn’t have them and she is going to stop at nothing to get them back”


*” That’s what she whispered to you the night she attacked us wasn’t it”*


My eyes meet his.

*” I saw her lean in and whisper something to you before she attacked but I didn’t catch what it was. That is what it was wasn’t it “*

I nod look down, I should have told them all this when I woke up the first time but I was so distracted by everything, it just slipped my mind.

“Yes, she said that but I didn’t think she was serious Ry”

*” Why on earth would you think she wasn’t serious she fucking kidnapped you and tried to kill you. What part of that wasn’t serious enough”*


I can see the anger in his eyes, looking around the room I see the anger in everyone else’s too.

**You probably should have told them this Arti**

“No shit Aria, thanks for the observation”

I wait with bated breath for someone, anyone to say something else.


**Sekreta**

The muffling voices bring me back around but it’s like I’m hearing underwater. I know Ildi is in the room. I can hear the softness but there’s someone else and I can’t work out who.

I try to remember everything that happened but it's all so fuzzy and my mouth feels super dry.

“Hey”

I manage to get the words up but it’s croaky and quiet.

“Please I need water”

No one answers me but I can still hear them talking.

“Please. I need water”


*” Woah she’s awake, how did she do that “*

**” Don’t fucking touch her Ildi”**

*” What is your problem Ivar, she just linked and said she wanted a drink”*

**” She isn’t part of this pack so how the hell did she just link us ?”**

If I heard that part right, he just said I linked them. What is he talking about, I can’t do that I don’t belong to a pack.

*” I don’t care about that Ivar, she needs a drink”*

A shadow moves closer to me and brings a glass to my lips, I open my eyes as I take a sip and everything seems blurry and out of focus.

As I take small sips I realise how thirsty I really am and I try to gulp it down.

*” Easy Sekreta, you’ll be sick.”*

Ildi pulls the glass away from my mouth. Pushing myself up I realise I’m in a hospital bed, thankfully there are no drips or anything hooked up to me.

I blink a few more times trying desperately to regain my focus, as my body begins to function I sense it.
The heavy aura in the room one more.

“What happened to me”

**GK5WVM**

I get this weird feeling that I spoke to someone but my mind cannot place for me who it was.

*” We don’t know, we were reading in the library and then all of a sudden you started screaming and you hit the deck, and you hit it hard”*

He picks up a mirror of the side table and shows me my face. I have a black eye and the bruising ha extended beyond that and down to my cheekbone.

*” It’s not broken but it sure looks nasty”*

I place the mirror back down, I’ve had far worse than this and I’m not bothered by it but I do want to know what happened to me.

“I don’t get it”

**” You know what. Neither do I”**

Ivar steps out from the corner of the room and crosses it so he is close enough to me that I can see his chest rising and falling.

**” How about you explain how you just linked the two of us without being part of this pack”**


He raises his eyebrow at me as he speaks, he doesn’t seem angry with me, more intrigued but I know I’m about to disappoint him.

“I don’t know-how. I mean I didn’t know I was I just wanted a drink “

He doesn’t seem to like that answer and his face screws up before he turns to Ildi.

**” Ildi. Out “**

Ildi doesn’t say anything knowing the battle would be a useless one, he squeezes my hand and gives me a small glance, before he turns to exit the room.

Ivar sits down on the bed and goes to take my hand but I pull it away. A momentary flash of emotion crosses before he goes back to his hard-faced self.

**” now how about you be fucking honest with me. How did you do that and what were you looking for in the library”**

I’m wishing the ground would swallow me up at this moment. I want nothing more than to go back to sleep and not have to face him.

I open my mouth to speak when Salvi rushes into the room and heads straight for me, asking if I’m okay.
I’m not sure if I can trust her fully anymore but at this moment I’ve never been happier to see her burst through those doors.



*A/N
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