Chapter 116: Activation Process

Chapter 116: Activation Process


Elena

"Will she feel any pain?" Bernard asked.

"It all depends on how far her detachment is from her true self. She will have to face a lot of painful things but if she can manage to push through then I believe she will be successful."

Bernard looked at me and gave me a reassuring smile. I didn't want to do this but I knew that I needed to step up for my mate and this Pack. We were all out of time and Richard was fast approaching. The last time the scouts had reported, they had begun their move. We didn't know how fast they were traveling but we did know they were coming.

"Okay," I nodded.

"What do I need to do?"

"If you could please come and sit next to me, we can begin."

I stood up from my seat, dropping Bernard's hand and losing my safety net. I sat next to Marcus and looked into his kind and warm eyes.

"Please, may I have your hands?" I placed my hands into his.

"Close your eyes and now we begin." I did as I was told.

I heard Bernard get up and walk away, I wanted him to stay but I knew that this was something even he couldn't hold my hand through.

"Relax your mind, Elena." Marcus whispered.

"I can feel you are fighting, I need you to let go and let your walls down."

"Okay."

His hands tightened around mine and I felt the surge of electricity move from my hands up to my brain. I felt a light pressure against my skull.

"Don't fight it, let me in."

The pressure was getting intensified, I let down my barrier and I allowed him in. I felt my body go limp and the last thing I remembered feeling was my back hitting the back of the garden chair.


When I opened my eyes, I was met by the afternoon sun high in the sky. I was lying on the ground, the soft grass tickling my skin. I sat up and realized I was in the garden but I wasn't in my original position. I looked to my right and my eyes widened in shock, I was staring at Bernard and that wasn't what surprised me, I was surprised by the fact that I was staring at Bernard holding my lifeless body in their arms.

I got up and walked to the garden chair I was previously sitting on, Marcus was there but unlike me his body was upright and his hands were in his lap. His amber eyes were glowing as he stared into nothingness like he was in some kind of trance. Alpha Kaba stood beside Bernard who was looking at his body worriedly.

"Bernard?" I tried to reach for him but my hand phased right through him. What in the world?

"Bernard!" I screamed but he couldn't hear me.

Whatever this was, I didn't like it at all. I know I wanted to activate the Alpha gene but I don't know that this would be the cost of trying to do so. I didn't want to do this anymore.

"But you have already begun," a voice I hadn't heard in years said behind me. My heart is still in my chest, this is not possible.

"It is okay, sweetheart. Just turn."

I turned around slowly, not sure what I was going to see. My jaw hit the floor when I came face to face with the woman I had thought I had said goodbye to ten years ago.

"Mother?"

My lips quivered, I didn't even try to hold back the tears that were pooling in my eyes. Her lips split into her brilliant smile that had always managed to brighten up my day. Her sky blue eyes glittered against the afternoon sky and her long hair blew with the wind.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said softly.

She walked the small distance between us until she was right in front of me, I stood completely still unsure of what to do.

"How come?"

I whispered, I couldn't believe this, she was in front of me? I reached my hand out to try and touch her, half expecting her to disappear but my skin made contact with hers and I gasped. She is real or at least, she felt real.

"I am here to help you," she caresses my cheeks gently reminding me of her old nurturing side.

"Here to help me with that?"

"Unlocking your Alpha gene," she dropped her hands.

"A war is coming, Elena, and you need to be prepared but you will be left handicapped if you don't activate the gene."

"Okay," I wasn't ready for whatever was to come next but I am going to make sure that I completed what I needed to. She placed both her hands on either side of my face and leaned her forehead against mine.

"Close your eyes," she commanded before she closed hers, I did as I was told.

I felt that familiar pressure against my forehead but this time, I didn't try to fight it. My heart hammered hard in my chest, the wind around us began circling at our feet and my hair began to bowl with it.

"Open," she ordered.

When I opened my eyes, the scene before me was a place I had promised myself I would never return to. I was back in my old Pack, the moon was high in the sky and a yellow hue lit up the darkened night..I could smell the smoke in the air, it was thick and pungent. I heard the screams in the distance and my heart sank.

"Run, Elena, run."

I whirled around to the sound of my mother's voice. I was standing just outside my door looking terrified. My mother was cradling my face in her hands.

"No,"

My voice was barely above a whisper but somehow it felt like it echoed through the entire area. I remembered this day but it didn't play out like this. We hadn't been in our human form, we had shifted into our wolves.

"I don't want to leave you," the younger me refused.

"It is okay, I will be right behind you. I just need to go and find you father." She kissed the top of my head.

"Run, Elena, and don't look back."

Foolish younger me believed her, I turned and took off running. I pushed my small legs to the tree line and disappeared behind them. I turned my attention back to my mother who had tears streaming down her face.

Behind her, the fire blazed on. She stared into it as if she were waiting for something. Then, I realized what she had been staring at, my feet started moving before I could even make up my mind. I stared into the fire, looking at the dark figure that was situated right in the middle of it. The figure stepped out of the fire revealing who it was.

Richard walked through the blazing inferno, his eyes were glowing demonic that caused a cold shiver to travel down my spine. He was looking right at my mother who had her fists balled at her side.

"You liar," she sparred.

"Your family is filled with nothing but liars and cheating. The position is not yours, it was never yours."

"Quiet woman!" He growled.

"Your husband was foolish to think he could even attempt to challenge me. This is what happens to those who have childish things like hope clouding their mind."

"You are not the true Alpha and soon everyone will know it. He will beat you." She spat but he smiled evilly at my mother.

"You mean him?"

He removed his hand from behind and threw something at my mother. My eyes looked down to see what it was, I quickly looked away. Laying on the ground in front of my mother was the severed head of my father.

My mother let out a wail that pierced through the air. Her wail caused something inside me to shift, I clutched my chest tightened and my lungs constricted and doubled over in pain as my mother dropped to the floor. The area felt like it was closing in on me, no matter how deep I inhaled, I still couldn't breathe. The air suddenly felt too thick to consume, I was suffocating.

"Richard stalked my mother, circling her as a predator would do to his prey. His claws elongated, he bared his teeth at her revealing the sharp canines. He was going to kill her, so I panicked. I didn't want to see this, the pain was only intensifying with each passing second and I couldn't beat it. I closed my eyes fighting against the pressure in my head.

"Send me back! Send me back!" I yelled.

I fell to the ground and started free falling into nothingness. The area around me disappeared and I was plunged into darkness. I closed my eyes and then hit something hard.

When I opened my eyes, I was staring into my mate's beautiful green eyes. He was cradling me in his arms just like I had seen when I was having my out-of-body experience. So, I am back to reality.

"Elena," he breathed.

"Are you okay?"

"She fought against it." Marcus muttered from somewhere I couldn't see. My vision was completely consumed by Bernard's face. Bernard growled and whipped his head in the direction of Marcus.

"She was bleeding from her nose, whatever it was, I don't want her to do it again."

"She won't activate the Alpha gene if she doesn't face what she needs to face in her subconscious, Alpha Bernard. She will be left vulnerable in the fight." Marcus said in a calm voice.

"Your mate will die."

"She almost died with whatever you did to her."

"She was only bleeding because she fought against it. She is rejecting the gene and I don't know how I can help her if she continues to reject it like this."

"Then, we are done." Bernard growled.

We can't be done, although I hated to admit it but Marcus was right. I needed to activate my Alpha gene.

"No," my voice came out small and meek.

"Help me up, please."

Bernard helped me to sit up and I looked at Marcus and Alpha Kaba who were staring at me. I opened my mouth to speak but Jasper's panic-filled voice burst into the room.

"Alpha! They are close to the borderline!" He barrelled through the back door.

"Richard and his warriors are crossing the borderline."

"What?" We all said in unison.

"How long do we have?"

"One hour at most."

We had been preparing for this for the past two weeks and finally the time has come. We are going to war. I looked at Marcus, his eyes were on me and I could see the concern painted on his face. His words echoed in my mind, I didn't activate my Alpha gene, I didn't step into the power that I needed and now I am going into battle with a huge handicap.

There was no time now left to try again, the time had already passed and now the war was here. I only prayed that everyone standing in this area made it out alive. We need to win this because losing certainly wasn't an option.