Alisha's POV
I felt like I was in a black dream, struggling to open my eyes and wake up, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break free from the dream.
I felt lonely and uneasy, and then, in the darkness, I saw a beam of light. I rushed towards the light with all my might, and at the end of the light, I unexpectedly saw my grandmother, Magaly. Her silver hair seemed to shimmer in the light, and her eyes radiated warmth. With a tender smile, she welcomed me into her arms. "Let me see my little princess!"
I plunged into Magaly's arms, holding her tightly. "Grandma, I miss you so much!" I had so many things I wanted to tell her, and tears welled up uncontrollably.
Magaly's hand caressed my back in soothing strokes. "Good girl, I have always been with you, watching over, and I know you're doing great! But now, you must continue your journey. We will see each other again, I promise."
Reluctantly, I lifted my tearful gaze from her and questioned the cryptic nature of her words. "Why are you saying this, Grandma?" I couldn't grasp the purpose of her message.
Just then, I heard a wolf's howl, familiar yet strange. Before I could react, my grandmother pushed me away. "Move forward, Alisha, don't look back. There will be someone waiting for you ahead to take care of you. I love you."
With a gentle push, my body seemed to fly forward. I didn't know how far I had gone when I suddenly saw Archie.
He stood in front of me, looking at me with a serious expression. I furrowed my brow and asked, "Why are you here? What do you want to do?"
"I want you to answer a question. If you answer correctly, I will allow you to leave."
"What question?"
"Is it big?"
"What are you talking about?" I had no idea what Archie was asking.
Archie suddenly took off his pants, with his lower half naked, asking me, "Is it big?"
I instantly screamed in horrible disbelief. Archie was insane!
"Aisha, you're finally awake!" I turned my head in the direction of the voice and saw Shaunda and Gray by my bedside, their faces filled with delight.
"Grandma..." I just managed to say one word, then felt a sharp pain in my throat as if I couldn't make a sound. I furrowed my brow and then realized I had no strength in my entire body, feeling sore all over.
Gray, perceiving my discomfort, advised gently, "Don't talk, your throat is still injured, you need to continue resting and not exert yourself."
Hearing Gray's words, I gradually recalled the events before - the beach, the intruders who seemed to want to harm Shaunda... I tried to tell them, but Gray noticed my intention and quickly stopped me. He said, "It's okay, we know everything, and we have already dealt with it, so you don't need to worry."
Upon hearing this, I blinked, and I gradually began to calm down. I then realized my condition - even taking a breath was excruciating, and I had no strength to move my arms. Based on my earlier memories, I knew I had suffered severe injuries. So I obediently listened, no longer struggling.
Shaunda reached out and gently touched my head, displaying a thankful smile. Samuel stood behind Shaunda and said, "You performed so well. Shaunda knows you are very brave. We have to say, thanks to you, we discovered the enemy, or Shaunda might have been in danger. Your injuries are all for protecting Shaunda, and both Shaunda and I are very grateful to you."
I gently shook my head. In reality, it had nothing to do with me. With Archie and the others around, Shaunda would undoubtedly be protected.
Samuel explained, "Later, we learned that among the invaders this time, there was a rogue with a very unique Gift. He could, in an instant, swap his position with that of others."
Upon hearing this, I was startled. This Gift was indeed terrifying: the ability to switch positions at will!
Gray quickly reassured me, saying, "Don't be afraid; this Gift has many limitations, such as time and space, precision, and more. Most importantly, he must obtain something belonging to the target, like a medium, to activate the Gift successfully. So, if he discovered Shaunda's precise location, there would still be a significant risk of her being directly abducted."
Listening to this, I sensed something was amiss. Since the Gift required obtaining something "belonging to the target," did that mean the enemy had possession of Shaunda's belongings?
How was this possible? All the servants and guards here were members of the Golden Crest, responsible for taking care of and protecting Shaunda. Could it be that someone had betrayed the Golden Crest?
As if confirming my thoughts, Samuel, standing behind Shaunda, spoke heavily, "After interrogations, we confirmed that a member of the pack colluded with the enemy, revealing the location of the island, secretly obtaining Shaunda's belongings, and assisting the enemy in plotting against her."
I was taken aback. I had never thought that there would be a traitor within the Golden Crest. Archie managed the pack with utmost strictness and zero tolerance for betrayal. Once discovered, it meant a death sentence. How could someone betray the Golden Crest?
Before I could ask, Shaunda gently touched my face.
Samuel said, "Shaunda says you needn't worry about this. Archie will handle everything, and for now, you just need to rest."
Upon hearing Samuel's words, I had a strange feeling that I might know who the traitor was. However, I didn't ask for details. When Samuel mentioned Archie's name, my heart skipped a beat, and I recalled the strange dream I had earlier.
Fortunately, Archie wasn't in the room now, and I wouldn't have to face him immediately. He was probably not waiting for me to wake up either because he simply didn't care about me. It was something I had grown used to, but I still felt a tinge of disappointment.
Gray then spoke, "Shaunda is right. Your injuries were severe this time, and it was a close call. In any case, you must rest properly now and not worry about other issues. If you feel uncomfortable in any way, be sure to tell me, and don't try to endure it yourself. If necessary, I can have the Blood Dawn's witch doctor come over."
For some reason, I felt that since I had woken up, Gray had become very attentive. Although he had been friendly to me before, I couldn't help but notice that he was now even more caring, perhaps even more so than Shaunda.
Just as I was puzzled by this, Louie burst into the room, his face heavy with concern. I felt a tinge of unease and furrowed my brow as I asked him, "Louie, what's happened?"