Silas’s P.O.V
I was dreaming of Lily.
I saw her in a valley of white flowers. She was dancing, and when she laughed, the whole world laughed along with her. The joyous sun itself recognized her as an equal as she glowed and illuminated every inch of the valley with her brilliance. She simply had the effect on anyone and anything, and perhaps that was the reason why her calling had been to become a healer; she revived everything she touched, and there was nothing in the world that she could not heal.
The image of Lily looked so real, so full of life, that it filled my heart with a tumultuous sense of longing, a calamitous grief that could not be sated without her warm touch and calming smile. A flare of pain burst from my chest, and if I had been awake, I would have pounded a fist against it, in a futile effort to divert my attention from the untouchable emotional pain to a more manageable physical one.
If I was a menace, then Lily was a wonder, a miracle. She had the whole universe on the palm of her hand simply because she was an unstoppable force of nature. That was how brilliant she was, how wonderful. There was never a dull moment with her.
I only had a few moments to admire the scene and bask in the warmth of her glow with my eyes closed, when suddenly, that comforting warmth turned into unbearable heat, and I opened my eyes to see the valley catch fire. It was a blazing inferno, the fire reminiscent of liquid as it snaked through the cracks in the earth, surrounding the valley like a python would squeeze their prey to death. The flames traced each petal of each white flower, licking each blade of grass on the valley until it engulfed everything that it could touch.
Lily herself started to burn. But she neither howled nor screamed, and even her eyes did not seem to register any pain. She merely turned around without looking at me. It was like she did not know me at all, or perhaps she just could not remember who I was, for whatever reason.
She was still dancing, though, and that horrifying picture would forever be engraved in the walls of my mind.
The area turned dark, the sun nowhere to be seen, along with Lily's warm and brilliant glow, and I could suddenly smell something sweet. Something that was beautiful and unique, like nothing I had ever smelled before, and that was saying something, considering how strong and sensitive my sense of smell was, and how I had always had the uncanny ability of remembering every scent I had ever encountered.
This one was a mix between roses and jasmines, as well as an undertone of something else, something I could not quite name…
I was enchanted by it, and once I realized that, I did not know whether to be horrified with myself for immediately latching on to the one attractive scent I stumbled upon, right after I had just been terrorized by the image of the love of my life burning in a valley of her favorite flowers.
All of a sudden, I woke up from my sleep and took a good few moments to reorient myself. I pressed my palm against my chest and felt my heart beating fast in the wake of my nightmare. To clear my thoughts and calm myself, I had to rapidly blink myself awake, and make a fuss with my hair, running my fingers through the strands as I looked around the unfamiliar room that I absolutely did not remember entering.
Then realization hit me like a goddamn truck that had crashed into me mercilessly, and I was flying out of the window after neglecting to wear a seatbelt. In that quick moment, I remembered everything that happened to me the night before.
Lily was dead and I was now a rogue. The love of my life was gone, and I was left to pick up the pieces she may or may not have deserted. I had been accused for her murder, simply because I had been there when they found her body, holding the dagger, when in fact it had been I who cradled her in her last moments so she would not feel alone.
How was I to go about my life, now that it was basically over? How was I to proceed in a world where the love of my life was gone and the rest of my pack all thought I was behind her death? I, who loved her unconditionally even though she was not my mate?