The Alpha's Omega Mate-Chapter 106: Help me, Nyx’Zariel.

~Dahlia’s POV~

Hey, I have a secret to tell.

Or maybe it isn’t really a secret, but I wasn’t sure how I’d heal Grandmama Lupe.

I slowly rose from my bed and began to make my way towards hers when I suddenly remembered the one time I’d tried to heal Amara myself when she had been poisoned.

Panic like no other rushed through my veins as the image replayed itself over and over again in my mind’s eye. And do you know what felt even worse?

The way Grandmama Lupe watched me quietly, eyes following my every movement with both anticipation and excitement.

She was excited.

She was certain it would work.

Even though deep down, I feared that I had just managed to get myself into a deep mess. Even though deep down, I couldn’t help but think that this was a terrible mistake.

My eyes latched onto hers just then to find her smiling up at me, her weird eyes glinting with excitement and in a strange reddish hue. I gasped.

Wasn’t it just silver moments ago, then blue, then white... then green? How does her eye color seem to change so much like the weather here at Shadow Fang?

Shaking my head to rid myself of these dreary thoughts, I gulped and dropped my gaze; "I’m sorry but I fear that it might not work."

Grandmama Lupe tilted her head to the side. Looking at her like this with her eyes latched onto mine and an expression on her face that seemed almost... mocking, made embarrassment claw its way into my head. My face instantly heated up and fire so scorching lit up my cheeks and the tips of my ears.

She drawled; "Why do you underestimate yourself so much, child?"

It was more of a statement than a question and it made me feel even more guilty than I already felt. My hands shook violently as I stepped even closer to her and with tears fast rushing into my eyes, I spluttered; "because one time, I tried to heal my child and I failed."

"You didn’t fail."

"I did!" I snapped, causing the tears that I had been back to fall freely now. "Amara needed me. She was dying and all I could do was scream!"

Grandmama Lupe sighed; "And trust me this time, child, it wasn’t your fault. You still haven’t been able to learn how to grasp it yet. You have no idea what to do about it ye—"

"But I want to know what to do with it!" I snapped, interrupting her. "I want to know how to use it! Fucking hell, I want to be able to cure you right now without these doubts gnawing at the back of my skull."

"And you can—"

"This thing within me, this power... it acts like a deadbeat parent. It comes and goes and is never there when you need it the most." I continued, ignoring the last statement she made. I only stopped speaking when Grandmama Lupe began to cough hysterically.

My eyes widened as I rushed to her side and tears slipped down my face, blurring my vision when she suddenly coughed out a ton of blood, and spat the crimson liquid onto the floor beside me.

"Let me alert the doctors!" I cried, my hands darting out to wipe the blood off her lips before I could stop myself.

While a part of me screamed for doing something as careless as that because this woman was a stranger who was probably down with a strange kind of contagious disease, my heart wouldn’t accept that.

She didn’t feel foreign to me, she felt familiar.

Like we’ve known each other for so long even though it’s been only a few hours since we met.

As I made to rise, Grandmama Lupe’s hand latched onto my arm, halting my movement and I spun around instantly, gasping when I noticed that the light in her eyes seemed somewhat dim.

I rasped out; "please, let me call the doctor!"

"No," she croaked stubbornly, shaking her head. "Don’t. They don’t have anything that can help me. Only you do."

"But... but I’m not sure if I..."

"Just do it!" Grandmama Lupe snarled, interrupting me. The sharp tone of her voice and the emotion punctuated behind each word made a shudder run down my spine. But this time, it wasn’t from fear. It wasn’t from worry either.

It was something else.

I nodded once. "Okay."

At the sound of my voice, she slowly let go of my arm and fell limply into bed. My breath caught in my chest when her head lolled to the side, and for a minute, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the same strangely amusing woman only a few minutes ago.

She coughed again and that seemed to snap me into sharp focus.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, but because I was unsure of what to do next, I simply grabbed both of her hands in mine and waited. I waited for a moment... and then two.

Nothing.

No surge of power. No scorching heat. No overwhelming strength.

My heart plummeted.

"No." The whisper slowed past my lips before I could stop it, and that made Grandmama Lupe’s eyes flutter open for a brief moment.

One look at me— and probably at the desperate despair enveloping me like a cloak— she shook her head and scrunched up her nose.

She snorted. "How’s such a powerful being so clueless?"

I balked. "Ma’am?"

"Your strength is within you... and just like your wolf, you need to be one with it. You need to stop being afraid of it. Child, it wouldn’t kill you. If there’s anyone who should be scared, it’s me because I can already see my mama waving at me on the other side and I do not wish to go to her yet... not when my baby still needs me here."

Even though her words were light, I could feel the strength it took her to say each one. I could see the way her body shook with tremendous pain.

I closed my eyes once more, only to snap it open when she coughed again.

And now, I could no longer control the panic coursing through my veins or the way my knees wobbled terribly, almost crashing to the floor.

"Moon goddess, please help me..." I whispered but my words trailed off when Grandmama Lupe snorted.

"She won’t. Beckon on yourself instead."

Her words confused me but because this was not the time to argue or seek clarification, I nodded stiffly and squeezed my eyes shut again. "Help me, Nyx’Zariel."

And that was when I felt it. An overwhelming dark strength that zapped through my veins like a thousand watts of electricity. It clawed dangerously at my flesh, sizzling up to the surface, and for some reason today, it felt painful. The feeling was magical but painful and in terror, I threw my head back and bit down on my tongue, stifling the groan threatening to slip past my lips.

The thick metallic taste of my blood filled my mouth as tears slipped down my face but I didn’t stop channeling the strange energy running through me, and I didn’t let go of Grandmama Lupe’s hands.

And after what felt like an eternity, it finally stopped and I peeled my eyes open slowly, not entirely shocked when I noticed the bluish veins running up my arms and the exposed parts of my feet.

And also not surprised when I noticed Grandmama Lupe staring at my probably glowing hair in shock.

Her mouth hung open as she stared straight at me.

And mine dropped too when I noticed a warm light surrounding her body like a protective shield. It wasn’t a bright one but it shone in a way that made me instantly deduce that it wasn’t at all natural.

She smiled, flexing her fingers. "Child..."

"Grandma."

"Always call me that, you annoying little star."

"Do you feel better?" I asked in a small voice, my hands still trembling in fear that I may have done this wrongly. "Does your chest still hurt?"

However, my fear instantly disappeared when a bright smile lit up her face. She took in several deep breaths as if testing her lungs for the first time and then she whispered; "I feel like a baby and I haven’t felt this way since like forever!"

My heart instantly swelled with warmth.