C8 VOICES AND MEMORIES

Maliya’s POV

Why did I still feel pain? What are these noises?

Ow. Liya? Everything was dark. So dark.

"Maliya." My Mother's voice called, I was jumping on her bed and grabbed a handful of her sheets. I pulled my body up and pulled the sheets closer to my body. My Mother smiled as she lightly tapped my nose, "Maliya, you silly little creature!" She said and grabbed my body, pulling it close to hers as she kissed my face repeatedly, "You'll be able to talk to your wolf soon. Do you have any idea what you will be naming her?" My Mother asked and smiled. I tilted my head and looked up to her, and shook my head.

"What is your wolf's name, mommy?" I asked her.

"Her name is Aurora. I named her after a cartoon I enjoyed." My Mother said and smiled as she turned towards me and leaned against her elbow.

"Then I'll name my wolf L-Liya!" I declared and giggled.

"That is not how you say-" "Liya, Mommy! Liya! Liya! Liya!" I demanded and looked at my Mother as I pointed a finger towards her, "My wolf is going to be as beautiful as yours."

"Of course she will be, I am your Mother, aren't I?" My Mother said and grabbed my waist, pulling me back into her body as she kissed my cheeks.

Pain. Darkness. Hurt. I needed to be free, 1 needed to be released. I was fighting to see the sunlight again. I was fighting for Liya.

My Mother held me in her arms as she walked away from the pack house. I could see a few lights still on in the large building as I clung to my Mother's body. My nose fell against her neck as her scent comforted me. My Mommy said that I would get a wolf in a year or two. I couldn't wait! "Mommy." I whined and pushed my forehead against her jaw, "Drink. Mommy.

Drink." I said and pointed towards the house.

"Hush now, Maliya." My Mother cooed as she continued to step into the forest, shielding the pack house from me.

My Mother rubbed circles against my back as we walked in the darkness. The woods held a chill in the air. I held my eyes shut and soon fell asleep in her arms. But it wasn't long until I was startled and woke up.

Tears filled my eyes, but they never fell as I looked up to a man I couldn't remember. He seemed familiar as his blue eyes looked down at me, and he had a smile on his lips as he pushed away the tears that threatened to fall.

"Don't cry, little one." He said in a deep voice.

My Mother smiled towards me as she looked at the man with loving eyes, "Morana, you need to come with me." The man said as he started his conversation again. I leaned my head against his chest and looked at my Mother as I grabbed hold of the man's shirt.

"I've told you before, Marcus, I can't just leave the pack. I'm supposed to be Luna, Kevin can't be the..”

"The pack isn't your concern anymore!" The man said, stopping my Mother's voice, "She is." He said and poked my nose. He used that same hand to grab her hand, "Come with me, Morana, leave your pack. I will keep you safe. I can't keep you safe when you're in that territory, please. I'm begging you, Morana." My Mother frowned as she looked at me and then at the man.

"Marcus." She said and closed her eyes as she walked towards him. He wrapped his free arm around her body and placed a kiss on her head.

"My Morana, my love, my mate. I need you by my side." He whispered in her light brown hair,

"My Daughter will need a Father." He added and looked at me. I met his eyes and held his stare for a moment before turning to my Mother.

"We will leave once the rogues are taken care of, Marcus. I can't promise anything more. It won't be safe for Maliya to travel in the forest with them around. And if he finds her-" She let out a breath as Marcus leaned down and crushed his lips against her.

"If he hurts you or her, I will hunt him down until I die. I will kill him." Marcus said in a stern, deep voice, his finger brushing against my Mother's face.

My Mother was a fighter; in front of the pack, she held herself high. But in front of her mate, she melted. She had a happy smile on her face, and her eyes looked like running water. So much love was in her eyes as she pulled the two of us into her arms.

They held me between them for a while before they eventually split. I watched as Marcus left with tears running down his cheeks. He kissed my cheeks and forehead, promising he would see me again.

My Mother cried as she walked back to the pack house, but cleared her face of tears and stopped her sobs once she could be seen. I could feel her heart breaking as she looked at the warriors who watched her. I knew this wasn't where she wanted to be. I turned back to the forest in wonder as I held onto my Mother.

Memories I hadn't remembered rushed into my head as I slowly started to find a peering light.

My body ached, and as much as I wanted to, I couldn't move at first. Slowly, very slowly, I could feel my finger tap against another. I wasn't dead. But I wasn't in that room either. There was an annoying beeping noise beside me, along with a strange swishing sound.

Further away, I could hear voices and kept my eyes down as I listened, "Alpha, she's doing better-"

"You said that last week!" A male's voice growled. He sounded angry, furious. An Alpha,

"How long will it be until she wakes up?" The Alpha asked again.

"Her injuries are severe; we should be happy that she is even alive!" Another male's voice said. I could hear another growl from the Alpha as footsteps echoed in the room. After a moment, the man spoke, "Have you found out what has happened-"

"Of course not!" The Alpha said, his voice was closer to me this time, "When I find out who did this, I promise the punishment will be deadly." He said. I could feel his warmth, I could feel the breeze he made when he walked past my bed,

"It's been almost a month." The Alpha said in a small voice.

"I promise you, I'm doing everything that I can." The man replied, coming closer to where 1 was, "For a woman on death's door, she is healing wonderfully. Even without her wolf's help, she is getting better."

There was silence in the room for a few moments as we all listened to the annoying sound of the machine. I was barely hanging on to my consciousness as the Alpha continued to speak, "Internally bruised, internally clawed, tears, whips, wounds, is this what we do to innocent women who wander into our territory?" The Alpha asked and shook his head.

"It wasn't just one male who had his way with this young girl." The man replied, "From the size of the claw marks, bruises, I would say at least 12 if not more." A growl filled the room at that answer, "You told me to be honest-"

"I know, I'm sorry, Dr. Linn." The Alpha said quickly, but he sounded so angry.

At that moment, I could feel every inch of my body. I could feel the weight of the room fall on me as my back burned in pain. The heart monitor raced as I tried to breathe, but I was met with plastic. I choked on what I could only imagine was a tube as my hands scrunched up the bed sheets.

I could hear a calming voice as I jerked against the tube, my hands reaching for it. "No! Stop her! Now!" The Doctor screamed. I could feel hard hands around my own as I tried to yank on the tube. Before I could try again, I felt a pinch, and then coolness filled my body.

It took only a second for my hands to fall and for my body to relax. The beeping on my screen slowly faded as I was placed back in the darkness.