Moonlight In Chains (Trinity and Asher) novel Chapter 107

**CHAPTER 107**

As we stepped through the portal, everything shifted in an instant.

A frigid gust of air slammed into us, wrapping around my body like a chilling embrace. The ground felt peculiar beneath my feet, soft and powdery, reminiscent of ash or fine dust that had settled over time. Above us, the sky twisted in hues of dark purple and black, swirling ominously like smoke suspended in slow motion. The trees towering around us were not trees at all; they were sinister sculptures of black glass, their jagged branches extending outward like the claws of some unseen predator. The air was thick with an unsettling hum, filled with whispers that seemed to emanate from both nowhere and everywhere simultaneously.

I inhaled deeply, only to be met with a wave of nausea. The scent was an acrid blend of charred earth and something foul, something rotten that clawed at my senses.

Asher’s hand found mine, his grip firm and reassuring. “Stay close,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. In the dim light, his gray eyes flickered with an otherworldly glow, grounding me amidst the chaos. The bond we shared pulsed gently between us, a steady rhythm that soothed my racing heart.

Gage, ever the vigilant one, scanned our surroundings, his golden aura flickering like a candle in the wind. “This place feels wrong,” he muttered, a shiver running down his spine. “It’s like it’s alive.”

“It is alive,” I replied softly, recalling Arlo’s words. “It reacts to energy, to emotion. That’s what he wrote about.”

As if in response, the whispers grew louder for a fleeting moment, and I could have sworn I heard my name woven into their haunting chorus. I turned sharply, scanning the shadows, but nothing stirred. Yet, the sensation of being watched pressed against my skin, cold and unnerving.

“Trinity,” Asher warned, tightening his hold on me as if to shield me from unseen dangers. “Don’t wander. It’s trying to get inside your head.”

I nodded, forcing myself to refocus on the task at hand. “We need to find Arlo before this place tears us apart.”

With determination, we began to walk. The light here was peculiar, an eerie glow that didn’t originate from a sun or moon but seemed to pulse from the very ground beneath our feet, casting everything in a surreal haze. Each step we took caused the ground to ripple softly, reminiscent of walking on the surface of shallow water.

Asher led the way, his senses on high alert, ever watchful for lurking threats. Gage remained by my side, his energy steady and reassuring, his golden eyes illuminating the darkness around us. Occasionally, a flicker of light would pulse through the air, as if an invisible force was testing our resolve, brushing against the bond that connected us.

Suddenly, the air shimmered, and a figure appeared ahead—a human shape, faint and flickering like a candle about to be extinguished.

I froze, my breath hitching in my throat. “Arlo?”

The figure turned, and for a brief moment, I saw him. His face was pale, eyes wide with terror, his clothes tattered and torn. He looked utterly lost.

“Help me,” he called, his voice echoing strangely, distorted as if coming from the depths of a dark abyss. “It’s watching me…”

Before I could react, the image flickered and vanished like smoke in the wind.

“Arlo!” I cried out, stepping forward instinctively.

Asher’s grip tightened on my arm, pulling me back. “That wasn’t him,” he said sharply, his voice laced with urgency. “It was a projection. A lure.”

Gage frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. “Are you sure? It looked so real.”

“I’m sure,” Asher replied, his tone firm. “This realm has a way of copying memories. It knows we’re searching for him.”

The ground trembled beneath us, and dark mist began to seep from the cracks, swirling ominously. The whispers returned, louder now, and this time, they were unmistakably clear.

“You brought them here, Trinity.”

“Just like before. You destroy everything you touch.”

A tightness gripped my chest as I recognized that voice. My adoptive mother’s voice. Smooth, yet cruel, laced with malice.

I shook my head vehemently. “It’s not real,” I whispered, desperation creeping into my tone. “She’s not real.”

But then, through the rising mist, her shape materialized—my mother, just as I remembered, standing tall and perfect, her smile sharp as glass, her eyes glowing a menacing red.

Asher stepped in front of me, his gray aura flaring with protective energy. “Get back,” he commanded, his voice a low growl.

The figure tilted her head, a mocking smile playing on her lips. “You can’t protect her, wolf. You have no idea what she’s capable of.”

Her words cut deep, echoing the same cruel sentiments my real mother had once hurled at me in my childhood, labeling me broken and unworthy.

I gritted my teeth, summoning every ounce of strength. “You’re not her. You’re just a shadow.”

She smiled wider, a predatory gleam in her eyes. “And yet… you still believe me.”

Before I could muster a retort, she lunged forward. Asher instinctively conjured a gray shield, and the shadow collided with it, cracking the surface but failing to break through. Gage unleashed a pulse of golden energy, cutting through the dark mist and causing the shadow to scream before it twisted into nothingness.

The whispers faded, leaving an unsettling silence in their wake.

My hands trembled as I turned to Asher, concern etched across his features. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice laced with worry.

I nodded, though my heart raced. “Yeah. Just… memories. The realm knows how to exploit my fears.”

Gage surveyed our surroundings, his expression serious. “Then it knows ours too. We need to move before it pulls more tricks on us.” We continued in the direction of Arlo’s fading image, but the terrain was shifting—hills forming and vanishing, trees twisting into grotesque shapes.

It felt like we were navigating through a dream where the rules changed with every step.

Flashes of light flickered in the distance like portals opening and closing, pulsing with the same dark energy we had encountered near the border.

Suddenly, Gage halted, his body tensing. “Wait.”

“What is it?” I asked, my pulse quickening.

He frowned, straining to listen. “Do you hear that?”

At first, I didn’t. But then, like a soft breeze carrying a distant melody, I heard it—a faint, sorrowful crying.

Gage’s face drained of color. “No. It can’t be…”

A girl’s voice echoed through the trees, fragile and desperate. “Gage? Help me…”

My stomach plummeted. It sounded just like Lilly.

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