Chapter 6 IN THE SHADOW OF ELDER STONE

CHAPTER 6

Taya's P.O.V

I took a sharp breath while feeling as if I couldn't breathe at all when Elder Stone suddenly entered the room with force. It felt like all the air had disappeared leaving behind a heavy and uncomfortable tension that hung in the atmosphere making it hard to think or move.

He stood over me like a powerful storm about to unleash its fury with his tall and imposing figure casting a dark shadow that seemed to stretch across the entire area we were in. The sharp angles of his face formed a deep frown full of intense anger and the scar that marked his skin only made his expression look even more intimidating and severe.

His artificial red eye shone brightly under the lights above us giving off a chilling and otherworldly glow that sent cold waves of fear over me while making me feel both afraid and uneasy.

"Ella!" he shouted loudly with his voice sounding like a deep rumbling thunder that bounced off the walls around them. "What in the world have you done girl?"

I realized deep down that I wasn't really Becky not in the way everyone thought. I had somehow been pulled into this awful nightmare that felt so twisted and confusing and I didn't know how to make sense of it all.

The truth about who I really was flooded under my skin begging to be let out but I was too scared to actually say it out loud.

Close by Isabella was standing completely still with her face showing clear signs of fear. She took a small step forward with her body shaking a little as she spoke to Elder Stone.

"Please dear I think you should be more gentle with her-"

Before she had the chance to complete her thought, Elder Stone interrupted her with a fierce and unyielding look.

"Easy? That is exactly the issue!" he yelled with his voice booming like a loud thunderclap.

"Do you really believe that treating her gently and shielding her from the truth will fix anything? She needs to understand the consequences and seriousness of her actions!"

Isabella pulled back as if his words had hit her hard. She had tears start to glimmer in her eyes and without saying anything she turned around and left the room. Her footsteps made a clear sound that echoed in the heavy silence that filled the space after she walked out.

Elder Stone's intense stare shifted back to me and I felt the heat of his furious red eye fixing firmly on my own gaze. He moved towards me with a strong sense of determination and before I had a chance to gather my thoughts or respond in any way his rough and calloused hand suddenly gripped around my wrist tightly.

"Did you really believe you could just wheeze your way out of this situation? Do you think you can escape the consequences of your actions?"

"You won't be going anywhere not until we sit down and have a serious conversation."

Panic seized me as his grip tightened around my wrist building up fear within me.

I instinctively tried to pull my hand away hoping to break free from the tense hold but his grip was unyielding and firm. "I'm not-I'm not trying to escape" I stammered with my voice trembling and barely escaping my lips as a quiet whisper full of uncertainty.

His anger suddenly grew strong and intense almost as if it was alive. I could see the veins in his neck bulging and pulsing as he took a quick sharp breath.

"Don't you dare lie to me!" The way he spoke was so fierce that it felt overwhelming almost like I couldn't breathe. "Do you really think I could forget what my own daughter looks like? You are her! You're the person who-"

A sudden moment of self-awareness broke into my thoughts hitting me hard like a sharp reminder of Becky's difficult past which I was trying so hard to forget and run away from.

I bit my lip to hold back my emotions and shook my head struggling to believe what I was thinking.

I felt a strong urge to push away the memories that seemed to reach out and grab at the corners of my mind. "I... I may have a similar appearance to her but I-"

"Stop! That's enough!" His voice cut through my words sharply like a knife going through soft flesh.

"You are not going to mess with me young lady. You were discovered when you were very close to dying and you truly think that's something to joke about? You had so much in your life and you just tossed it all away without a second thought!"

My throat was dry and scratchy almost like sandpaper. My heart was pounding quickly in my chest sounding like a frantic drum beating against my ribs. I found myself at a loss for words unsure of how to respond to what he was accusing me of.

I couldn't even begin to imagine how he could understand what I had been through. My life before this moment had been incredibly difficult filled with constant storms of pain and great loss which had shattered my spirit into what felt like a million tiny pieces.

But now somehow I was here still alive even though I was trapped in this strange and unfamiliar body. "I... I didn't want this. I just wanted to get away from the-"

"Escape?" he said sounding both surprised and a bit scornful at the same time.

"Do you really believe it's as easy as that? Did you honestly think you were powerful enough to just put an end to everything? What would that really have accomplished?"

His anger hit me like a hard punch with a strong wave of rage crashing over me.

"I-I don't know." I said softly with my face hot from his intense stare. I knew one thing I had to tread lightly.

"I just wanted... to be free." I murmured with the words feeling strange and uncertain as I spoke.

Elder Stone's red eye showed his anger and he walked back and forth with his scarred face twisted in worry.

He suddenly stopped while staring at me with strong focus. "If you think I'll go easy on you you're wrong!"

Before I could reply a soft knock interrupted the quiet in the room. A servant came in nervously looking between Elder Stone and me.

"Elder Stone." the servant said cautiously "our guest is here at last."

A slow and unusually bright smile appeared on Elder Stone's face with a clear change from his normal tough look. "Finally." he said with his voice full of excitement.

My heart raced with a nervous beat at the quick change in how he acted.

The servant moved aside letting someone else come in. I held my breath. He was very handsome with a strong presence that felt both serious and captivating.

Dark hair framed his strong jaw and his sharp face showed clear confidence. I felt both nervous and a strange excitement when he walked in.

"Ethan Munson from Shadow Pack." Elder Stone said proudly. "And he will be your husband."

My heart sank at the mention of the word-husband? The world seemed to shift while the ground felt wobbly under me.

Everything felt so heavy and strange. "Wait-what?" I said quickly while looking back and forth between the two men Totally confused and overwhelmed...