Chapter 243: Welcome Back Mud

Azura’s POV

I sat on the edge of the large bed, watching Rhydor throw the wet towel into the wooden bowl.

"Where is Amanda?" I asked, looking up at him with a curious frown. "I have not seen her anywhere since I came back."

Rhydor looked up, his tone calm.

"Do not worry about her. She is here in the pack house. But she is currently going through those long magical procedures, the same ones Ethan and Leo had to go through."

My brow pulled down even further in confusion.

"It has been a whole month already. Why did she not go through the procedure all this time?"

"Amanda specifically asked to stay in her five-year-old mindset until you woke up," Rhydor explained softly, setting the bowl down on the small table.

"She wanted to meet you with her young mind first. But for some reason, she completely changed her mind a few days ago and asked to start the process."

I nodded slowly, letting out a small sigh.

"What about Torin and Liona? Where are they?"

Rhydor let out a long, heavy breath, his shoulders dropping slightly.

"Torin left the territory a few days ago to return to his pack; I guess he misses home. And Liona left with her mate to join the Dragon Clan. When she heard the terrible news about you dying... she could not handle the grief."

"I guess the only way for her to escape the overwhelming pain was to move as far away from this place as possible."

I nodded again, a soft, sad feeling touching my chest.

"I really hope she is happy wherever she is. And I am so sorry for all the pain I caused every single one of you."

Rhydor took a step toward me, his expression firm and serious.

"You did what you thought was best in that terrible moment, Azura. But please... promise me you will never make that kind of reckless decision again without involving us first."

A small, genuine smile touched my lips as I looked at him.

"I will try my best. I would also really like to see Amanda as soon as possible."

"My mother knows the exact room where they’re keeping her," Rhydor said, nodding his head.

"You can speak to her whenever you like, and she will take you right down there."

I nodded in agreement.

He finished drying his hands on a small towel and stood up straight, looking down at me with a gentle gaze.

"Just rest for now, okay?"

I pulled my brow down into a small frown.

"What about you? Where are you going right now?"

Rhydor shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"Nothing major. I need to go handle one or two quick pack matters down the hall. But I will be right back. I promise you."

"Please come back soon," I said quietly, looking up into his amber eyes.

He walked closer to the bed and reached out his warm hand, gently brushing a stray strand of long white hair away from my eyes. He bent down slowly and pressed a warm, soft kiss against my forehead, holding his lips there for a long moment before pulling back.

"Do you honestly think I want to stay far away from you after everything that happened?" he asked, his voice dripping with warm affection.

I smiled softly up at him.

"Just take a nice nap," Rhydor murmured.

"I will be back before you know it."

I nodded my head.

He picked up the heavy wooden basin and carried it into the small bath chamber attached to his bedroom. When he stepped back out, he paused in the doorway and looked at me one last time, a bright, handsome smile spreading across his face.

Then, he stepped out into the hallway and closed the heavy oak door quietly behind him.

I lay down against the soft pillows, pulling the warm quilt up to my chin. My mind drifted toward Amanda, wondering how she would look and act once her adult memories fully returned to her mind.

Before I could think about it any longer, my heavy eyes fluttered shut, and I drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

****

A soft, steady knock on the heavy wooden door woke me up from my nap.

I blinked my eyes open, rubbing the remaining sleep from my face as I sat up in the oversized bed.

"Who is there?" I asked, my voice slightly groggy.

"It is Fifi, my lady," a quiet female voice answered from the other side of the wood. "A servant from the main quarter."

I swung my legs over the edge of the mattress and stood up.

"Coming."

I walked over to the door and pulled it open. A young maid stood in the quiet hallway, immediately bowing her head in deep respect the moment she saw my face.

"Luna, you are needed," Fifi said, keeping her voice low and respectful.

"Where am I needed?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

"Outside the pack house," she answered softly, offering a polite smile.

"But first, let us help you get freshened up and changed into something proper."

I looked down at myself, realizing I was still wearing the simple, plain white dress they had dressed my body in while I lay unconscious on that bed for a month.

"Okay," I said, nodding my head as I stepped aside to let her into the room.

Two other young maids stepped inside behind her, carrying a large wash basin, soft towels, and a stunning gown made of rich golden fabric.

They helped me wash my face, clean my skin, and dress in the breathtaking golden gown. It was an off-shoulder design with a tightly laced corset around the back, fitting my waist perfectly before flowing down to the floor in soft, shimmering folds.

They combed through my long hair, carefully pinning the top half up into an elegant arrangement while letting the rest cascade down my back.

I looked at my reflection in the tall mirror, completely unfamiliar with the fancy lady staring back at me. I did not have the slightest idea what kind of occasion this was supposed to be.

Was I going out to meet the rest of the pack members? But since when did any of those people care about my presence? Most of them had never given a single damn about me.

Was all this sudden respect simply because I now possessed a wolf? A rare, legendary white beast with nine tails?

I remembered the wild, intense way I had unlocked my ancestral wolf spirit during my time in the spiritual realm, but that was a long story for another time.

"We are all done, Luna," Fifi said softly, stepping back with a neat bow.

"May we go now?"

"Yes," I said, nodding my head as I smoothed down the front of my golden dress.

The servant led me down the grand staircase and through the front entrance of the pack house.

A large, beautifully decorated black carriage was waiting right at the bottom of the front steps, pulled by two massive black horses.

I was definitely not the kind of person who enjoyed riding around in fancy carriages. Over-the-top, luxury things like this had never been my style at all.

But I swallowed my pride and climbed up into the comfortable leather carriage anyway, wrapping my skirt around my legs.

The rider cracked his whip, and the carriage rolled away from the main estate, moving smoothly along the dirt path that led deep into the surrounding forest.

After riding for nearly twenty minutes, the carriage gradually slowed to a complete stop near a quiet clearing. The servant quickly stepped down and opened the door for me, extending a hand to help me down.

"You can continue on foot from this point, my lady," she said, bowing her head deeply.

I stepped out onto the damp grass, holding the edges of my heavy golden dress. Without saying another word, the rider turned the horses around, and the carriage rode away, leaving me standing all alone in the quiet woods.

I turned around and looked at my surroundings.

A wave of sharp nostalgia hit my chest instantly. This specific spot in the forest was remarkably familiar to me.

It was my personal sanctuary. The private place I used to run away to whenever life in the pack house became too painful to bear when I was little.

The small, crystal-clear stream flowed gently over the smooth rocks, surrounded by towering ancient trees and total, peaceful silence.

I walked closer to the edge of the stream, my light steps making almost no sound against the grass.

As I rounded the side of a massive oak tree, my eyes caught sight of something bright lying directly on the flat patch of dirt ahead.

It was a massive heart shape laid out carefully on the ground, filled with hundreds of soft red and pink flower petals.

Inside the very center of the flower heart, a few words had been carved into the dark dirt using a wooden stick.

WELCOME BACK, MUD.

I stopped dead in my tracks, staring down at the handwritten words in total disbelief.

My heart skipped a sudden, heavy beat in my chest as a familiar warmth burst through the air around me.