Free Heart of the Unknown Alpha by Rae Scott

die.”
                  The man still in shock over the emotions that had bombarded him flew to his feet and ran from the room yelling for his Beta in a panic. Behind him Lluna smiled and turned to the window. Walking towards it she turned into shimmering dust and vanished. She had two more people to attend to tonight before her work was done and she could rest.
     
                  Aryana woke up feeling groggy but no less shattered. What must Darian think of her now? He couldn’t help but think the worst after Scotts insinuations. Just when she had thought she was starting to feel whole again he had blown it to smithereens. Feeling hollow she pulled the blanket off the back of the sofa and curled up under it. She was shivering but she wasn’t cold. She lay there staring off into nothing.
                  How long Aryana lay like that she didn’t know, but she felt it had to be very late when she finally roused herself. Her heart was heavier than ever and she felt so empty. Dragging herself up the stairs to her bedroom she changed into sweats and sat on her bed staring out the window at the moon.
                  Slowly two thoughts became clear in her head. One was that the moon had always been her friend, her only true constant in her life. Two the lake in the woods had always brought her solace.
    Spurred into action to try and find some peace, some feeling she shoved her feet into her sneakers and grabbed her keys. Numbly she drove on auto pilot to the woods and the lake.
                  Pulling back into her favorite clearing she got out of the SUV and stripped. A chill wind blew through the glade but she didn’t feel it. Nor did she see the woman standing at the side of the clearing in shimmering silver dress with pure white sliver hair and eyes watching her.  Lifting her face to the moon she felt the tears slip down her temples and into her hair. “Please old friend.  I don’t know if I can do this anymore. Please help me. Please take me from this life that is nothing but pain any more. Please, if you can hear me help me, I am begging you. Help me.” She crumpled on the ground in a ball her body wracked with large sobs as she cried out her very soul.
    After long minutes on the ground she stood blindly staring at the water.  As if in a trance she walked slowly to it and in until she could no longer stand then she began to swim. She kept swimming back and forth back and forth across the deepest parts of the lake as if she was possessed. She was unable to stop even when her arms started to burn and her legs started to cramp. She was in the middle of the lake when she felt like someone had grabbed onto both her legs  She had just enough time to register her surprise before she sunk under the surface. She tried to twist and kick her way free but it was no use, she just kept sinking.
                  As the last few bubbles of air left her lungs she saw something shimmering in the water. Coming towards her in a glittering beam of moonlight was the waitress from the café smiling gently, You called for me and I am here my child, came her gently musical voice.  Aryana felt herself grow calm, almost serene. She felt like she was floating on air instead of drowning in the lake. The last thing she saw was bright white light cutting through the murk of the deep water like a beacon to a better place, she reached out and placed her hand in it just as the blackness of death claimed her.
     
    Darian was jarred form his sleep by the loud shrill ringing of his phone. The small screen told him it was his father and it was after 2 am. The only reason his father ever called that late was when it was official business. After a very brief and rather odd phone call with his father he tried to lay back down. His mind wandered to his phone call with his dad. First thing he had asked him was how he was… which he NEVER asked him. His dad had kept asking him if