A Fractured Mind meets an Intervention
Marco sat in the dim light of his private chambers, shoulders hunched, dark aura spiraling around him like smoke caught in a windless room. The events at the Sacred Walls still pressed heavily against his mind, the memory of Alisa's name, the aura rejection, and the new Eclipse Fang technique, and the request of his ancestors that he could not honor, all twisting inside him. Every thought felt like a jagged edge, slicing at the fragile threads of control he had managed to maintain.
This was becoming his new norm and it was annoying him.
Tiffany entered quietly, sensing the turbulence before she even saw him. Ariel quietly floated behind. Her dry pupils registering everything without any sense of life or wakefulness, she watched.
Tiffany spoke softly, calmly, as if she were addressing an injured trapped animal ready to fight for its life.
"My Alpha I sense that you need some assistance. Allow me to help you."
Marco's eyes flicked toward Ariel and then Tiffany, and a low growl rumbled in his chest. Part of him wanted to dismiss her, to push back and assert control—but Moas, lodged deep within, murmured against him, resisting. Marco rose slowly, a subtle shift of form making the air shimmer around him. Half-wolf, half-human, his presence radiated menace.
This was nothing new for either of them so Tiffany did not flinch, Ariel, on the otherhand swelled a bit, her form subtly chsnging, absorbing the negative energy released by Marco and increasing her size and her abilities. She was calm, with no intention of hurting Marco and every intention of protecting Tiffany.
Tiffany's voice was still calm when she spoke again.
"It is more than your mind that you fight now. You bring your soul into this when you go against your wolf and your personal code."
Marco's lips parted in a snarl, teeth flashing, wolfish eyes glinting. He moved, and Tiffany held her ground. She did not resist, did not attempt to flee. Her steady gaze met his, unwavering, a reminder that control could be reclaimed—but only if he chose it.
But his eyes were not on Tiffany. They were on Ariel. Her stance had not changed either, she still absorbed his released negative energy but she did not use it to strengthen but instead horded it for later. If her energy was dangerously depleted she could use it to revive herself.
Her desiccated eyes looked at Marco, as if they looked into him.
Moas roared inside of him, crawling beneath his flesh and clawing at his mind.
"This one knows she can never win, yet she protects yours more and you do. She values Silver Moon. What do you value?
Tiffany watched as cracks spread throughout his mind and soul. His aura shimmered then shook violently she moved to just as he lunged forward.
The two met before Ariel, the pressure of their clash blowing the ancient dissociated fabric of Ariel's close back as if she were be swallowed by gale force winds.
When Ariel looked up she saw Marco pushed back up and onto a far wall with his hand around Tiffany's throat.
Tiffany sighed. "Is this how my Alpha will respond to me from this day forward? Let me help you and then you need to be honest and help yourself.
"I will go to the Sacred Walls tonight and perform three of my new techniques for the walls to record. If you present me in this they will be appeased and allow me to strengthen and give them more later.
"But you need to come to terms with Moas. Have you been reading the reports from the fields? Alpha Amber has already been informed that Silver Moon colors have been seen out past the borderlands fighting vampires and she says she knows it is you and that she is glad you survived."
Sealed letters rose beside them.
"She has personally written you as well."
His eyes moved from hers and to the letters. Moas growled from deep in his chest as the two slowly lowered to the floor. Before his feet touched he had let go of Tiffany. He looked at her again, taken the letters from the air beside him.
"Do not presume too much little sister. I do love you, but I am your Alpha first."
She looked at him calmly.
"My love for you doesn't come with any "buts"."
Ariel hovered beside her, still corporeal but ever-watchful, the Shadeling's eyes observing every flicker of instability in Marco's aura. Even Ariel, seasoned and powerful, registered the danger, but it would not stop her from making sure Tiffany was safe.
"Let's begin," Tiffany murmured, placing her hands on his aura. She did not probe, did not push—she mended. She moved through the spiraling chaos, stabilizing one fragment at a time, feeling the ripple effects as other sections of his fractured mind quivered.
"Ariel. Slowly absorb more of the negativity and confusion from the area." The Shadeling nodded and rose to a high point in the room. Both Tiffany and Marco felt room stir and the negativity, depression, and confusion instantly lightened in their immediate vicinity, to hover about Ariel and slowly funnel into her.
Tiffany gave an approving nod. That was better than she had hoped. Ariel was intuitive and that made her invaluable.
Moas stirred, the presence palpable. Tiffany felt the whispering push, a subtle tug at her consciousness, and she allowed it. She knew she had to continue trying to reach Moas and maybe calm the situation from the inside out.
He suddenly flared against the walls of bond. His power radiating along the outer edge of Marco's aura. His voice scraped across her mind like the powerful wolf he was. She held but she paid a price.
"He knows the truth. He holds his line because he does not know how to give up. Teach him young Psi. Teach…"
He slipped away, or maybe he was pushed back into the recesses. Tiffany looked into the fabric of Marco's mind and she saw that he had no memories of it, but she also saw him fighting against the interaction. An eyebrow went up.
All of this is subconscious, instinctual even beyond the instinct of his own wolf. She didn't have time to feel awe, but she was amazed.
Marco's resistance was constant. Every time Tiffany mended a section, his inner turmoil reacted, testing her, striking back in subtle psychic ripples. Moas pushed harder, urging rebellion, questioning loyalty, and Tiffany countered with calm precision. Slowly, painstakingly, order began to take shape. Not full control, not complete stability, but a fragile balance—enough to prevent a total collapse.
"Alpha," she said softly, finally stepping back, "you are hanging on by a very thin thread. But this is not insanity… not yet. You have control if you choose it. The question is, will you choose control over insanity?"
Marco's dark eyes met hers, and for a moment, the storm within quieted. Ariel's gaze flicked to him, noting the tension, the effort, the fragile reconciliation of human, wolf, love, sanity. The Shadeling did not speak; she did not need to. Her presence alone reinforced the delicate equilibrium Tiffany had carved. She continued absorbing what Marco had released as if it were toxic and she did not want it to return to him.
In that chamber, shadows danced along the walls, the room thick with the weight of unspoken power. The fractured mind of Silver Moon's Alpha teetered on the edge, and Tiffany, steadfast and loyal, remained the anchor.
The first step toward stability had been taken—but all who could see, including Ariel, understood this was only the beginning.