Shifted

Nightmares

Lightning flashed in the distance and the thunder roared overhead. The rain had me soaked to the bone. It was too dark to see my way back anymore, and I knew that I was hopelessly lost.

Howling erupted from behind me. Oh no, wolves! I didn’t have any weapons with me and at that point I wasn’t even sure which direction the camp was in anymore. The wolves weren't near enough for me to see, so I kept running in the opposite direction of the howls.

I had managed to clear barely ten yards before something strong knocked me off my feet snarling. It was too dark to see, but I knew exactly what those bright orange eyes belonged to.

A searing pain erupted in my shoulder as one of them grabbed me. When he dropped his grip on me, I pressed myself against a tree and said a silent prayer, accepting that it was the end. Another wolf grabbed my leg, pulling me away from the tree I was clinging to fiercely. I cried out in pain as their teeth tore my flesh.

Claws raked across my chest as the first wolf again tried to claim me as his kill. The second wolf, not wanting to be outdone, grabbed me again and pulled more ferociously this time, causing a wail of agony to escape my lips.

It was all a flash of red and white as teeth ripped through my skin. Slowly, everything faded to black.

I woke up to the sound of a piercing scream. It took a moment to register that the scream was my own. I was soaked with sweat and panting hard. After only a few seconds, Dexter burst through my door ready for a fight.

“Are you okay?” He asked while scanning the room for any potential threat. Once he was satisfied that there was not one, his distressed gaze landed on me, “Layla, what happened?”

I normalized my breathing the best that I could and replied in a hushed voice, “I’m okay, just a bad dream.”

In an instant, he was by my side and pulling me into his lap. My entire body seemed to relax in his embrace. I rested my head on his shoulder, allowing myself to be calmed by his presence.

He wiped away the tears running down my cheeks and kissed my forehead tenderly. “Shhhh, it’s okay. I’ve got you now. I’ll protect you.” His voice was comforting, yet somehow it did not feel like enough.

My being in his lap put us almost at eye-level with each other. Suddenly, I didn't care how long I had known him. The next thing I knew, I had crashed my lips into his. Our lips were perfectly synchronized and my wolf was howling with delight. We only separated when we both needed air. I felt somehow tranquil now. Dexter’s protective arms were holding me to his chest. Maybe it was the mate thing, but I felt that this was exactly where I was supposed to be. In the comfort of his embrace, I let myself fall back to sleep in his arms.

It was a little upsetting to wake up in bed alone. I wondered how long he had stayed with me last night. Had I overstepped when I had kissed him? My wolf scoffed at the thought.

When I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, I noticed a box sitting on the nightstand. It said Samsung on the cover. I opened and took out a sleek white phone. Clicking the power button made the screen light up. In the contacts, it already had numbers for all the pack members I had met and a lot that I hadn’t met yet too.

I clicked Dexter’s name and sent him a message. *Is this phone for me? ~Layla*

His reply came through quickly. *Yes it is. Have fun with it. If you need or want anything, do not hesitate to ask anyone.*

*Thank you, Dexter*

After playing with the phone for a few minutes, I got up and changed into a floral sundress. My stomach was growling so I decided to head to the dining room to eat. Annabelle was busy cooking just like the previous night. The counter was set up like a buffet and there were a lot of people already there eating. It didn’t feel right to sit at the front table by myself, so I filled my plate and took a seat near a group of elders.

“Is it alright if I sit here?” I asked them, a little unsure.

“Of course it is Luna!” a friendly man bowed his head slightly toward me, “My name is Victor and this,” he gestured toward the woman sitting next to him, “is my mate Emelia.” She also bowed her head toward me.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” I smiled. Everyone else in the group began introducing themselves and welcoming me. We talked about the pack and they shared stories from their youth. I learned that Victor used to be the gamma when Dexter’s father was the Alpha. Another man, Douglas, used to be the pack chef but they all agreed that Annabell was a far better cook than he ever thought about being.

When I had finished eating, I thanked them for their company and set off to explore. Silently, I wondered where Dexter was at. In his office maybe? Probably busy like the day before.

Outside, I saw the children running around playing. There was a large clearing in the front of the pack house surrounded by bushes where a man was leading a group of teenagers in training exercises. That must have been Ryan. I took a mental note to introduce myself later. As I was walking, a few people stopped me to introduce themselves. I found myself at the nursery and stepped inside just to take a look. It would be good for me to know the people in charge of important things in the pack like this.

As soon as I opened the door, the girl at the front desk stood and bowed, “Good morning Luna!”

“You don't have to do that,” I gave her a friendly smile. “I was just curious about the nursery. Can you show me around?”

“Yes ma’am,” she grabbed a clipboard off her desk, “I’m Linda.”

“It’s nice to meet you Linda. Tell me about the nursery. Is it essentially daycare for the pack children?”

“That’s a big part of it, yes,” she held her clipboard where I could see. She pointed to one column of names, “These are only here during training. They either only have one parent that works or holds position in the pack,” She turned the page and pointed to a new column of names, “These have both parents that work or hold a position that keeps them busy in the pack, so they are here most days.” She turned the page again and pointed to a short column of only 6 names, “Then there are these pups that live here full time because their parents have died.” Her downcast expression matched mine. Those poor babies!

After a long talk and a walk through the nursery, I had learned that there were a few problems that needed to be addressed, but according to Linda, getting a meeting with Dexter or Brice to discuss it was very hard.

“Don’t worry,” I placed a hand on her shoulder trying to reassure her, “I’m going to discuss it with Dexter and I’m sure that he can open up some more funding to support the future of our pack.”

It had been a long morning and I wanted to relax. I wandered some more until I came across the garden. Beautiful trees and flowers lined the paths that all twisted around the area until meeting in the middle where a white gazebo stood lined with twinkling lights. I sat down in the middle of the gazebo and closed my eyes, breathing in all the smells of nature.

My wolf whimpered. We were both missing Dexter. I wished I could do that mind link thing, but then I remembered my new phone.

*Are you busy?* I sent him.

His reply was almost immediate. *Stay right there. I’m bringing a picnic*

I had barely shut my eyes back when Dexter planted a soft kiss on my lips. The way my body reacted to everything he did was so strange to me.

“Hello beautiful,” his charming smile made my heart warm.

“Hi there handsome,” everything with him felt so natural.

“What did you do today?” He began pulling food out of his basket and laying it on the blanket he had spread out in front of us.

“Well, I did talk to Linda in the nursery…”

“Oh?” his eyebrows raised questioningly.

“Dexter,” I waited till he had finished dishing out plates and looking at me because this was important, “The nursery needs a bigger budget. Before you disagree, you should go do a walk through. They need new beds for those poor babies that live there. There is also a problem with their AC, which looks like it’s 20 years old, by the way. It keeps shutting off for no reason.”

He was shaking his head with a smile plastered on his face.

“What?” His dismissal of what I saw to be a crucial issue caused anger to swell inside me, “If you don’t think the future of your pack is…”

“That’s not it at all,” he chuckled lightly, “It’s just, Layla, you’ve been a wolf for all of two days, and already you are being a Luna to your pack.” I was taken aback by this comment.

“So, does that mean you agree?” his reaction was not what I had expected.

“If my Luna thinks the nursery needs more money, then they will have more money,” he took both my hands in his, “Layla, this is exactly what a Luna does. Being Alpha keeps me so busy sometimes that I don’t know the little things that the pack needs. And this has only made me more sure that you will be the best Luna this pack has ever seen.”

I didn’t know how to respond. Could being a Luna really be as easy as caring about the pack? “Dex?” his grin widened at the nickname, “I do still have a lot more questions about, well, pretty much everything.”

“Ask away,” he said before popping another grape into his mouth.

“I know we are mates, but what exactly does that mean?”

“Mates are like soulmates, except much stronger,” he paused, searching for the right words, “When a werewolf shifts for the first time, the moon goddess not only gives us our wolf but also chooses our perfect mate,” he grazed the back of his finger gently down my cheek, “Our wolves help us to recognize our mate and long to be near our mate,” he paused because I was already finishing his sentence.

“As if they complete you,” now our eyes had locked. We were captivated by each other.

“Exactly,” he frowned slightly. “That’s why it’s been so hard to hold back with you. My wolf has been dying for us to mark you since I first saw you in that hospital bed. I know this is all new and overwhelming for you, so I have been holding him back.”

“What does ‘mark me’ mean?” My wolf was practically begging for him to do it.

“A mark is a werewolf’s way of claiming their mate,” his fingers were twisting the ends of my hair as he explained, “If I were to mark you, everyone would see my mark, smell my scent on you, and know that you are mine.” His voice was soft and enticing.

“H-how do you mark someone?” I could hear the involuntary shakiness of my voice.

“Well,” his thumb slowly traced my jaw and ventured down my neck, “I would bite,” as his thumb touched the base of my neck tingles ran down my spine, “right here.”

‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ begged my wolf.

“I don’t know if,” his finger pressed to my lips halted my words.

“Only when you are ready, my love,” he gently kissed my cheek and went back to eating his food.

Wow! Just a touch from him and I was yearning for more. A moon goddess had chosen us for each other and that’s why I couldn’t get enough?

After our picnic, I took Dexter to talk to Linda in the nursery and he took note of everything she had to say. He even transferred more money to nursery funds and ordered a new AC unit while we were there. Linda thanked us profusely even though we reassured her that it was our pleasure and that she should let us know if anything else was needed.

Dexter introduced me to his gamma, Ryan, and a few of our best pack warriors after our talk with Linda. There were so many names and faces to remember, I hoped I didn’t forget anyone.

That night, I asked Dexter to stay with me. My wolf couldn’t stand to be away from him and I wanted his company. We fell asleep in each other’s arms. I was completely content.

“Layla!” A tall thin man tossed me my bow. “Get ready, the wolves are coming!”

I took aim at the spot in the line of trees where the heavy steps were echoing from. As soon as I saw those deep blue eyes, I fired and the eyes went black.

A painful wail erupted from the other wolves. Before I knew it, a dozen angry eyes were facing me. Snarls could be heard from every direction. One by one, the eyes targeting me went dark as my companion and I let arrows fly.

I shot out of bed panting. What a dream.

“Are you okay?” Kayden mumbled, still half asleep.

“Yeah, sleep. I’m going to go shower.” I slid out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom to attempt to wash the memory of that horrible dream away.