Two Souls, One Fate.

Chapter Five: Weird Dream

The mournful cry of a wolf echoed through the dreary woods, repeating like a haunting melody. I turned, frantic about where it was coming from.

Shadows stretched long, the skeletal branches above clawing at a pale, unforgiving sky.

What am I doing here?

The howl grew louder, vibrating through my chest. I clutched my ears, the sound so overwhelming.

“Stop." It kept going. My pleas fell on dead ears.

“Please make it stop!" I yelled. Tears blurred my vision as I dropped to my knees. It grew quiet, my sobs the only thing heard.

A strong pair of arms circled me, pulling me into a close embrace. My breath hitched, fear immediately paralysing me.

“Don't cry, Dilecta." A deep voice murmured. Its warmth settling over me. A hand placed on my chin, my head moved, and lips brushed mine— firm yet gentle. A peck.

“Everything will be okay. I am here,"

I gasped awake, sitting upright in my bed. My breaths came in short bursts as I touched my lips, the warmth lingering as though the kiss had just happened.

Bark! I turned to my left.

Wolf sat on the floor as she stared at me. Her shimmering eyes locked on mine.

I sighed.

“You could've woken me sooner." She barked again. Her tail was wagging sweetly.

A smile crept onto my face before I noticed the shining imprint on my wrist.

A sea-blue shade gleamed like sunlight playing on ocean waves.

“What the heck?” I whispered, tracing the delicate markings with my fingers. It felt warm against my skin, almost alive. A knock on the door startled me.

I turned to Wolf, and she was gone.

“Yo, Mom said you need to come down for breakfast." My older brother, Nick, said, barging in uninvited. A cigarette hung loosely from his lips.

"Good morning to you, too,“ I said, getting out of bed. My long sleeves covered the mark. "How about knocking next time? What if I were naked or something?“

He stared at me, dragging in a long inhale of smoke. " Ew.“

I glared at him, but my voice lacked its usual sharpness. "I'll be there in a minute. Didn't I tell you to quit smoking?“

" You did." He answered nonchalantly.

" So?“

" And as always, why should I?" He exhaled a lazy stream of smoke, the nicotine cloud hanging between us.

“Why should you? Because that sh*t can kill you."

“And yet," he smirked. “I'm still alive."

I shoved him out of my room. “Get out." Slamming the door in his face, I leaned back with a sigh, my eyes drifting to the glowing tattoo.

Okay, something weird is going on.

First, the dreams, the wolf, now this mark. My fingers trembled as I traced the strange symbol.

“Is there something wrong with me? And who was that man?" I could still feel the ghost of his lips on mine and the rumble of his voice saying everything would be okay.

“Okay, I 've officially lost it," I muttered. Shaking my head, I got ready for school.

The smell of bacon and eggs filled the air as I stepped into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Mom." I plopped on a stool. The warm, homey aroma of breakfast briefly distracted me from my train of thought. “Mmm, something smells good.”

She placed the plates on it, and I immediately dug in.

"What are you, a dog?“ Nick laughed, leaning against the counter.

"Shut up,” I muttered around a mouthful of bacon, glaring at him.

He rolled his eyes at me— then flicked his gaze to my wrist, his brows furrowed. "When did you get a tattoo?“

I froze mid-bite.

“Tattoo?" Mom turned to me, staring at me. “What tattoo?"

I looked at her, then Nick. "Um... I got it yesterday.“

"With whose permission?“ Mom's voice rose sharply.

"Mine,” I winced. “It was in the moment.”

She gaped at me. “Luna, you can't just get a tattoo without asking. You're grounded."

“What? I stood. "Why?"

"That's not fair. Nick smokes every day, and you don't ground him!“ Nick didn’t seem fazed.

"That's because he's older. He can make his own decisions." She shot back. “You're still a teenager.“

I gaped at her. "When he was my age, he got a brow piercing, and you and Dad let that slide. I'm 18, Mom. I can get a tattoo if I want to.“

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You're a girl, Luna. It's different; you shouldn't be doing things like that.“

I turned to Nick. He just shrugged, taking his eyes off my wrist. " Honestly, I think Luna is old enough to do whatever she wants. If she wants a tattoo or a boob piercing, she can. It's her body, her choice.“

"Nick!" Mom exclaimed, appalled.

I laughed and hugged him. “Thank you." Grabbing my backpack, I added. “I'll see you later, Mom!“

Nick grabbed his keys, and we headed out the door.

In the car, he glanced at me. "But seriously, what's with the tattoo? You break it off yet with that b*st*rd?“

I stiffened. "I guess not.“ He said when I didn't reply.

With all that's been going on, I completely forgot what I overheard in the girls' bathroom and Tristan's actions after.

"What's your point?" I asked him.

He stayed silent for a moment. “You should break up with him. He's not good for you."

I frowned, gripping my backpack tighter. Why does everyone keep telling me that? Am I really that pathetic?

“I can handle Tristan.“ I said softly.

"That's the problem. You shouldn't have to handle him. If he cared enough about you. He shouldn't put you in situations where you need to tolerate his shitty behavior.“ Nick said bluntly.

His words stung. But either way, I knew he was right. " Let's drop it, okay?“ I muttered.

He didn't say anything after that. After a few minutes, we arrived at school.

As I climbed out of the car, Paige came running towards us, her eyes lighting up when she saw him.

"Nick!“ She squealed, throwing her arms around him. I cringed, looking away as they kissed.

"Come on, guys. Not in public.“ I barfed. “Could you guys be any cringier?”

Nick pulled away, smirking. “You're just upset your brother stole your best friend." Paige laughed, grabbing my arm as Nick got back into the car. “I'll see you later, babe."

As we made our way to the lockers, we bumped into Tyler, who was as pale as a ghost.

“What's up, Ty?" I asked

He pointed down to the hallway, where the new group of students stood near the lockers. At the center, a striking blonde girl with piercing blue eyes stared at him like he was her last meal.

“Why's she looking at you like that?" Paige asked, giving her a dirty look.

“Like heck, I know," he hissed. “I was just minding my own business, listening to Selena Gomez, when she came up to me, cornered me against the locker, and said I smell nice.“

“What’s wrong with that?” I asked.

“She said it in a really creepy way,” he shuddered. He glanced at her. "I'm scared.”

Paige and I burst out laughing.

"It is not funny!“ He snapped.

"Sorry, Ty, but you do always find yourself in the weirdest situations.“ I said, wiping tears from my eyes.

Before Tyler could retort, Tristan appeared.

“Hey, babe."

He pulled me to a kiss. His lips tasted like strawberries. I pushed him away.

“Did you-?"

“Luna," a smooth voice interrupted.

I turned to see Alec standing beside me. His green eyes immediately locked on Tristan, who had a scowl on his face.

I noticed the atmosphere had changed, and so did other students as they stopped what they were doing to focus on us.

Oh boy.