Pesky Dreams
1412 Words
Cole
Cole leaned against the hood of his truck, still parked on a quiet side street, a few blocks from Alyssa’s apartment. The engine was off. The windows fogged lightly from the chill.
But he wasn’t ready to drive.
He pulled out his phone and stared at the screen for a few seconds before finally tapping the name he’d been hovering over.
Lucian picked up on the second ring.
“Yeah?”
Cole ran a hand through his hair. “I need to talk to someone before I lose my damn mind.”
Lucian's tone shifted immediately. “Are you okay?”
Cole let out a low breath. “I just walked Alyssa home. We had dinner. It was… more than I expected.”
“Did she find out what you are?”
“No. Not yet.” He paused. “That’s part of the problem.”
Lucian stayed silent, letting him talk.
“I’m falling for her,” Cole said, voice quieter now. “Hard. Every second I’m around her, it gets worse. Or better. I don’t even know anymore.”
“So what’s the problem then?”
“The problem is, I am keeping half of my life hidden. She’s opening up to me, trusting me, and I’m lying. Every time I look at her, I feel like I’m betraying that trust.”
Lucian was quiet for a beat. “Then tell her.”
“You know it’s not that simple,” Cole snapped, conflicted. “She’s human, totally and fully human and has no idea about our kind. No clue what’s out there. And she’s already been hurt. Bad. I saw it in her eyes when I got too close. She flinched when I went to touch her and the look in her eyes, it was just a flash, but I saw the terror held in them.”
Lucian let out a low hum. “She’s not scared of you. She’s scared of the past. That’s different.”
“Maybe. But if I show her what I really am, that could change fast.”
“You think she’ll run.”
“I don’t know. But I can’t take that chance unless I’m sure.”
Lucian sighed. “So what are you asking me?”
Cole stared up at the moon breaking through the clouds. “How do I tell her? How do I even start that conversation without sounding insane?”
Lucian’s voice softened. “You don’t start with the wolf. You start with the truth. About who you are. What you’ve lived through. Let her see the man first.”
Cole closed his eyes. “She already sees him.”
“Then make sure she trusts him enough to meet the rest.”
The line went quiet for a moment, both of them sitting with the weight of that.
Finally, Cole said, “Thanks.”
Lucian chuckled. “Don’t thank me yet. You still have to survive the fallout.”
“Yeah,” Cole muttered. “And hope she still looks at me the same way afterward.”
“You’re strong, Cole. She will understand, if she’s really meant for you.”
Cole nodded, more to himself than the phone. “We’ll find out soon.”
He ended the call, started the engine, and pulled out onto the road, his heart still full, but heavier than before.
Because the truth wasn’t just coming.
It was getting harder to hide, every part of him wanted her, wanted to claim her and mark her. Zodiak was getting more and more impatient every time they were together and frantic when they were apart.
This was going to be way harder than he thought.
Alyssa
Later that night...
Rain tapped soft and steady against Alyssa’s bedroom window. The city outside was hushed, wrapped in mist. Inside, the quiet wasn’t comforting, it pressed in too thick, too still.
Alyssa lay tangled in her blankets, limbs heavy with sleep, but her mind restless. The warmth of Cole’s kiss lingered on her lips, a ghost of something good.
She wanted to feel safe. Wanted to believe in what was blooming between them.
But as her eyes slipped closed, the past came creeping in.
FLASHBACK
She stood in her tiny kitchen, wiping down the counters. The morning sun streamed in, warm and golden. Her place was small but bright, filled with secondhand charm. She had made it her own.
Trent walked in without knocking.
He always did.
Alyssa turned, startled. “You didn’t text.”
Trent grinned, setting a bag of groceries on the table. “Thought I’d surprise you. Figured you’d be happy to see me.”
She smiled, small, uncertain. “Of course.”
He kissed her cheek, too hard. “You’re tense again. I told you, you need to relax.” Trent said as the grip on her arm tightened.
That edge in his voice made her stomach twist.
“Trent, you’re hurting me!” Alyssa yelped.
“If you were more relaxed, then maybe I wouldn’t be so stressed!" He yelled.
It always started like this, he was always angry, and always making snide remarks to her. It had started to wear on her.
Things changed fast.
Trent shortly after they started dating moved in with her, not really giving her much of a choice, just slowly started leaving things there, and eventually he stayed and eventually things started turning more and more sour.
Her dream slowly transformed into a nightmare.
“I’m just saying,” Trent said, arms folded across his chest, “Maybe if you didn’t wear things that tight, guys wouldn’t stare.”
Alyssa blinked, caught off-guard. “It’s a sweatshirt.”
“It’s the way you wear it.”
She laughed nervously, brushing past him. “I’m not doing this right now.”
His voice dropped, sharp and cold. “No. You never want to talk when you’re wrong.”
She froze. “I’m not wrong.”
Trent stepped in front of her. “You think you’re always the victim, don’t you? You twist everything.”
“I didn’t twist anything. I just want space.”
“From me?” His voice cracked like a whip. “Why? Because you’re better than me?”
She opened her mouth to answer and that’s when he shoved her.
Not hard. Not enough to bruise.
But enough to make her stumble back into the counter. Enough to freeze the air in her lungs.
They both stood there, silent. You could cut the tension in the air with a butter knife.
Trent’s eyes flicked away, then back. “Sorry. That was... I didn’t mean to...”
She nodded, numb and in shock, not sure what to do, “It’s fine.”
But it wasn’t.
And it wouldn’t be the last time.
PRESENT – 2:27 a.m.
Alyssa gasped awake, heart-pounding, damp hair clinging to her forehead. Her hands trembled above the blankets; chest tight like the past had followed her home.
She sat up, pressing her palm to her chest like it could slow her pulse.
The apartment was dark. Still. But her thoughts were racing. That old fear, that old silence, it had crept back in with the nightmare.
Her eyes landed on her phone glowing faintly on the nightstand.
She didn’t even question it.
She picked it up and scrolled to Cole’s number.
She hesitated, her thumb hovering over the call button.
Then she pressed it.
One ring. Two.
“Hey,” came his voice, low and rough with sleep but slowly becoming more alert... “Alyssa?”
She opened her mouth to speak but no words came for a second.
Then finally: “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t,” he said gently. “Are you okay?”
A long pause.
“I just... I couldn’t sleep. I had a dream. A memory, actually. I don’t want to be alone.”
“You’re not alone,” he said immediately.“You never have to be. Do you want me to come over?”
Her breath caught in her throat, a mix of fear and relief pressing hot behind her eyes.
“No, that’s okay, can we just talk for a bit to get my mind off of it?” she asked softly.
“As long as you need.”
And he stayed with her, voice soft in her ear, grounding her. They talked until the night lost its sharp edges and her hands stopped shaking.
- Writer
