Blood Moon Rising- Book 3

In two minds, two minds in one.

Ivy/Akal

The dinner had ended and I'd escorted dad to an adjoining room briefly to make my escape, bidding goodnight to him. I then headed back to "my" room.

As I climbed the stairs I felt, in two minds, battling for balance, I was Ivy but my mind swam with the memories of life as Akal, I felt I was neither person and but both were jammed upstairs in my mind fighting for space.

I reached the first flight when a shadow reached from the corner and pulled me into a hidden alcove.

I bristled bearing my teeth when I met those smoldering eyes and his boyish smirk.

Nikolai.

He cradled my check with a welcomed warmth, the other hand gripped my waist as if I might blow away in the breeze.

We said nothing for a moment, as I felt tears prickle, Akal bubbled to the surface as I faced him, his sunkissed tan remained as I remembered and tussled dark blond hair, both of which gave him a younger look and neither matched as vampires had been perceived in movies in my life as Ivy.

He was damn beautiful, and the thought stung as Broc's gaze flashed across my mind breifly.

Nikolai eyes flickered with confusion for a moment, he'd felt the change and he dropped his hand from my cheek, clearing his throat.

He looked around before deciding something, "Shall we go sit down somewhere? To talk?" He asked with a nervous anticipation in his eyes.

I smiled widely and nodded, feeling overwhelmed that once again we got this chance to meet.

He strode slowly and purposefully, I caught his sideways glance 3 times before we reached the room we sought, making me feel nervous at his demeanor.

He held the door as I entered the room, he followed on my heels like a puppy that would follow its master, probably not an appropriate comparison, him being a Vampire king and I am Werewolf Queen, and still it fit.

I sat upon one of two highback chairs waiting in front of a fireless fireplace, though the room was not cold and the dreamscape had no need for such a thing. At that moment, I wished for it to be lit, if only to have something to gaze upon in that moment with Nikolai.

A chuckle resounded from the chair across from me, peaking my attention, Nikolai's eyes meant mine and he pointed towards the fireplace making a shooting motion as a spark leaped from his finger tip, the cold logs that sat there roared to life by a flame that did not burn them.

I smiled and let out a cheerful laugh, I'd forgotten he'd had such magic at his disposal, other vampires did not, only those of the royal bloodline, a gift from a long-dead witch that had blessed them in return for a life.

We sat for a long time smiling at the fire when Nikolai looked to me and cleared his throat before speaking.

"I missed you Akal.." He said slowly.

My eyes met his, that reflected the fire in their smoldering gaze, I had missed him too, but Akal seemed a long dead name for me, I was used to being Ivy, a confused runaway Alpha. With crazy absent dad and a fragile or so I had thought previously and secretive, mum.

My mouth dried, as I cleared my own throat.

"I missed you too Nikolai..Now that I remember who you are.." I add with a chuckle, his eyes sparkled with sorrow and bittersweet smile pulled at him lips.

"I never forgot you..I waited for your return, For my lov..." he paused and seemingly corrected himself. "For my "lost" friends' return." he finished weakly.

I read in between the lines, but could not answer his feelings as I was now. I was closer to Ivy than to the Akal I once had been, and my thoughts of Broc clouded my mind.

Broc had waited 1000 years and the man before me, possibly a millennium, but still it was not a competition and my heart had remained with the former.

So I smiled and nodded in answer.

With that out of the way, we began to speak freely and the time ticked away, as we joked and laugh like no time had been lost, of the current time and found memories we dusted off like an old book that had sat too long on a shelf.

When we were finally all out of words, we parted with the promise to meet tomorrow and I looked forward to it.

As I lay in my bed that night, I felt torn both ways, my friendship with Nikolai was as real as mine was with Florain and That struck me with the question that I'd been asking myself all evening: who was I now? Who did I want to be? and What was the cost?

Broc POV

I know I said I'd wait for her and I would, but it was so damn hard!

It'd been a week here but probably felt like a night in the dreamscape.

I'd gone for a run earlier to clear my head, I felt lonely since Cade had Meredith now, he'd had his head in the clouds.

It felt odd loving Ivy when her mother was my Beta's other half even though Ivy and I were closer in age in Soul comparison.

Still weird as s**t.

But they seemed happy and the pack were at the front of my mind, something was happening in the east, there was an unease in the air, though it didn't reach within our territory. It was felt by the patrols on the boarders, something was stirring, but what?

No news had yet mentioned, tensions or disappearances or rouges, but that didn't ease the unsettled feeling low in my gut.

I had not felt this since becoming immortal, a nervousness, a drive to prepare and survive.

It rattled me, only adding to my other emotions that pined for Ivy's return, my queen, now everyone's queen.

A snarl ripped through me at the thought I'd have to share her attention with others, men or women, I'd been selfishly receiving so much from her since that first night she'd arrived, nervous and yet still meeting my gaze with an authority only an Alpha could have, how the tables had turned.

I'd been lost in that gaze everyday since.

I chuckled at my own foolishness at the thought, the Dark Fobidden king was a fool for love too it seemed, no one was immuned.

I stretched back in my chair, the office feeling eerily quiet without Cades chatter or the sound of him flipping pages as he read some novel.

I rubbed my hands over my face, deciding to retire. As I stood striding toward the door, I thought I might visit the dreamscape and meet Brennus. Maybe he had some idea of the changes coming though the whispers of the souls or other wolves. I felt I needed to go tonight. Something was calling me too.