When Dreams don't fade
1331 Words
Averie woke with a gasp.
The forest around her was quiet, just before dawn. Soft mist curled between the trees, and the ashes of their fire still glowed faintly orange. But it wasn’t the cold that made her shiver.
It was the feeling.
The dream hadn’t faded.
Not like dreams were supposed to.
She could still feel Kaelen’s fingers on her cheek. Still smell the nightbloom petals in her hair. Still hear the Moon's howl echoing somewhere deep inside her.
She sat up slowly, heart racing. Her palms were damp. Her scent — her real scent — swirled around her like a veil, but it was stronger now. Warmer. Laced with something else.
Recognition.
Her eyes darted toward Kaelen.
He was still asleep on the other side of the fire. Arms crossed behind his head. Brow furrowed slightly like even his dreams were no longer peaceful. His dark hair spilled over his forehead, and in the pale dawn light, his jaw looked sharper, more defined.
Her heartbeat kicked.
What if he’d dreamed it too?
Before she could overthink it, Kaelen stirred. His eyes blinked open, golden and still laced with sleep — but then they locked onto hers.
And froze.
Like he knew.
Like he had felt it, too.
Averie couldn’t look away.
“You felt it,” she whispered.
He sat up, slow and silent. “The dream?”
She nodded.
Kaelen stared into the dying fire for a long beat. Then: “It wasn’t just a dream, Averie. The Moon showed us something.”
She swallowed hard. “But what does it mean?”
He looked up at her.
“I think we’re bonded.”
The words landed like thunder in her chest.
“No,” she said too quickly, standing. “That’s not possible. I already had a mate — or, I thought I did. And you—you're not even pack. You’re—”
“I’m not your second choice,” Kaelen said firmly, rising with her. “I didn’t steal your scent. I didn’t lie to you. I didn’t claim you out of ritual. I’ve been by your side since the moment I found you in the ruins.”
His voice dropped.
“I’ve never wanted anything from you but the truth.”
Averie turned away, breath shaky.
Everything was moving too fast. The restoration. The dream. The words.
But her body knew. Her wolf knew.
She could feel it in her chest — this low, pulsing warmth that ignited only when he was near. This tether. This scent connection not based on ancient rites, but on something wilder. Deeper. Chosen.
“You’re not marked,” she said quietly. “No one’s marked me.”
Kaelen stepped closer. Not touching her. Just close enough for her to feel the energy between them shift like gravity.
“Because your soul refused to be marked by the wrong one,” he murmured. “Maybe it was waiting… for the right one.”
Averie turned back toward him slowly, searching his face.
“Kaelen… what if I don’t want to choose yet? What if I’m afraid I’ll just be wrong again?”
His eyes softened.
“Then don’t choose,” he said. “Not yet. Just feel. Let yourself feel everything — without guilt, without duty. Let the truth come to you, Averie. You don’t owe the Moon an answer tonight.”
Silence stretched between them — not awkward, but charged.
And when she finally exhaled, it wasn’t in defeat. It was in relief.
Because for the first time, someone wasn’t demanding a piece of her.
He was just waiting — willing to walk beside her until she was whole again.
She sat beside the fire, and this time, when Kaelen sat beside her, their hands brushed and didn’t pull away.
And in the quiet dawn, something new bloomed between them:
Not fate.
Not force.
Just something real.
They moved east through the thickening woods, guided by Kaelen’s instinct — and something more. The dream hadn’t left them. Not fully. It clung to the edges of Averie’s thoughts like mist to pine. Every brush of Kaelen’s hand near hers sent sparks through her skin.
Three days passed.
And on the fourth, the path narrowed.
They crossed into the Hollowroots — a place few dared to tread. Gnarled trees hunched low to the ground, their roots twisted like bones half-buried in earth. The air buzzed, not with danger, but with something older. Watching.
Kaelen slowed. “We’re close.”
“To what?”
He didn’t answer. Just took her hand — and this time, neither of them flinched from the warmth that flared between their palms.
They came upon a clearing shaped like a spiral — moss grew in perfect rings. And in the center sat a small stone hut, covered in vines that shimmered faintly under the late sun.
A voice met them before the door opened.
“So the dreamers arrive at last.”
Averie stilled.
The door creaked open, and an old woman emerged. She wore feathers in her long white hair, and her eyes — silver, moon-bright — glinted like she saw straight through skin and bone.
Kaelen gave a respectful nod. “Seer Taletha.”
The woman looked at him, then at Averie, and smiled without warmth. “You bring me a storm with soft eyes, boy.”
Averie blinked. “You know me?”
Taletha stepped closer, slowly circling her. “I know your scent. The true one. I know what you lost in the river, and what you gained. You burned bright in the Dreaming Path. Too bright. That kind of light never leaves the old places unnoticed.”
She stopped.
“And I know the bond that sleeps in your bones. It’s not old. Not faded. It’s blooming.”
Averie’s pulse stuttered. “There’s… a bond?”
The seer tilted her head. “A soul-bond. One that forms by choice, not by fate. The rarest kind. Stronger than scent. Stronger than ritual. But also more dangerous.”
Kaelen stepped forward. “What kind of danger?”
“The kind that burns through lies,” Taletha said. “And pulls others down with it.”
Averie looked away. “I didn’t choose this. I didn’t want to be bonded to anyone again.”
Taletha’s eyes softened for the first time.
“You didn’t choose to be hurt. You didn’t choose to be betrayed. But healing chooses us. Love chooses us, even when we’re not ready.”
She reached out and gently touched Averie’s brow.
A rush of images flashed — Kaelen in the river, holding her as the mist tried to claim her. Her scent blooming back into existence. The dream. The tether. The fire.
She gasped and stepped back.
Taletha nodded. “The bond is not complete. But it wants to be.”
Kaelen’s jaw tightened. “Is there a way to suppress it? Give her time?”
Taletha’s gaze flicked to him, sharp. “Why would you want to delay the Moon’s gift?”
“Because I don’t want her to feel trapped,” Kaelen said. “Not again.”
A long silence followed.
Finally, the seer sighed. “Then I’ll give you both a warning. If the bond completes without her conscious acceptance, it could turn wild. Bind you both in pain. A soul-bond can be sacred… or consuming.”
Averie exhaled slowly.
Taletha leaned closer. “The path ahead is full of ghosts. The Alpha will feel your scent again soon. He’ll know it’s back. The girl who stole it will feel the loss. The balance is tipping.”
“What should we do?” Averie asked.
Taletha smiled faintly. “You must choose not just who to love — but who you are when you love.”
She turned and walked back toward the hut.
And just before the door shut, she whispered one last thing:
“And when the storm breaks, don’t hide. Let it burn.”
- Writer
