I Didn't Think He Could...

Zara's POV I woke up startled. A gasp of constricted air left my dry lips, as cold sweat dewed on my forehead. I sat up, a little dizzy from my nightmare, and let my eyes adjust. I scan the room, until I can identify everything in it, and rub the last bit of sleep from my eyes. I grab my phone to check the time, and groan. My alarm is set to go off in five f*****g minutes! Don't you just love it when that happens? I wipe my forehead, and swipe away the tears that I never thought I would cry again. This is the fifth time this week that I have had this nightmare. That can't be a coincidence. It's been five years since I relived the severing of my bond with my fated mate. It's been seven years since it happened. Seven years since my world, and everything I believed in fell apart. After he shattered my heart, I left immediately after I had run home in tears, with immense pain in my chest, and packed a duffel of traveling essentials. Clothes for two weeks, two pairs of sneakers, hygiene products, sentimental trinkets, a picture of my family, a picture of my brothers and I, and a picture of my parents and I. I grabbed my pillow and my fuzzy turquoise duvet from my bed. I had grabbed my savings from my jobs throughout the years, since I was fourteen. The amount totaled about eight thousand dollars. I had said goodbye to the haven that was my bedroom, since I was a pup, then made my way downstairs to the kitchen. I grabbed ten Cranberry juices, ten water bottles, ten slices of the banana bread I had made the night before, and my full stash of about fifty dark chocolate bars. I was going to need them all. I was thankful that I forgot to bring the banana bread to school that day. Less thankful that I had run home, instead of running to my car. Not like I would've been able to drive in that state anyway. As memories flooded my mind, I made my way to the ensuite bathroom. I started the shower, turned on my towel warmer, brushed the sleep from my mouth, and brushed my hair. I put my hair in a messy bun, and stepped in. I adjusted the temperature again, heating the spray to my favourite steamy, hellfire setting. I let the scalding spray burn the stiffness of my muscles away, releasing as much tension as my body would allow, while the rest of the memory from that day played out in my mind. After I had packed what I needed to disappear, I went back up to my parents' room, leaving my bag downstairs. I grabbed one of my dad's silk handkerchiefs, and sprayed his cologne on it. I then grabbed one of my mom's silk scarfs, a duplicate of the one right next to it, and repeated the process with her perfume. After I was satisfied that each garment was drenched in their respective scents, I went back into the closet for my favourite silk scarf she had never worn more than once. It is absolutely gorgeous. It is sage green, with a creamy ivory border, cherry blossom tree branches in full bloom, and blossoms printed in a flowing pattern; as if the wind was actually blowing them from the tree. I never understood why she never wore such an exquisite scarf. She said it didn't suit her complexion. I knew that was bullshit. Not only is she a horrible liar, but we have the same tanned, olive skin tone. I think she was just keeping it for me. Why she just didn't give it to me, I never knew. I have only worn it for special occasions, but decided that would change from here on out. It's simply too beautiful not to be worn regularly. After I had grabbed what I wanted from my parents' room, I went to my elder brother Damon's room. I grabbed my favourite pull-over hoodie of his, then left his room. I miss him. We haven't been close since I was fifteen, and he was seventeen years old. When he sensed his mate, that's when our relationship went to s**t. His fated mate happened to be none other than the leader of the "mean girls", as well as our gamma's daughter; Ivy Vegaras. She has hated me since jr. high. Middle school nowadays. 7th grade to be precise. The spring break before the second semester is being extra precise in the timeline. We used to be best friends all throughout our childhood, up until that fateful summer. Over a f*****g boy. Not just a boy though. My best friend Jason Diaz. His family had come seeking refuge in our pack, after theirs had all but been obliterated in a war of rivalry between Shadow Crest, which was Jason's pack; and Silver Crescent pack. Which is now the largest pack, after taking out Shadow Crest. No one really knows what really happened, or what led up to that m******e. Shadow Crest was a tough, but fair, and peaceful pack. It's a mystery that still tugs at my mind. Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned off the shower, and grabbed my towel. I briskly dried off, then headed from my room to the kitchen, grabbing my soft purple, fluffy robe on the way out. After adjusting the thermostat in the hallway back down to sixty-two degrees, from sixty-nine degrees, I giggled thinking of Kevin from The Office, and I walked the last few feet to the kitchen. Setting the timer on the espresso machine for forty-five minutes from now, I grab my favorite mug that has Stanley Hudson from The Office printed on it, with his famous line "Did I Stutter" below his picture on each side, and begin my prep. I drizzle Caramel and Dark Chocolate around the circumference of the interior, then add my French Vanilla syrup, and my Manhattan Hazelnut Mocha F.R.I.E.N.D.S coffee creamer. Literally the best creamer ever! I put my mug in my mini fridge, set to a colder temperature. That way, all of my beverages are slushies without actually fully freezing them. For my mug, it keeps my creamer cool, and hardens the drizzles. With everything set, I opened my wide, back French Doors, and stepped out onto my back deck. I stretched my sore muscles, trying to relieve some lasting tension, but it still didn't fully relax me. My mind is still reeling from the nightmare, that suddenly decided to reappear. No warning, or a trigger. At least none that I could think of on the spot. Shaking my limbs loose, I crouch to fully give control to my iridescent Silver Wolf, Slade. Our shift is quick and effortless, as she leaps from the deck in the direction of our trail. We only have thirty minutes in the morning for a run, so she starts strong, leisurely enjoys our favourite spot for a few minutes, and finishes strong. Helps her relax during the day until our evening run. We reach the beginning of our trail, and at full power, sprint our way to our favourite spot. As Slade focuses on the trek ahead, I let myself zone out. Easing my mind back into those painful memories, in an attempt to decipher the meaning behind the resurfacing of the day, I lost the life I knew. The day I lost my family completely. The day that had decided to haunt my subconscious once again.