Dreaming of Fate

Chapter 8

The wind rushes through my fur as I race through the forest, faster than I ever could on two legs. Every muscle in my body moves in perfect sync, raw power coursing through me. The world is a blur of greens and browns, the forest floor soft under my paws as I weave between trees, jumping over fallen logs with ease. I feel free, unstoppable. The weight of everything—my old life, the hospital, the pack—all of it disappears, left behind in the wake of this wild run.

The air smells fresh, crisp, and alive. I can hear everything: the rustle of leaves, the soft scurrying of small animals in the underbrush, the distant howl of other wolves. But they’re not my concern right now. This moment is mine, pure and untethered.

Suddenly, a figure steps out from behind the trees, almost too quick for me to register. I skid to a halt, paws digging into the dirt as I stopped just short of crashing into him. My heart pounds in my chest, the wild energy still pulsing through me, but there’s something about him that pulls me out of the haze.

It’s him. The man with the golden eyes.

He stands there, watching me, guarded yet familiar. His eyes are calm, piercing, like he’s been waiting for me, though there’s a flicker of something else—something tender. I stare at him, breathing hard, my wolf instincts coiled, ready to bolt, but he doesn’t move. Instead, he smiles softly, the edges of his lips curling in a way that makes something warm stir in my chest.

"Easy," he says, his voice deep but gentle, like a soothing command that flows through me. "You don’t need to run."

For some reason, I believe him. Slowly, cautiously, I take a step toward him. He kneels down, his hand outstretched, not as an order but as an invitation. His golden eyes lock onto mine, and there’s no fear, no judgment in them—only patience.

“Come back,” he murmurs, the words soft, coaxing. “Shift back.”

The wolf inside me resists for a moment, but then I feel the tug, the call to let go. Slowly, the fur begins to recede, the sharpness of my claws dulling as I shift back to human form. My bones crack and reshape, but it’s not painful—more like a release, as natural as breathing. When I open my eyes again, I’m standing before him, barefoot and vulnerable, feeling like I’ve just shed layers of myself.

He rises to meet me, his gaze never wavering, but softer now, as though he’s seeing something only he understands. The guarded look is still there, but beneath it, there’s something else: affection, maybe even…care.

Without a word, he steps closer, his hand brushing my arm gently, fingers trailing up to my cheek. His touch sends a warmth through me, grounding me even as I feel like I might float away. My breath catches in my throat as he tilts his head, his lips hovering just inches from mine.

And then, slowly, as if testing the waters, he closes the gap.

The kiss is soft, almost tentative at first, but then it deepens, and I can feel every ounce of tension in me melting away. It’s not wild, like the run—it’s the opposite. It’s grounding, like he’s anchoring me, pulling me back from that untamed part of myself. His hands move to my waist, holding me gently, as if he knows exactly how fragile this moment is.

When we finally break apart, I’m breathless, but not from running this time. His golden eyes hold mine, and for a moment, it’s just the two of us, the rest of the world fading away.

“Where are they keeping you?” he whispers, and there’s something in his voice that makes my heart race all over again.

I close the gap again, aching for more kisses. He obliges, but only for a moment before pulling away again, and I can feel the ache of his absence.

My voice trembles as I give him what he’s asking for. “Ethan’s territory, Alpha Ethan I mean.” My hand touches his face as I look deep into those eyes. “Why do I feel like I’ve known you my whole life?”

He grinned and covered my hand with his own before kissing me again, and again. His hands tracing the lines of my back as we hold each other close.

Again he broke away, less than an inch from my lips. I could have closed the gap easily, and I almost did before he began to speak.

His voice was strained, “I’m coming for you”

Before I can say anything, the forest shifts around us, the edges of the dream blurring, pulling me away. But his words, his touch—they linger, like a promise.