Dichotomy

DREAMING OF YOU

*** GIO ***

"There's going to be a council meeting and town hall on Sunday... In two moons." The blonde-haired girl informed him. She added the lunar reference for clarity because she wasn't sure whether Gio followed the days of the week as they did anymore. Certainly, he didn't have a calendar to go by.

Gio briefly glanced up from the moonshine he was lapping out of the wooden bowl in front of him, seemingly disinterested.

The silver-colored liquid was a type of alcohol, one much more potent than what humans drank. He was getting a pleasant buzz from it. For a moment, it allowed him to release some tension which was nice. He had been very tense lately.

"I know you no longer care about council meetings, but as the future Alpha, it is important for you to keep up with what's going on. And to do that you must stay connected, and I mean connected with everyone, not just the ones who are like you. Also, you mustn't forget your opinions carry a lot of weight here. People look up to you, Gio. The pack needs your guidance." His sister lectured.

Seraphina was persistent. Even after all this time, she never stopped trying to support and encourage him. She didn't want her brother to become feral and drop off the edge of the earth as so many others had.

Whenever Seraphina felt he was drifting too far, she pulled him back with whatever means necessary. She certainly wasn't above using bribery either, as evidenced by the moonshine and the tasty treats she had laid out for him.

Truth be told, sometimes Seraphina bribed him for no other reason than to have him come home. It was lonely in their big house all alone, so having her brother around was nice.

Before the curse, the Alpha House always had people coming and going. Seraphina and Gio had lived there with their parents and various other family and pack members.

Werewolf packs were all about connectedness and familiarity. They loved spending time together, the House was where they congregated. You could always find someone willing to lend a hand, give you some advice, or just hang out.

The Alpha House was the heart of the pack.

Of course, not everyone in the pack lived there or had a room there. It was considered an honor. Even those who did often maintained separate homes and only stayed at the Alpha House on occasion, but the ever-rotating pack members served to keep it lively.

Now that the Alpha was gone and the Luna was dead, the house stood mostly empty. Of course, Gio still had a room, but he never slept there anymore. It was somewhat uncomfortable for a wolf to be in a house. The walls and hallways made him feel trapped.

His sister understood of course, but she still preferred he stay close to home, even if that meant curling up outside or on the porch and Gio was happy to do so. He felt better knowing Seraphina was safe.

Gio hadn't stayed at the Alpha House in a while though... Not since finding his mate. He decided that tonight he would stay.

Although he yearned to be close to his mate, his sister was important too.

Gio lazily used his tongue to lap the remnants of alcohol off his muzzle.

He reached out to paw a piece of uncooked beef wellington off a nearby plate when his sister finally said something that caught his attention.

"Uncle says we must make a decision about whether the human girl gets to stay. She's stirring up quite a controversy."

Gio jerked his head back, looking at her in surprise.

Was the human his sister was referring to his mate? It must be. She was the only newcomer, as far as he knew, and he would know because he ran the borders. He was annoyed he couldn't voice these questions directly.

Gio made a high-pitched noise, prodding his sister for more information.

"The girl? Do you know of her? Long brown hair, skinny, kind of short?" She asked, seeing that he was interested in what she had said.

Gio nodded affirmatively. He was not pleased that the Council was having a meeting about her. In fact, it somewhat infuriated him.

"Well, whether she can stay is on the agenda for the meeting, so if you have anything to say about it you had better be there."

He most certainly would, Gio would never allow her to be taken from him. His eyes went dark at the thought.

His sister stepped back into the house; she was oblivious to his inner turmoil.

Gio tilted his head back and howled into the dark night.

*** CHARLOTTE ***

Charlotte fell into a fitful sleep that night. She tossed and turned until eventually sleep pulled her in and she dreamed of silver eyes.

She was sitting in a meadow of sunflowers; her mom was chuckling lightly as she laid a white flower crown on her head. Down the hill Charlotte could see wooden stalls set up, the smell of food wafted toward them. The air was warm and friendly as vendors chatted with their customers down below. It was the spring festival.

Charlotte smiled, twirling a candy apple between her fingers. The caramel stuck to her lips and chin as she took a bite. It was messy but she didn't care, she wiped the caramel off with the back of her hand. She was listening as her mom explained why the spring festival was so important to witches. Charlotte listened dutifully, making sure to nod and 'uh huh' at the correct times.

Suddenly the smile slipped from her mom's face, Charlotte turned to see her wolf padding gracefully toward her. His large form cast a gentle shade on them as his shoulders blocked the sun.

She didn't feel afraid. In her dream, the black wolf had a calming aura about him that made him feel familiar and safe.

Charlotte turned to tell her mom it was okay. She didn't need to be scared; the wolf was her friend. But her mom had vanished.

Tears pricked her eyes. She didn't want her mom to leave.

But her mom was dead, Charlotte remembered sadly.

This wasn't real. She was alone.

"Don't cry little Lottie, I'm here." A deep warm voice said, trying to comfort her.

Charlotte gasped, looking up at the wolf. His silver eyes gazed down at her lovingly. Charlotte had never imagined such sharp silver could look so soft. Was it he who had spoken? The wolf's muzzle never moved; it was more like an echo from faraway.

She gazed at the wolf, curiously now.

"Don't cry little Lottie, I'm here." The voice repeated. This time the voice came from somewhere behind the wolf.

A man stepped out from behind the wolf. Charlotte's eyes went wide, and she stared at him in awe. The man was breathtakingly handsome, with light olive skin and angular features. Thick muscles wrapped around his bare torso and his dark hair fell perfectly above his silver eyes. He was tall too, even next to the wolf he looked to be six and a half feet tall.

Charlotte had never seen a more attractive man in all her life.

The man and the wolf angled their bodies together, looking at each other. Both strong and proud. Then, suddenly, the man went to his knees, bracing himself against the ground with his forearms, and he began transforming. It looked painful at first, but it was over very quickly, and a black, silver-eyed wolf stood in his place.

Charlotte gasped, realizing she had forgotten to breathe as she startled awake.

Her body felt warm and tingly.

What the freak had that been about? She wondered, slamming her head against her pillow.

Somewhere in the night, she heard a wolf howl. Followed by a chorus of wolves joining in.