The Alpha in her Dreams

A Shift in the Dream

“Laurel?” he asked again.

“I’m sorry, Shepherd. We should part here. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Laurel, please let me see you home. There’s more that I need to say to you.”

“It’s not a good time, Mr. Ryan.” She saw Shepherd wince as she addressed him by his last name. “I’ll see you at the airport tomorrow morning.”

She turned abruptly and forced herself to walk away from him. She wanted to look back, to tell him she wanted to hear everything he had to say, that she also felt their connection, but Henry was waiting. Laurel knew that what he saw between she and Shepherd had hurt him. She didn’t know what she was going to say to him. She didn’t even understand it herself.

She climbed the steps to meet him, her eyes full of regret. “Henry, I —”

“Shh.” He was still looking behind her at Shepherd as he lifted her chin to gently kiss her. “Let’s go inside. These flowers need a vase.”

Grabbing her hand, he led her up the steps to her apartment. Laurel felt sick to her stomach. She knew they would have to talk about what was developing between her and Shepherd, and she didn’t know how she felt about it. She had been with Henry for three years and only met Shepherd a day ago. Granted, she’d been dreaming of him for a month. That had to mean something. And she’d never felt so connected to someone. Could she give up that chance and live with never knowing where it would lead?

Shepherd didn’t live in the city and would be returning home soon. How could they start a relationship that way? Yet, even if things didn’t work out with Shepherd, could she stay with Henry knowing how she felt about Shepherd? Even if there were no Shepherd, she had still been hesitant to take the next step with Henry. If they weren’t moving forward, where did that leave them? Her head was swimming with the barrage of thoughts. She felt nauseous and dizzy.

She plopped down on the sofa as Henry made his way into the kitchen to get a vase from the cabinet. She heard him fill it with water and put the flowers in, throwing the wrapping in the trash on his way into the living room.

Pulling an ottoman in front of where Laurel sat, his long legs straddled her on either side. Grabbing both of her hands, he searched her eyes for answers.

“What’s going on here, Laurel? Should I be concerned?”

She looked into his worried eyes. He’d done nothing wrong, and she alone had caused this. She didn’t want to hurt Henry. She wasn’t a cheater, never had been. But even though she hadn’t acted on her feelings, the temptation she felt was undeniable.

“I’m not sure, Henry. I can tell you that nothing has happened between Shepherd…Mr. Ryan and myself. But I do feel attracted to him somehow, and I think he feels the same. I ran into him at the coffee shop, and he wanted to walk me home. I should’ve said no.”

Henry took a deep, slow breath. He looked slightly relieved. “It doesn’t surprise me that he’s attracted to you, Laurel. He’d be crazy not to be. But it does concern me that you…have some interest in him as well. I can live with that…because my feelings are deeper than a fleeting crush…as long as you aren’t planning to act on those feelings. You aren’t, right?”

“I wouldn’t cheat on you, Henry.”

It was as honest as she could be. Her head was a mess. She knew that she had more than a crush on Shepherd. She couldn’t explain it but knew that she had already developed very real feelings for him. She would have to closely watch herself to ensure she didn’t let their powerful connection lead her into doing something she would regret.

“Good. Because I won’t share you, Laurel. I can’t.”

Henry leaned over and kissed her gingerly. Pulling her onto his lap, he opened her mouth with his tongue and kissed her more deeply, his hands on her ass as she straddled him. She broke away breathlessly.

“Maybe we shouldn’t, Henry. I have an early morning.”

Henry studied her warily. “Maybe we should, Laurel. I want you to remember how much I love you.” He kissed her neck. “How much I need you,” he continued as he kissed her collarbone slowly and sensually. “How good we feel together.”

He stood up with Laurel’s legs wrapped around his waist and carried her to the bedroom. Continuing to kiss her as he shut the bedroom door behind him, he gently laid her on the bed.

“Tonight, I just want to take my time and enjoy you. Will you let me?”

“Yes,” she said softly.

A flash of Shepherd’s face entered her mind, but she pushed it away and focused on Henry’s kisses.

He slowly made his way down her body, unbuttoning her shirt, cupping her breasts, and taking his time sucking her n*****s while gently pulling her hair as she moaned. He stood up, pulled her skirt off, leaving her high heel shoes on and knelt in front of her. The sensation of his kisses on her thighs caused her core to throb in anticipation.

“Oh god, Henry. I need you. Please,” she begged him.

She needed a release from the last couple of days, and Henry knew how to please her. She wanted to stop thinking of Shepherd.

“Patience, Laurel,” he cooed.

His fingers separated her lips, and he kissed her nub at the same time as he plunged two fingers in forcefully, causing Laurel to arch her back and cry out. He used his hand to press down on her abdomen, keeping her in place as he continued to lick her arousal, sucking on her c**t until she screamed in ecstasy, bucking against his hand.

As soon as she’d finished, Henry put an arm around her waist and pulled her further up the bed and deeply kissed her so she could taste herself on his lips. He drove into her with one fluid movement, and she moaned in response. Henry kept an agonizingly slow and deep rhythm until she could tell by his breathing that he was getting close. Resting his forehead against hers, he looked into her eyes and immediately sped up, thrusting hard and deep as he grunted her name.

Afterwards, he lay to her side, leaving his arm wrapped around her hips. She’d been caught up in the moment but now that it was over, she felt empty and somehow disappointed with herself. Henry could sense something in the air between them as well and they both lay in silence.

“Let’s just stay like this tonight.”

Laurel didn’t respond and it wasn’t long before she heard Henry’s breathing change as he fell asleep. She lay awake for a long time before eventually falling into a fitful sleep.

She wasn’t asleep long before she found herself in her familiar dream. But this time, she had a name for who she searching for. Shepherd. Suddenly she sees him break through the crowd, his eyes locked onto her. Her breathing quickens as he draws nearer. As he stops in front of her, she breathes in his earthy scent, lost in his deep green eyes. She’s been here before. And she knows him now, wishes he would say her name.

Leaning in, his eyes begin to swirl, and she instantly finds herself in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by forest. Shepherd is nowhere to be found. There’s no fear of being alone, but she’s confused as to how she ended up here and why the dream had changed. Howls in the distance pierce the silence but she still doesn’t feel concerned, instead laying on the grass so she can admire the stars that litter the night sky. Everything feels calm as she listens to the wolves, still far away. The breeze is light but strong enough to sway the leaves into a lullaby. Laurel breathes in deeply, meditating on the beauty of the colors and the sounds of nature.

A twig breaks nearby, and she looks toward the direction she heard the sound. She can’t see anything in the tree line but knows that something is there watching her. Standing slowly, she keeps her eyes trained on the trees.

Eyes, deep green and black, come into focus as they move closer to the clearing. Slowly, a large wolf steps out of the forest. The owner of the beautiful and soulful eyes. He is a magnificent and powerful beast. His top half is mostly silver with a snowy white lower half. His nose is silver, and his ears stand perked up straight. He slowly stalks towards her, cautiously. She doesn’t even consider running away. She’s not afraid somehow.

She hears another twig crack and her concentration on the wolf in front of her is broken. Wolves line the forest all along the clearing, studying her. None of them appear scary. She senses that they’re not here to hurt her. They respect her. They love her even.

She turns her attention back to the regal wolf, now standing in front of her. He’s so tall that his face is almost equal to hers, and he leans toward her. She meets him halfway, her hand reaching up to run her fingers through his fur. Their joined gaze is broken as he lifts his head to howl. The wolves in the clearing all join in as Laurel looks around her, smiling and proud.