The Name I Shouldn't Know

AVA

There were no similarities between this one and the other three.

I wasn’t the nine-year-old Ava. I wasn’t in a forest. And my parents were definitely not here either.

This time, I stood in what looked like an abandoned garden that looked too neat to be wild and too neglected to be cared for, as I scanned the surroundings for anything familiar.

Until I noticed my clothes.

I was still wearing the oversized T-shirt and shorts I’d gone to bed in... I mean, I couldn’t recall the specific details from my past dreams, but I knew I only got them a year ago from the pack's hand-me-down collection.

Didn’t Ralia and I agree that the dreams were just fragments of my imagination?

How then could I be dreaming of something that didn't exist in my nine-year-old memory?

Before I could process the situation, a gust of wind swept past me, nearly knocking me off my feet as seven large wolves burst into the clearing. One after the other, they prowled cautiously, tension in the air as their eyes watched carefully, waiting for the slightest movement.

The hackles on their backs stood up, as well as the hairs on their skin and with one glance at their size, I knew: These weren’t low-ranking wolves.

They were looking for something.

Or someone...

But I was sure that whichever it was, this wasn't going to end well. One of them stepped towards me, its massive snout just inches from my face.

I didn't dare to speak. Or move. Or even breathe...

My heart hammered in my chest as I prayed I wasn't their target.

He took another step forward, its bright yellow eyes meeting my lifeless grey ones, and I swear I almost died of a heart attack.

Surely they couldn't see me, right?

What was I even doing here?

Did I really sleepwalk into another pack’s territory? I wasn’t a sleepwalker, for crying out loud so what was the meaning of this?

My mind worriedly churned with a thousand questions as I held my breath.

I'd never experienced a dream so... vivid... so real...

This wasn't how I imagined my night would go... I'd gone to bed confidently expecting tonight's dream to be a recap of the wonderful session with my mates that I could barely get off my mind. It was why I silently waited all through the day, enduring more than I would without breaking.

All for this moment... yet my mind found another way to play tricks on me.

Whatever was in those medications Ralia was giving to me needed to be checked because they weren't working.

Finally done with his assessment, he sniffed once, twice, then let out a soft whine and turned away. I nearly cried out, a shaky exhale escaping my lips as my shoulders slumped in relief.

The tiny part of my brain that was still working finally kicked in as he brushed past me, and I remembered this was a dream...

That’s why he didn't see me.

god... How could I have forgotten?

I inhaled shakily, giving a quick glance at the rest of the group, but the feeling of relief didn’t last as a crunch of leaves behind me made me turn, and another wolf approached. He looked significantly larger than the rest, but the blond colour of his fur stood out, and in a split second, the tanned figure of a man stood in his place.

He stood tall and broad, his hair, a shoulder-length wavy one, identical to the colour of his fur. Like most wolves, he was completely unbothered by his nudity and with a jerk of his head, he instructed.

"Shift,"

It was just one word, but it carried so much authority that the air itself seemed to obey. Without delay, the rest of the wolves shifted in sync, revealing men with similar builds and heights, which only confirmed my previous theory about them being high-ranking wolves.

"Did you see anything?" The blond-haired man asked, but it wasn’t directed at the group. His eyes were locked on one man in particular, who immediately stepped forward.

"No, Beta Thorne."

Beta...

My pulse quickened.

I shouldn't be here...

"We scouted the entire area as told, but there’s no one here."

The Beta frowned.

"That’s not possible." He paused. "That shouldn't be possible. He said that—

His unfinished words trailed off into a string of curses.

Who said what?

My brows furrowed in frustration as I strained to hear the rest.

Who were they looking for? What were they doing in my dream?

I needed answers for my next therapy session. Ralia always said to take note of every detail. It was the only reason I hadn’t bolted already, despite the fear twisting in my stomach. But the Beta said nothing more. His eyes held a faraway look, fixed on something in the distance.

And just like that, the atmosphere changed. The air turned thick and heavy with tension as a strange scent of earthy rain and mint filled the air, nearly suffocating...

I didn’t know what was happening or where I was, but I could feel the weight of power.

Power like I'd never felt before. Power that wasn't either of the men's before me.

Breathing grew harder. My chest tightened. I shouldn't be able to feel this so well... not when I had established that this was nothing but another one of my many weird dreams.

Does this mean something's wrong with me?

Before I could answer myself, the Beta’s strained voice pierced the silence.

"Alpha is here."

He sounded...regretful. Like it was something he’d tried to prevent but couldn’t. The temperature dropped instantly, and I wasn’t the only one who shuddered. From the corner of my eye, I saw the others glance at each other nervously... and then, one by one, they subtly stepped back.

A flicker of understanding pushed through my own fear.

Was their pack also as cruel and unfair as mine?

Deciding it was better to prepare for the unknown, I darted behind a tall oak tree, my stomach twisting into tighter knots, not caring if no one could see me. Right now, hiding just felt... right.

I waited, expecting the sound of approaching footsteps to announce the entry of the said alpha, but to my surprise, a cold, commanding voice shattered the silence.

"Thorne."

Everyone, except the Beta, dropped to their knees, their heads bowed in complete submission. My breath hitched.

"Alpha," The Beta replied, his voice trembling under the pressure. He was clearly struggling not to collapse under the weight of his Alpha’s presence. "You didn’t have to come," he continued. "There’s no one here."

I held my breath, waiting for a response, but all that echoed was,

Silence.

It stretched for a while, and I began thinking they had all left until,

"Really?" A low, deliberate word.

The Beta sighed. "Yes. I personally joined the search."

To be honest, I was the only one here, but I knew they couldn't see me, so who exactly were they looking for?

The Alpha hesitated, then,

"Everyone, leave."

Wait, what?

But the wolves were already moving as if they’d been waiting to hear that command since he arrived.

"I’m telling you we searched," the Beta argued. "You don’t need to do this yourself."

"I want to."

There was something in the Alpha’s voice that made me pause. It didn’t sound like a man asserting dominance. His voice sounded... troubled.

Why?

Taking a deep breath, I turned like the rest, ready to slip away, when the Beta spoke again,

"Kael..."

I froze.

Kael.

That name... I’d heard it before.

But where?

I didn’t get the chance to remember as a low growl echoed through the clearing.

"That's enough, Thorne. Leave."

The command left no room for argument... and this time, the Beta exhaled, a look of resignation crossing his face as he stepped away, vanishing into the night. At this stage, I still hadn’t seen the Alpha’s face, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to anymore.

There was nothing more to see, and I’d just taken my first step when his next words stopped me.

"Not you—

In a blink, he was in front of me.

"Show yourself."

Holy sh*t.