8

The forest once more came to her vision and that howling wolf, the trees, the dirt. Everything was new, everything was so familiar. And that sizzle of awareness rushed through her. Adrian, he was here. She scent every speck of his wolf. It left that sweet scintillating flavor in her. But the forest stood empty around her. She walked on, leaves crunching under her feet. And there he stood, shirtless, his jeans hanging low on his hips he looked over the rest of the forest

from where the hill dropped down below him. She froze in her tracks, uncertain now, and knowing that the next steps she took could change everything.

Her quads were not letting her any know if it would be a good idea she ran from him when their sight meet. Doubt dominated her. 

But this was just a dream, wasn't it? What could a dream change?

He turned around and his eyes glowed that near yellow color before settling back to brown.

"What are you doing here?" Awe intertwined his voice, but no accusation.

"I should be asking you." She approached him, and though she burned with the fire of her desire, she found herself able to manage it this time. She rested a hand on his shoulder. She felt the urge to cuddle her arm around his core. As much as she envisioned her arm around him her feel quivered and she begins to feel sticky in between her thighs. 

He raised his hand to cover hers. "We are meant for each other?" The only thing he said and after which he said nothing else, turning back to the lookout. 

The wolf howled again. Adrian let go and took two running steps before he jumped up and disappeared from view. Andrea rushed up, but she couldn't see him. Instead, she saw a wolf running away. Andrea took off after it, branches flicking against her skin, scoring and cutting her as she ran. Her impulse was fully awake now. The running is normal to her and she would chase him to eternal. 

The wolf, Adrian, a part of her knew, ran faster, turning away and losing her from his path. She swerves as fast as possible at her fastest speed but it didn't change anything. The man she chased was more accustomed to the forests than she is. Her urge to sniff the man of her desire would turn to disappointment soonest. 

She sank on all fours, padding after him, bounding at speeds she couldn't imagine. The branches no longer bothered her, and nothing on the path stopped her.

The wolf howled again, it's a spirited song, singing of vitality, of love, of family. Andrea tossed her head back and howled with it. Her vision was a contract of the kind of love age felt when she met Morgan Freeman. She would believe this was different in every way. 

She woke with a start, the sheets tangled in damp strips all about her. All weariness had fled. 

Instead, Andrea felt invigorated, ready to run anywhere, climb mountains. Do anything. That feeling lasted for approximately ten seconds before she tried to swallow and felt exactly how dry her mouth was. She went to the kitchen and drank down an entire large glass of water, and then filled the glass once more to be sure. That didn't work so she took a glass of citric juice.

Though the lights flickered in her flat, outside was dark. She had slept the entire day away. But the sleep had done her well.

She entered the bathroom to wash her face and did a double-take when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. That mark was completely gone. To be sure, she rubbed at that spot on her

neck with the washcloth and there was no makeup residue hiding it from view. She chalked it up to some sort of weird thing with the antibodies fighting off her flu. It had been the flu, right? It must have accelerated the healing process.

Back in her room, she saw that she had four new messages and nearly a dozen missed calls.

Two messages from work, and two from a number she didn't recognize.The first: "Andrea, this is Adrian," she sat up straighter. "It seems like you left your license at the bar last night. Please call me back so I can get it to you." He left his number.

The second and third were concerned calls from Joyce. And she seemingly had cause for concern. After listening to the second message she checked the date on her phone. It was Friday

night. She went to work on Thursday, which meant she had been lying unconscious on the bed for nearly two whole days. She called Joyce back and let her know that she was alright and would be in the office on Monday.

And finally that last message. "Andrea, this is Adrian again." He sounded worried, far different than the businesslike tone of his previous message. "I need to speak with you as soon as possible,

it's important. Please call me back." This first message had been left just after she got home on Thursday, the last was only twenty minutes old.

What could be so important? They had never even had a real conversation, weird dream wolves notwithstanding. 

But he did have her license. Should she wait until tomorrow to call him or do so now so she could get her property back? She would need it for work anyway. Without analyzing her motivations too much, she dialed his number and waited as it rang. If he didn't answer it was no big deal anyway.

But he did on the third ring. "So you have my license?" She asked after his cursory greeting.

"Can you meet me?" Heat coiled through her at the sound of his voice, the memory of his lips. Oh, yes, she wanted to meet him. "At The Berge, at 9?"

"The Berge?" Was that what they called that place? Was he a member of a pack? Maybe she would ask?

"From Wednesday. Can you meet?"

It was clear to her that he wasn't looking forward to it. The least the man could do was pretend that it wouldn't be an obligation. But she agreed and hung up. She didn't have a lot of time to get ready. It sure felt like Tomorrow. The week would be run so fast for all she cared.