CHAPTER TEN

“Rachel!” Lance says as he meets me under the moonlight in the woods, well away from the pack determined to destroy us.

“Lance,” I whisper, as he gathers me in a hug. “I’m so glad to see you. I can’t tell you how crazy everything has been. But you’re safe. You’re here with me.”

Except, he’s not really here with me, and a deeper part of me knows it.

Still, I dream about Lance the whole night. I dream about running away with him, I dream about leaving the pack behind forever.

In these dreams, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life. It seems like he’s right there with me. I can touch his warm skin, inhale the scent that intoxicates me. I rest my head against his chest and am strengthened by his heartbeat.

Unfortunately, I wake in my bed. I’m still with the pack that now despises me. My wedding and my birthday draw closer. Lance is being hunted. He might be dead by now.

No. He can’t be dead. I’m certain that somehow I’d feel it if he were dead. I’m not sure how. I still don’t understand the strong ties that bind us together.

Still, I feel in my soul that he’s alive. He’s out there. But I can’t get to him.

I close my eyes, desperately trying to slip into that world of dreams again, but it’s no use. There’s no way I’m going back now. I have to face my fate.

“You should be excited!” Cassie says, her brown curls bouncing as she helps me with the alternations for my wedding dress. Her gold eyes glow with the kind of excitement I wish I could muster.

“I know it’s been tough for you,” she continues. “But things will get better. You’re getting married to the Alpha! It’s every girl’s dream.”

Not mine though, of course. I was already nervous about the marriage before. The fact that I hadn’t felt that tug to him as my mate put me on edge. But at least before, I hadn’t met Lance. I was open to the likelihood that Sebastian was my mate.

Now, I know better.

“I am excited,” I say. Cassie is my only friend left in this pack. I’m not about to drive her away by confessing my feelings for Lance. “I’m just tired, is all. Overwhelmed.”

“This is all a lot,” Cassie agrees. “Just the dress choices you’ve had so far are daunting. Only the best for our future Luna though. Isn’t that nice at least?”

“It is,” I say, as I look away from my dress. I don’t want to face the fact that I’ll be marrying Sebastian in this dress. This is all wrong. I need to be with Lance.

“Come on,” Cassie urges. “It’s going to be amazing. Just look at yourself.”

I face the mirror in the way I’ve been avoiding all this time. I close my eyes again quickly.

It is beautiful, that’s the worst part. The white silk fits my body perfectly, while the lace is the delicate touch that drew me to the dress in first place. Green buttons speak to the forest I love so much. I knew when I saw the dress, it was perfect.

It still is perfect, it’s just the groom that doesn’t fit quite right. If only I could switch him out, I could truly have the wedding of my dreams.

My heart hurts as my breathing hitches. My soul begs me to run away. I can’t go through with this. I just can’t.

“It’s going to be okay,” Cassie says, touching my shoulder. I open my eyes and face her deep concern, just before she hugs me.

That simple hugs means everything in a time when it feels like I have no one.

“You have to pull yourself together though, okay?” she whispers in my ear. “If you don’t, you’re going to get into big trouble with the pack and with Sebastian.

“Think of what they almost did to you. What they want to do to you. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you.”

Of course, I have to keep that in mind. Sebastian has reluctantly put up with my hesitation towards our marriage so far. That won’t last forever though.

“Why don’t you take a break,” Cassie suggests as she steps back. “I have this great book I’ve been reading. Why don’t you take it with you into the forest.”

“That’d be great,” I say. Anything to get out of this dress.

I slip it off quickly, grab the book Cassie offers me, then take a deep breath of the fresh air as I walk into the forest. I don’t go far. They’ll get suspicious if I do. They’ll come after me.

I do need a break from them all though, so I go as far as I dare and sit under a tree. Pine needles watch from above, promising to alert me to any intruders that might be coming my way.

I open the book up to the page Cassie has been reading last. I’m surprised to find it’s a book on mates, magic, and old werewolf rituals.

There’s some speculation if any of this stuff truly works, but it is fascinating, so I delve into my reading and come across something interesting.

It’s a ritual in which power can be transferred between two werewolves. Power that can be transferred between two mates.

It gives me hope for a moment. Maybe I can use it to get out of this awful predicament I’m in.

As I continue reading though, I’m disheartened. It’ll work if it’s done between an Alpha and his Luna. I doubt I’ll have much success getting Sebastian to do this with me, just so I can use his power to run away.

I close the book as my heart fills with dread. Lance is out there, being hunted to death. I’m about to be married to a man I don’t love. And there’s no waking up from this nightmare.