The room was in complete darkness, not even the tiniest sliver of light was able to find a way through the dense black.
The only sound she could hear was her own staggered breathing, a musky smell invaded her nostrils. To try and let her senses adjust to the oppressive gloom, she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.
A deep rumbling caused her to open her eyes quicker than she would've liked. Beads of sweat started to form on her forehead, physically exposing the fear she was beginning to feel.As if sensing her fear, the rumbling intensified. She squinted into the dark, although not clear she could've sworn that a pair of golden eyes had appeared.
Swallowing hard, her instincts were telling her to run, to get away from the ominious noise and the beams of light that seemed to glow brighter as the thundering growl increased.
Hands trembling, she tentatively reached behind her, trying to feel for an opening, a loose brick, anything that would give her hope for escape. The tips of her fingers shakily touched cold, damp stone, she continued to fumble along checking for a small difference in texture or temperature. Nothing
Panic and fear rose up in her throat like bile. The eyes were becoming clearer and closer as the growl intensified again. Now she thought she could see a glimmer of teeth.
Backing up as far as she could, she pressed herself against the wall, head turning sideways as she desperately tried to blend in.
She held her breath as the creature that the eyes belonged to inched forward. In her limited experience, having never shifted personally, this was not normal wolf behaviour. Surprise, speed and strength was what she was taught, this was something else altogether. This was torture. Whoever this was, was basking in causing her fear, soaking it up as if lying in the sun's warm rays.
A tear slowly traced its way down her cheek. 'This was it', she thought. No escape, no chance of survival. Who would miss her? Would anyone really care? The faint images of her parents swirled in her mind. Only them. She hadn't even come of age yet so hadn't had the chance to find her destined mate.
All these thoughts were making her feel more desolate. She had to accept her fate. The creature adjusted its posture, getting ready to pounce. She could hear its claws against the stone floor.
With one last deep roar, it leapt into the air towards her. Her scream deafened her as she squeezed her eyes tight and braced herself for the coming of death.
Just as she felt the hot breath and teeth of her attacker bearing down on her throat, it was gone. Her eyes opened wide and she sucked in a lungful of air.
The cold stone wall behind her was gone. She was in her bed, in her room. Safe. Talia cried with relief as she did everytime she had this dream. It was becoming more frequent. She longed to know what it meant.
How could she tell her parents about it. They would just fuss and worry. Talia didn't have a friend she could confide in, prefering to blend into the background and acting like she wasn't there.
Maybe it would become clearer when she turned 18 and met her wolf for the first time. Maybe.
Talia lay there for what seemed to be a long time, taking slow steady breaths and wiping away the tears she wasn't fully aware she had shed.
Glancing at her alarm clock on her bedside table, she noticed it was only 02:00. 'Urgh', Talia let out a frustrated groan.
Flipping her pillows over so the cool side soothed her slightly swollen face, she pulled her blanket over her head and silently lay there until she fell back into a dreamless sleep.
Talia was woken abruptly to a knock at her door,
"Talia... Talia darling, it's time to get up for school. Breakfast is almost ready.", Violet, her mother, called from the otherside of her door.Looking at the clock again it was now 06:45. She'd overslept.
"Just coming.... I'm getting up now.", Talia answered back quickly. Her voice was croaky and she didn't recognise it as hers.Throwing the covers off, Talia padded through to her bathroom and turned on the shower. As it was heating up, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes still had a slight puffiness to them but all other traces of her disturbed night seemed to have disappeared. She quickly brushed her straight, white teeth as she went in search of a towel.
Having found one, she threw her toothbrush in the sink and jumped in the now hot shower. Talia let the water run over her for a few minutes, letting it warm her down to her bones before washing her hair and body using her favorite banana shampoo and jasmine scented bodywash.
Conscious of the time, she went as quick as she could. Stepping out of the shower with a towel wrapped round her and one wrapped around her head like a turban, she made her way back into her room towards her wardrobe.
Talia grabbed a long sleeved, black and white baseball t-shirt, dark green skinny jeans and her black converse trainers. Simple with nothing that made her stand out. Just the way she liked it. Noone took notice of anyone that dressed this way.
After she was dressed, she rubbed her hair with the towel and ran a brush though the natural waves of her red hair. She scrunched the ends, satisfied with the way it looked. Her hair always looked like she'd spent a fortune having it styled like she'd spent the day at the beach.
A quick slick of clear gloss on her pink, pouty lips and a thin layer of eyeliner to highlight her big Hazel coloured eyes, she was ready to face the day again.Talia sprinted downstairs when the smell of freshly brewed coffee and bacon and eggs wafted up to her. Her stomach was growling with hunger.
"Oho... You would think that we never fed you", Lachlan, her father laughed as Talia slid into her seat at the table. He affectionately tussled her hair as he went to put his dishes away before he gave Violet a kiss on the cheek and headed out the door.
"You do look thin, Ali. It wouldn't hurt for you to eat more.", Violet's voice held a note of concern.
Talia wrinkled her small nose slightly as she grimaced at her mother's words. "Oh no, I eat plenty... Anymore and I'd end up sluggish and unable to train.", she piled her plate high with scrambled eggs, bacon and toast as if to prove a point.
She had a slim almost slight figure but she was strong and trained hard in her combat classes. If only she could be as strong in her dream, instead of a cowering wreck. She sighed a little at this thought.
"Are you OK Ali? Is there something you want to tell me?", Violet's mothering instinct was spot on even though she wasn't Talia's biological mother.
"I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well.... Worrying about the exams coming up. I really want to pass so I can go to college...", she faded away before finishing this sentence. Violet got quite upset everytime Talia going to college was mentioned.
"It's OK Ali, of course you want to do well, you've always studied hard. Don't mind me.", sniffling, Violet turned her back to her adopted daughter, who's entry into their lives was like a ray of light and hope. The thought of her leaving, even for college, left a void in her heart.
Talia washed down her food with her coffee before standing up and saying, "I'm gonna be late... Love you", she gave Violet a quick hug and ran out the door.
The conversation flowed easily throughout the meal, like they had been old friends catching up after a long absence. They had moved back to the loungearea infront of the fire, stomachs fit to burst after three courses of delectable food. Mila had brought through a tray of coffee which was appreciated by everyone. Lounging around enjoying the comfortable chatter, Brodie hardly took his his hands off of Talia. He was always touching her in some small way, currently his fingers were playing with the soft, silky curls of her hair. Talia had been explaining to Brodie's parents about her plans to become a doctor, her inherant desire to help others when she started to feel odd, losing focus, her words refusing to form as she continued trying to talk. She went silent, her eyes rolled back in her head as her body started convulsing before suddenly going still. The panicked voices of everyone else in the room sounded fuzzy and far-away to Talia as if she was li
Talia was still sniggering as she got out the shower and headed back through to her room. She had heard the pair of them but decided to not let on, plus she needed some time to calm down from almost nearly moment Brodie and she had. If her mother hadn't come home, who knows how far it would have gone? 'Oh you know.', her wolf answered her. 'We can't let them mark us until your birthday. Fool around all you want but do not mate him before then.' 'I didn't intend to but is there a reason why?' Talia thought, not sure if she would get an answer. 'Can you tell me your name please?' 'There is no reason apart from the strength of the bond we will share. When I am fully with you, the bond we make will be one the strongest our kind will have ever seen and my name is Rieka. 'No pressure then!', Talia whistled as she glanced over the clothes on her bed. She dressed quickly, a little self conscious at how much her bra pushed up her boobs betwee
Talia linked her parents to let them know that they would be eating with the alpha family tonight, shutting it down rapidly again to drown out Violet's squeals and ramblings. Brodie was still wiggling his eyebrows at her, causing her to giggle with delight. She took his hand and led him up to her room. "I know exactly what we could do.", with a coy grin she led him over to the bed and sat him down on the edge. Brodie gulped audibly as Talia bent down in front of him, her tight ass on show for him, through her skin tight jeans, causing his own trousers to tighten at the sight. Brodie longed to touch her, palm her firm cheek but he couldn't work up the courage before Talia had righted herself with a backpack in her left hand, hooked by one finger. "You could help me study?", she was trying to keep the humour she felt off her face, to appear innocent, which was proving to be very difficult. "S..study? You want me...to help you study?", Brodie looked as
The room was silent and still. Brodie had stopped talking sometime ago and now they all were just sat like statues lost in their own thoughts. It would have been an alarming sight for anyone walking in and witnessing it, like time had been frozen within the walls of the room. Mila was the first to shake herself free of the trance that the heavy atmosphere surrounding them had created. She stood and walked to the window, one arm around her slender waist, the other propped up by it at the elbow, resting her chin on the back of her long fingers. She stood, staring out into the grounds and beyond that to the vast forest, her expression neutral. A small grin tugged at her lips and a warmth glinted in her eyes as her head turned towards the men, her body following on. "I think that we should meet your mate, Brodie. I'd very much like to get to know my new daughter.", Mila's smile grew as she spoke happy that her son will have a strong Luna. She wasn't at all sure w
Brodie thought about what Talia had read to them and if there could possibly be any truth in it as he walked back to the packhouse. He believed she was special, she was his mate, but for her to be directly decended from not only the first wolf but the Moon Goddess as well was mind blowing. He thought about the stories that he was told as a child. He recalled something about the first wolf had became enranged that there was now a superior line of wolves and he, feeling that he was the alpha of all wolves, set out to destroy them. The tale that Talia had read was a watered down version designed for children, where as the more mature version was a lot darker, with more death and destruction and less happily ever after. Brodie's mind and heart was heavy as he walked through the packhouse doors. He would have to bring his parents up to speed with everything but felt like he was betraying Talia, in doing so. debating with himself, Brodie concluded that if there was
"Did you really think that would work? Wolves, remember?", Lachlan pointed between his wife and himself. "We have excellent senses.", He looked amused rather than annoyed, which made both Talia and Brodie visibly relax. Lachlan chuckled at pair of them. "It's okay, you're both adults, well almost, and you are mates. Sleeping is easier, isn't it?". Talia wore a tight smile. She would've agreed if she hadn't ended up in another one of her dreams. She took Brodie by the hand and led him to the table, intending on getting coffee for both of them but he turned the tables and gently pushed her into a seat and went to get the drinks instead. Her heart fluttered, such a small but sweet gesture, sent tingles running through her entire body from the tip of her toes right up to her head. "Thanks.", she smiled sweetly as he handed her the cup. The four of them sat at the table eating a breakfast of mushroom omlettes. "Do you either of you know if being born under