Something Inside me

Soren's POV 

“Get out of my head.”

I muttered it to the empty room the second my eyes snapped open. Sunlight cut through a narrow window and hit my face. My neck still ached from last night, but that was not what had me sweating. Dreams had chased me all night. Warm hands on my skin, deep laughter, a kiss that tasted like safety. None of it belonged to me.

I sat up fast on the small bed in this side room attached to the alpha’s quarters. The door looked solid. I tried the handle anyway. Locked. Of course it was. My fists pounded on the wood before I could think better of it.

The door opened almost right away. Rhydian stepped in, looking rough. Dark circles under his gray eyes, hair messy like he had run his hands through it a hundred times. No sleep for him either.

“You are awake,” he said, voice low and tired. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it.

I stayed on the edge of the bed, rubbing my eyes. “You kept me here all night. What now? More staring?”

He crossed his arms and watched me. “Tell me about your normal days. What do you do from morning until you drop into bed?”

I let out a breath. “I check the outer trails early, write down anything odd, bring notes to the main house. Then I help with supplies or whatever small job needs hands. Nothing exciting. Why does that matter?”

He nodded slowly, pacing a few steps. “Any changes lately? Feeling off? Headaches, strange thoughts, anything?”

My fingers tightened on the blanket. A warm pulse started behind my ribs again, like something waking up. “Nothing worth mentioning. I get tired faster some days, but who does not? Pack life is hard.”

Rhydian stopped pacing and looked at me closer. “You hesitated just now. What is it?”

I opened my mouth to brush it off, but words tumbled out instead. “There is this scar on my side. It has been there forever, but last night in the dream it felt… important. Like it meant something big.”

His whole body went still. Those gray eyes locked on me hard. “Show me.”

I stood up quick, heart racing. “No. This is weird enough without you looking at my body like some puzzle.”

“Soren,” he said, stepping closer. His voice dropped. “I need to see it. Please.”

The please caught me off guard. I backed up until my legs hit the bed. “Why? It is just a scar from when I was a kid. Fell on some rocks or something. I do not even remember exactly.”

Rhydian ran a hand down his face. “Elio had a scar in the exact same spot. From a fight years ago. Same shape, same place. Show me or I will check myself.”

Heat rushed to my face. I hated how my hands shook as I grabbed the bottom of my shirt. “Fine. But this does not mean anything. You hear me?”

I lifted the fabric just enough on my left side. Cool air hit my skin. Rhydian moved in close, eyes fixed on the thin white line that curved under my ribs. He did not touch me, but I felt his breath. The moment stretched out too long. My pulse hammered in my ears.

“Impossible,” he muttered finally. His voice sounded rough, almost broken. “Same angle. Same length. How do you have this?”

I dropped my shirt fast and stepped away. “It has always been there. I told you. Stop looking at me like I am stealing from the dead.”

He shook his head. “You do not understand. That scar came from protecting me. No one else knew the details. No one.”

I swallowed hard. The warmth in my chest grew hotter, pushing words up my throat. “Maybe it is a coincidence. Or maybe you are seeing what you want to see because you miss him.”

Rhydian laughed once, short and sharp. “Miss him? I buried him, Soren. I washed blood off my hands for hours after. Do not talk about missing him like you know what that feels like.”

“I do not,” I shot back. “But I know what it feels like to wake up scared that something inside you is not yours. These dreams last night? They felt real. Too real. Like hands on me that I never felt before.”

His eyes softened just a fraction. “What happened in the dreams?”

I hesitated. Part of me wanted to shut up. The other part needed to say it out loud. “Warmth. Safety. Someone holding me tight after a long day. Laughing about stupid pack stories. It made me feel… loved. Then I woke up and it was gone.”

Rhydian looked like I had punched him. He turned away for a second, shoulders tight. “That sounds like him. Exactly like nights we spent together.”

Before I could answer, the main door to the quarters burst open. A scout rushed in, breathing hard, eyes wide. “Alpha! Rivals crossed the east border in numbers. They are pushing toward the ridge. We need you now.”

Rhydian cursed under his breath. He grabbed his jacket from a chair. “Stay here. Guards outside. Do not try anything.”

He headed for the door, but I moved without thinking. My hand caught his arm. The touch sent another flash through me. Words came out soft and urgent, in a tone that did not feel like mine. “Watch your left side out there. They always come from the blind spot. Come back in one piece.”

Rhydian froze. He stared at my hand on his arm like it burned him. Slowly he pulled away, eyes full of pain and confusion. “Do not do that. Do not sound like him.”

Then he was gone. The door slammed shut behind him. I heard guards take position outside.

Alone again, I slid down the wall until I sat on the cold floor. My head dropped into my hands. That is when the memory hit full force. Not a dream this time. Clear as daylight.

I saw Rhydian and Elio in a quiet clearing under moonlight. Rhydian laughing low, pulling Elio close by the waist. Their foreheads touching. Elio whispering, “You always worry too much. I have you.” A soft kiss, full of years of trust. The kind of love that felt unbreakable.

My eyes stung. I was not Elio. I was Soren. But the memory sat in my chest like it belonged there.

“Get out of my head,” I whispered again, voice cracking. “I am not you. I do not want this.”

The warmth answered with another gentle push. Images of Rhydian’s rare smile, the way he relaxed only in private. It felt good. Too good. Terrifying.

I pressed my palms against my eyes until spots danced. Outside I heard distant howls starting. The fight had begun. Rhydian was out there because of me, because of this scent, because of whatever nightmare was unfolding inside my body.

I stayed on the floor, breathing fast, trying to hold onto who I was. Soren Vale. Low rank. Nobody. But the whispers kept coming. And part of me, a growing part, wanted to listen.