Chapter 44: The Dream-

Sofia pov:

A woman held two lifeless children, her body wracked with sobs. I felt her pain, her anguish, as if it were my own. The air was thick with the weight of grief, and I couldn't breathe.

People surrounded her, their faces etched with sorrow. A man stood above her, his eyes cold and unyielding. "It's your fault," he spat. "You made me do this."

The woman held the children tighter, her screams echoing in my mind. "How could you!" she wailed.

Someone approached her, trying to take the children away. She held them tighter, her body shaking with sobs. "No, don't take them!" she screamed, her voice raw and broken.

I jolted awake, my heart racing, and my body drenched in sweat. It was just a dream, I told myself, but the pain lingered. I'd had this dream every night for the past week, and I still had no idea what it meant.

I asked my wolf, but she just said, "With time, you'll understand."

I didn't know what she meant, but the dreams kept coming. And I never saw anyone's face – only the dead children's faces, haunting me.

I tried to sit up, but something was holding me back. Damian's arm was wrapped around me, his chest rising and falling with his gentle breaths. We must have fallen asleep watching a movie.

"I admire his shirtless body, which is covered with tattoos and tribal marks on his chest. His very handsome sleeping face... My mate is a very handsome and beautiful man. Maybe that's why every woman wants to steal him away from me. I carefully removed his arm and slipped out of bed, padding to the kitchen for a glass of water. The cool liquid soothed my parched throat, but it couldn't calm my racing mind.

Why was I having these dreams? And who were those children?

I was lost in thought, I didn't even notice Damian approach me until he touched my shoulder. I jumped, startled, and he immediately wrapped his arms around me. "Hey, calm down, it's me," he said, his voice soothing. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

He gently turned me around, and his eyes widened as he saw the tears streaming down my face. "You're crying," he said, his voice full of concern. "What is it?"

I tried to brush it off, but he wouldn't let me. "It's nothing," I said, my voice shaking. "Just a bad dream."

Damian's expression softened. "The same dream?" he asked, and I nodded.

He pulled me into a gentle hug. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, his voice low and calming.

I shook my head, not ready to relive the memories. "Not yet," I said, my voice muffled against his chest.

He nodded and held my arms, his eyes locked on mine. "Come on, let's go back to sleep. We have to wake up early for training tomorrow."

I smiled weakly and stretched out my arms. "Carry me to the room?" I asked, and he chuckled, scooping me up in his arms

I woke up to the sound of my alarm, groggily opening my eyes to find it was almost 6 AM. I had slept deeply, surprisingly. Turning over, I realized Damian wasn't in bed. I figured he'd probably gone to the training ground, not wanting to disturb me after my rough night.

After a quick morning routine, I put on my training outfit and headed downstairs. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee hit me, and I followed it to the kitchen. Damian was there, looking sexy as ever and all mine.

"Lately, I've been having an overwhelming urge to let Damian mate and mark me, my wolf, has been holding back, saying it's not time yet. I don't understand why she's hesitant when the wolf side of us is naturally inclined to accept and love our mates. Damian and I are bonding well, but she’s been holding back from bonding with storm. She barely even reacted when we are with Damian, unlike how she should've burned with instinct. I'm confused and frustrated.

"Good morning," I said, "I thought you'd left already."

He smiled, walking towards me. "Got up early to make coffee for us before training," he said, handing me a cup.