Chapter 18: The Dream of Shadows Anna POV

I needed a sanctuary more than ever tonight, and the deep woods provided just that. I felt as though every step I took farther into the forest separated me from the mayhem at the Nightshade Pack. My thoughts were muffled by the rhythm produced by the rustle of leaves overhead and the sporadic snap of a twig beneath my feet.  

With my shoulders bent as if to support the weight of my thoughts, I stuffed my hands deep into my pockets. The cool air bit my skin, and the ground was spooky with shadows from the crescent moon's dim glow.  

I saw a glimmer of movement ahead. When I recognized who it was, my stomach turned.  

Lucas.  

He was looking at something in the dirt while crouching close to the base of a tree. Abruptly, his head raised, and our distant gazes locked.  

My heart leaped into my throat as I froze. His dark features were still distinct, and his intense gaze was fixed on me.  

No. Not right now.  

I pivoted on my heel and strode rapidly in the other direction.  

"Anna!" he exclaimed.  

I continued.  

"Wait, Anna!" I ignored the sting of branches scraping against my arms and accelerated my pace even though his voice was closer now.  

"Just give me some space!" Over my shoulder, I yelled.  

There was silence for a while. He was still standing by the tree, observing me with an expression I couldn't make out when I turned to look back. As I moved deeper into the forest, his figure shrank until it vanished into the darkness.  

Slumping against a tree and allowing the rough bark to press against my back, I discovered a clearing encircled by tall pines. I didn't care that it was colder here at night. I couldn't feel anything else because my mind was too full and my emotions were too raw.  

Leo's last words were a reverberating echo in my mind. Anna, you don't realize how much you are. Your ancestry... your fate...”  

I tried to ignore his voice by clenching my fists, but it only got louder. What was the meaning of it all? He told me everything before it was too late, but why couldn't he?  

I looked down at my wrist, where the faint mark pulsed like a heartbeat and glowed softly. I had noticed the same symbol engraved on a tree in the forest. It was the same mark Lucas had seen.  

Who was I?  

The idea tore at me, pulling me into a pit of uncertainty and anxiety. I had been nothing for years—an omega, an outcast, a nobody. Now, though, it felt like there was more. I didn't understand something.  

I gazed up at the stars while leaning my head back against the tree. Every glimmer of light served as a reminder of how insignificant I was in the vast and heartless sky.  

Small... but not powerless.  

The idea was alien and bothersome, yet it took root in my head. I gritted my teeth and wouldn't consider it. I had no power. I was only Anna.  

The hours went by quickly. My feet carried me wherever the trees led me as I aimlessly wandered through the forest. With every step I took, the questions in my head became more pressing, like an insurmountable burden.  

I fell to the ground in another clearing when the fatigue got to be too much. The typical rustle of leaves and cricket chirping had vanished, leaving the forest eerily silent. The woods seemed to be holding their breath, anticipating an event.  

The damp earth felt cool against my skin as I curled up under a tree. As I closed my eyes and hoped that sleep would help me forget about the chaos inside of me, I could smell the scent of pine and moss.  

Like a ripple on still water, the dream started out quietly. The grass was gently swaying around me as I stood in a golden-lit field. There was a slight scent of wildflowers in the warm air.  

Then things changed.  

I was no longer alone. I was taller and stronger than others. There was a strange power in my limbs, and my hands glowed a faint golden light when I looked down.  

Oliver was kneeling on the ground in front of me, his head bent. He spoke in a tremulous voice, but his words were distorted and unclear. Wolves were arranged in a line behind him, their heads bowed.  

Lucas emerged at my side, his eyes unblinking and steady. He also had a sense of unity and resolve that was different. Here, he wasn't the enemy. There was something else about him.  

I stepped forward and felt the ground beneath me change as if it were reacting to my movements. I spoke loudly and authoritatively, but the dream drowned out the words.  

Once more, the scene changed. As the golden light dimmed, darkness took its place. I was alone again, and the wolves had left.  

My heart thumping against my ribs, I woke up with a start. The forest remained dark, with the glimmer of dawn barely penetrating the horizon.  

My mind was spinning with confusion, and my skin felt clammy. The dream had seemed so real, so vivid. I could still feel the weight of the command in my voice, the power pulsing through me.  

Was it something more, or was it merely a dream?  

I looked down at the mark on my wrist, which seemed to be reacting to my thoughts by glowing slightly.  

I could no longer ignore this, whatever it was, and whatever I was.