The Wolves of Wullferg Keep

Chapter VI - Lupe

A/N: Hey I know there's a chapter missing but it's one in a different POV so it doesn't currently affect the flow of the story. It will be written eventually!

Emily was dreaming. She often dreamt, and was quite good at remembering them once she woke up. Tonight it was about her parents. When she was younger, dreams like this were vivid and painful and always ended with her parents in the final grips of the fever. Skin pale with horrible bloody sores spattered across their faces. Eyes wide and wild as they saw things that weren't really there.

But the dreams were different now. They were almost like memories of happier times--though they weren't completely happy. Emily could never get a clear look at her parents faces and everything was dim and faded.

In her dream tonight they were at Silverstone Lake. They had gone when Emily was ten. It was a day and half journey, but it had been worth it. It was the first time Emily had ever seen a lake, and to her it was the ocean. Her father had laughed when she'd asked if this was where he sailed. That was what Emily was seeing now. Her parents stood on shore while she waded, the two of them laughing and smiling. All she could really make out were their eyes. Bright and blue; blue as the sky and the sea. Waves lapped gently at her legs, the wind was quiet through the trees. It should've been peaceful. So why wasn't it?

She gazed across the lake, searching for her source of unease. Something was wrong. Out in the water, a sourcless wave began to rise. It grew closer and closer, towering above her, blocking out the sky. There was no more blue, only gold.

The wave hit. Emily wasn't knocked backwards. Instead she dropped to her knees as the crushing weight of the water overwhelmed her. She opened her mouth to scream. No sound came out but water rushed in. She was drowning. There was no one to save her--her parents had vanished in the flood and she had no one else besides them; no one. She was going to die alone; suffocated, overpowered--

Emily woke with a start. The horrible vision of endless gold had disappeared, but the crushing weight on her chest had not. It was the same weight that had dropped her to her knees when Dray had entered the hospital. But Dray wouldn't be in her room, he couldn't be.

Except he was.

He was perched in the chair under the window, head tilted back as he gazed towards the sky. The dreadful presence was rolling off him in waves.

What in Lethorglik's name is he doing here? This was quite possibly the worst thing that could be happening. Could she make it to the door before he noticed? Did he know she was awake? Will anyone do anything if I scream for help? The ruthlessly logical part of her mind had a ready answer. Even if someone was willing to help, could they? Dray was their Alpha after all.

She'd have to fight him herself. The only decent weapon was the iron poker, but that was across the room. Maybe if she moved fast enough--

Dray started humming. It was an eerie tune, made worse by its deep, rumbly pitch that every so often seemed more like a growl. He must not know I'm awake. But why was he just sitting there?

Emily shifted slightly, edging out from under her covers. Would she be fast enough? Would trying to fight be any help? Would it be better is she just--

Rage flooded her mind, pushing away her terror for just a moment. Never. No more waiting, she had the element of surprise for now. All she had to do--

Emily sprang out of bed. It took forever and second to cross the room. She heard Dray start, she had the poker in hand a moment later, she turned to strike--and stopped.

Dray seemed to have fallen out of the chair in surprise. He was frozen in a crouch, half in shadow. Something was... off. His eyes were gold; bright, shining gold and wide with confusion. Emily had seen his eyes gold before, but they were different this time. The pupil wasn't shaped like a human's--these were animal eyes, pure and simple. And this wasn't how the Dray she had met before would act; he had been sure of himself to a fault, abrasive, terrifying. And now he was slowly standing up and backing away from Emily like she was a feral dog.