𝖘𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖘 • 𝕿𝖍𝖊 ℌ𝖔𝖇𝖇𝖎𝖙

PART 15 || BAD DREAMS

"If this was meant for me,

why does it hurt so much."

☾

A/N A little gore warning for this one x

Cara's pov

Was this real? The feeling of leaves beneath my feet. The people passing by. The children playing by the elders. Could I be home?

The sun sparkled through the trees warming my skin. This was home. It had to be. All the hours of thinking of my haven and here I was. My father smiled at me from our house. He looked younger. Rose was there.

No she was beside me. We were sitting in the meadow eating sweet cakes and fruit. The first butterflies of the year had arrived. There's some on my hands. I don't think I've held a butterfly before.

"Cara?" She's so quiet. She sounds upset.

"Hhmm?" The butterflies are so pretty. Tortoiseshells and peacocks. So pretty.

"CARA!" Her scream broke me out of my daze.

My head whipped towards her so see her crawling backwards. Her dress is torn. She's not looking at me. My eyes follow her line of sight. I gagged trying to hold down the contents of my stomach or my stomach itself. His body lay there. Shaking. Blood flowed from his neck where I had sunk my teeth in. He tried to speak but it all came out in gurgles. I tried to cover my mouth to stifle my cries but noticed the butterflies...were gone. Or were they even butterflies to begin with? Torn skin littered my arms and back from the fight. His blood caked my hands and face. The flesh in my mouth. I spat it out, heaving trying not to throw up.

I struggled to my feet and ran. Water. I needed water. Somehow I tripped barreling into a river. Deeper than any I had ever swam in. I sunk so far struggling for breath. Why could I not breathe?

Air ripped back into my lungs as I jolted awake.

Sweaty and panting, my jittery hand reached out for Rose instinctively, but I retracted it seeing she was fast asleep. Her form rose and fell from the shallowness of her breaths. I pulled the blanket over her shoulders to keep her warm. I knew I shouldn't wake her. She doesn't need to worry.

I hadn't had disturbed sleep in a long time, but memories plagued me. Memories of my past. Listening to Rose breathing was calming and I hoped it would ground me. That day haunts us both for different reasons. Although I don't think she knows how much it frightened me. How scared I am off myself.

As my breathing calmed I gently got out of bed, limping a little and placed a robe around my shoulders. The chill in the air nipped at my exposed skin. I could feel my wolf vibrating within me. She was clawing at her confines begging to be let out. She had a taste of blood from figment of my sleep. And she wanted more. Or at least...I think she does. I can't read the impulses.

I could feel the ache of my wound still throbbing. Checking it could wait. There was still some water left in a basin and it was cold, so it would do. I dipped my hands in and dabbed some on my face in hopes of calm myself. It didn't work. Cara pull yourself together this is ridiculous! I've been in control for so long, I'm not about to fly off the handle now.

Oh but yes I was.

My nails dug valleys into the dresser that held a mirror. My once goldenly-green eyes shone disturbingly. Dark veins filled my skin. The infection was gone but something had been awoken in me. Something old and forgotten. I had to get away from Rose. Her safety is my number one priority and I wasn't sure what my wolf wanted but it would certainly not end up being her.