Way of the Wolf: Redemption

Chapter 14 ~ A Chance

Chapter 14: A Chance
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I was running through the same forest that always appeared in my dreams. Something was chasing me. Something big and dark that smelt of death and rot. It had fear coiling around my body and panic kept me running. As always, the shape eventually catches up. A pup was no match for whatever the creature was.

A young male voice called a name I should have recognised, fear coating its tone. I kept running, beginning to feel icy breath on the back of my neck. There was a flash of a face that was maybe once known to me but the darkness kept coming. Arms around my waist, sharp pain slicing down my throat. Suddenly the ground disappeared from beneath my feet and I was falling.

A splash, my body sunk deep beneath rushing water. I flailed, opening my mouth to take a breath but all the filled my lungs was more water. My chest burned, panic forcing me to take another gulp of ice that felt like fire in my veins. I was going to die and I screamed.

My eyes flew open, fear clinging to me when I felt how raw my throat was. A face was looking down at me and I struggled, fighting against the hands that had mine pinned by my head. A sharp inhale brought familiar scents to me and as panic receded, the Beta's face came into focus. I stopped thrashing to go limp, panting hard, trying to convince myself there was air to breathe.

Slowly the weight came off me and the Beta sat up. My eyes zeroed in on the scratches that crisscrossed his chest and I choked at the reality of what I'd done. Yet he didn't look angry, if anything he looked terrified. I pulled my legs to my chest, sitting up too while trying to make myself as small as possible.

"You had a dream like that the first night. Was it the same one?" His tone was gentle as he settled beside me again.

I turned my head away from him, resting my chin on my knee. "Yes."

"I can't help if you don't talk to me, Freydis," he said, brushing hair away from my face.

Closing my eyes, a little tension melted away at his touch. I decided to lie back down too, tucking one of the furs beneath my chin. Shifting so we were face to face, he waited calmly for me to gather my thoughts. But for some reason I couldn't bring myself to tell him. Something told me if he knew what memories took over my sleep, it would change things between us even though I had no reason to believe such a thing.

"It's just a dream. It doesn't mean anything," I mumbled.

He gave a sad smile at my lie but he nodded anyway. I watched as he settled down to sleep again, waiting until his breathing evened out. There was no urge to bury myself in the dark, I was entranced by the male in front of me. I reached out hesitantly to trace my fingers over the tattoos that crept up his shoulder. His skin twitched beneath my touch, a small murmur slipping from his lips.

I knew every inch of him by sight now. Every rune, symbol, animal and swirl, like a map of his life in his skin only I couldn't understand it all. That urge to see how the tattoos were done rose again. I was pack now and they wanted me to contribute. But what could I contribute? I couldn't hunt, not until Madden deemed me fit enough, I couldn't sew, or use a loom, I was messy at skinning animals. Each wolf seemed to have something they were particularly good at. What did I have?

Sol had offered me a place with him. Could I get over my wariness of him to do something I felt I'd enjoy? The thought of one day adding a tattoo to the sleeping Beta had my wolf puffing up inside. I wanted to be able to do that for him, but that want also terrified me.

I rolled over, giving my back to the male who was changing who I thought I was. I'd kissed him. I'd kissed him and wanted so much more. A smile crept to my face when I replayed the moment he'd pledged himself to me in front of the pack. I hadn't really understood it at first, I wasn't sure what I was doing when I'd accepted him, but when he'd stuck by my side throughout the stress of meeting so many unknown wolves, I began to understand.