Chapter 10. A nightmare
Completely ready to escape all the turmoil, I happily closed my eyes, ready for sleep. I had almost forgotten about everything that had happened, until I was pulled out of my slumber by a whisper.
"Hey, pssst, Akira."
My eyes fluttered open as I stared at Cece. "What?"
"I’m bored, can we play?"
I shook my head. I was too tired to play. "It's time to sleep..."
"But I’m not tired," she pouted, her yellow eyes shimmering innocently. Of course, she wasn't tired, freaking cat.
"Try to sleep, we can play games tomorrow..."
"Shhhh, we are all trying to sleep here!" Danny suddenly growled from her corner, her voice a tad lower than usual.
As if she couldn't even hear the redhead, Cece happily babbled on. "What do you guys do for fun?"
I groaned as I pressed my eyes shut. I was tired, it had been a long, stressful day. I couldn't believe how long of a day it actually had been. I just wanted to sleep. "Can we not talk tomorrow?"
"Yeah, be quiet," Darren chimed in and I seriously suspected he was looking for a rock to throw at the Puma.
"So, where are you going, Akira?" Cece inquired, totally ignoring all the glaring eyes prickling in her back. It was like she couldn't even feel them.
I groaned, deciding I didn't have the energy to keep debating with her. Answering her questions was probably easier. "East," I muttered vaguely, hoping it would shut her up.
"The East? You don't happen to be heading towards Coyote Country, are you?"
A collective groan was heard as if the whole group just knew what the next question was.
"I can guide you if you want. I know how to get there," Cece happily chirped in, as she twirled her long hairs around her fingers. She seemed totally oblivious to the angry snarls she was receiving from Darren and I wasn't sure if she was just pretending to piss him off even more.
"Of course you do, you traitor..." I heard Danny mutter under her breath, but loud enough that everyone could hear it. She tended to do that a lot, now that I thought about it.
"What? Coyotes like me," the Puma innocently smiled, looking far too happy with the bow she made from her own hair.
"Can we just stop the bickering and go to sleep? If not for me, then for Regan. He needs rest." I proposed, a heavy sigh escaping from my lips. I really wasn't in the mood for more fighting.
"Sure. But am sleeping with my knife under my pillow."
Darren's grumble was followed with a snort.
"You always sleep with your knife under your pillow. Am surprised Danny hasn't gotten jealous yet," Aspen mocked, earning him a growl.
“You’re the one that made the call to keep her alive. And now she is sleeping in our cave. Excuse me for being a little bit sceptical," he sarcastically called back, as he angrily threw a little rock against the wall.
"Watch your tone."
"You watch it."
"Guys!" Danny called out, knuckling Darren over his head. "This is not the time, nor the place."
I threw the redhead a grateful look and mouthed a quick thank you. She was right. The tension definitely was running high, even for this group.
With a grumble, Darren demonstratively placed the knife under his head, while Aspen let himself fall down next to me.
Somehow there was an unspoken agreement that we slept in two piles of people. Danny and her men and me with my... Twins... Yeah, go me. Hurray. Totally not awkward.
I briefly feared Ashleigh wouldn't join me tonight, not after how my wolf had turned on her. A sigh of relief escaped from my lips as she seemed to be done thinking and let herself fall down on my other side.
Danny kissed her three men good night and my wolf briefly wondered if I wouldn't be able to get a situation like that going. Maybe my wolf wouldn't mind after all... Maybe...
As I felt my eyes grow heavy and my mind fuzzy, I pondered it over one more time. Maybe...
Maybe one day...
Maybe...
One day...
Maybe...
I felt two soft hands glide over my thighs, gently, like they were almost afraid to touch me. They were followed by a breath that sent shivers down my spine and goosebumps to my skin. I felt the hot air travel up my legs and I sucked in my own in anticipation. I pressed my eyes shut, not daring to move one inch. Just a little bit more...
But right before the mouth reached my core, a second set of hands touched my legs.
What?
My eyes shot open as I bounced up.
"Why do you get to touch her first?" Aspen's voice reached my ears before I could make out the scenario in front of me.
The twins were both sitting on either side of me, each with one hand on my thighs.
"I’m her first mate, aren't I? I get first dibs," Ashleigh argued, as she slapped her brother's hand away.
"No fair, I got here first."
"Only because I let you."
"Please, you couldn't catch up with me even if I hopped on one leg."
"I could take you down with one hand behind my back."
"I could satisfy Akira with one hand behind my back."
Ashleigh snorted loudly as she pulled one of my legs towards her. "I doubt you could satisfy her, even if you had both your hands at your disposal."
Aspen tugged on my other leg. "I don't even need my hands to have her trembling underneath me."
Another snort left Ashleigh's lips. With another tug, she pulled her leg closer to her again. "Trembling in disgust, perhaps."
"Guys..." I tried to interject, but my words got lost in between their bickering.
I felt another tug. This time it was Aspen again. "No, trembling from all the pleasure."
"Guys?"
Ashleigh pulled again on my one leg, her usually beautiful smile turned into an angry snarl. "Get your hands off of her!"
"You first!" Aspen countered as he yanked my other leg towards him.
"Let go of her!" Ashleigh yelled, her nails digging deep into my skin as she grabbed hold of the leg on her side.
"Never!" Aspen growled back, his hands engulfing my thigh as he yanked just as hard.
Without any warning, the twins suddenly tore my legs open, my skin splitting as needles of pain jabbed deep into my body. "AAAAAH!"
With a loud gasp, I shot up from my bed. Well... My spot of ground. I felt beads of sweat dripping from my forehead as my heart was almost pounding out of my chest. I buried my fists deep into my sockets as I tried to rub the sleep out of them.
It was just a dream, Akira... Just a dream...
I looked at the two bodies curled up on either side of me and felt my heartbeat slow down as both the siblings were soundly asleep.
Just a dream... But that was a hard no to sharing...
"You okay?"
I turned my head towards the direction of the whisper. I gave my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness as I tried to identify the voice. Danny or Cece?
"You were groaning loudly. Are you alright?"
Cece... Definitely Cece. Danny always slept like a rock. And I could hear the soft snoring that had become almost familiar and soothing.
"Yes... Just a nightmare..." I whispered back, as I let myself fall down on my furs. Just a dream...
"Want to catch some fresh air?" Cece softly proposed and from the muffled sounds, I could hear she was already getting up.
"Sure..." I muttered, pushing my furs away as I slid away from the cuddly twins. Getting out from their embrace was probably not a bad thing.
The air outside was cool and refreshing on my skin. The full moon gave the trees a long, dark shadow that would've scared me if I hadn't grown up at the border of a forest.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
I turned around as Cece emerged from the cave, her long hairs shimmering in the moonlight. She was wearing a slightly skimpy dress that barely covered up her chest. Not that I noticed.
I shook my head, loving the cold wind grazing over my bare skin and blowing through my legs and arms. It almost washed away the memory of hard fingers and nails digging into them. Even though it has been a dream, I could swear I felt the marks they had left behind.
"Full moons are always bad news," Cece muttered from behind me, suddenly standing surprisingly close to me. Her one hand gently touched my hip, while the other snaked around my waist.
A little alarm bell should've gone off in the back of my head, but for some reason, the sound barely registered.
"Are you hurting?" the Puma whispered in my ear, her hand gliding from my stomach down to my thighs.
I knew I should've said no, but I could feel my head shake yes.
"Want me to make you feel all better?" Cece purred, her fingers pulling the fabric away as they grazed over my bare skin.
This time, the alarm was loud enough. I knew this was wrong. I needed to stop her. I didn't want this.
But even with that thought in my head, I barely managed to move my pinky. I was frozen. Frozen to the spot. All the while, Cece's fingertips gently ran over the soft skin of my inner thigh, her breath hot on my neck.
"Relax... This won't hurt... Much."
Stop.
"You might even enjoy this, Akira."
Ashleigh...
"Who knew you were so easy to manipulate?"
Aspen...
"Helping out strangers, tsk tsk tsk, not the smartest thing. Didn't your parents teach you better?"
Help.
She let out a hoarse, breathy chuckle that despite everything, sent a twinge down to my core. What was happening to me?
"Oh wait, silly me. Your parents didn't teach you anything. They didn't want you," Cece darkly grinned, her tongue toying with my earlobe.
I could feel her soft hand slip between my thighs. She was so close to touching my core. And I should be stopping her. But I didn't want to... It felt so nice... So soft. I wanted her to touch me. I wanted her to... Stop... I should stop her. But maybe just a little... No... I... Stop...
... Ash.
A loud howl echoed out of the cave and then suddenly everything happened in a flash. A whirlwind of black fur shot before my eyes as I felt my body snap out of the spell I had been under. A high-pitched scream filled the cold winter's night but was quickly drowned out by the loud growls and snarls from wolf attacking her.
Ashleigh.
She came. She came for me.
By the time I managed to turn my body and look at the fight happening in front of me, the Puma was clawing furiously at my mate, while the black wolf was angrily biting down on the girl. Both Cece and Ashleigh were covered in blood, but I couldn't tell whose it was. They were both so badly wounded, I wasn't sure if that could've happened in what I thought was only ten seconds. How long had I just been standing here? Why was my body so sluggish?
Come on, Akira. Move. Move!
I dug deep into myself, panic arising when I felt my empty chest. What was this? Where was my wolf? She was always here. She had been here for as long as I could remember. Where was she?
Where was my wolf?
I felt around again, panic crashing over me like the waves of the untamed ocean. Why was my chest empty? Where was my wolf?
No, this couldn't be... This couldn't be right. This couldn't be true either. How could she be gone? Could Cece...?
Mate.
As if someone suddenly turned all the sound of the world back on, the real noises of Ashleigh's fight suddenly attacked my eardrums. An ice-cold howl froze the blood running through my veins as I saw the blood pouring out of her side.
Ashleigh.
The black wolf bared her teeth and as the moonlight reflected on her razor sharp canine teeth, suddenly everything moved in slow motion. I trailed Ashleigh's deranged look in her eyes and ended on Cece's bare neck. I suddenly felt myself move like I still wasn't in control of my body.
My arms snaked around the warm pelt of the wolf and with a strength that wasn't my own, I pulled Ashleigh off of Cece.
She snarled and howled as she knew well enough I had just ruined her kill. But I didn't care. As much as I was disgusted and shocked by Cece, I couldn't let my mate taint her soul by killing someone, even if it was to protect me. Especially not to protect me.
"Ash, please calm down!" I called out to the wolf thrashing in my arms, her blood hot as it splattered against my cold skin.
Right in front of our eyes, Cece jumped up on all fours as her eyes had turned into slits. She hissed loudly as she circled us, waiting for the perfect moment to attack the wounded wolf. The dress that barely covered anything up before the fight, was now torn to shreds. Blood was pouring out of a gash on her chest as it drew red lines on the forest floor.
The sound of multiple running footsteps found my ears and without even having to look, I knew the rest of the group had come to my aid.
They were here so suddenly, Cece didn't have time to flee. I didn't even have time to wonder who would reach me first, as the second wolf this evening flashed in front of my eyes.
Aspen.
A loud howl and a cry mixed in the night as more blood splattered over me. This time the blood was Chesca's. Aspen had torn out her throat without the slightest hint of hesitation.
As the coppery smell of her blood finally seemed to hit my nose, I felt my stomach churn as I stared at the lifeless body in front of me. His kill had been so swift and efficient, she wasn't even twitching anymore.
She was gone. Dead. Cece was dead. Aspen killed her.
This time, my stomach did more than churn as for the third time, bodily fluids splattered against my skin. Bile. My own bile.
Aspen killed Cece.
I tried to catch my breath, but that one thought kept running through my head. Even if it was to protect me, he had just killed someone.
I caught his dark eyes and as they bore deep into mine, I remembered seeing the same darkness the night before when he had attacked Chesca for the first time. And as that moment replayed in my mind, a thought crept up on me that I couldn't seem to shake.
What if it wasn't just to protect me...?
"She had it coming," Regan muttered, his words almost lost in the eery wind blowing through the group of people.
The blood still fresh on the cold ground, the smell of his kill wafting through the night. I felt goosebumps on every inch of my skin as I stared in front of me. The wolf had disappeared and a man was standing in his stead. A man I hardly recognised.
Aspen's hands were balled into hard fists, veins popping from his arms. His breathing hard and shallow, like he had just run a marathon. Sweat was dripping from his forehead to his cheeks, where it mixed with the splatters of blood. His hair was wild, his body tense, his eyes deranged.
This was not the man I knew.
I felt myself crawl back, mostly out of fear. Two soft arms wrapped themselves around my torso and a chin rested on my shoulder. A soothing voice murmured in my ear. "I'm here... Don't freak out."
Ashleigh.
She almost must've shifted back. I hadn't even heard it. Cece's last scream blocked it all out.
I stared appalled at the lifeless body in front of me, the last of her blood gushing out of her mangled throat. Another wave of nausea hit me as I saw her dead eyes glazed over and without meaning too, I puked again.
I had never seen a dead person like this.
No, that wasn't right. I had seen dead people before. At funerals, in suits and coffins. I had never seen a person killed before.
I stared back at Aspen. His teeth were grit and the hard lines on his face had completely wiped away his young and carefree look. He was every bit as terrifying as you'd expect an outraged Alpha to be.
Danny carefully broke the invisible circle we had all made and briefly touched his shoulder. Like she was zapped by electricity, she yanked her hand back and took a couple of steps back.
She turned towards all of us, a saddened look on her face as she gently shook her head.
I looked at the rest of the group, only now truly registering there were more people here than Cece, me and Aspen.
Danny's reaction was clear. Compassion. But I wasn't sure for whom. Regan's face was emotionless. I couldn't tell if he was disgusted, or appalled, or even happy or proud. Darren's face was equally as hard to read, but he couldn't hide what was in his eyes. They looked empty, but behind the glaze, I saw a shimmer. He was relieved. I turned to JP and was almost glad when I saw how shocked he was. At least one of them felt the same as I did.
Ashleigh's embrace had turned into a gentle caress, but as comforting as she felt, I didn't dare look back, afraid of what I would find in her eyes. I had already lost one twin tonight, I didn't want to lose another.
I looked back at the man standing in a pool of blood. He was almost frozen to the spot, blood trickling down his arms as it fell in drops from his fingers. The wind blowing through his hair was the only thing convincing me he hadn't turned to stone.
A voice caught my attention. Danny.
"Help him. Please."
She must've seen the confusion in my eyes as she nudged towards Aspen. "He'll lose himself. Please, help him."
"H..." My voice wasn't working. How do you talk?
I cleared my throat, drawing in a breath of cold air. "H-How?" I managed to stutter.
"Pull him out of his trance. You’re his mate, you should be able to do it."
"I..."
She impatiently cut me off. "There is no time to explain, please. The wolf will take him. You need to get up and snap him out of it."
Not caring what I would find in Ashleigh's eyes, I finally dared to turn around and meet her gaze. To my relief, her piercing blues were unchanged and with a reassuring nod, she gently helped me up.
"You can do it," she gloomily whispered in my ear, nudging me towards her brother.
I felt the whole group's eyes on me as an unknown kind of desperation hung in the air. What if I couldn't help Aspen?
What would happen to him?