Quiver

19

"What is that?" My father asked, eyeing me with barely concealed disgust.

"I think that's suppose to be Rori, hun," My mother responded, her eyes softer, but still openly staring at me.

I had shifted for the first time in front of them. I had begun to panic when they told me this was normal, but once I'd shifted completely they started staring and questioning one another. I whimpered in my wolfish skin.

"That... that is not my daughter. Lupus do not look like that. She's a monster!" My father shouted, a snarl upon his face.

My mother gasped, her eyes welling with fear and tears. "Don't say that!"

"It's true, love. I mean, look at her. We can't keep her... they'll kill her anyways... It's best we go," My father said and he roughly dragged my crying mother away.

I tried to follow, but my paws remained stuck. I began to feel frustrated, my heart raced. I didn't want to be left alone and they were leaving me. They were leaving me alone again! I let out a howl and suddenly everything shifted.

I was no longer the same age. I was little, only five. Tears raced down my cheeks as I stared at my mommy, gushing blood while her eyes turned lifeless. I glanced up into the eyes of the one who had murdered her, he cocked the gun, I flinched assuming I would die. It was almost a relief I could join my mommy and daddy. Instead the murderer pointed it at his head, whispered his apology and shot himself.

Blood sprayed my face and I found myself screaming, aching, hysterical.

Not again...

**

I gasped awake, clutching my throat to keep from screaming out loud and struggled to blink free of the blood that danced in my mind. I had a nightmare for the first time in about a week, this one involving my parents... something that hadn't happened in so long. I didn't know tears were falling until I heard them plunk! onto the comforter. I went to lift my hands to wipe them away when gentle fingertips beat me to it.

"Rori," Roman whispered in the darkness, his eyes finding my own glistening ones. "What's wrong?"

His words were my undoing, a sob escaped my mouth and suddenly tears were trickling down my cheeks. I was pulled softly into Roman's chest and he rocked me gently while I let everything out that the nightmare had caused. Between the nightmare, being studied in Lupus form by Bree and the stress of trying to fit back into the pack I just couldn't remain solid anymore.

Apparently that didn't matter anymore, not to Roman. Instead he held me steady, murmured sweet words and kissed the top of my head. He let me cry until I couldn't cry and when I'd finally hiccupped to a stop, he didn't press what was wrong again. He merely waited for me tell him myself once I was ready.

I sucked in a soft breath and in a hitching tone began to explain my awful nightmare and added that the stress was starting to eat at me. I told Roman that I wasn't too sure things were improving. I had felt they were until the bítches spoke...then I wasn't too sure. I didn't exactly want to give up, but I just didn't know what to do.

"Keep going, Rori. We'll get there. We have to. Who else will help us take down Claire and the Jaecars? Elliere and ourselves can't do it alone," he murmured, squeezing me tightly.

I sniffled, pushing back my ashy blonde hair and straightening myself some in Roman's large T-shirt as my emotions finally leveled out while my mate's words settled in my mind. He was right of course, I needed to keep trying, to keep going. Already some of the pack members were more at ease with me, soon they might all be. Everything took time and I needed to remind myself of that, this wasn't an overnight deal nor a few days deal. It would take awhile.