After the lunar goddess turned her back on her children, the wolves of the modern world have had to adapt. Artificial mating bonds were created and many young wolves are now arranged to mate with those selected by their elders. As is the case for Ba...
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My nightmare starts as it always does, Mom and I sneaking through the woods, trying to lose the hunters chasing us. But this time is different. This time I know it's a dream. That's never happened before.
Yet even though I know I'm stuck in this sleep-induced memory, I can't change anything. Everything I do and say happens as it always has. It's as if I'm on autopilot while my mind screams for my younger self to do something, anything to change the course I know I'm heading.
But it's no use. Mom still sacrifices herself, the hunters still kill her only to hunt me down moments later, and I still fall down that stupid hill, injure myself, and come face to face with that mysterious boy in the trees. Even our running from the hunters with me thrown over his shoulder and finally tossing me to safety happens exactly the same.
From my spot on the ground, I watch as the hunter fights to keep his hold around the boy's throat. As always, the two of them struggle, neither one willing to give up. The glowing, green-tipped leaves of the jade tree beside them illuminates the strain on both of their faces.
Seeing the boy fight for his life, I can't help but be hit with a wave of familiarity and not just from my dreams. The way he moves and the aura around him, I know I've seen him somewhere before. But neither my fourteen-year-old dream mind nor my eighteen-year-old conscious mind can put the puzzle pieces together.
"I'll kill you and all the monsters like you!" the hunter snarls with hatred.
The boy's eyes widen with fear before his features twist with a wild rage. Growling louder than I've ever heard, he flings the man off his back so hard the hunter flies through the air and hits a tree. Quickly, the boy rushes towards me and the safety of the jade tree boundaries, making sure to crouch close to my side while still putting himself between me and the man.
The hunter gets up, as usual, staggers, and then his burning beady eyes land on us. He roars like a mad man and rushes towards us only to slam into the invisible protection of the jade trees. He goes flying once again, slamming into the same tree before his body slumps with unconsciousness on the dirt ground.
An unfamiliar breeze blows past the hunter, the boy, past the trees around us, rustling their leaves. It's this small gust of wind that changes the atmosphere around us, twisting and shifting the energy in the air. Things become clearer and feel more real, more substantial.
Instead of looking towards the moon with thoughts of Mom and guilt as I normally do at this moment, my body begins to tingle from my head to my toes. Looking down at myself, I find my body is changing. My wavy onyx hair grows longer, reaching past my chest, which is also growing. When the sensation ends, I'm taller, slightly, mature curves and the hint of muscle has replaced my younger, scrawny frame. I'm me, as I am now, dressed in the same silk blue pajama shorts and top I had put on before bed.
Testing this new change, I get to my feet, no longer on autopilot and having complete control of my movements. A rush of relief floods my insides.
