The Alpha's Daydream ✔️

Chapter 8

Shadows continued dancing on her ceiling, and the morning couldn't come fast enough for Ariella.

Now, as she sat in the sunlight under the oak tree, she almost laughed at the tension she'd felt the night before. It seemed silly in the morning, how scared and angry she'd been towards him. When they'd first met, what had she expected from him, an unknown stranger? Why did she think their souls would instantly meld together and he'd whisk her away to live in perfect bliss?

She'd seen the darkness in him. He wasn't all good. He might have shown a flicker of tenderness toward her, but he was a stranger. Had she really expected him to invite her home to become part of his family? To become part of his pack?

With these thoughts to console herself, Ariella eased her lips into a smile and prepared for Fire Night. Determining to enjoy herself, she helped her mom pack the salads she'd made for dinner and then walked towards the pack grounds with both parents. Nothing would diminish her excitement of tonight, she thought as the autumn leaves twirled down around them from the trees.

The path was glowing with the last rays of the sun, and happy voices of other pack members floated along the afternoon breeze to greet them. Every month on the new moon, the members of ForgedHearts Pack gathered in the valley by the lake and shared a meal around a large bonfire. It was a chance for the wolves to relax, fellowship together, and enjoy the good times they now had. Life wasn't always easy, and they'd been through so much together, but Fire Nights were a chance to forget their worries and celebrate being alive and well.

It was a time Ariella always looked forward to.

As they made their way down the final hill and saw the large bonfire taking shape under the logs and branches that were thrown onto it, Ariella spotted Gabby and Luci across the clearing, laying food on the dinner tables, and waved. Before she could run over to join them however, a hand gently grasped her elbow.

"Ariella, don't you look beautiful this evening," a young male wolf called Max flashed her a charming smile.

"Umm..." she stuttered, finding herself looking up into warm green eyes of the youthful wolf her age. She had been to school with Max, and grown up with him yet always found it difficult to speak to him. He was one of the handsome, athletic and smart boys who always drew the attention of every girl, and basked in it. He was elite, while she felt like a nobody. Why was he talking to her now?

"I picked this flower for you. Thought it would match the colours in your hair," he tucked a pale pink carnation behind her ear, and the sweet scent filled her nostrils even as his smile filled her stomach with butterflies. Normally too shy and nervous to even approach Max and his group of friends, Ariella couldn't help the blush stealing across her cheeks and the surge of confidence in her heart as he rubbed her hand gently.

"You look so beautiful... so dreamy," he whispered before stepping back. "Dance with me later?"

"S-sure. Thank you," she called after him, before being tugged away by Gabby and Luci.

"Oh my goodness, what was that all about? What did he want? I can't believe he gave you a flower! I always did like Max," Luci prattled and gossiped, while Gabby just shook her head while watching him chat to his friends.

"Never trust a guy with a side part in his hair and a sappy gleam in his eye. He's never up to any good, my brother says," Gabby gave her bit of advice.

"It's no big deal. Everyone just knows I love flowers," Ariella played it down, though she had to admit that the carnation matched her floral dress perfectly, and the way Max had smiled at her was definitely endearing. The perfect thing to take her mind off the stranger whose mere touch caused sparks to jump and her heart to leap.