"Get her."
Was the last thing I heard before I turned around and started my sprint back to the pack grounds.
The look on their faces alone as they turned to me was enough to have me sprinting to the hills.
I shuddered as I remembered their faces, which seemed more vivid than any other part of my dream.
It was like a pack of lions looking at a lamb in the middle of a desert during drought.
Too much?
Well that's how they looked at me.
I had to fight my way back through the thick bush which just seemed to cage me in now. Holding me back.
The twigs were literally strangling me as I pushed through.
I fell out of the bush cutting my palm open on a sharp rock, but I paid it no mind. I hurriedly got back on my feet and started running.
I literally shifted in a second and manoeuvred my way through the dense forest.
I couldn't hear the sounds of footsteps approaching me but then again, none of them were touching the ground when I saw them now were they?
That thought just seemed to add more fuel to my sprint.
I was seriously hoping they wouldn't just pop out of nowhere.
Fear spiked my limbs and made me add more speed to my run.
The journey didn't seem half this long when I was on my way here.
It seemed to be elongating.
Spots began clouding my vision, the fear of what I saw getting the best of me.
I got clear out of the forest and nothing was behind me.
At least I hoped so.
Then I allowed my wolf to guide us back home.
When I had officially made it to the pack grounds I found a tree to shift by and put on some clothes.
I leaned back against the tree to catch my breath and soothe my burning lungs. I slowly slid down the tree, the rough bark digging into the flesh of my back but I couldn't care less.
What had I just seen? Were they witches?
They seemed like.
I sat there trying to recall and analyse what I had seen. I couldn't make sense of it.
And each time I closed my eyes I saw them, a burning memory etched into the very core of my mind.
Then I woke up.
But even now, as I shut my eyes, I could still see them clearly.
And I started having a bad feeling.
All five women suspended in the air.
Reciting some awful ear piercing chant.
And their eyes. Oh goodness.
They really did seem like witches.
And they don't seem like the friendly kind.
What had they been doing?
Some form of ritual maybe.
But they had nothing there.
What were you expecting? A fire and some ancient book and a goat ready to be slaughtered?
Maybe...
But they mentioned 'blood of the Alpha.' I distinctly remembered that.
My heart stopped when I recollected that gruesome moment.
They wanted blood.
Why on earth was I dreaming up witches that wanted blood?
Have I been watching too many movies these past days? I mean, the television is always on, but I was never really paying attention to what was happening.
What did it mean?
And what could they have meant by Alpha's blood?
They couldn't possibly mean... I hoped not.
Maybe another Alpha.
My whole body actually shivered at the thought of witches using Damon as a sacrifice.
And I wondered why I was getting so worked up about a dream. It was just the effect of too many movies jumbled up in my mind.
I brushed all the thoughts off and decided to get started on my day, the sun was already peeking at me in the sky.
A sharp pain in my lower abdomen suddenly rang out through my body and I bit back a scream.
What the hell?
I had doubled over in bed clutching my belly trying to soothe myself.
My fingers were digging into the material of my shirt feeling it start to subside.
It literally knocked the air out of my lungs.
The pain went as quickly as it came and I was okay again.
I sat up and composed myself.
What was that? Cramps?
Weird, I thought as I moved to stand up, I brushed it off.
I pulled the blanket off of me and paused.
Is this what I slept in? I don't own these things, and in any case they were ill fitted. Khaki shorts and a black vest that were not my size. And as I shifted I also noticed that they were definitely not comfortable night wear. Why was I in this?
A knock came at my door.
"Uh, come in?" I said still a bit distracted.
Latifah poked her head in and smiled at me. I smiled back at her.
I hadn't seen her like this in a while, whenever she'd come into my room I'd be buried under my blankets thanking her for food I didn't want, food I didn't eat.
She stepped in. "Good morning, I trust you had a good run? I'm glad you're finally stepping out of the room." She told me walking over to my bedside and retrieved an empty dish from there.
An empty dish?
"And you're eating now." She said looking slightly relieved as she smiled at the empty plate she held in her hand.
Eating? I ate that? Or whatever was on it? When?
"Wait, run? Oh, yesterday." I was still a bit groggy from sleep so I'd been a bit slow in remembering things. "Yeah it was alright." I shrugged a bit trying not to recall the latter stages of our run yesterday. I'm still trying to make sense of it.
"Oh that's good, but I meant your morning run." She smiled. "I was already awake in my room when I saw you return a couple of minutes ago, in training attire." She said and gestured to my dressed form lying in bed. "You did go for just a run right? Like you did with my son yesterday?"
A run.
From which I returned a couple of minutes ago? I was out of the house?
I swallowed.
"You did go for just a run, right Adriane?"
She said getting slightly worried. Her thoughts probably straying far at the thought that I had left the house for other purposes than running.
I turned to her a gave her a small smile. "Ah yeah, my morning jog, I wanted to clear my head. Damon convinced me yesterday that I needed to get out and shift more often."
She smiled at me, the relieved look back in her face.
"That's good. Anyway, since I saw you, I wanted to come and check up on you and find out if you wanted anything in particular for breakfast?" She instantly started mothering me again. I had kind of missed it.
She also cleared the dirty dish and tray from my room to which I insisted I wanted to get rid of myself, but she just waved me off saying that she wants to take care of me.
"Have a shower and come downstairs will you?" She smiled at me opening my door.
Still a bit distracted with my thoughts, I simply nodded at her with a partial smile. The she stepped out.
I took a deep breath.
Okay, calm down. Calm down.
This wasn't making sense.
Last night after we returned, what happened?
After we arrived at home Damon had locked the doors and asked me not to step a foot out of the house.
My guess was that Latifah was already asleep in her room so it was just left with the two of us.
He had refused to answer any of my questions on the topic, telling me to 'Please drop it Adriane.' Then he went upstairs.
I remember seeing the full dish in my room as I stepped in, but I was exhausted and just took a shower and fell on my bed.
Then I woke up from said 'dream'.
The food eaten, my clothes changed and Latifah saying I returned only a couple of minutes ago.
I pressed my hand to my forehead in frustration. And when I did, I realised I was screwed.
I looked at my left palm and at this point I wasn't even surprised at what I saw. Slightly dirty, with dried blood stains and an almost completely healed cut on my left palm.
Oh crap. It wasn't a dream.
Now more than ever I wanted to remember everything from my dream. Wait, not a dream.
I jumped out of bed realizing that it wasn't only my palms that had been a bit dirty. My whole body was marred with dirt here and there, and now also my sheets.
I'll have to do laundry, but later though.
Right now I needed to remember everything that had happened.
But the memories seemed to be fading from my head the harder I tried.
Blood.
They said they wanted blood.
Alpha blood.
Oh no. Was it Damon?
Is that why Damon had been in such a rush to get out of there yesterday? Was he scared for his life? That made so much sense.
He should have just told me.
I didn't want to wrap my head around the fact that he could actually be in danger.
The whole thought of Damon made my body heat up.
I suddenly became angry.
I growled.
And I realized my wolf was getting worked up about the imminent threat to our mate.
You bet.
I felt like just heading back into the woods to rip all their heads off.
That would be a dumb move though.
To do that I first need to be able to see them and then be able to catch them.
If what I heard was right and Damon could be in danger I have to do something. I needed help.
Evelyn.
The pack's witch.
I had to go see her.
I know that there are good witches out there but that shouldn't lead you to believe that they are all good.
And these ones I had seen seemed anything but good.
Hopefully Evelyn could give me some answers.
I would have to see her as soon as possible.
I took the sheets and the blanket off the bed seeing that I had made them dirty. I removed the pillowcases as well and bundled them all up in my arms and was about to head to the bathroom to put them in my laundry basket when I saw Damon.
He was standing by the door that I hadn't heard open since Latifah never actually closed it.
He had an accusatory look on his face as he looked at me.
"You went back there?" He growled at me.
How long has he been standing there? Had he been awake all this time listening in on my thoughts? Or probably just my conversation with Latifah?
"Uh, I-" I wasn't sure of it myself, but it seems like I had. I didn't want to meet his eyes.
"Adriane- " he started, his voice getting loud but he stopped himself. Quickly looking around, he stepped into my room and shut the door behind him.
"Adriane, I told you to drop it. That place is dangerous. Why did you go back there?" He was trying to yell undertone, to make sure Latifah couldn't hear us I'm sure. He was getting angry. But I could see in his eyes, he was a bit alarmed as well.
This must be more serious than I thought.