The Rogue Alpha’s Claim

The full moon had come and gone, the effect it had bought had subsided, and the pack had gone back to their normal routine.

All except for Ariel.

Since they stepped into the new house, she had been haunted by a horrible dream, and falling asleep had begun to look like a chore for her.

The sleeping pills Kane had brought for her had been doing their job, but oftentimes she would wake up at night, her night dress soaked with sweat, and she would lay awake until the crack of dawn.

Sometimes, Kane would join in on her watch, but other times, he was too tired after working throughout the day and went back to sleep shortly.

And today was no exception.

Kane had promised to take her to see a seer if it persists till the weekend; apparently, those things exist in this world.

Ariel folded herself into a ball, the comforting warmth of Kane beside her reassuring her. She tried to stay awake, but she could barely keep her eyes open, and it didn’t take her so long to fall asleep.

Only it was short-lived.

***

“Ahhhh..” Ariel yelled her lungs out, her scream so powerful that it could wake the dead, and her sleeping partner stirred in his sleep, her screams waking him.

“Ari, what is wrong?” Kane mumbled, concern dripping in his sleep-laden voice. His hands reached for the nightstand, and he turned on the lamp. The golden glow illuminated the dark room, and he turned to face his mate. “Another bad dream?”

Ariel’s mouth opened slightly, her breath coming out in short pants. “I guess.”

“You guess?” The confusion was thick in his voice. Kane was worried sick about his mate; she had barely been getting any sleep, and neither had he. “Is it the same dream?” He asked, his voice still hoarse from sleep or the lack of it.

He had resolved in his mind that if this continued, he would have to tell her the truth. It was no doubt a sign from the goddess, and he would be foolish not to heed her commands.

“No. This was different.”

The dream hadn’t been as terrifying as usual, but the experience had been so real that goosebumps rose in her arms.

“Tell me what happened.” Kane asked, shifting closer to her so she could draw comfort from him.

Ariel had been running in the woods from Lord knows what, but she was sure she was on the run, and she couldn’t remember why.

It was at night because she could remember that the moonlight was the only source of light for her as she moved through the woods. She had been running until she collapsed on the floor from exhaustion.

Every part of her body was aching, and her mouth was dried, as she had been running for hours and needed water to quench her taste.

Ariel couldn’t remember what had triggered it, but it had started as an intense pain in her stomach. She had ignored it, dismissing it as hunger pangs; instead, she had laid on her back, watching the night sky.

But she doubled up in pain as it blossomed in her midsection, the intensity increasing with every breath she took.

Ariel had clutched the grass in her hands, looking for something-anything-to ease the pain that she was experiencing.

Someone must think it was fun to carve her insides out, and every cell in her burned.

Then it stopped.

The pain had vanished like the wind, and she had released a breath of relief, glad it was all over, although she was still confused about everything.

Then it happened again; the pain came back in all its fury, and Ariel went down on all four, her hands clawing her stomach for relief.

But all to no avail.

Instead, the pain continued to spread, licking every inch of her body. Her mouth had opened in a scream, but none was forthcoming, and she was quick to realize that she was trapped.

She was trapped in this unending pain when she heard a bone snap in her body.

Ariel wasn’t sure which part of her body it was; she hadn’t studied anatomy, but the rest of her bones began to break in rapid succession, leaving her no chance to fight back the pain.

She was lost in the throes of her pain, her body aligning and realigning as she was torn apart from the inside. Then it was all calm.

The experience was an out-of-body one; she was herself, yet not in her body, and as she looked down, she was met with a gray-colored paw for feet.

And this time, all hell broke loose.

Ariel had opened her mouth, mustering all the strength in her into the screams, and she was screaming her lungs out, and that was when she woke up.

“That is crazy.” Kane mused as he finished listening to her story. His hands shook beside him, and his mouth had gone dry.

He had to tell her the truth now; otherwise, if she found out, it would be more deadly. Kane opened his mouth to talk, but somehow the words were lost in the sea of his thoughts, and nothing was coming.

Thankfully, Ariel beat him to it. The poor thing was so traumatized by the dream that she wasn’t taking note of her surroundings.

“Do you know what is happening to me?” Ariel asked, her voice shaking despite how strong she appeared to be.

She looked down at her feet, wriggling them under the blanket. It was a crazy thought, but she had to be sure she hadn’t grown a paw overnight.

Kane drew her close, cuddling her to his body. “I wish I had an idea of what was troubling you; I would have helped. But I will continue to look for a solution.”

“Okay.” Ariel was relieved, but her voice was devoid of warmth. “But what exactly does this dream mean? Does it mean I will be a werewolf someday? Was I a werewolf before, or were my parents werewolves? It has to be one or the other.”

“I am not sure, darling. I didn’t meet your parents, and they are dead now. There is no way we can reach them and ask. Come on, it is still night, and we need to get enough sleep if we want to function properly tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Ariel allowed Kane to lower her to the bed, and she closed her eyes, feeling safe in his warm embrace, and this time she fell asleep till the next morning.

***

Ariel woke up to an empty bed. No surprises there; she had already gotten used to the fact that she wouldn’t be spending her waking moment with Kane.

But she didn’t mind today; she needed the space to think about what the next line of action would be.

Kane knew something; she had been having doubts about it before, but now she knew better.

He must have been thinking she was dumb, but she couldn’t miss the way he had avoided her gaze when she talked about her parents or how his hands shook beside him.

This was Kane; the man would never lower his gaze for anybody except when something was wrong or he was guilty.

She had to ask someone else, Ariel thought as she took a bite from the dry ass bread, not even bothering with butter or jam.

Kane was off the list, and Toby wouldn’t say anything.

That leaves only one person.

Ariel scrubbed her enamel hard, gargling her mouth with water as she finished, and she splashed water on her face before she was marching outside her room.

She headed downstairs to the infirmary.

The pack clinic was much bigger than before, with more bed space, and they had more nurses and even a doctor.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

If there was anyone who could help her, it had to be her. The woman had been in the pack since its inception, and she should know whatever Kane knows.

Ariel sighted her afar off, leaning over Nora and checking her vitals. The women were all smiling as they talked in low tunes, and Ariel’s heart bubbled with joy despite the lack of any in her heart.

“Hey Luna, what brings you to the infirmary?” Nora was the first to see her, and she waved her over, but Ariel gave her a tight-lipped smile.

“I came to check on you and see how you were doing.” Ariel replied, her smile genuine this time. She stood beside Nora, engaging in small talk, until she was through with her routine test, and Ariel pulled the other woman to the side.

“I need your help.”