The Alpha's Burning Flower

Chapter 2

The Dream 

Annabella POV 

I’m walking in a forest. It's dense and there isn’t an edge in sight yet I don’t feel lost. Something about this place feels familiar, the smells, the breeze, the light through the leaves. It all feels familiar, it all feels right. I sigh, content with where I am as I continue to walk aimlessly through this unknown yet so familiar place. 

Suddenly, I hear the sound of leaves crunching under something very large. I feel a hot breath let out right beside me. I turn and jump back in fear at the giant silver wolf standing right in front of me. He takes a step towards me so I pinch my eyes closed, not wanting to watch him as he attacks me. But the attack never comes. There is no bite, no claws, no growl. I feel a lick at my hand and then a huge wet nose pressed against mine. Nervously, I peel one eye open, then the other, and find myself staring right into the deep brown eyes of the wolf. 

“Hey buddy,” I hum bringing my hand up to rub under his chin. His tongue pops out and licks my chin making me giggle. Seemingly satisfied, he turns in a circle then plops down onto the soft fur of his belly and lays his giant head on his paws. When I don’t sit down next to him, he lifts his head toward me and whines. I can't help but roll my eyes but I still sit down on my butt next to the wolf, laying my head on his soft fur. 

Without warning, a loud “yip” comes from the wolf startling me. I whip my eyes towards him wondering what caused him to yell out. His head is slightly off his paws now and he is staring off into the distance. I trail my eyes to where he is already staring and see a beautiful white wolf standing in the forest. 

She skips around, jumping and twirling in circles. It makes me giggle again because this huge wolf is hopping around like a little bunny. She lets out another “yip,” a softer one than the male wolf, and comes towards us. This time, I feel no fear, I feel totally comfortable here with these two. The white wolf comes to us and nuzzles her forehead against the silver wolf’s, both of them closing their big eyes on contact. She then turns to me and nuzzles her head against mine too. But instead of pulling away, she leaves it against me, her heat pooling around my body, giving me the strongest sense of calm. 

I lift my hands up to pet her silky fur, but before I touch her I realize that the hands I see in front of me are the tiny hands of a baby, not the hands of an eleven year old. I turn them around confused, then look down at my body. My body looks like a two or three year old. I am wearing a black nightgown with no shoes. I remember wearing this nightgown, but I can't seem to figure out exactly when it was. 

Brushing it off, I bring my tiny hands up to the wolf, one hand behind each ear. But, as soon as I touch her fur, the vision changes. I am still I the forest but the wolves are gone. Instead, I am alone, standing in front of a tall mirror. And the image looking back at me is grown, she must be an adult. Her silvery hair runs all the way down to her waist and she is smiling. I don’t think she could be me but her eyes match mine exactly. 

I stare at the image in the mirror for so long my eyes start to water from not blinking. I close my eyelids and take a deep breath. When I open them again, the woman in the mirror is smiling at me. then her eyes flash a brilliant gold and her and the mirror both disappear, a new wolf taking the place. 

This wolf is bigger than the first one, nearly as big as the silver one. If it's even possible, her fur is whiter than the first white wolf. Her lips curl up and I could swear she is smiling at me. 

“Hello Annabella,” the wolf says to me. I wonder how she is communicating. 

“Hello,” I return politely. 

“My name is London,” she tells me. 

“That’s a really pretty name.”

“Thank you. It's fitting for us.”

“Us?”

“You’re strong, Annabella, stay strong for a while longer,” she says ignoring my question. I nod in understanding – at least I'm trying to understand. Without another word, the mysterious wolf turns and runs into the forest, disappearing through the trees. 

Suddenly, everything goes black and a loud howl sounds through the darkness before the ground seems to drop out from under me. 

I wake up, sitting up violently, my throat in my stomach, sweating and breathing heavily. I glance at my alarm clock and it reads 4:51AM.