Secrets of the First Moon

Chapter 10: The Pull

Arion POV

Arion was so happy to see Owen that she felt as if her heart would burst. As she crested the hill towards the silhouette figure, she noticed he was waving. She waved back and ran on, shifting to wolf form to get to him faster.

She didn't care if he saw. She knew their love was strong enough for him to not fear her.

Running, she noticed Owen seemed to actually be getting further away.

Arion ran faster, paws beating against the ground. She was moving, but how was he still receding into the horizon?

That's when she suddenly realized his wave was a goodbye and that she would never reach him.

“No!" she howled loud, determined to catch the slowly disappearing figure.

The further Owen got, the more Arion felt herself begin to fade. She felt as if her heart was about to give out. Not from the run but from… was it heartbreak?

As Owen faded into black, Arion collapsed in the meadow. She knew she had to make it to Owen. Her body was failing her and he was her only hope.

Her sobs were uncontrollable as she tried to get herself back up. She was in human form again, n***d and alone.

“Owen?" Nothing but her echo. “Owen! Please come back. You can't leave." She was pleading with only the wind. “Owen, please."

The last words came out in a whisper as she let the emptiness she felt consume her, sending her into hysterical crying. She couldn't catch her breath.

“Arion! Arion, wake up!" Stasha was shaking her sister violently.

Arion gasped as she opened her swollen eyes. Looking around, she saw Stasha standing over her with Reni. They both looked worried.

Stasha felt Arion's head as she sat up in bed. “You're sweating. Are you ok? Do you have a fever?"

Arion pushed her sister's hand away gently. “I'm fine, just had a dream I guess."

“You mean a nightmare," Reni corrected, continuing to closely watch Arion. “Stasha, your sister is fine, please go and start getting ready for the day."

Stasha obeyed as Reni sat beside Arion on the bed.

“You were crying so hard Arion. You were begging someone or something to stay." She grabbed Arion's hand. “Please tell me you weren't dreaming about Owen."

All Arion could do was look down.

“This is the third night since our meeting that you have woken up crying. Is it always about him?" Reni stood and stared at her friend. Waiting.

“Yes. I don't know what it is. I keep seeing him but never get closer and it feels like I'm fading away when I realize he's gone." Arion looked up, noticing Reni's stern face turn pale.

“Did you impress on him?" Reni choked the words out silently.

“What!?" Arion shot up and quickly started finding work clothes. “You're ridiculous Reni!"

Of course, Arion had thought about it herself the second night she had the dream. She had decided that's all it was; a dream. Her hormones spiking because of a boy, how human! Yet, how animalistic.

“No!" Arion screamed out at her thoughts.

“Arion." Reni had put her hand on the distressed friend's shoulder.

“I didn't. I couldn't have. I would know for sure they said." Arion was reasoning with herself more so than Reni.

There was no way Arion could impress on a human. You only impressed on a shifter because that could be your only mate in this life. Having the unbreakable mate-bond with Owen was out of the question. It had never happened but once, years ago to the rogue they had been taught about, Ezekiel. He was the reinforced reason as to why they could not be intertwined with humans.

“The elders had said you couldn't live without the one you impress on. As if you could feel yourself dying almost to simply be away from them, especially while both still were living. Is this sounding familiar?" Reni raised her eyebrows at Arion.

“That's just a dream I am having. Awake, I don't feel like that. Sure, I want to see him again, but you want to see Will too."

“Yes, but I am not having dreams about dying because I can't."

Touché.

“And don't lie, you think about him too, even awake. But you can't."

Arion stopped Reni as she was about to walk out the door. She stared in silence, waiting for her to say why she couldn't. She needed to hear it from her. Right now, her emotions couldn't be trusted.

“Look, Owen is human. You are not. It is f*******n by our alpha, your father, to be romantic with humans. It's as dangerous as outing ourselves to them. You said we can do this as long as I felt it was safe. Well,' Reni took a deep breath before delivering the game-ending blow.

“I don't think it's safe anymore. Yes, I want to see William, but you… Arion, you could be putting us at risk. Maybe you haven't impressed on him yet, but it sounds like it is leading to that. We aren't like them, we have to be careful who we choose."

Arion knew she was right, but hearing it from Reni made it feel as if the nightmare was suddenly real instead of setting her at ease.

“I'm sorry it has to be this way. For the pack and your own good though is why I say this. Please let it end here. Keep your promise you made me; to end it when I say it's no longer safe."

Reni forced Arion to look her in the eyes until the golden-eyed girl nodded in defeat.

“Thank you. We can visit about this a little later, but let's go about the day for now, ok?"

Again, Arion nodded.

Reni smiled and left the room.

Arion tried to go about her day as Reni suggested. The more she tried to focus on other things, the more Owen kept entering her mind.

This was different than before. She had thought about him, yes, but now it felt as if he was calling to her. She could hear his voice.

Arion rushed to where she thought she had heard it. She stood in the sun, looking around wildly. She could swear he was there, calling to her.

Her heart was pounding as she looked around. 'I have officially lost my mind,' Arion concluded. She was about to head to the skinning area when she felt it.

It was as if all she could see was the meadow that they had met in, just three days before. Arion saw Owen there looking around before sitting by a tree.

She had to go to the meadow. She didn't know how to explain it, but she knew Owen would be there and she needed to see him.

Arion was making it to the tree line to sneak away.

Reni was tanning a hide by one of the cabins, teaching Stasha and the younger pups.

For a second, guilt filled Arion. Betraying her best friend is something she would never do. But this, she couldn't fight this. She needed to know why this was happening.

Arion needed to see Owen.

***

He couldn't stand it anymore. William was going on about something and Owen heard none of it. All he could do was think about Arion.

He would get excited in hopes of a new message every time he saw a female in a cloak with the hood pulled up. That's when it came to his attention how many women wore cloaks.

Every morning he had asked William if he had received a note. Always nothing. It had only been about three days, but he was growing restless.

William had thought Owen was just impatient when he had tried to explain his feelings to his clueless friend. Sure, William liked Reni and enjoyed her company, but it was different for Owen. He knew William didn't understand, but the problem was, was that neither did Owen.

He felt as if his world were close to ending each day he went without seeing her. He couldn't escape her in his dreams either. Always the same one.

Arion never made it to him and then he'd see her get further away. He felt as if he were slowly dying. Owen always jerked awake in a cold sweat once that happened.

He couldn't wait any longer.

Owen got up from the booth, muttering an excuse of why he had to go. William looked at him confused for a minute before simply shrugging his shoulders.

That was the good thing about William. He never was bothered about details. He lived to be oblivious.

Making his way to the outskirts of town, Owen never even gave a second thought to what he was doing. He knew Arion would be at the meadow. He didn't know how, but he knew.

Sick of trying to answer the inexplainable with him, he left the village. Why did he heal? Why did his father hate him so much? Why did he feel this intense way?

He rid his head of the whys and pursued the only thing he was sure of.

He needed to see Arion.