The Last King's Wolf

In Dreams

Ellie

"So you don't have pack events on weekends like barbecues or movie nights?" Landon asks us after we eat.

“Not in a very long time. Since Luna Theresa has been gone.” Harper says quietly.

Landon: “How long has she been gone?”

Harper: “Sixish years… Ellie, Ash you remember when she died?”

I reply, “Five years. We had a pack party probably two years before she died. None since.”

Brody: “That’s too long. Pack events help strengthen a pack and bring everyone closer together.”

Ashley shrugs. “No one here to plan them, we guess, without a Luna.”

More like our Alpha doesn’t give a damn, I think to myself. Lydia decides to express it though and I give her a surprised look. I admit this group makes me feel comfortable, but I'm not sure we should trust them not to run back to our Alpha and tell him what we said. They have no loyalty to us.

I’m not the only one worriedly staring at her as she dryly adds, “You were all thinking it. Don’t even deny it.”

"We heard rogues killed her." Riley says softly.

"Yes, they did." Lydia answers and glances at me. I feel a shiver, and I suppress it as I think about it.

“Did they come all the way into the pack and attack?” Landon asks. No one answers at first.

“We don’t know. She went for a walk like she did some evenings. She was found near the north border. A patrol warrior saw the two rogues dragging her. We don’t even know if she had time to shift.” I tell them.

Harper changes the subject, mentioning dessert, and Lydia jokes, “We have brownies for months.”

“Sorry.” I mumble.

Alpha Riley challenges me to another chess game. This time, he trounces me, and I let out a small laugh. “I think you went easy on me earlier.”

He laughs too. “No, I didn’t. I enjoyed the challenge.”

I was scared when I beat him in the first round. He had seemed calm but I’ve seen Kincaid destroy an entire room when things don’t go his way. His father always said Alpha hormones are very unpredictable. Other than our two Alphas, we don’t have any experience with others. But honestly, these two Alphas along with the whole group seem very kind and relaxed. Approachable even.

We all begin leaving before dinner. The rain has stopped, and I follow Lydia home to eat with her, Rose, and her dad, Louis. He’s a training warrior and a lot like my dad. She asked me to spend the night, but I needed to go home and do laundry. I’m out of clothes. I lay in bed awake, feeling uneasy for some reason. I reach out to Tempest.

“Do you sense something?”

“Yes, but I don’t know what it is, pretty girl. You sleep. I’ll be watchful.”

When I wake suddenly in the middle of the night, I’m shivering. Did I leave the air too low? I’m not in my house though. I’m at that spot by the border where I saw the dead warrior. I didn’t get dressed, still wearing my pajamas.

“Tempest? How did we get here?”

She doesn’t answer me, and I look down at my bare feet, feeling something warm running over them. It’s dark and thick. I lift my foot and see the red sticky liquid.

Blood… My hands are covered in it too.

I look around and spot someone five feet away. Rushing over, I reach down and touch her shoulder. She rolls to her back, lifeless eyes staring at me from her ashen face. A gaping hole where her heart should be with large claw marks down her abdomen.

Luna...

I back away slowly gasping in fear. No…. what happened to her? I look down at my hands covered in blood, her blood.

What is happening to me?

A dark shadow starts approaching me, and I begin backing away before I trip and fall. A pair of glowing light brown eyes get closer and closer. I scream hoping someone hears me.

“NOOOOO!” I sit up suddenly covered in a cold sweat. I’m in my bed. I look around my heart pounding.

“Tempest!”

“It was a dream, Ellie. A dream, pretty girl. We never left.” Her soft voice soothes me as she keeps repeating the same words. Tears are streaming down my cheeks, and I hurry to wipe them away.

Why did I dream that?

Tempest answers my thoughts. “I am not sure why we dreamt that, Ellie. Something is wrong though. We need to tell Lydia and Sienna.”

“We will scare them.”

“No, we won’t. Trust me.”

I can’t bring myself to talk about it though no matter how much Tempest tries to convince me. I have the same dream for the next three nights. Finally, I decided to tell Lydia when she asked why I was so pale. She’s scared as she stares at me.

“Ellie, nothing else though?”

“No, but it’s the same every night. I don’t understand why I’m dreaming that. We don’t even know how she died.” I bite my lip.

“I think maybe because we were talking about the rogues with the others, and you are putting it together with your other memories.” Her hand covers mine. “Want to come stay with me tonight?”

I nod and think about what she says as I head home to pack for the night. She’s probably right. I’ll put it out of my mind hopefully soon.

“Tempest, you think she’s right?”

“It makes sense. Do you feel better after telling her?”

“Yes. Maybe that horror movie wasn’t such a good idea to watch the other night either.”

At Lydia’s that night, I pray for a dreamless night’s sleep. I should know better than to ask for such things.

It smells like death. That metallic scent in the air makes my nose wrinkle in disgust. So strong and the wind is absent making it linger. I see her body again and I touch her shoulder praying this time she’s alive. But the same image greets me. Usually, the shadow with the light brown eyes begins to approach me at this point in the dream. I glance up and fall back in shock.

“Why Ellie?” Her voice is so sad, thick with her tears. She looks down at the ground. Her hands were covered in blood. Bruises all over her neck. I swallow hard.

“Ma…Maura?”

She kneels down, but I cannot take my eyes off her face.

“Why Ellie? Why did this happen?”

I shake my head. “I don’t… I don’t know Maura. I never even saw her.”

Her hand reaches out and smooths the hair from Luna’s face. I glance down and my heart stops. Not Luna.

Mom. I spy another body right next to her.

Dad. Both of them were dead, their blood flowing out of the wounds on their throats.

“Why did they leave us, Ellie?” She lifts her teary face to mine and I shake my head crying.

“I don’t know, Maura.” I choke out and she rises slowly.

“You do know.”

“I don’t. I swear I don’t.” The bruises on her neck are angry purplish marks. The moonlight seems to highlight them.

“Who hurt you, Maura?” I plead with her. She simply shakes her head.

“Why did they hurt you?” I reach toward her my tone imploring her to tell me.

“You know why. Ask Tempest.” She backs away as the shadow comes forward. Those light brown eyes moved in. Now I see it though. Not a shadow, but a wolf. An enormous one. He licks his lips looking at my parents, and I scream. As I do, something slams into me from the side hard. I scream again. A hand covers my mouth.