Dream mate

Part 1 - HANA; Chapter 1 - Nightmare past

Prologue

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Unknown POV

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The light flickered overhead, cast shadows across her beauty. She was laid out on the bed, her white hair spread behind her like a halo of her innocence. He felt his heart quicken as his eyes travelled across her face, aching to reach out and feel if her skin was as soft as it looked. Her only movement was the gentle breaths that lifted her chest before escaping through parted lips that he longed to taste.

“Are you certain this will work?” He asked, tearing his gaze away for a single moment to the other man hovering over her still form.

Unlike him, the other man could touch her and caressed a finger over her cheek. His stomach twisted, eyes narrowing on their touching skin, and he had to clench his fists to ward off his teeth grinding together. He didn’t like someone touching what was his and she was undoubtedly his. Not permanently yet, but soon.

“Yes.” The other man grinned, eyes wide with the possibilities of their cooperation.

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PART 1 - HANA; Chapter 1 - Nightmare past

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A flash of lavender was all it took for Hana’s blood to fill with ice shards that sliced fear through her body. In the cell, trapped in the corners with the darkness, she was safe. She was alone but she felt secure in that solitude. It brought a feeling of calm with it. A feeling which only grew in those who had faced the pain that only others can inflict. In those quiet moments, she allowed herself to become one with the shadows. She hid from the light as if it would burn her, and melted into the nothingness of her isolation. Now, with the ache of heavy metal, she screwed her eyes shut, pretending the slot of the cell door hadn't opened.

A splintered glow penetrated her peace, taunting Hana as it stung her eyes through her lids. It was only for the briefest of moments before a form blocked its path. Hana refused to look, dropping her head in her hands to add an extra layer of resistance to the temptation. She knew what she would see and felt the first prickles of panic crawl over her skin. The sensation was familiar, scorched into every fibre of her memory, but she could never get used to it. Fear welled within her, screaming through her mind to escape but she had no where to run. Her heart hammered against bone. Her breath quickened against her palms. A single silent plea sliced through her cascading thoughts.

“Hana, dear.” A deep voice drawled. “Show me those pretty black eyes.”

Her eyes weren’t black, but they were a brown so dark they came close. She had corrected the man only once, a time long before her spirit had been broken under his merciless gaze. It had been a mistake. A mistake that was rectified by the back of his hand and never repeated. His words echoed around the thick, stone walls of the small room, leaving no space untouched by his presence. It coaxed her shaking hands away from her face, knowing he wouldn’t leave until she obeyed his request.

An unsteady breath brushed through parched lips as she forced her eyes up. As soon as she saw the lavender orbs gleaming down at her, Hana averted her gaze again, but it was enough, she had done as he had instructed.

“Perfect.” He all but purred and she felt eyes like firm fingers roam over her hunched form. Though her clothes had worn to rags, she was certain nothing could have protected her from his predatory gaze. She curled tighter into herself, hearing an amused grunt of approval in response.

The lock on the door snapped open, and her body jerked as the sound rang like a gunshot in her ears. She buried her face into her knees, trying not to move as hinges groaned and the door creaked open. Light bathed her body, streaming around the edge of her vision and encroaching on her dark safety. Heavy boots crunched, slow and deliberately, across the hard floor, headed straight for her. The man stood over her, casting a shadow that flooded over her, and she shivered under his protection from the light.

“Now, now, Hana, dear. You know not to hide from me.” The voice chastised, like one speaking to a child.

She felt a rough hand gently trail over her scalp, brushing through the strands of her hair before probing at her chin. She obliged without choice, swallowing what little saliva pooled in her mouth to try to soothe her dry throat. The man had lowered to a crouch before her and yet he still towered a foot over her head. Eyes unwillingly on him now, his hand returned to her hair drawing the attention of the lavender orbs. A fondness lingered in them, holding a twisted fate that she had been forced to succumb to many times.

“That’s better. You know you can’t hide from me, not even in your darkness.” White strands danced through his fingers, almost glowing in his shadow. Hana held her breath, feeling the swell of panic mount higher every time his calloused fingers brushed across her bruised neck. “If only your sister had been as receptive to me. Then I could’ve had two of you to play with. No matter, you’ll make up for her absence, won’t you?”

She knew it was coming, it always did, and yet tears still prickled in her eyes. The reminder of one of the things he had taken from her. One of many. He often told her of how her sister was stronger and braver than she would ever be, refusing to be broken or forced to submit even in her last moments. He told her, with pride in his voice, about her sister lying in a pool of blood, damaged in every way imaginable and still refusing his will. The tears spilled down her cheeks, but she didn’t make a sound. Unpermitted sounds promised pain. In the best case she would be denied food or water, otherwise she'd get a broken arm. Though she hated herself for it, she nodded under his amused gaze, knowing it was the right answer. The only answer. Hana wished she could accept death rather than surrender another part of her spirit to him, but she couldn't. Every time he lorded his threats over her head, the need to survive forced her head up and down in obedience. Even with the movement jerking with breaking resistance, a satisfied smirk pulled at the man’s lips.

“Good girl.” He patted her cheek and Hana flinched under the contact.

A haggard breath rushed out of her as he stood and turned to the door. Relief flooded her system in a dizzying madness that made her fall forward and brace herself on trembling hands. The chill of the ground soothed her, even as the small stones scattered across it, bit into her flesh. Tormenting laughter filled her ears, but she daren’t raise her head again for fear he was toying with her and would return to her side to impart the torture that plagued her thoughts. It wasn’t until the door creaked shut again, leaving only the harsh light from the slot, that she managed to pull herself back to the shadows again, tearing the light away from her face.

The pair of lavender orbs peered in again, machinations of her fate dancing in his stare. “You’re almost ready.”

Ready for what, she didn’t know, but her mind reeled as the slot slid closed, its finality reverberating in the room as she was cast into darkness again. Hana rolled to her side and curled up tight on the floor. A whimper or two forced its way out, giving way to the torrential wave of emotions gripping her chest in a vice. She shivered but the cold was the only thing that kept her from shattering to pieces, its freezing burn a reminder that she was still alive. For now.

Hana shot up in her bed, but immediately crumpled in on herself again. It was a reflex to huddle into the smallest possible shape and hide from the world whenever the fear crawled its way from the depths of her mind. Harsh, ragged breaths tore from her lips, her chest heaving under the sudden need for air whilst being restricted to the circle of her arms around her legs. Her head curled in, banging against her knees but the dull ache it sent across her forehead didn’t stop her from trying to nestle further into herself. She was desperate to feel the blanket of darkness swarm her again, blocking out the world and allowing her to sink into her own version of safety.

Large, warm arms stopped her. They wrapped around her tentatively, easing around her middle and pushing a gap between her legs and stomach with practised fluidity. Hana resisted at first, not wanting the soft glow of the room to reach her, but his presence and touch soon became familiar, and the warmth behind her became the anchor that prevented her decent into the void of her own making. She had fallen into it many times before, allowing it to cradle her in an emotionless state that protected her from the worst that came. Resisting it now felt like choosing to face the threat of a knife at her throat when the alternative offered her escape.

He felt the moment she committed to breaking from the clutches of the dream as her bunched muscles began to relax and she grasped at his arms with shaking hands. It took a few minutes of watching over her, keeping his touch on her skin and coaxing her out of her panic, but she eventually unwound herself and stretched her body out in defiance before slumping back against him, exhausted from the emotional strain. It would take a while yet for her to get through this moment, but she had done the hardest part.

“You’re ice cold, baby, come here.”

His voice was the last vice he used when she had these dreams. Over many months, he had refined his ability to help her through these moments, but he always allowed her to be the one to choose to come back to him. She had to deny the panic’s hold over her actions and decide his warmth was her safety instead. Only then did he help to ground her as he did now.

With less hesitance than before, Sam pulled Hana tight to him, letting her twist in his arms so she could cuddle up against his chest. Her cheek chilled his skin, and he worked his hands over her arms and back to get some heat into them. No matter how many blankets they put on their bed, those dreams froze her mind and body, but he was more than happy to warm her up against him. Slowly, colour returned to her face, but it stayed firmly nuzzled into him. Whatever scenes had been cast through her mind they had been bad enough to make her tremble against his side.

“Tell me where you are.” He prompted.

Hana didn’t answer immediately, but Sam didn’t rush her. He simply continued the gentle circular motion of his hands on her back.

“Inourbed.” The words rushed out of her in one breath, forced between clenched teeth. He knew she would try again and patiently waited. Hana let out a long deep breath, the air ghosting over his chest. “In our bed.”

“How did you get here?”

Hana balled her fist at that question. It was always harder than the first because it forced her to think back to darker times and the day she was freed. It was a time much closer to the memories in her nightmares than their moment together. Her breath became harsher as her brow furrowed and Sam felt her tense as he brought a hand up to her white hair, threading his fingers through the strands.

“You. Found. Me.” She forced out again.

“Say more.” His hold tightened on her waist, grounding her to him.

“You found me in the cell and saved me. Simon took Marci and you found his camp to take her back and freed me too. Then you brought me back to your pack and gave me a home where I could always be safe from him.” The stream of events came easier to her as the words felt familiar and solid on her tongue. She had recited them many times before and they had become a rope to guide her back to herself. To the present, to her safety, to Sam. Finally, she peered up at him through long eyelashes and gave a gentle smile. “You saved me.”

The Alpha wolf returned the smile, a flash of pride glinting in his light brown eyes, as he leaned down to lightly brush his lips against hers. Before he pulled back, his kissed her forehead making her wince, already feeling the lump swelling from where she’d kneed herself. Sam flopped back onto his pillow and Hana took the opportunity to glance at the clock beside their bed. It was only 04:00am. With a groan, she rolled to her side and pulled the covers around her chin to ward off her chill, though she knew her warmth wouldn’t be far behind. Sam’s body pressed tight against her back, and she gave a small hum of satisfaction as his scent and heat enveloped her. She felt safe in his arms, and, unlike the void of darkness, she also felt happy.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

The Alpha peppered kisses down the side of her neck, soft and sweet, but Hana knew she could bare herself to them and let them grow into something more intense. She was tempted but she could feel the agitation in her body still humming below the surface and didn’t want it to taint the time she enjoyed with Sam.

Instead, she shook her head and wiggled further beneath the covers. “No. I can feel it passing. He took so much from me, and I don’t want him to have a single moment more.” The horrors of her past were now confined to her nightmares and, with Sam by her side, she could accept that. She had a dream life, and she wouldn’t let it be ruined by him.

The Alpha hummed his agreement, nestling his head into her neck as he settled behind her. “I won’t let him take anything else.” The words tickled her nape, sending a shiver down her spine that brushed away the remaining cobwebs of her nightmare in a way that only Sam’s voice ever could. “Now, get some more sleep, baby, you must be exhausted but the pack will need you in top form today.”

Hana giggled. “To put up some balloons and make a cake?”

“Much more than that.” The Alpha nipped her skin, making her squeal. “A wolf only turns eighteen once, and I’m going to make it so special that you never forget it.”