Chapter 44 Dream Link Escalates
POV: Luna
I wake up gasping, Miguel's name on my lips.
The dream was so vivid. So real.
He was there. Right there in front of me. Not distant or hazy like the other dream-links. This time I could see every detail of his face. The worry in his eyes. The fear.
"Luna." Nova's voice cuts through the darkness. "You okay?"
I sit up, pressing a hand to my chest. My heart is racing.
"Just a dream," I say, but my voice shakes.
"About Miguel?"
I nod, not trusting myself to say more.
Nova doesn't push. She just rolls over and goes back to sleep.
But I can't.
Because this wasn't like the other dreams.
This time, Miguel was trying to warn me.
I close my eyes and try to remember exactly what he said. The words felt urgent. Desperate.
Something about danger. Something about watching. Something about me needing to be careful.
My wolf stirs restlessly inside me, pacing like she senses something I can't quite grasp.
I lie back down and stare at the ceiling.
Part of me wants to go back to sleep. To find Miguel in the dream world again. To ask him what he meant. To tell him I'm okay.
But another part of me is terrified.
Because if the dream-links are getting stronger, that means the connection between us is getting stronger too.
And I don't know what that means.
I'm supposed to be embracing this new world. Learning to be a wolf. Accepting my place at Silverwood.
But how can I do that when part of my heart is still back home? Still with Miguel?
I think about his laugh. The way he used to hold my hand. The way he looked at me like I was the only person who mattered.
Does he still think about me like that?
Or has he moved on?
The thought makes my chest ache.
I roll onto my side and pull my blanket tighter around me.
Tomorrow I have training with Ryder. Then classes. Then the Moon Circle preparation.
I need to focus on those things. On being here. On being present.
But all I can think about is Miguel's face in the dream. The way he looked at me with such concern.
Like he knew something I didn't.
Like he was trying to protect me from something.
Eventually, exhaustion wins and I drift back to sleep.
But this time, the dreams are darker.
Confusing.
I see Miguel standing in shadows. I see him reaching for me. I hear him calling my name.
But I can't reach him.
No matter how hard I try, there's something between us. Something keeping us apart.
I wake again just before dawn, sweating and shaking.
Nova is still asleep.
I get up quietly and go to the window. The sky is just starting to lighten. In a few hours, everyone will be awake and the day will start.
But right now, it's just me and the quiet.
I press my hand against the cool glass and close my eyes.
"Miguel," I whisper. "What are you trying to tell me?"
No answer comes.
Just the sound of my own breathing and the distant call of birds waking up.
When I open my eyes, I look down at my hand.
My mark is glowing faintly. Not bright. Not burning. Just a soft pulse of silver light.
It's never done that before.
I watch it for a long moment, mesmerized.
Then it pulses stronger.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
And with each pulse, I feel something. A pull. A connection.
To Miguel.
Even though he's so far away, I can feel him. Like there's an invisible thread connecting us that refuses to break no matter how much distance is between us.
The realization hits me hard.
The dream-links aren't fading like they're supposed to.
They're getting stronger.
And I don't know if that's a good thing or a terrible thing.
My mark pulses again, and this time the glow is brighter. Stronger.
I stare at my hand, watching the light dance across my skin.
Then slowly, the glow begins to fade.
But it leaves something behind.
A faint warmth. A tingling sensation.
And the unmistakable feeling that something has changed.
Something between Miguel and me.
Something I don't understand.
I pull my hand away from the window and tuck it against my chest.
Whatever is happening with these dream-links, whatever this connection means, I need to figure it out.
Because Miguel was trying to warn me of danger.
And I have a feeling that danger is closer than I think.