Chapter 45

Poppy.

My eyes pop open, and a sigh of relief flows through me.

Thank the Goddess, it’s only a dream.

I look out the window, and I’m happy to see that it’s dark outside. I wipe my forehead from the beads of sweat beginning to form from the intense dream. I can’t believe how real everything seemed to be.

My heart palpates when I think about Adrian and my connection. How much I wish that part of the dream were genuine.

I get out of bed and try to gain control of my emotions, realizing that I’m not any closer to knowing what I want after having such a vivid dream. My feelings are all over the place, and I can’t make heads or tails about the right decision to take.

The only decision I can make right now is to get out of here and allow my wolf to get her run in for the night.

I hop out of bed and quickly throw some clothes on before making my way to the front door. I peek my head out to make sure no one is around to see me leave. I smile when I see that the surrounding area looks to be empty.

I cast a spell on my front door, learning from my mistake of leaving my door unlocked when the Alpha brought me home the other day. I don’t want someone to be able to get inside while I’m away.

I stay alert while moving through the forest, taking a different route to my cave. Something inside me tells me to remain cautious about my surroundings and trust my gut; it’s right. There’s an odd energy in the air tonight, and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is.

I finally get to my cave to shift into my wolf. She heads out, taking her usual route, making her way to the pack line, and running on the outskirts of the territory.

My wolf takes off running the moment she senses the coast is clear. I close my eyes as I let her take over, not letting my overactive thoughts take advantage of me.

While we are out running, I feel tension from my wolf when she senses that warriors are nearby. They begin to chase after us. My wolf begins to weave in and out of the pack border lines, trying to throw them off our tracks. She bolts out into the outer forbidden territory where she knows the warriors won’t try to follow her. My wolf lowers herself into the thick grass to try and hide us from everything around us.

She pops up from our hiding place when she thinks the coast is clear but then freezes when she senses someone approaching near us.

Gabriel pops up from the thick grass and flashes his charismatic smile at us.

I sigh as I shake my head internally.

Am I ever going to have a moment where this guy doesn’t pop up out of nowhere?

My wolf is adamant about staying in our wolf form while talking with Gabriel.

Gabriel laughs.

“I see your wolf is still cautious of me and wants to protect you.”

He raises his hand to allow her to catch his scent, showing her he means no harm, but she turns away from him.

“What does a guy have to do to earn your wolf’s trust?” He asks.

My wolf huffs at him, still not sure what game he’s playing with us.

“How about I walk with you back to the pack line and make sure you get back to your side safely? This is dangerous territory you’re on, and you can’t be too sure what’s waiting out in the dark to get you,” he informs us.

My wolf reluctantly agrees and allows him to walk next to her as we head back to the border to our pack land. As we get close to the border, my wolf’s body begins to shake, and a shiver passes through her. My eyes widen as I realize that Adrian is nearby, and we take off running, leaving Gabriel in the dust.

We are continuing to run to try to get away. I sense Adrian and realize his wolf is getting close to catching us. I plead to my wolf to keep running, and as much as she wants to stop to have our mate catch us, she listens to me and starts to dodge out of the forest until she thinks it’s safe to head back to the cave.

Once, my wolf thinks we’ve lost our mate. She heads back to the cave so that we can shift. My heart is racing, and my hands are trembling as I try to put my clothes back on and calm my nerves before going outside. I take deep breaths, but nothing seems to work. I run my hands through my hair, feeling the moisture and sweat from the run and our nerves. I pull it into a ponytail to try and cool myself down. I know that once the cold night air hits my skin outside, I will start to cool down and get better control of my emotions.

I close my eyes and take deep breaths while focusing on my surroundings to see if it’s safe to leave my cave.

Well, here goes nothing.

I slowly step out of my hidden sanctuary and let out a breath of relief when I don’t sense any wolves around me. I decide to take a different path on the way home, just in case I run into any warriors, and I can tell them I am out for a walk if they ask me what I’m up to.

I start my way down a slightly steep trail when I feel something rush at me and pin me up against a tree. I close my eyes as soon as my back hits the bark, afraid to open them to see who is standing in front of me. Already, my senses know precisely who is near me.

Adrian.

I open my eyes and suck in a breath when I feel his body is pressing up against mine. His eyes gold like his wolf’s, showing nothing but heat and desire at me.

My heart begins to beat against my chest rapidly when I realize my wolf, and I have a really big problem.