The Nightmares

KAI

~Silas stabbed her in the heart with a vicious smile. His fangs dripped with Lorelai’s blood; his eyes were full of evil.~

~Her broken and bruised body was lifeless, with blood streaking down her naked skin, pooling on the floor.~

~The blade in her heart was still embedded in a chest that no longer rose and fell with breath.~

~“Luna!” I roared out, chained to the wall, unable to break free. I couldn’t save her; I just had to watch.~

~Silas grinned, then dragged his finger through the blood along her body. He sucked the red from his fingertips.~

~“Hybrid blood is much too precious to go to waste,” he taunted, before licking it up from her pale body.~

~I growled, my eyes glued to his form. I was going to kill him; I was going to end his fucking life.~

~But I couldn’t get free.~

~I was shackled, and there was nothing I could do.~

~I yanked against the cuffs, using all my strength, fighting the metal, growling, roaring. I tried it all.~

~But Silas kept emptying my Little Luna’s body of life force, right in front of me.~

~My heart collapsed on itself; my body went cold as everything inside me broke. I couldn’t live if it was in a world without her.~

~I gave a final bellow, but it wasn’t one of anger; it was one of pain. Because that’s all that was left of me.~

I sprung awake, wrenching up in bed, my body sweating and shaking. My head snapped to the bed, making sure my Little Luna was still safely tucked in there.

She was, curled up facing Derik, her legs open with Brax snoring between them.

I brushed her hair back from her face and watched the pulse in her neck.

She was alive. That meant I was too. This was real.

I blew out a shaky breath and rubbed my hands over my face. Fucking nightmares.

Ever since we had gotten back from the vampire’s castle, I hadn’t had a full night’s sleep.

Seeing the embodiment of my worst fears come to life seemed to have triggered a never-ending cycle of shit.

It was as if I was being punished by my own subconscious for sleeping.

I hated it.

When I was asleep, I wasn’t watching. I wasn’t making sure the vamps were gone. I had to, or they would get to her again.

I had to fight; I had to hunt; I had to kill so that wouldn’t happen again.

I climbed out of bed and went out the doors, looking out over the city.

It was home.

Even in the winter, when the snow covered the rooftops and the flames of the torches billowed. Even when the darkness hid the city in shadows, it was still home.

It was the wolves’ home too, and we had to do everything in our power to keep it ours.

I had to.

I hung my head and checked in the link for any issues with the patrols.

Since Derik’s parents, I’d checked in more than usual.

I should’ve noticed that they hadn’t checked in, that something was stopping them from doing so.

It had been a fatal mistake, and one I could never live down.

Instead, I used it to fuel the fire in my wolf and my will. My will to end the vampire race.

“You can’t eradicate the vampires, Kai. Not all of them are bad, just following orders,” Lorelai said, leaning against the stone balustrade next to me.

She looked over the city with me, and I shook my head.

“This is the second war they have started. I will not let there be another.”

“It’s Silas, Kai. He’s the toxic one.”

“Maybe,” I admitted, then grabbed her hand. I pulled it to my lips, kissing it before pulling her lips to meet mine; her skin was cold.

“Did you have another nightmare?” she asked, curling into me. I wrapped my arm around her and nodded.

I grimaced as the images of my nightmare filled my head before I could keep them out.

She shuddered, seeing them too, probing into the link to see what I saw.

“I’m not dead, and Silas won’t capture me again. I have the border magic as a whole. I have my shadows. I have you three. He can’t win this now,” Lorelai reassured.

I hoped like hell that was true.

“I won’t let him win, not after Tabby,” I said, a growl rumbling in my chest.

She hadn’t deserved that fate. I didn’t give a fuck what the others believed about her sacrificing herself for us. She shouldn’t have had to.

I shook my head and kissed my mate’s head.

“I have something I need to do,” I said. I had a friend to avenge.

“Do you want company?” she asked, smiling hopefully.

I grinned and nodded.

I hadn’t wanted company, but one look at her and my mind was changed. She could follow me anywhere, and I’d want it. I’d want her.

“Where are we going?” she asked as I went back inside with her. I walked over to the closet and pulled down a cloak for her. She pulled on her pants and shirt, then I put the cloak over her shoulders, kissing her lips as I tied it together.

“Shh, it’s a secret,” I whispered.

She giggled, then looked over her shoulder at the sleeping Alphas she had left in the bed.

She didn’t even ask if we were going to get in trouble; she didn’t care. She just followed me out of the room.

It was the blind loyalty to me, the trust she put in me, that made me feral for her.

I felt that part of me rise up as I grabbed her and kissed her.

She clicked the door closed behind her, and I shoved her against it, my mouth moving harshly over hers.

She reached a gloved hand up to my face, cupping it as she pushed her tongue along mine.

I growled against her mouth, my wolf ready to claim her right there, as it always was.

But I had to pull away; I had something to do.

She smiled up at me, her innocent eyes harder since she had become a wolf.

It made me want her more, if that was possible.

“Rain check, Little Luna.” I smirked, rubbing my thumb over her bottom lip.

She nibbled the end of my thumb, then nodded.

“Follow me,” I said quietly. She nodded and followed.

I moved through the mansion and down the stairs. Then I led her down the cobblestone paths, through the torch-lit city to the front gates.

I led her out of them, and the link twinged with her anxiety.

I turned and grabbed her hand, holding it, leading her around the city walls to the path that led to Tabby’s.

“Where are we going, Kai?” she asked quietly, holding my hand tightly.

I smirked and nodded to the path. “Tabby’s.”

Her eyebrows shot up.

“That’s neutral territory. Vampires could be there.”

I narrowed my eyes on the dark forest ahead of us.

“Then they’ll scatter quickly if they know what’s good for them.” I grinned, a little part of me hoping they would be there so I could rip them apart. Doing that at Tabby’s swamp seemed fitting.

“Kai—”

“I won’t let you get hurt, Little Luna,” I promised. “But I need to do this; I promised Tabby.”

She hesitated, then nodded and got that determined look on her face that had made me fall for her so damn fast.

A hidden strength that everyone but me had underestimated.

She followed, her hand still in mine as we walked through the forest.

It was quiet, with no other scents.

We crossed the border into neutral territory and I paused, making sure we were still alone.

We were, but the scent of Tabby hit me. Lavender and thyme crushing me, pain aching in my chest. I rubbed the patch where my heart used to be, wincing as it throbbed again.

Lorelai moved closer and held my hand tighter.

I led her forward through the marshes, my eyes scanning the water.

I was looking for something in particular, and when I saw the water ripple, I grinned.

Found her.

“Ruby, girl,” I called.

Her eyes peered out of the water, glowing.

“Ruby? We're looking for the alligator?” Lorelai asked, her brow raised, probably questioning my sanity.

Smart girl.

Not even I knew whether that was intact anymore.

“I promised I'd take care of her. I couldn’t protect Tabby, but I can make sure I keep my promise to her.”

Lorelai nodded, accepting that easier than I thought she would. Brax would have some choice words to say about it, and Derik would probably just roll his eyes. I'd still do what I wanted anyway. That’s how we worked. Lorelai accepted us every time.

I crouched down, balancing on the pads of my feet, as I held my fingers down for her. Ruby swam over, slow and timid.

“It’s okay, girl. I know Tabby’s gone, but I’m going to take care of you, okay?” I offered. The alligator kept swimming over. It flicked water at me with her nose, and I grinned, giving her a pat.

Her eyes glowered and flicked to Lorelai, who was standing back, not as sure about Ruby as I was.

“She’s okay, girl. She was Tabby’s friend too, remember?” I said soothingly.

She spit more water at me, and my grin widened. She nipped at my hand, and I played with her, only stopping when Lorelai got too nervous and Ruby’s teeth almost caught me. I didn’t mind; an alligator bite was nothing compared to what I had been through.

“I’ll take care of Ruby, Nikolai,” another deep voice said in the dark. My head snapped up as I stood in front of Lorelai.

But I recognized the voice, and so did Ruby. She swam quickly over, flicking water up at Cain, who was leaning against a tree on the other side of the part of the swamp we were on.

He was smoking some of the weed that his pack had found years ago. It was a numbing agent, and all the wolves had stopped doing it for the most part. Cain still had a stash. The end of his rolled weed lit up in the shadows, and he shoved his overhanging messy hair from his face.

It wasn’t a mohawk now; the strands were drooping, a resounding statement to how he felt inside. Not that I could feel it. He had shut us all out.

“I promised her, Cain.”

He shrugged. “I promised her I wouldn’t let those witches get to her, but it looks like we’re both liars,” he said, flicking Ruby some of the meat he had in a bucket. I frowned at it as Lorelai’s pain for Cain resounded in me. She hated seeing him like this as much as I did. He was our brother; his pain was ours.

Even if he didn’t want that.

“What are you feeding her?” I sniffed the air, hissing when the scent moved pungently through my senses.

“Vampire. It’s a delicacy,” Cain snickered, chucking more pieces into the swamp. Ruby snapped her teeth through the water happily, oblivious to the tension.

“You missed Angus and Valentina’s funeral,” I mentioned. I didn’t have an issue with it; everyone knew what he was going through, but I did want to gauge how far he had gone into the darkness.

“Another day, another death. Funeral after funeral. The next one I attend will be the witches’,” Cain said before flicking out his rolled weed.

Really far gone then. Great. We couldn’t afford that right now.

“We should have tea,” Lorelai interrupted, not waiting for an answer and heading toward the raised cabin with the porch lamp on, as usual. I looked at Cain, making sure he followed before heading in. I was watching my mate’s back no matter who was at it.

Cain narrowed his eyes on Lorelai, then headed inside. I followed.

I went inside the warm cabin, the fire lit. The table already had a steaming pot of tea waiting, and Beenie was there. My sister was a pain in the ass, but she was my family, and I cared about her.

Cared enough to be pissed that she looked like shit. “Are you okay?” I whispered to her, leaning down to hug her. She shook her head but didn’t explain.

I growled, and she patted my back.

“I don’t handle death well, big brother. This, you know,” she mumbled, then pulled away and grabbed her tea. I frowned at her again and sat down next to Lorelai. Cain sat down too, and I looked over them both.

Their link was fucking them both up. Mating needed to be nurtured, loved; they looked like they were mistreating the mating link.

“Is he hurting you?” I demanded, nodding to Cain but looking at Beenie.

She shook her head as Cain growled. That was a good sign and exactly what I was hoping for.

I sipped my tea. It tasted just like Tabby used to make it. I tried not to show the kick in the balls that was.

“No. He’s not hurting me, Nikolai. He’s in pain, I’m in pain. It makes for a shitty time, but we’re still mated. He would never betray that.”

“Even if the witches made it happen?” I raised a brow at Cain.

He snarled, standing quickly in a challenge I had to rise to. I slammed my cup down and leaned over the table, my entire alpha bulk dominating the space. I didn’t bother making him kneel; his eyes showed the respect he had. He wasn’t going to fight me.

Lucky for him.

“They had nothing to do with my mating with Beenie. And whether they did or not, they’re going to die anyway,” he vowed.

He was motivated; I’d give him that.

I sat back down, and Lorelai’s hand went to my thigh. I grabbed her small hand in mine, kissed it, and then placed it back on me.

“Good, now that I’m sure you don’t need killing and my sister is safe, we can talk about what the hell you saw that made you look like you’re at death’s door?” I demanded, eyeing Beenie and Cain.

They both winced.

“I can’t say,” she whispered, looking down. She pulled her cloak around her, her cheeks staining her fair skin.

I narrowed my eyes. “Can’t? Why the fuck not?”

“She is bound, Kai. Trust me, I’ve tried. She can’t speak half of what she sees. If she does, it sets it in stone, and the future can’t be changed.” Cain sighed as if it were the bane of his existence. It was now mine too.

“And what you see causes you pain?” I asked softly.

She swallowed hard, then nodded. “Yes.”

“I’ve tried to take as much of it as I can, but when I try to take too much, it blocks my magic. Something she won’t let me do while the pack needs me.” He scowled, emptying his cup.

I thought this was about Tabby, but it was way worse. It was about my sister and the strange things she saw, things she had seen since she was a kid. It was why she wasn’t allowed in the pack.

“What kind of things do you see?” Lorelai asked, leaning forward. “I don’t mean specifics, just in general?”

Beenie sighed and put her cup down. “Depends. Sometimes it’s a picture. Sometimes I touch someone and see their future. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad. But it always hurts. And I don’t know what to trust because I don’t know why I see these things,” she said, her eyes shining, her jaw clenched.

“Brax said something a while ago. He mentioned that they were gone or rumored to be gone. But he said these things could see the future too. The seers. Is that what you are?” my mate asked, and it wasn’t her fault we all tensed.

The room grew colder. Cain snarled at her.

She didn’t know.

A seer was not a good thing. They were death omens, sent as a warning that darkness and shadow were coming. Most never survived a seer’s words. They were prophets, but there was always a trick, a catch.

Beenie couldn’t—

“Tabby was helping me figure it out,” Beenie whispered.

No. That wasn’t true. She would have told me.

But she hadn’t.

I slid my chair back, my heart racing, anger pulsing in my blood.

“Kai?” My mate frowned, but I didn’t have the room in me to keep her out of the feelings taking me over.

I growled, my body shaking.

“You are not one of those things,” I snapped.

“Kai, don’t overreact. As long as I don’t speak of the things I see, the things I see can’t manifest; they can’t trick anyone.” Beenie tried, but it was too late.

I was already past being calmed down.

I roared and left Tabitha’s, slamming the door behind me. I wouldn’t accept it.

I didn’t give a fuck what the hell they thought; my sister was not a seer. She couldn’t be. My mother and father weren’t. They were faithful to a fault; they would never have strayed.

That I know for sure.

Lorelai raced after me, grabbing my hand as I moved fast through the swamp.

She stumbled, trying to keep up.

“Kai—”

I shut her up with my mouth, kissing her, stealing her words and her breath.

I didn’t want to be told I was overreacting; I didn’t want to be told not to feel what I felt.

Lorelai pulled away and shoved me back. “I wasn’t going to tell you that, you big ass. I was just going to ask if you wanted to run it off with me?” She scolded, walking ahead of me into the forest.

I watched her, raising a brow as she temporarily made me forget what I was mad about. She peered over her shoulder.

“You coming, Alpha? Or are you going to stay here and wolf out, making things harder on your sister who is clearly already going through it?” she snapped.

That worked.

I walked after her, my mood sour but not as feral.

I watched her strip, licking my lips as she wriggled that cute ass out of her pants. She wrapped her coat around her instead of staying naked for me.

“Lose the coat, mate.” I sauntered over, anger still swimming in me, but she was my own personal diffuser, distracting me like some wicked temptress sent from my hottest dreams.

She smirked. “Lose the pants, mate.”

I grinned and stripped for her. The desire in her simmered between us, the link flaring with need.

“First one back to the city gets the loser’s mouth on them,” she challenged. My Little Luna knew me well; she knew I couldn’t resist a challenge. And she knew it would distract me.

I didn’t even care. Normally I’d be ripping shit apart, destroying the forest in a rampage, but with her tempting the part of me only she could talk to? The trees were safe for another day.

I laughed at her walking slowly ahead of me.

“Little Luna, your pussy is my favorite taste, win or lose, I’ll have my mouth on you.” I grinned.

She shrugged then dropped her coat, shifted into her wolf, and took off.

I shifted and took after her.

I wasn’t even trying to win because if she was at the finish line, then the prize was already mine.