["I stood there: waiting, wanting, hoping, feeling. Allowing the sensations of the world to consume me as I stared deeply into the pools of honey that were his eyes. I wanted no more than to dive right in. For him to hold me close and never let go."...
["the impact Casey had on me was the only thing allowing me to move forward in life."]
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~Casey~
The voices returned. Their chants boomed high and mighty. Their words drowned my mind.
'Casey . . .'
'Casey Apha . . .'
'You need to remember who you are to become.'
'Casey!'
'You need to remember!'
'You are the alpha!'
'Wake up!'
My body surged to life. The memory of my dreams became a blank slate once again. Yet, physically, I could still sense the residual effects. I wanted to run. Not to get away and escape the fears in my hellish life, but instead to soak in the rush of dopamine my body was experiencing. For a moment, I felt as if I was living by my own rules, not by my anxiety and ADHD. My heart was finally let out of the cage forged by my mind's fears; I was free.
I sprinted outside without a second thought; the sudden surge of adrenaline fueled me to go faster than ever before. I could go anywhere and do anything.
I wanted to kiss Embry.
Hell, at this moment, I thought I could live, for once, without a single worry in the world. I was beyond invigorated. I was so lost in the excitement I hadn't realized I'd shifted into my wolf form. But it didn't stop me; it only allowed me to push farther.
'Remember, Casey.' A familiar voice echoed in my ears. It caught me off-guard, causing me to stumble over my legs and fall to the ground with a harsh thud. My mind began to ache.
'Who are you?' My head did a 360 as I searched my surroundings. The effort was futile; I knew this was all happening in my head.
'Remember who you are!'
'Please, just leave me alone.' I begged, cowering down and covering my face with my paws. All the dopamine was gone. I was tired--I just wanted it all to stop.
'Stop fighting it. You will be more at peace with yourself when you do.'
I could sense the gaze of a figure in front of me; it was calm and certain. I forced myself to peer up at them. A man stood before me, as clear as day. His skin was russet. His hair was long and dark. He wore traditional Quileute attire. He wasn't from my time. I knew that deep down. And that was when it clicked. I was speaking to Taha Aki himself. The first one of our kind to truly embody the wolf.
'I never asked for this!' I argued. 'For any of this! Why can't things just go back to how they were?'
He answered my question without hesitation. "Change is inevitable, Casey. And, once you stop fighting it, things will begin to look up."
