A dream well dreamt / Completed /

Freedom

It was closing to midnight when we made the ritual site with two wolves in tow and Elena draped over their shoulders. They were actually under the orders of their Alfa to take the moonstone from the mayor and thought to use Elena as leverage. Good thing they did not know she was a doppelganger and had no idea what that was. Why would they do that just before a full moon was mind boggling to me to be honest. But they didn't shine with intellect from what I could see.

We decided to take them with us and give them to Nik as a present for being free at last. He was planning on finding wolves to turn them and they were a perfect way to test if everything was ok after he was freed. After he turns them, they would be loyal to him and take him to their pack. The entire plan was for them to be free of the moon and turning hybrid gave them that. Also being under Nik would give them purpose and a good leader to follow. I would say it was a win win for everyone.

When we entered the clearing we saw they were all ready for the ritual. There were three circles, Damon standing in one, Lockwood laying unconscious in the other. Greta was standing on the side with her grimoire and Nik just besides her. Enzo was observing Damon with suspicion, but he needn't bother as there was no way to escape the enchantment. I motioned to the wolf to drop Elena in the empty circle and stand to the side for now. Nik just raised an eyebrow at me in question and I responded with a shrug. It was minutes before midnight and the ritual should soon begin. The moon was still behind the clouds but any moment now the three wolves would be turning, so we needed to get a move on.

- We are ready to begin - Greta said and started chanting. Nik moved to the mayor first, before he fully transformed and took out his heart with his bare hands. Then he moved to Damon, reaching into his ribcage and ripping out his heart as well.

Finally he scooped up Elena in his arms and looked at me with questioning gaze. I nodded, confirming that she would wake again. I did cast a spell on her, just like in the original to swap her father's life for hers. I was able to grab him last week and did a quick spell to link him to her. A few moments after she dies, she will wake up and he will not. Nik nodded in confirmation and started drinking from her. I would say it made me feel a bit odd, seing him drinking from another, but I tried to ignore it. It was not sexual or any kind of personal. He was freeing himself and that was it.

A few big gulps later and her heart did its last pump. He set her gently to the ground as not to damage her. She had other uses for us after all. Greta continued chanting the last part of the ritual and the moon shone brightly on us. The two wolfs beside me started shifting, bones and skin tearing and filling the air with wimpers. Nik on the other hand was relishing in the change and a big smile adorned his face. I sent him a loving look and watched as his body transformed into one of a wolf. He was magnificent.

I was so enchanted by his transformation, I barely noticed my magic coiling and responding in like. I turned sharply and looked at Elijah, shooting him a brief smile.

- See you later - I barely managed before I myself turned into a purely white wolf with purple eyes. The feel of my new body was confusing, yet enchanting. I wanted to run and laugh, but most of all I wanted to rub myself all over my mate, so testing my new limbs I went to his stilled form and rubbed my snout at his.

I heard his soft whimper and grawled softly with adoration. He stood proudly and let me inspect his magnificent form. His fur was soft and beautiful, his body tall and magnetic. He really was the king of all wolfs. The Alfa of all. And I was his Luna.

I turned back to Elijah and Enzo to notice them with their mouths gaping wide. It seems I surprised them with my shift. I was also surprised, but I was sure I was not a warewolf. If one should use words to describe my furry situation, I would say it was more like being an animagus. Which given the type of magic I possessed was quite possible.

So I made a noise, very close to one of laughter if wolves could laugh and turned back to my freed mate. He was itching to set off running and I didn't want to keep him. I did an inviting noise and set myself running deeper into the woods. I could hear the soft patting of his paws behind me. The feeling of wind rushing through my fur and the plethora of sents bombarding my nose was intoxicating. If Nik felt even half of what I felt it would explain the pain he has been so many years. The knowledge that this part of you was trapped without any hope would have crushed any other man. But now he was free and so were we.

I relished the feeling of freedom I felt and let my magic flow and expand around me. It felt like I was floating in the universe, surrounded by stars, planets and supernovas. It felt like I was finally my full self at the exactly right time and space. Full satisfaction.

I had my mates, they were with me for the long hall. I was happy, free and strong.

Elijah was able to be himself and be with the people he loved without worry. His own dreams and wants fulfilled to their entirety.

Enzo was happy and loved, a part of a family that adored him. Everything he ever dreamed about when tortured in that hellhole realized.

Nik was finally himself, completely liberated. No big fights or betrayals to be had. Just him in his entire glory and people who loved and adored him.

All of this circled inside me in a vortex of pure happiness and magic. I felt myself drawn away from the phisical world and into the dream one. I looked around myself in confusion. What was I doing here? Wasn't this the Dreamworld, the hallway to the other side?

Was I dead or dying? And then I remembered. This was the place where you left your old life so your soul be cleansed for the afterlife. I looked down and noticed I was in my previous human body. Everything became clear now. The entire purpose, everything until now, all of it became crystal clear. It was all a dream, a way to deal with my untimely death so I could move on without the burden of my past regrets.

The reason I did not remember my family or my life before. It was all a way to detach myself from the pain and sorrow of leaving them behind. My view shifted and I realised the boys were just a figment of my imagination. A way to detach from my family in a less painful way. Knowing they were just a dream, it all became clear, easier to deal with.

A wave of acceptance washed over me. It was time for me to move on. Perhaps one day I would be able to see them all again. My real family, as well as my dreamt one. Who was to say they did not exist in some shape or form out there? Only time would tell.

It was a dream well dreamt.