Shadows Of The Past

Chapter Two

I was walking along the edge of a shallow pool of water when the breeze changed, and I heard a growl of pain coming from a creature. I hid behind a group of trees as a Lycan appeared in beast form. They stood on two legs, towering over the tallest humans and covered in midnight black fur. Gold eyes shone bright in the moonlight, and thick ears twitched as they listened for a potential threat. The creature let out another growl of pain, and I could see their sharp canines that could tear through flesh as easily as humans could slice bread. Lycans were magical beasts and beyond deadly. And it was just my luck that I got stuck in a clearing with one.

As the Lycan changed back to human, the popping of bones sounded through the air, and I winced in sympathy. That does not look or sound like fun. I hugged the tree next to me and held my breath when the Lycan became a man, a very tall and attractive man. His black hair hung down to his shoulders, and he had a pure alpha male body—tight muscles and a butt that I couldn't look away from. I tilted my head to the side in appraisal. Damn, if he is this hot from the back, what does the front look like?

"I can smell you, you know?" I froze in panic and embarrassment. "I won't hurt you."

I slowly walked out of the clump of trees I was hiding behind, moved closer to him, and asked, "Mind putting some clothes on?"

I quickly peek to see him look over his shoulder and smirk. "Why? You seemed to be enjoying the view." My glare prompted him to chuckle and tug on leather pants and boots. "See, I'm decent."

"No shirt? I questioned.

He spun towards me, and I stopped breathing. He was the most primally attractive man I had ever seen. He had the brightest blue eyes, a deep contrast to his Lycans' gold ones. His thick jaw and deep-set facial features gave him a rugged look that worked for him and days-old scruff. "Not until I stop this bleeding."

Well, I'm an asshole. Here, I was bossing the guy around, and he was bleeding. Even if he was Lycan, his mom taught us to hate and kill all other creatures from birth. I was better than her. "Let me help." I rushed over and kneeled beside where he sat next to the pool of water, leaning against a tree. I grabbed my bag, pulling out some clothes and herbs. "First, let's stop the bleeding." My hands paused directly before touching him.

In my haste to help, I hadn't glanced at the Lycan and thrown caution to the wind by approaching one. Especially one that exudes alpha energy. Alpha Lycans were the most unpredictable and feral of their kind due to their short tempers and dominating personalities.

Slowly, I raised my gaze to meet his and let out a shaky breath. "My apologies. I should have asked before I approached, especially with you wounded." I quickly averted my gaze so he didn't view it as challenging.

I heard a clearing of the throat before a gruff voice spoke softly, "No apologies required. I would be grateful for your help." A shy smile tugged at my lips when I met his gaze again as I raised my hands and put pressure on the slash on his stomach. He quickly clenched his jaw in pain, then masked it with a grin. "Do you often wander the woods hoping to find strangers to mend?"

I laughed and added more pressure. "Remember who is holding the fabric, and no, this is a first. My camp is not far from here. Do you usually walk around the woods wounded?"

"Surprisingly, yes." I met his eyes in shock at his honesty, and we laughed together. His laughter was a beautiful, rich sound that caused a warmness inside me.

I removed the cloths, dipped clean ones into the water, and used them to clean off the blood. One of my fingers accidentally brushed against the bare muscles of his abdomen, and I gasped at the tingling sensation that followed. He let a shocked growl, and his eyes briefly flashed gold, the color of his Lycan. Quickly, I stood up and backed away a few feet.

"What was that?" I shakily asked.

He closed his eyes and took a breath before reopening them. "Nothing."

"You're lying. That felt like..." Like, what? Like two souls reuniting? I couldn't even explain appropriately without sounding insane. "Never mind." I ran my hand through my dark blonde hair in frustration. "I should go." I turned to leave.

"Meet me here tomorrow?" I paused at the urgency in his tone. My mother would kill both of us if she found out, but the touch of his skin made me feel, weirdly enough, complete.

"Yes." With that one word, I sealed our fate, for we meet each day in that clearing until we are discovered, and it set forth a series of events neither one of us could predict. "And the name's Cassia."

***

That was the first dream I had of that man and woman. It was the same night I woke up in that cave outside the mountains where Dahlia and her uncle, Manson, found me. Even though I knew I wasn't Cassia, it was the only name I could think of when Manson asked me. It was the only familiar name to me. A retelling of their love story began each night after that first dream.

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Much love,
Emily Rose 🥀