Dreams that never come true - A Short Story Collection

Faith's Story

Groaning, I turn over to turn off my alarm. It's 5AM in the morning and I have to go to work.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job. But sometimes my shifts can be really irregular. Climbing out of bed, I get ready for the day, yawning. I almost pin on my name tag which reads "FAITH" in bold letters, upside down.

Something today feels different. I don't know what, but it just does. I haven't felt this excited since last month at the reunion, when I found out that I'm going to become an aunt. But this time it's different. I can feel it physically.

I drive to work, occasionally looking up at the sky, wondering why today is so different. I'm probably going delirious. Heck, I'm not even as crazy as Isabella and she's the pregnant one.

I arrive early at the clinic and go to the locker room to put away my things and put on my lab coat. I pass the reception on the way back and see my friend Amirah. "Hey Faith!" She calls me over and I walk over to her.

"Hi Amirah! How are you?" I ask her.

"I'm great, thanks." She says, smiling. "I hate to ask you for favours, but I kind of need one right now."

"What is it?" I ask her, concerned.

"There's a seven year old girl in the child ward play area with her older brother. I know that you have quite a lot of work that you have to do, but could you explain her surgery to them because they're in the dark about the whole operation?" She asks. "Sorry. It'll only take a couple of minutes."

"Sure, I can do that. Thanks for telling me." I say to her.

"Thank you so much." She says, giving me the notes on the operation and then gets pulled aside by another receptionist. We wave goodbye and I head off to the child wards, where I work. I get more and more nervous and excited as I approach the waiting room, for no reason.

I need to get a grip. My body is acting separately from my mind and I have little control. I decide to blame my reaction on little to no sleep.

Pushing open the doors, I enter the play area, searching for the girl and her brother. My jaw drops when I see him, his back's turned away from me and I can't recognize him, but it feels like I've known him all my life. Like he's the missing piece.

I don't understand how this is possible.

Quicker than my eyes can register, the brother turns around quickly and his eyes change colour. I feel a pull towards him. I barely restrain myself from running up to him, the fully mature 26 year old that I am.

He looks a little older than me. His eyes are completely black as he stares at me, but they were a deep blue before. My favourite shade. His hair is a dark chestnut colour and long enough for me to run my hands through it-

Oh God, I'm attracted to him.

He gapes at me. I swear that I hear him mutter the word 'mate' under his breath. He closes his eyes and inhales sharply. When he opens them again, his eyes are ocean blue. "Where have you been all of my life?" He asks me, his voice strained.

"I... I don't." I stutter. "I... Um. Here?" I manage to force out. If Rain and Isabella were here they would be laughing their heads off. He laughs and runs up to me. We embrace and I can't force myself to push him away because of the sparks erupting on my skin. He leans his head into the crook of my neck and inhales.

Did he just... Sniff me?

Why do I find that attractive?

I'm such a mess right now. "We need to talk." He says as we part. I look towards his sister, she's watching us, grinning as if she knows something that I don't. "But... But your sister." I say, trying to calm myself down.

"What about my sister?" He asks, almost growling. Overly protective brother check!

"I'm here to explain her surgery." I explain, avoiding his eye contact. He watches me. "It'll only take a couple of minutes." He pleads. I look into his eyes and give in. I look over to his sister who's smiling at me. "Fine." I say. We go outside and sit down at a bench.

"What's your name?" He asks me.

"Faith." I say, and he smiles. "Yours?" I ask him.

"I'm Cole." He says. That's a really sexy name.

"Thank you." He says. It takes me less than a second to realize that I said it out loud.

"I know that you're kind of confused right now." Cole says. "You feel a connection with me, at least I hope so, but don't know why."

Blunt much.

I nod. What I should be doing is running away from him, but I can't bring myself to do so. "It's because... Wait, how familiar are you with mythology?" He asks me.

Familiar? I'm a freaking expert. I spent all of my teens reading werewolf and vampire stories on online reading platforms. "Somewhat." I say (humbly).

"What do you know about werewolves?" He asks me. What exactly is this leading to?

"Why are you asking me this?" I ask him.

"Well, I'm kind of one." He says. I stare at him in silence.

"You're sure?" I ask him. "Because you said kind of."

"Well, last time I checked... Yeah." He says. I don't know how to respond and neither does he. We stay silent.

"How..." I muster up the courage to speak. "How does this affect me?"

Cole gulps and I can see his Adam's apple bob. He runs his hand through his hair. "You're my mate." He says bluntly.

"Oh." I say.

"Yeah."

"How... What happens now? Do you have a pack? Do I have to live there? What about my work and my friends and family? Will I become a werewolf too?" I ask him, bombarding him with questions. This is every thirteen year old girls' stereotypical dream come true, but I have so much to lose and so much to gain. I can't possibly pick between the two.

"I'm not in a pack. I left because I've been trying to find you for so long. Over a decade. I nearly thought that maybe I'd be alone forever." Cole says, his voice strained. "But now that I've found you, I don't ever want to let you go. We can take it slow if you want, but I think it's best for the both of us if we stay together. You won't become a werewolf but you'll get some benefits like faster healing and improved strenth, speed and senses." He says.

"This... This is a lot to process." I say.

"Yeah. I... I guessed that you would say that." Cole says sadly. "I... I'll give you some space." His voice falters and he stands up.

As soon as he stands up, my heart breaks at the thought of him leaving, even though we've only just met. Heck, I can't imagine spending ten minutes without him, let alone the next few months to think over everything. "Wait." I say, standing up, about to walk up to him. He turns around quickly and approaches me with superhuman speed.

He picks up a stand of my hair that fell infront of my face and tucks it behind my ear. My heart starts beating erratically and sparks tingle my skin from where he touched me.

As soon as I look into his blue eyes, I know.

Everything's going to be alright.