Ancora Imparo

-13- Not A Dream

Ezra carried me back to his room and set me down on his bed - the pillow fort still intact - the minute my head hit the pillow I was out.

~

I am back in the woods, but it is morning, an older woman with long platinum hair and vibrant blue eyes looked down at my parents scrunching her face in distaste. I gasped looking at their crumpled bodies on the forest floor.

"Aurora, you called me here to help you with these hunters?" An unfamiliar voice sounded. It was another woman with long, dark brown hair.

"We need to terminate them, they pose a threat to the girl," Aurora shifted her weight.

"Are there others that will come looking for them this time?"

Aurora shook her head, "We cleared out their base years ago. I have been keeping an eye on them, it seems that they went reclusive and gave up their hunting."

"And your prophecy?"

She shrugged, "A half truth. If these two hunters knew the child's real purpose, that death prophecy would have been fulfilled."

"Aurora!" I jumped at the voice, I recognized this voice... it belonged to Mr. Grange.

"Eric, I'm glad you came."

Mr. Grange looked the same as I remembered him - slightly hunched over in the shoulders, bright silver hair, and vivid green eyes. I remember Ezra had told me he was one of the pack elders, and that he had my grandfather's notebook. Speaking of, Mr. Grange held out the leather notebook, "I left as soon as you contacted me. I've been studying Marcel's notes and following through with anyone who may have knowledge about the girl. The prophecy seems contained for now, no one knows the truth except the three of us."

"And updates on the girl?"

"I've gotten word that she shifted for the first time early this morning."

The other woman spoke, "So we must act quickly, we can't let these two interfere."

"Should we inform the girl?" Aurora asked Mr. Grange.

"Do you see it being an issue? I suspect this knowledge will just stay between us three, her, and her mate..."

Aurora nods slowly, closing her eyes. Immediately, her opalescent blue eyes snap open, and I am caught off guard when she turns and looks directly at me, a small smirk gracing her lips, "Well, well, hello."

I look behind me, realize that in fact (somehow), I am now part of this vision or dream or... "Hi?"

"Projecting your physical form, a bit more advanced than even I anticipated," Aurora let out a dry laugh.

I looked down at my parents, "Are you going to kill them?"

"Maelle, dear, we have no choice," I was surprised that Mr. Grange (and I assumed the other person) could see me too.

"Am I dreaming? Why can you see me??"

"No, dear, this is all very real... you'll have to trust me on that one. All in due time, you shouldn't stay for your parent's end, but I can give you something before you return to your body."

"Return to my body?" I mumble to myself. "What?"

"As you have heard, this knowledge is strictly," She emphasized strictly. "To stay between myself, Eric, Ethel, you, and you can share with your mate if you chose. No one else must know. Do you understand, child?"

I nod slowly, "A new prophecy?"

Aurora shakes her head, "The true prophecy. Child, Maelle, you are a chosen vessel. The Moon Goddess had chosen you as her physical embodiment for this generation. This honor always skips a generation. You possess a highly intuitive nature, and it is her - the Moon Goddess - resonating with you."

I actually dropped my jaw. A lot of big changes had happened to me in the past year... being 'kidnapped' by my parents to a base, as well as being forced to uproot and move for the first time in my life, meeting my soulmate, becoming a werewolf... but a vessel for a deity? "What does that even mean?"

"Maelle," I turned my head to look at Mr. Grange. "You have a large task in front of you, but it is something that you won't have to worry about for years to come - when you reach the end of your life, your body will be given over to the Moon Goddess until the next vessel is ready. Now, you may experience some increased intuitive abilities - the projection that had brought you here, for example. You may have premonitions, or feel her guiding you with decisions - it will be completely involuntary."

"So why hasn't this affected me before?"

"Who says it hasn't?" Aurora raised her eyebrows. "I must say, for someone with intuitive abilities you still have a lot of awareness to gain. Any other child in your situation would have been completely dependent, spineless, unmotivated... Living with these two bumbling idiots," She tagged on quietly at the end, but I could still hear her. "Despite not having the full manifestation of abilities, the Moon Goddess played a large role in shaping your personality growing up. It is my belief that you wouldn't be who you've grown up to be without her influence."

"Wow, okay, this sounds absolutely crazy."

"Well, only time will allow this prophecy to come to fruition... but for now, Maelle, I believe it's time we say goodbye. I look forward to seeing you soon, but for now, we must dispose of these hunters. Goodbye, Maelle." Aurora places her hand on my forehead pushing me back forcefully causing me to stumble.

~

I am falling as I wake up, and I shoot up from my sleeping position looking around the room with wide eyes. I try to slow down my frantic breathing, and I wipe the sweat from my forehead.

"Elle?" I heard Ezra mumble sleepily from next to me.

Was that real? A weird dream? Girl, you know that was the furtherest thing from a dream, my wolf shook her head.

Should I tell Ezra? Could I trust him not to tell his family? He's our mate, of course we can! I choose to ignore my wolf.

"Ezra," I wrap my arms around him, my face buried in his neck inhaling his scent trying to keep my wolf calm.

"Are you okay, did you have a nightmare?"

I kept my face hidden from Ezra, biting my lip. "Not really," I mumbled.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I shake my head, "Not yet, later, I need to process it."

"Would writing it down help?"

"NO!" I couldn't manage to contain my outburst.

Ezra moved to look at me, assessing my face, "Elle... what happened?"

"Can I trust you? If I told you something... could it stay only with you?" I whisper, burying my face again.

"Elle, I'm literally your soulmate. Whatever it is my lips are sealed, it will stay between us," He wrapped his arms around me creating the sparks that made my wolf worked up and my brain foggy.

"Fine," I sigh. "Is anyone able to overhear us?"

I could feel Ezra shake his head, "Everyone is out training or socializing right now. Is it really something top secret?"

I nod, still whispering - still paranoid someone might hear me, "Okay, promise me you won't interrupt... or say this is some crazy dream."

Ezra held out his pinky, and I raised my eyebrow up at him. "Pinky promise, you have my word."

I join my pinky with his, and begin to recount my wild 'dream'.