The Wolf Within (Book 1 of Wolf Within Series)

Midnight Hike

** Dakota's POV **

It felt hyper-real. The world around me was exactly as I remembered it when I had fallen asleep, only, now I was mere feet away from Lia; her sleepy eyes on me, gently and lazily asking why I was up.

"Shh. Go back to sleep, I just have to use the restroom." I whispered. Her heavy eyelids closed while she barely nodded her understanding.

"Hurry back." She murmured; her voice barely audible over the blanket she was pulling over herself.

"Ok." I replied as I quickly turned around and made my way to the elevator. Just as I was about to reach out and push the button, the world went black.

Next thing I knew, I was stumbling just outside of Strega Tali's hut, headed toward the forest's edge. The hyperreality of the previous dream running into this one. It felt like a dream but the sights, sounds, smells... everything was so vivid. As my body followed a seemingly scripted route, not waiting for any conscious command from my mind, I simply watched the events unfold.

A window in the hut opened and the world began to move in slow motion. My head turned toward the noise and I was greeted by Strega Tali's face staring at me. She watched me as she said, "Remember dear, this problem affects more than is known." A nod of farewell followed as my gaze turned back to the forest.

As I approached it, my vision faded to black. A few seconds later, I could hear the rapid crunching of fallen leaves and twigs beneath my feet along with the sound of my labored breathing. My hair was moving wildly with the wind as I ran against it. In my dreamlike state I periodically felt the squish of mud beneath me, causing me to slide, but I recovered; quickly grabbing whatever was nearby to steady myself before lurching onward again. I was steadily progressing to my unknown destination in a daze as it all went black again.

Then, suddenly, my foot caught the bottom of what I assumed to be a fallen tree and the world snapped back into view. It was just in time to see the earth rapidly approach my face, or rather, I rapidly approached it. As I made impact, again, my world went dark.

Gradually my body awoke, as small shivers traveled through me. Instinctively I moved to grab more blankets, only to find none, and hear the sound of crinkling beneath me as I repositioned. My brows furrowed, slowly trying to make sense of the sound and the strange feeling of Lia's previously very luxurious bed. My eyelids lifted, opening my tired eyes, to see a dark, leaf covered ground before me. I snapped awake and quickly moved my hands to push against the earth to raise my torso and get a better look at where I was.

Apparently, I was actually in the middle of the forest. Somehow, I had walked out to this point in my sleep. I saw the night sky poke through the leaves and trees as the wind rustled through the woods. As I moved to stand, I saw a strange shadow out of the corner of my eye, directly beneath me. Upon further inspection, I found that it wasn't my shadow.

My actual shadow was barely visible, since there was no light source strong enough to truly cast one. What I thought was my shadow, was actually a large dark pool that was dry to the touch. It was positioned directly beneath where my head had been resting. I moved to a kneeling position and lifted one of the leaves closer to my face.

I felt a deep pit in my stomach as I recognized just what those dark spots were.

Dried blood.

AB: WE'RE DIEING!!!

HB: Blood levels are fine AB, but we should check our head for injuries just in case.

Immediately I touched my hand to my head, searching for a possible source for the blood. However, no wet spot or scabs, or any type of injury was to be found.