chapter 2: Nox

As I enter the world of sleep I am haunted by nightmares. I've seen these ones before, in the past few nights and in the waking world.

I am walking through the woods with a small bag containing my belongings and one of the king's guards. We've been traveling for days with no end in sight. I am afraid of this guard. He is an alpha and he hates General Lucas. I fear the moment he kidnaps and rapes me. I know it is coming soon. I know I will not make it out of this encounter alive. I've accepted this fate, but I am still afraid. He knows this, he can smell it on me. Fear. I hate that my scent betrays me and I hate that he enjoys it. On the fourth night he strikes. I am laying on the cold ground, staring at the stars when his hefty figure lands on me, pinning me down. I let out a squeal of fear, much too similar to the sound a pig would make when faced with danger. I begin to wiggle and buck, trying to get the heavy alpha off of me.

"Pretty omega. You should be mine, you know that? I'm just as good a warrior as Lucas. Heh, I'm probably even better than him!" he bends to kiss me and I whimper. "So why couldn't you be mine?" his face changes course just before his lips touch mine, instead he presses his nose to my scent gland and inhales loudly. I jerk my head and he moves away. "What? Don't like that?" he teases. His hands roam my body freely. I push weakly at his chest, trying to escape.

"Stop," I whine unhappily.

"Stop," he mocks. He presses his lips to my shoulder and I whimper again. He chuckles and pulls away a bit.

"You do like this, don't you?"

"No!" I snap and he shakes his head.

"You don't have to lie. It's just us," he smirks and I shudder. We both jump at the sound of a gun being fired. The guard jumps from my body and I crawl away, trying to get my footing. Once I've found it, I take off. I can hear his footsteps bearing down on me, a wolf chasing down its prey. I can smell the pleasure of the hunt on him, polluting the air of the woods around us. I keep running, swatting away thorns and branches that greedily lap at my flesh and clothes, trying to pin me in place. Honestly, I believe these pieces of nature to be on the guards' side. My lungs and legs ache as I continue to push forward, searching for help. Searching for a chance at life.

I eventually receive it what feels like years later. I break from the bush and am greeted with the sight of a small town. I barrel down the steep hill towards the town, praying it would deter the hunting alpha. Once in town, I bang on the first door I find, begging for entrance. A small old woman opens the door and I bowl her over trying to get in. I slam the door and press my ear to the rough wood, listening for the sounds of the guard. He runs past the house and further into town. A soft breath was released, I was safe. A hand grabs me and I scream.

I am screaming in the real world as well, apparently. My eyes snap open to find dark eyes watching me. They are filled with annoyance and the smallest fleck of worry. My heart is thundering in my chest as I try to calm myself down.

"I'm sorry," I rasp instantly and pull away from the General. He releases me instantly.

"What happened?" he questions, voice thick from sleep.

"Just a nightmare," I whisper as I slide out of the bed and leave the room. I sit on the thick furs and stare into the fire, trying to clear my mind.

I must have zoned out as suddenly the General is sitting beside me and settling a heavy cup in my hands. I look into the cup to find a dark liquid.

"Drink," the General commands. I nod and do as told, drinking heavily from the cup. The warm liquid slides over my tongue and down my throat easily. The taste of the forest fills my mouth. For a moment, I am back with the guard. I set the cup down and pull my knees to my chest.

"I apologize, General Lucas, I didn't mean to disrupt your slumber,"

"You may call me Ryan," he pauses to drink from his own glass. "Are you going to tell me what had you screaming the way you were?"

"No, sir. It's not worth the breath," he nods solemnly. He finishes his cup and stands.

'Come back when you're ready," he says before lumbering off. I do not return to the bedroom, instead, I settle on the furs and watch the door.. This wasn't my first time in this position. In the weeks that I'd been waiting for Ryan to return I'd had nightmares and found myself in this exact position. I watch the lock on the door, waiting for it to jiggle. My eyes burn from the effort it takes to keep them wide open. I am exhausted from nights of doing this, but I wouldn't risk being found unprepared. When at last the night dissipates and the sun begins to bathe the world in its light I push myself up. I slip into the kitchen and begin pulling out random ingredients. Perhaps if I showed Ryan how capable I was, he would agree to let me stay with him. I could be useful to the warrior, I knew I could. I nod to myself, a new objective in mind; show General Ryan Lucas what he was missing.