Nightmare

"I can't help it." I say to her with a smile on my face then pull away and take a seat at the table taking out the letter at the same time.

"What have you got there?" Mama Kate asks as her attention falls on the letter.

"Letter from the Copper stones pack." I say and Mama Kate growls as the present scents on the letter get her attention.

"Where's Alec?" I ask absentmindedly.

"Gym." She says trying to hide her feelings about the letter from the Copper stones pack.

"Thanks, Mama Kate." I say then head towards my room to change into workout clothes before heading to the gym. Once changed into proper attire, I head towards the gym only to hear Alec delivering some swift punches to the punching bag.

"Mind if I join?" I ask getting his attention, making him laugh.

"Sure." He says then hesitates.

"What's bothering you?" He asks and I stretch out my hand with the letter to him like a toddler not wanting to share her toys with anyone causing him to laugh.

He takes the letter and reads it while I get consumed in my thoughts.

"They want to meet." He states.

"They all want to meet." He says, clarifying what I've been thinking.

"Yup. They suspect us though it took them longer than expected." I say as I clench my fists.

"But we have nothing to do with the kidnappings." He states trying to put a damper on his anger.

"I know but until they confirm their motives we have to play the game." I state as I go over a list of possibilities in my head.

"The crowning of our new King is on Friday. Tomorrow I'm heading off to meet up with Kelly, I'll be back by Thursday." I say to him.

"What are you going to do?" He asks curiously.

"Just wanna pay a visit and see if she has any clue as to what is going on besides we protect each other." I say with a smile on my face.

"That we do." He says in response.

We ended up sparring against each other until the stars and moon were lighting up the sky. We weren't in a rush to have dinner but knowing how Mama Kate gets when any of the pack members don't eat we decided to go to dinner after a shower of course.

Upon entry into the dining room, we're greeted by our family aka the pack as everyone settles into their chair.

"How was school, my trouble makers?" I ask the children of the pack.

"It was great. Today we learned to crochet in arts and it was fun and in dance, we learned a new move." Lola says then Zack jumps in adding his opinion then everyone starts adding their opinion.

I end up quietly listening to them as I smile and eat my dinner. When we're all satisfied we all head to our respective rooms. That night I fell asleep with ease until I was shaken awake by a worried Alec.

I sit up only to notice that my pajama top is stuck to me thanks to cold sweat.

"How long?" That is all I ask as I try to regulate my breathing.

"Four hours." Alec says.

"Four hours without a nightmare. I'm getting better." I say with a sigh as I run a hand over my face.

"How'd you know?" I ask him since I rarely scream when I have nightmares.

"Luke alerted me." He says with a sigh.

"Though I was good at hiding it." I say musing out loud.

"You are but this particular nightmare was projected to us through our bond." He says placing the back of his hand against my forehead.

"It was that one, huh?" I ask as I gently remove his hand from my forehead.

"Yup." He says.

"What did you see?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood.

"It was more felt and heard than seen." Alec says seriously dismissing my attempt at humor.

"Yeah, well not all of us can dream about beautiful ponies and rainbows." I say as I get up and head to my closet for a change of clothes then to the bathroom.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alec asks cautiously.

"No." I say in response as I turn on the shower making sure the water is warm before I step under its spray.

"You can't keep it bottled up forever, Mei." He says and I tense slightly. He never really uses my name unless he's absolutely serious.

"Sure." I mumble in response knowing that he heard me thanks to his enhanced hearing.

When finished with my shower, I change into a fresh outfit then re-enter my room and head over to my dressing table to get my brush and comb.

"Let me." Alec says taking them from me then seating me on the bed. He gently untangles my hair then puts it into a loose braid for me. When done he places a kiss on my forehead.

"Since you're not going back to bed, I suggest you head out." He says in his usual brotherly way causing me to laugh.

"I guess so." I say as I stand and embrace him, nuzzling into his chest.

"I know it's been years since it happened and since you found me but I rather keep that particular one locked away until I can face the nightmare without waking in the middle of it." I say and Alec hugs me a little tighter in response.

When he lets me go, I let out a sight then put on my combat boots, grab my overnight bag then head out making sure not to wake anyone.