That night, as she tossed and turned, a man appeared in her dreams.
Adeline was in her wolf form, trotting through the forests of her pack's territory. She didn't seem to process that this was a very rare occurrence... she'd never been peaceful in her wolf form. Every time her wolf made an appearance, it always ended badly.
But not this time. There was serenity in her mind and soul, a perfect mix of acceptance and even trust. Trust that her wolf wouldn't completely take over and hurt others. And somehow, Adeline had a sense that her wolf trusted her too... It at least trusted her enough to let her steer the way.
Weaving around trees, Adeline pressed forward. With her nostrils flaring and her nose to the ground, the scent of a rabbit lured her onward. She'd been on its trail for a while now, it seemed. But no matter how quickly she moved, it was always two steps ahead of her. She'd only caught a couple of glimpses of it too, but just as quickly as it would appear, it would then vanish back into the shadows.
With a low growl, Adeline lifted her head and scented the air again. Rain was on the way, and the humidity hung heavy in the air, but nothing would get in the way of her getting that dang rabbit. With a rumbling stomach, the she-wolf continued on... Eventually, Adeline found herself on the outskirts of her pack's territory.
The determination that had been riding her so hard began to dissipate as new scents flooded her. Asphalt, tires, humans. She had to be getting close to the main road. From a young age, she'd always been told to avoid getting so close...
'It's dangerous for a young pup.'
'Females have no business being so close to territory lines.'
'There are dangerous rogues and supernaturals beyond pack lines.'
Those words rolled around in her mind. Even though Lycans were incredibly strong, especially in comparison to humans, there were much stronger supernatural races out in the world. And that's why Lycans relied on packs, as there's safety in numbers. A lone wolf would never be able to survive long without the safety of his or her own kind. That was a lesson that had been drilled into Adeline's mind for years and years. For as long as she could remember, her aunt had told her stories of foolish wolves that had left the safety of their own kind and ventured into the world alone... and it always ended one of two ways. One: the lone wolf eventually returned to their senses and rejoined their pack. Or two: death.
Taking a couple of steps back towards the direction she came from, Adeline let out a sharp whine. The rabbit's scent still clung to her nose, taunting and teasing her. It was out there somewhere, so close but just beyond reach... Flicking her ears back, she was about to turn back when something caught her eye.
Or someone caught her eye.
There was a very tall, lean man standing no more than twenty feet from her. Adeline's heart jumped in her chest, beating frantically against her ribs. Every muscle in her body screamed at the she-wolf to run, to hightail it away from that unfamiliar male... but there was some sort of force that anchored her legs in place.
Lifting her upper lip, Adeline snarled at the man. The fur along her shoulders and back rose, prickling at the male's sudden appearance and now his close proximity. Had she been in human form, she would've demanded to know where he'd come from and how he had snuck up on her so silently. But there was no way to effectively communicate that with him, not when she was in her wolf form. So snarling and hackles would have to do.
Despite her aggressive display, it didn't seem to deter him. He took a single step closer to her. He was a large male, toned and lean. It was hard to fully grasp his height, but even from that distance, she knew that he'd tower over her. He took another couple of steps towards the she-wolf, but at her loud snarl, he turned his palms out to her... as if to tell her "I mean you no harm." He stopped moving too, now only ten feet away, but still cloaked in the shadows.
"Do you want to shift so that we can talk, little wolf?"
At his voice, her muscles slightly relaxed, and she felt the urge to creep closer to him. His voice was deep, with a slight accent from somewhere. She couldn't quite place it, but every cell of her being liked it. His deep voice was smooth and it fit him well. And his voice was just as controlled as his body. The male spoke and moved with a measured sense of awareness, an awareness of where he was and who he was.
And he certainly wasn't a wolf. Male Lycans were large, but they were bulky and not quite as tall. But this male? He was all lean muscle, broad shoulders, and long limbs. There wasn't an ounce of fat on him, and Adeline didn't need to see him shirtless to know that fact. His face was angular too, with high cheekbones, a square jaw, and full lips. But it was his eyes that really caught her attention... They were a vibrant, glowing amber.
And those eyes of his bore into her. As if he were trying to see into her very soul, the male didn't take his eyes off her. As he continued to stare at her, the urge to shift into her human form washed over her. How would he look at her when she was no longer a wolf? Would he like her brown hair? Would he stare at her with that same intensity–
"Are you going to shift for me, little wolf? We can't talk when you're in that form quite yet."
We can't talk when you're in that form quite yet.
Adeline sat up in her bed, gasping for breath. With darting eyes, she glanced around her room. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but she let out a sigh of relief when trees melted away to walls and that man was nowhere to be seen. It was just her, her squeaky bed, and her scarred walls. There was no amber-eyed male that half-terrified-half-intrigued her. She was alone, as she should be.
Since her heart was still pounding, Adeline knew that sleep wasn't likely. Not until she calmed down. So she took to pacing her bedroom. Back and forth, back and forth she walked. She'd never had a dream like that before, not once... When she did dream, nine times out of ten, it was always a nightmare with her starring as the villain. Sleep was always a toss-up for her. Sometimes it was a good reprieve from the harsh reality of her life, but other times it just made things worse. So, so much worse. But she'd never dreamt of a man before, let alone one that appeared so vividly. Most people were faceless figures in her dreams, but he certainly was not faceless. And add on the fact that he had talked to her? She was so desperately hoping that it wasn't what she was thinking it could be...
Dream-walking... The first telltale sign of a mate-bond beginning to form. Lycan historians were still unsure of what exactly causes a fated pair to start dream-walking, but it was always the first sign. Dream-walking allowed the male to then start gathering information on his fated female... Her likes, dislikes, personality, appearance, and most important of all, her location. Once a male got enough information, he would then strike out on his own and start a hunt. A hunt for his one and only true mate.
And after the hunt? Once he found her? A quick courtship (if they even waited that long) followed shortly by a bonding ceremony. After the bonding ceremony, the female would be expected to leave her pack and join his. And then there would be sex, probably lots of it. And then living together, and then babies...
"Oh God..." She groaned as she leaned against a wall and slid down. There, she fought to catch her breath. Her heart rate had started to slow down a bit, but it was still pounding in her ears. Wringing her hands, Adeline tried to empty her mind...
There was no way to be sure that she was dream-walking. After all, she'd never done it before, and it was only one strange dream... She was probably just being paranoid, right? There was no way in Hell that she'd be dream-walking, especially with the way that her wolf was. The Moon would never pair her off to some poor, unsuspecting male...
A male who possibly wasn't even a Lycan, judging by his amber eyes, build, and presence. There was just something different about that male. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was the way he moved and the way he looked at her. He was definitely a dominant male, and was a member of some sort of predatory race... But, then again, Adeline had never met any other wolf, outside of the ones in her pack. Maybe he was a Lycan, but originated from somewhere else in the world. After all, he did seem to have a slight accent. But she had to check her own bias too... Due to the stories she'd heard during her childhood, maybe she was just naturally suspicious of unfamiliar wolves? Maybe that was causing her to look at him a bit differently... Right?
Those damn amber eyes wouldn't leave her mind, no matter how hard she pushed the memory away... Memory? Fever-dream? Or even a nightmare? She wasn't sure; it felt like all three were wrapped up in a horrible "my life keeps getting worse and worse" burrito.
She snorted at her own thoughts. It was going to be a long night.
•••••
Hours later, Adeline sat on a chair as sections of her hair fell to the floor. Her aunt worked silently as she combed sections of hair and snipped. Adeline needed the silence; her head was loud enough as it was.
"And you're sure that you want it that short?" Alexandra then broke the silence. Adeline knew that the she-wolf was reluctant to cut that high. It was very uncommon for females to cut their hair as short as she requested, but Adeline didn't care. Her hair was thick and heavy; any bit of weight taken off was a little weight taken off her shoulders. Both literally and figuratively.
Adeline nodded. "Yes, please. It's just getting way too long, and I want a change."
Through the mirror, she could see the skeptical look on her aunt's face. "Well... what if you don't like it, sweetie? And you have such beautiful hair. It's just like your mother's, it'd be such a shame to have to throw a feature of hers away..."
'Well, thank you for making me feel like shit now. And thank you for bringing my mother up.' Adeline internally growled, but she pushed her aunt's words away. She knew that Alexandra didn't mean for it to sound manipulative, but it still rubbed her the wrong way. She looked like her mother, yes... but she wasn't her.
Taking a deep breath, Adeline composed herself before responding. "And it's just hair, so it'll grow back in no time. I just want to try something new, you know? I've kept my hair long for so long... I think it's time for something new."
Glancing at her aunt again, she still saw a face of hesitance and slight resistance. For a moment, Adeline was about to tell her aunt to just keep it at its current length, just to appease her. She didn't like disappointing her aunt or uncle, especially since they'd done so much for her ever since her mom's death. But Adeline really wanted a big cut. And it was just hair, it'd grow back in no time.
As if she sensed Adeline's determination, Alexandra schooled her expression and kept snipping away. And they carried on that way for what felt like an hour before Alexandra finished. As her aunt was cleaning up, Adeline sat in the chair and admired her new look. Her hair was still wet, so she couldn't see the full bounce of her curls, but she absolutely loved it. Her scalp felt so much lighter now, and she loved the way that her hair swayed when she turned her head. Instead of reaching down to the small of her back, her brown hair was at her chin now. It left her neck and shoulders exposed too, showing off her collarbone and the column of her throat... All big no-nos for female Lycans, at least culturally.
Her aunt was silent, but Adeline could feel the emotions rolling off her. Alexandra usually did a good job at concealing her emotions, but sometimes she just couldn't seem to get a handle on them. And such instances happened whenever her sister, Adeline's mom, was involved in a decision. Even one as small as a haircut.
Adeline swallowed hard, her love for the haircut souring a bit. "Thank you, Aunt Alex. I- I'm sorry for putting you in this position. I shouldn't have asked you to cut that much off–"
Her aunt interrupted her with a small hug. "It's okay, sweet girl. It's your decision, and it's your hair. It's just... Sometimes I..." Alexandra shook her head as the right words evaded her... or perhaps there were too many right words, all trying to come out at once. "You're all the world has left, we have left, of your mom. So it's hard to let go of even the small stuff. I know it grows back... I do, but... Ugh, I don't even know what I'm trying to say."
Her aunt's words grew quieter and quieter the longer she spoke. Adeline's heart skipped a beat. Her surroundings went dead silent as a ringing filled her ears. With a churning stomach, she lurched to her feet and stumbled away from her aunt. Her feet her the weight of anchors, dragging along the floor as she desperately tried to put space between them.
"Adeline... Honey?" Her aunt's voice was muffled by a thousand gallons of water. "Enforcers, get in here NOW! She's shifting!"
Electric pain zapped down her spine, zipping along her nerves and blood vessels. A rugged, pleading sound fell from her mouth as she fell to her knees. Gripping her head, Adeline didn't feel her claws slicing into the skin there, nor did she feel the brown fur spreading across her body. All she could focus on, all she knew, was the blinding pain that pulsed from her skull in waves of fury.
Her wolf, usually so silent in her skull, charged to the forefront of her mind. It gnashed its teeth at her, demanding her submission. Demanding that she give in to its fury.
"No! No! NO!" Adeline screamed as her bones began to reshape. Cracking, breaking, and snapping sounds filled the small room as her human body gave way to her wolf one. "Get out, get out, GET OUT! NOW!"
She couldn't even open her eyes to see if her aunt had listened. Adeline was trying to give the she-wolf as much time as possible before the wolf completely took over. But she only had seconds left, seconds before she tore into any living soul within her vicinity. Alexandra and the pack enforcers were the only ones who could stop her homicidal rampage.
Her wolf was relentless in its demands. It didn't just want her bones or her skin, it didn't just want her claws or screams. It wanted everything. And it wanted the world to feel its pain. There was no denying it, no preventing it from taking over completely. And no matter how tight Adeline held onto the reins of her own mind, the wolf was stronger. Angrier.
The world went black as the wolf took over. Adeline could only pray that they had enough time to stop her.