Chapter 10 Ashlyn
ASHLYN
Nomad Lands, Canada
We’ve been driving for hours, the sun having set ages ago.
Of course, it’s that time of year where the days are shorter than the nights. So it’s hard to know exactly how long we’ve been on this snowmobile. But it’s clear that Grey wanted to put a lot of distance between us and his cave.
The howls piercing the air as we left told me why.
There had to be at least a dozen wolves, if not more, trying to find us.
Given my visions of what should have happened tonight, that dozen or so was just the beginning.
Now… now I feel a little lost. Confused. Elated. And scared.
Because I have no idea where this new path leads.
All my visions are of going into heat in that cave and being ripped apart while Grey saves his sister from the candlelit cavern.
Not only am I not in heat at all, I’m… I’m no longer in that cave.
So nothing is what it seems, again suggesting that something or someone has been influencing my visions. But how? Who? And why?
The dragons tend to keep to themselves, just like the wolves. Our dynamics are vastly different. Wolves are pack creatures, choosing a hierarchy based on strength. Or, with V-Clan wolves, based on mental abilities.
But the dragons… they structure their authority based on bloodlines. They’re purists by nature. There’s power in blood and they form their alliances accordingly.
So why manipulate my mind? I wonder as the snowmobile finally begins to slow. What’s the endgame?
For once in my existence, I can’t see it. I can’t see anything at all.
And that terrifies me.
“Recognize any of this?” Grey asks as he kills the engine.
“No,” I tell him. “Nothing at all.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I… This has never happened to me before.”
He places his hand on my arm—which I barely feel as I’m basically an ice cube now—and gives it a squeeze. “We’ll figure this out together, Ash.”
“Okay.” I have to clamp my teeth together to keep them from chattering. It’s like now that we’ve officially stopped that the chill is catching up to me. I’ve been forcing myself to ignore it this entire ride, focusing instead on my mind and trying to envision what’s to come.
But I’m mentally blind. No hints. No paths. Just the present—which is a clearing of trees with what appears to be a cabin in the distance.
“I’m going to go check this out and see what’s inside,” he says, giving my arm another squeeze. “I want you to stay here and keep your hands on these bars, then drive if you hear anything or anyone coming that isn’t me.”
I try to nod in agreement, but my body is a little too stiff. I’m not sure I could drive even if I wanted to. “O-okay,” I manage to force through my teeth.
He glances back at me, the action I only notice because he moved his head.
We can’t really see one another clearly through the face shields, the mirrored outer layer instead reflecting the moon overhead and the surrounding snow.
Grey removes my arms from his torso and slides off the snowmobile then takes off his helmet. Mine disappears next, allowing us to meet each other’s gazes. His reminds me of a black hole in the ice, his pupils so large there’s only a thin glacial rim around it.
Without a word, he takes the backpack from me—an item I stopped feeling hours ago—then lifts me into a bridal hold and carries me toward the cabin.
“I don’t hear any heartbeats or smell anyone,” he says softly.
“So the property is vacant. But those panels on top tell me it’s been fashioned for solar energy. ”
I swallow, my teeth now chattering freely as I can’t seem to clench my jaw anymore.
“We’ll make do and stay here for the rest of the night,” he goes on. “Then continue on in the morning.”
I want to ask how far his snowmobile can go on whatever tank it has, but I don’t have the energy. So I just angle my chin a little to acknowledge what he said.
Then I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, exhaustion overwhelming me.
Maybe it’s the cold.
Maybe it’s the lack of sight.
Or maybe it’s… it’s just life.
However, I’m suddenly too tired to do anything other than breathe. Exist. And curl into his heat.
I’m not sure when I start to thaw, or when the world begins to warm up again, but it feels like I go from being icicle to a flame in a matter of minutes.
Except… except when I open my eyes, I find myself naked in a cocoon of blankets.
With a naked man holding me.
My eyes widen, the windows before me showcasing a winter wonderland lit by the sunrays above.
What…? Am I dreaming? I wonder. Is this a… a vision?
No, it feels too good to be a picture of the future.
So a dream is more likely.
Or a fantasy, even.
Because I can feel a knot against my rump. It’s hot. It’s hard. And it’s part of an even harder shaft.
Grey, I think dizzily, a moan nearly escaping me. A very naked Grey is holding a very naked me.
A shiver works through me despite the heat blanketing me from the inside out.
This is the best dream of my life. I never want to wake up. I simply want to exist in this moment forever.
But the wall behind me begins to move, a purring rumble vibrating my back.
I sigh, deciding this is my personal heaven. “Please don’t stop,” I whisper.
“Why would I stop?” Grey asks against my ear, clearly awake. Er, awake in my dream, anyway. Which I already assumed given his erection is branding my ass.
Plus the purr.
I don’t think Alpha’s purr whilst asleep.
Or maybe they do.
Regardless, he’s very much aware in my dream right now, which means I can indulge.
“Will you kiss me?” I ask my Alpha, wanting to see where this goes.
He presses his lips to my shoulder, then my neck. “Like this?”
“Yes,” I whisper, arching back into him. “But more.” I roll toward him, my palm finding his cheek. “Kiss me like I’m yours.”
“You are mine, little riddler,” he murmurs, his nose touching mine. “My fated Omega.” His mouth brushes mine, softly at first. Sweetly. Then his tongue parts my lips and passion ignites between us.
I grab his shoulders, loving how strong and hot they feel beneath my palms. Almost like he’s real.
He rolls me to my back, his lower half settling between my thighs as he masters me with his tongue.
It’s intense.
It’s hot.
It’s better than I ever could have imagined.
Especially with his weight on me. His bare skin against mine. His cock hard against my clit.
I push up into him, not caring at all that he can feel my arousal. It’s not like he’s hiding his.
And this is my fantasy, after all.
I may as well do what I want. Enjoy the embrace. Experience our mating…
I dig my nails into his muscles, earning me a growl from the Alpha. A growl that’s mixed with his purr. The sound is delectable and draws a moan from deep within.
I want so much more.
His knot inside me.
His thick shaft stroking me.
His teeth in my skin…
“I wish you could truly claim me,” I pant against his mouth. “Make me yours in every way… for real.” I lean in to kiss him more, but he pulls back to stare down at me.
“Why wouldn’t I be able to claim you?” he asks, his brow furrowing as some of the lust leaves his features.
“Because this a dream,” I tell him, laughing a little. “But if you want to bite me, I won’t say no. In fact, I think I would like that a lot.” I tilt my head to the side. “It would be nice to know how it’ll feel. A memory to take with me to the grave.”
He stills. “What does that mean?”
Now it’s my turn to frown. “What does what mean?”
“A memory to take to the grave.”
I sigh. “Can we get back to the kissing and claiming thing? This feels like a waste of time, especially when I could wake up at any moment.”
He goes to his elbows on either side of my head. “Ashlyn.”
“Grey,” I murmur coyly back at him, then bat my eyes. “Bite me.”
“No.”
“What do you mean no?” I demand. “This is my dream.”
“Ash—”
“If you’re not going to bite me, then at least knot me. That’s the least you can do after everything I intend to endure for you.”
He gapes down at me. “And what is it you intend to endure for me?”
I stare up at him, my lips curling down into a deeper frown. His question doesn’t feel right. Because it’s not something I would ask myself in a dream.
In fact, I wouldn’t be doing any of this in a fantasy. Just kissing and knotting.
But the way this Alpha is studying me… doesn’t feel all that fantastical. It feels real. Too real.
“This isn’t a dream,” I whisper, realizing the truth of it as I voice the words out loud.
“No. It’s very much not a dream. So start talking.”
I shake my head. “I can’t.”
“You can.”
“No, Grey. I can’t.”
“We’ve already changed the future. You told me you couldn’t see anything else. So why not tell me what you thought was going to happen and let me help you move on from there,” he says, his tone carrying the weight of his Alpha authority.
“It could still happen.” I shiver with the thought, but take in the surroundings again with a frown.
None of this is familiar.
None of this feels destined.
“How long was I asleep?” I ask him, another thought occurring to me. “How many days has it been since Cael’s visit?” Because maybe… maybe everything is still going to happen, just in a new place.
That could be the change.
The alternative path.
But how am I going to protect myself in this open cabin with glass windows that overlook a forest clearing? I wonder. Unless there’s a cellar or a bunker underground…
“Why?” Grey demands.
“Why?” I echo, not following. “Why what?”
“Why do you need to know how many days it’s been?”
Oh. My nose scrunches, then my teeth clench together as I glare up at him. “Because it’s important.”
His eyes narrow. “Tell me why.”
“Tell me how long it’s been,” I counter, my heart beginning to race when I realize that today could be the day everything changes.
I look outside again, needing to see the sun. It might be my last time ever seeing it. Because once nightfall comes…
“Please tell me how long it’s been,” I whisper, unable to hide the tremor in my voice now as the visions begin to assault my mind.
The horror.