I was running. My chest was tight as my breathing came out in short bursts. The gasps for air were audible as I leaped over a fallen tree, almost twisting my ankle in the process. My legs were numb and tingly, but I couldn't seem to stop them.

What was going on? Why was I running? And who was I running from? All I could feel was the darkness that weighed in my heart - I was terrified. Whatever I was running from made fear take over my body. I couldn't stop running, not when they were right behind.

Who's "they?"

The fact that I was confused by my own thoughts alarmed me. And what alarmed me further was that despite the heavy weight of fear filling my entire body, I didn't feel the comforting presence of my wolf in the back of my mind. I didn't feel anything. Where was he? 

"Aah!" 

Suddenly the world was tilting as I crashed to the ground, scraping my hands and legs as I brace for impact. My body rolled forward and I'm soon tumbling down a hill, grunting as I went along. When I stopped at the bottom of the hill, I tried to sit up. But, when I looked down at my hands, I was even further alarmed to find that they were not only bloody but also not my hands.

Great Goddess what's going on?! I frantically checked my body, finding plenty of blood, but also fair skin that almost seemed to glow, covered in scars and other markings. This...this wasn't my body. Even if my skin was pale, it wasn't nearly this ghostly, nor was it covered in so many scars. 

"Where is it?"

My - well, not really my - head snapped up when I heard voices nearby. I wanted to scream out, but the sudden panic that gripped me told me I shouldn't give away my location. Instead, I scrambled to hide from them at the base of the hill, peeking my head out from a bush to watch for anyone going by.

A group of men with guns walked by, pausing for a moment where I could still hear them.

"It's not here."

"It has to be! Father will be displeased. He could have our heads for this."

"It's not my problem! I wasn't the one that let him go."

"Quiet."

The sound of a female made me pause. "It's here. I can smell its magic."

My breath hitched as I heard the group start to walk down the hill. I hid further into the bush, trying to make myself as small as possible. 

"Sister Arya, there isn't anything here."

"Quiet," she snapped again.

I completely stopped breathing as I waited, praying to the Goddess that they didn't find me. Whoever they were, they didn't sound friendly, and they kept referring to this body as an "it." At least, I assumed they were referring to me. What else would they be looking for in my direction? Especially if the body had reacted so horribly to them.

The branches shielding me rustled and a hand shot through, gripping hair that was definitely way longer than mine. I yelped, but it sounded more like the scream of a fox.

A fox?

But before I could contemplate it more, my vision went black and I heard the distinct sound of more screams, but they were humanoid.

.

.

.

"Wren!?"

I gasped, shooting up in bed. Joshua's arm around me pulled me back down to rest on his chest as I tried to even out my breathing. My hands trembled while I tried to process what just happened. 

"Calm down. Deep breaths remember? Deep breaths," Joshua soothed me, running his hand through my hair repeatedly. 

After I took a moment to calm down, I turned around so I could lay on him and still see his face. His brow was furrowed in concern as he watched me closely. "What happened?"

"I had a dream," I started, but my voice felt tight. "I was running, but then I fell down a hill. A-and these people were chasing after me and they found me, but it wasn't me!"

"What do you mean it wasn't you?" He asked me.

"It wasn't my body. I was in someone else's. They were running from these people and someone was named Sister Arya," I rambled, surprised by the amount of detail I was able to remember; it was like I'd lived it myself. "The body had scars and markings all over it. And he was very pale."

"It was a he?"

"Yeah...I think so at least. The people looking for him called him an 'it' though."

Joshua sighed, leaning down to peck my temple. "You scared me. You were shaking and breathing really heavily. I thought you were going to have a seizure at some point."

I closed my eyes, resting my head on his chest. That wasn't just some ordinary dream. It felt too real, and I got that feeling I did when I saw Aaron and Ella in that red landscape thing. "I think I just had a vision," I declared suddenly.

"I think you did too."

It made sense. Last night, we'd mated to help with my heat.  And now that I thought about it, it was a lot milder now, especially since I was still touching Joshua. It felt more like a small biological itch I needed to scratch rather than a pain I couldn't handle.   

Maybe one of my triggers was us mating? Or maybe it had helped me to unlock more of my ability. Great Goddess, it all still sounded absolutely insane even after a week of the fact settling in. Either way, I had a dream that Aaron and Alpha James needed to know about. Even if it was trivial or not real, it was still progress. It felt real and since when did people dream as someone other than themselves? That wasn't something that normally happened right? At least I knew I didn't dream like that normally.

"We should call the packhouse," I said, sitting up but keeping my hands on his chest.

"Yeah, but first we should maybe eat and get dressed."

I looked over at the clock, realizing that it was morning. At least I'd gotten some sleep. With a nod, I slid off the bed, wincing when a bolt of pain shot down my backside. "Ow."

"I'm sorry," Joshua said, noticing my discomfort.

"Not your fault. It was my heat that did this," I grumbled.

As I made my way to the stairs, I heard Joshua call out, "I love you."

I turned around, smiling warmly. "I love you, too."

The simple exchange of words made my chest fill with warmth and my stomach flutter. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face even after I left him. We'd said those words to each other last night for the first time, but I still felt like we'd just made our declarations anew just now. Maybe it'd feel like this every time we said them. 

Within an hour, Joshua and I were both dressed and eating some eggs and bacon. "Can you remember anything else about your dream?" Joshua asked me after he'd swallowed a bite of food.

I looked down at my eggs, using my fork to prod them a bit. "Mm, they mentioned someone called 'Father' and since they called the woman 'Sister,' maybe it's a family?"

"Maybe," Joshua echoed. 

"Oh, and the body...when it screamed, it didn't sound human."

My mate turned to look at me. "What do you mean?"

"I mean it didn't sound like a human scream. It sounded animal-like. Like a fox, actually," I explained.

Joshua hummed thoughtfully. "Don't forget to tell them that. It could be important, you never know."

"I won't."

.

.

.

"Wow."

I looked at Aaron, who had his arms crossed with a frown while he reclined against the single chair in Alpha James' office. "Wow," he repeated, shaking his head. "I've never had a dream like that before. The red landscape was my first summoning."

"You think I was summoned to someone else then?" I asked.

"No, no. I think you had a vision of someone important to your future. Maybe that's your thing. You have dream visions," Aaron offered.

"Perhaps," Alpha James mused. "Wren, if you happen to have any more dreams like this, please tell us."

"I will," I agreed.

We all stood up, prepared to go our separate ways when the door to Alpha James' office burst open. A warrior stood in the doorway, looking worn out from having probably run here. "Alpha, someone just passed through the border and there's a group of people with guns heading towards us."

Guns? Something in the back of my head started to go off, but I didn't pay much attention to it. "Strengthen the border patrol and stop the group before they can enter. And someone must find the intruder."

The woman nodded before walking off. We all quickly left as well, obviously wanting to know what was going on. Once we left the packhouse, Joshua grabbed my hand and pulled me to the side. "Wren, maybe we should stay inside and let them handle this," he suggested.

"No, I-"

A sudden shriek caught my attention. Joshua and I both jumped in fright, as well as a couple of other people who'd must have heard the commotion and came outside to check. But what frightened me the most was that the shriek...

"Joshua, I've heard that sound before," I whispered, tugging on his hand.

"What? When?"

I didn't answer right away, instead dragging him along as I hurried towards where the sound came from. The something in the back of my head turned into a more insistent feeling, like a pressure welling up inside me. Anticipation. 

"Wren, wait! Where are we going?" Joshua called after me as we hurried towards the forest near the packhouse.

"I've heard that sound before. In my dream. That was the sound the body made," I explained hurriedly, keeping up the quickened pace.

Joshua stopped letting me drag him along and instead walked in step with me. We were both fast, eager to see if my dream had become a reality. The implications of that could be huge. What would this mean for me now? Would I be able to foresee any events that could be major? Perhaps attacks? Plots? Or maybe good things. I didn't want to admit it, but I was beginning to become excited. Maybe this ability wouldn't be so bad. I could use it for good, so long as I kept my actual ability a secret.

We stopped when we entered a clearing. Alpha James and Aaron were already there, as well as  Erin and a few warriors. The warriors were surrounding something, but I couldn't quite make out what or who it was. 

Please, I found myself mentally begging. The group happened to move at just the right moment for me to see who it was and I gasped. 

Cowering in the center of the circle was a boy, naked and covered in dirt, blood, and scars everywhere. His skin, despite all of the things marring it, was pale, almost glowing. Covering his face was long white hair with streaks of red in it. But the things that shocked me the most were the furry, white ears atop his head and the three fox tails protruding from his tailbone.

"It's him," I breathed. "And he's a kitsune."

~~~

Soo... what do you guys think? I don't think I ever intended for the world to revolve around just werewolves, so I hope you guys enjoy it XD 

And now you guys know Wren's ability! 

Stay tuned for more insanity and please stay healthy and safe!

Thank you so much for reading <3

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The updated schedule will be every Wednesday and Friday until the book ends.