Chapter 8: What He Was

I was sound asleep when pleasant chills were carried in through my window.

'Regina wake up, it's snowing, I can feel it,' Reyes' voice shattered my dream.

With a huff, I got up and looked out my window and sure enough, flakes of white fluff were falling down from the dark night sky to the coat of white on the ground.

'I knew winter was coming but isn't this a bit early?' I questioned,

'Who cares? this is the best time to go running'

'That's what you said last time,' I reminded Reyes of our encounter with Marcus.

She scoffed, 'this time, the odds are in our favor few Nightmare wolves aren't able to withstand the cold for more than a few minutes, so no wolf in their right mind would want to go running in the snow. And also the snow camouflages us but not them, we'll be fine.'

I caved, it was not like I had much of a say in the first place, 'Fine but we need some clothes, I don't want to roll in the mud again.'

Reyes growls in disgust at the memory of having to hurt her dignity by rolling in filth.

I packed some trainers, a hoodie and jeans in a bag. Then I stretched my limbs, causing my bones to shift into my wolf form in all its glory.

I never had to feel pain when shifting because I was born in wolf form so when I shifted into a wolf, my body was simply returning to its innate state.

I wasn't one for self-idolizing but Reyes definitely was, 'Look at this beauty,' she pranced around in front of the mirror, 'concealing me should be a crime, the Unknown World really doesn't know what they're missing,'

I rolled my eyes but had to admire how our white fur shimmered in the moonlight.

'Are you sure it's alright to run in the snow?' I asked Reyes, now having doubts,

'Yes, I'm sure, I'm an arctic, for goodness sake, 'the cold never bothered me anyway,' she snapped, 'Are you questioning me? if so then I'll do it myself,'

Reyes took over, grabbing the bag of clothes in her mouth and leaping, with grace, out the window.

After dropping the bag of clothes off at the corner of the same random street from yesterday, and running in the snow for what felt like hours, the lake from the day before came into view. And to our amazement, there, coated in snow, sitting at the edge of the lake, was a dark silhouette figure of a wolf.

He must be insane to be here in this weather. The warm green-grey eyes of the guy who'd helped me today flickered across my mind.

Reyes was in a playful mood. She went low, creeping up in an attacking stance, using the cover of snow.

Then she pounced.

But the wolf moved out of the way in time, then she ended up throwing us into the freezing river.

To my human body, it may have been freezing cold but since I was an Arctic wolf, I could only feel a touch of coolness.

As we came out of the river, shaking ourself dry, but to no avail, we looked up to see the Nightmare staring back at us, looking quite humoured at our failed attempt at a sneak attack. His platinum eyes were enough to confirm that he was the same Nightmare from yesterday and I could see a flash of amusement in them as though he was laughing at us.

And of course, Reyes' pride wouldn't allow it.

She lunged at him again, this time catching his leg in her mouth but, being a Nightmare, he easily overpowered her and soon enough, had our neck clasped in his mouth.

'You really thought you could take him on?' I asked Reyes.

'It's not over yet, I can still win, the Reyes does not submit to anyone,' her reply, as high-and-mighty as ever.

But before Reyes could make a comeback attack on the especially smug Nightmare, howls ripped through the air and through Reyes' moment of fearlessness.

Immediately, the wolf's jaw slacked, letting our neck free of his hold and Reyes instantly crouched low in the snow for camouflage, backing away from where the sound was coming from.

It was at this reminder of the dangerous situation my life was in, that I realized that I was just 'play' fighting with a freaking Nightmare, and he had my neck in his mouth of sharp teeth; IN HIS MOUTH.

If he had given it, just a little squeeze, I would have been dead.

I looked at the Nightmare staring at me; I was playing with fire, and I was bound to get burnt eventually.

Howls rang out again, this time we both turned to where it was coming from and, with my sharper arctic eyes, I was able to see three wolves heading this way- All Nightmare.

And though I knew the black wolf's eyes couldn't see what it was yet, he reacted instantly to my whimper and, with his paws, started burying me with snow.

By the time the three wolves started coming into his view, I was fully buried in snow; still and unnoticeable. He backed up, as far away from where I was as possible and I blinked the snow away from my eyes so I could see what was going on.

He stood there and all three of the other wolves, who looked about the same age as him but smaller in size, stopped in front of him.

The howling made sense now, they were looking for him. They all stood there for a moment, mind-linking, I presumed. A part of me envied them for it- having a pack- a place to belong.

Then they did something that made me go stone still.

They all bowed, almost as though he was their...

Alpha.

No, no, no, no!

But regardless of my denial, one name began to piece itself together in my head through the panic,

... Marcus.