Trust

*This chapter will change point of view throughout. It will be listed just as it is at the start of this chapter.*

Silas:

"If you scare her away you will lose her forever. She's managed to avoid us this long and clearly it was intentional. We have to go about this slowly, wisely. We have to win her, not you! You will get her wolf, but only if we get her heart first!" I felt my wolf slow. His mind was racing, I was trying to focus, trying to take back control of my mind and body.

"Fine, but hurry or I'll do it for you both." With that my wolf pulled back and I felt my muscles as they throbbed from the almost shift. My legs collapsed and I fell to the ground. I cursed at my wolf internally and let my eyes adjust to the room. I looked up to Sin and nodded once.

"Thank you, he's okay for now." I had hidden my wolf's urgency up to now. Handled the extra hunts and time out alone because as much as my wolf needed them so did I. This was the first time I needed something different. The first time my wolf and I were not on the same page. It felt like arguing with myself only the other side was definitely winning.

"You know, extra hunts may not be enough now. We may have to keep you guarded when you sleep." My eyes shot open. He knew about my hunts? "Come on, don't be so surprised. I'd be a poor Beta if I didn't notice when my Alpha was out running around or shifted at all really." I laughed a bit as the pain stopped and my body was once again my own.

"Fair point, and I agree about the guards. It'll have to be someone who isn't afraid to hurt my wolf if necessary though." Someone I trust enough to keep me from getting loose without doing lasting damage.

"And someone who is able to hurt your wolf if necessary." That wasn't exactly an easy feat. He was the Alpha afterall. His wolf was the strongest in the pack, mine was second but it was still an easy win for him to overpower me if he really wanted to.

"We'll assign a team, maybe you and the Omegas can take shifts of two at a time. Only when I'm asleep or if he starts to slip." What would happen if I lost control with her in these few days? I knew what would happen…she'd run. That couldn't happen. My wolf was starting to sleep now, not interested in listening to us plan how to keep him under control. If she rejected us there was no telling how he would react. I felt him snuff at the thought even as he was drifting to sleep.

"How's your wolf?" I asked, part of me hoping his wasn't giving him any problems so we wouldn't have two to be concerned about. The other part hoped I wasn't alone in my wolf becoming hard to contain.

"Well mine has his moments but he listens to me, at least so far." So just mine was the one losing its mind, great. "Hey, remember you are longer without a mate. As your friend, not your Beta, I want you to remember Alphas often have a mate provided if they reach twenty-five and haven't found one. You waited and look at the result, you found your actual mate!"

He had a point, there was a reason most Alphas didn't wait for their fated mates if none had come forward or been found by twenty-five. Our wolves were naturally harder to contain, they needed another half to balance them out. If the one meant for them couldn't be utilized, most settled for a second best option. "I am glad I waited. She seems amazing!" My mind began to flood with images of her face. The surprise on her face when I found her on the roof. The concentration she had when healing the pup from the party. How had she managed to fully siphon his pain? She must be one of the most caring and kindest souls to even take on that pain just to help out a wolf she didn't even know.

"I know, it was definitely worth the wait!" I grabbed his arm as he offered it and stood up to face him. I patted him on the back, thankful to have him as a friend as well as my Beta. He was the person I could rely on the most, even more than I could trust myself. "Now, we better get some rest while we can." As if either of us would be able to sleep after seeing her. "Where did you find her by the way?"

"The roof, doing some spell to try and contact the moon goddess. She's definitely part witch, but I have a feeling there's more to that story."

"I agree, hopefully, we can get her comfortable enough to tell us in our time frame." We both chuckled a bit. If she stayed as distant as she was now it would be a hard path to get her to tell us anything. Hopefully, the long car ride home could help us get some of the basics covered at least. Sin walked out and headed to his room. I lay on the bed after drawing the curtains closed to make it as dark as possible. My wolf was sleeping soundly. It only took me a few minutes to join him and let my mind run into the peaceful slumber it needed.

Sylvia:

I said yes….why did I say yes? It was going to be torture! It was impossible to say no looking at their hopeful faces, so patient and understanding. They weren't pushing even though I know their wolves must have been. Mine sure was. This was a horrible idea! Horrible and would not end well! The elevator stopped on my floor. I walked into my room and saw my plate of food saved for me on the table. Melinda was sound asleep in bed. She'd want me to wake her up with this news, but I honestly just wanted food and a bed right now. She could freak out about it later. I ate quickly, brushed my teeth and climbed into bed. Thankful for the dark curtains and thick comforter as I let my mind drift and my body relax.

The ground was covered in a thick blanket of white snow. I felt the chill on my bare feet but it didn't hurt or sting. I saw four wolves running around a lake with a beautiful waterfall. The moon was overhead and shined a clear reflection in the dark water. As I neared the four wolves stopped and looked at me. I felt something come up beside me, it was soft, large, and warm. I looked and saw a wolf that stood nearly as tall as I was. The eyes seemed familiar somehow, it nudged me softly with its head. I put my hand up and scratched it on its head and it closed its eyes to savor the moment. When I stopped it turned and ran to the four wolves who all started howling and circling the new wolf. "Do not fear destiny. Even the past was fated. You will find what you need, even if it is not what you believe you want."

I looked around but did not see anyone who could have spoken. The moon's reflection wavered, going dark before shining brightly again. I looked up to the moon and heard the voice again. "Trust in me. I already trust in you." I knew it was the Moon Goddess. She had answered me! She was telling me what she needed me to know.

"But Goddess, what about my family? What about their vow? I can't hurt these men!"

"Fear not, they are not yours to hurt. They will aid you in overcoming mistakes made, and ensure fate has its way. And be wary, for more are to come." More are to come? More mistakes? What else could I mess up that my family hadn't already?

"I don't want to break the vow…I was told I won't be able to!"

"Trust in me, just as I trust in you." She trust me? She said that twice now. Trust me to do what?

I looked over and saw the wolves all laying beside one another. The one that had passed me looked to the moon and let out a long howl. That was mine…that was my wolf. "What do I do?"

"Follow your intuition, your gifts. Do not run from who you are Sylvia." I felt my eyes water as I looked at my wolf. She was beautiful. She had been locked away because of my genetics and stayed that way because of my family. Could I really undo the past? It seemed impossible, but the Goddess wouldn't come to me if she wasn't sure there was a way. I just had to find it. "I'll find you." I said to my wolf as a tear fell from my face.

I looked down and saw a drop of red on the pure white. I wiped and realized I was crying tears of blood. I looked up and saw the moon turning red. It didn't scare me, it felt like a message. "There are more to come." The scene before me disappeared, leaving behind a black emptiness. I sat up in my bed, my skin cool and sweat on my face.

"Sylvia!" Melinda looked at me with wide eyes. "Thank the Goddess! I've been trying to wake you up for almost half an hour!" She was?

"I need something to write on!" Melinda didn't ask why, she just handed me one of the notebooks from her bag and a pen. I began to jot down as much from the dream as possible. Everything the Goddess had said, the wolves I saw and their description as far as I could remember, and the end. The part with the blood and the red moon filling the sky. When I finished I looked up at Melinda and saw her reading upside down what I was writing.

"Can I know?" I looked at the writing, thinking about the pros and cons of telling her. My biggest instinct was to let her know because her intuition was one I trusted even more than my own. It would be nice to have a second voice to rely on. I nodded and handed her the notebook. Someone I could trust to be honest and tell me if I was going insane or not.

As she read her face went blank, her eyes going through the page numerous times. Re-reading key parts and whatever was standing out to her. Then she looked up at me with a huge smile on her face. "You got a message from the Goddess!" I nodded once, a smile coming to my lips. "AHHHHHHHHHH" Melinda squealed and jumped on the bed. I started to laugh with her! "Oh my god! The Moon Goddess not only listened to you, she responded and said at least twice that she trusts you! A Goddess?! Oh my god! Sylve!!!!" I started laughing as she stood up and began pacing the room. "Okay, okay, calming down now." She took a few deep breaths before sitting on her bed and facing me.

I turned to let my feet hang off the bed as I sat facing her. "So, guess it's time to catch you up on my morning."

"Yes!" She said, grabbing a cup from the side table. It looked and smelled like coffee, I turned to see a matching one on my side. I grabbed it and thought about where to begin.

"Well, first thing I guess is to tell you that I have agreed to spend five days at the Shadow Moon pack's territory." Melinda's mouth dropped open. I just nodded, confirming I hadn't misspoken. "The Alpha, Silas, and the Beta, Sinlan, convinced me to give them a few days to change my mind about rejecting them."

"How? Are they miracle workers? Because I've been pitching that line forever now with no luck!" I shook my head.

"No, it was just, I don't know how to explain it. I couldn't disappoint them. They are right in saying it is at least fair they get a chance to show me their pack and how it runs. See what I would give up." What I would miss if I kept my word and rejected them after the time was up. Was there really a way to say yes without risking the consequences I knew stood behind that single word? Trust, that was the one advice from the Goddess. Trust in her, trust in myself, and trust in fate.