Page 311 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
“I love you, too.” I kissed her temple. She was the most precious person in the world to me. It really ate at me that I was keeping Lance’s identity from her. I hardly knew what to do with myself except focus on my mate and make her feel as good as I could.
113
BRYN
Istood in a small clearing surrounded by densely packed trees. The air was warm and sweet, like when spring transitions to summer. I turned around, freezing when I saw a wolf with a gorgeous, russet-brown coat. I recognized her immediately.
“Hello?” I called to her. “Mother?”
She didn’t respond, just turned her back to me and sat. As I walked to her, the field morphed beneath me, shifting from sunlit, dewy grass to the rocky edge of a cliff. The sky above was dark, the sunlight trying to peek through the areas where the clouds were thin. The air felt chilly, and my breaths puffed out in front of me. Soon, the clouds would give way to heavy snowfall.
I approached the rocky edge and peered over the side into the gorge. My stomach dropped but not from vertigo. Below, a battle raged in the wide stream. Wolves growled and scratched at each other, and among them I recognized Dom’s blond, almost-white coat and my mate’s jet-black fur.
I gasped. Night was a streak of darkness amid the confusion. Blood splattered across the snow. I saw one wolf get on top of him and bite the back of his neck.
“No!” I collapsed to my knees at the edge, wanting to get closer and really see what was happening down there.
He managed to shake off the wolf, but a stream of crimson spurted from his shoulder and across the ground. He staggered, but he was far from out of the fight. He turned to face his opponent, but a second wolf was approaching him from the side.
“Night, look out!” I called, but it was too late.
The wolf bit down on Night’s forepaw so hard, I heard bones snap even from this distance. He went down, and a swarm of wolves piled on top of him. Blood rained through the air. Dom threw his head back and howled in mourning and rage.
“No, no, no!” I turned to my mother, who was looking back at me, sadness evident in her large, white-silver eyes. I went to her on my hands and knees, tears dripping from my eyes. “Why are you showing me this?”
She didn’t respond verbally, but I felt her voice briefly in my mind, just as clear and musical as when I saw through her eyes.
“To warn you,”she said.“Of a possible future.”
I shuddered, glancing back at the cliff’s edge. If I went back there, would I see Night’s body, broken and alone? I couldn’t stomach it.
“Please, Mother, what can I do?”
“You can protect those you hold dear,”she said. “Be strong, and when the time comes, do not hesitate.”
“But when does this happen?” I asked. “Is this…is this our battle with Troy?”
She didn’t answer my question, but the environment shifted around us. We were back in the grassy field. The air was pleasant, the sun shining brightly above us. I sniffled and wiped the tears from my face. When I looked at Blossom, I got the impression that she was smiling.
“You and Night have done very well on your own, but leave no stone unturned,”she said. “Make sure you aren’t missing something.”
“Missing?”I tilted my head. “What have we been missing?—”
Suddenly, my eyes flew open. I was safe and sound in my bed in the alpha cabin. I sat up, my heart galloping.
“You awake?” Night asked. He was pulling a shirt over his head. His hair was damp, and the mirrors in the bathroom were still steamy from his shower. All I saw, however, was his blood spurting from the wound in his shoulder. I jumped out of bed as quickly as I could.
“You’ve been talking in your sleep—hey there.” He caught me as I barreled into him. I didn’t feel he was real until I felt his strong arms close around me. “Bryn, what’s wrong?”
“I had a nightmare,” I muttered into his chest. But after a moment, I added, “No, I don’t think it was just a nightmare. I think my birth mother was reaching out to me.”
“Blossom?” He pushed me back just enough to look into my eyes. His jade-green eyes were bright with worry.
“She showed me a battle between us and Troy. I saw you get killed.”
“Me?” He touched my cheek and pushed away a stray tear. “But clearly, I’m fine. Why would she show you something like that?”
I leaned into his hand. “She was warning me about a possible future.”
