Page 2 of Dreams of Magic

In her heart, there was a small bit of childish hope that Andre might want to be a part of her life.

Rhiannon shook off the memory just as a branch snapped loudly under her foot causing her to stumble. She quickly regained her footing, but she was getting tired and dizzy. Not much farther, she reminded herself. Just to the edge of the woods and Mackenzie would be safe.

Thankfully, she did not hear any sounds of pursuit behind her, but she could still faintly hear screams in the distance.

She slowly stumbled forward a few more steps before having to brace herself against a tree. Looking down at her daughter, she thanked the Goddess that the baby was staying quiet. Mackenzie was awake though and looking up at Rhiannon with eyes that seemed way too smart. Perhaps on some level she understood, or perhaps she just felt safe in her mother’s arms. Whatever the reason, Rhiannon was thankful.

She took a deep breath to prepare herself for the last stretch of this journey. She knew she was fading; she could feel her strength giving out. But she also knew that this was the only chance she had of saving her daughter.

Rhiannon closed her eyes as she threw up a quick prayer to the goddess for her son, Marshall, Mackenzie’s twin brother. Her sister Rylee grabbed him when Rhiannon got Mackenzie, but they were separated in the chaos.

Christopher told her to run, so she ran. Her friend Megan lived in a cabin on the edge of the woods, just a few miles from the boundaries of their pack. She knew what they were, but she didn’t care. She was a very sweet person who had become Rhiannon's best friend over the years. Rhiannon knew without a shadow of a doubt, that Megan would help her.

She stumbled forward a few more steps and nearly fell so she grabbed onto a tree to keep herself upright. As she gripped the bark she felt her nails break, sending sharp pain shooting through her fingertips. She sucked in a deep breath, "Please Goddess, please. Just help me a little bit longer."

Slowly Rhiannon took another step, using each tree she passed to steady herself. She didn't know how much time had passed when she looked up, and finally, she saw lights in the trees indicating she had at last reached Megan’s cabin. Only about fifty more feet and she would be at the door. With a renewed sense of strength, she pushed forward.

Finally, after what seemed like hours but was probably only a few minutes, she reached the front door.

With relief, she reached out and knocked loudly.

A moment later the door opened, and there stood Megan in her pajamas, with her curly red hair flying all over the place and a pair of reading glasses perched on top of her head.

"Rhee? What are you doing here?" She seemed shocked to see her this late, which of course was normal since it was probably close to four am. But then she took in the rest of Rhiannon’s appearance.

With a sharp gasp, Megan reached out to grab a hold of Rhiannon to lend her support as she pulled her into the house. She helped her sit on the couch, "Oh god, Rhee! What happened? Where are you hurt? Oh god there’s so much blood!"

She rushed over to the kitchen counter and bent down to rummage around in the cabinets, then came back a moment later with a first aid kit.

"Megan stop. It’s no use. The pack was attacked.” Distantly, like it was a dream, Rhiannon realized she was slurring her words, “I don't know who survived or if anyone did. We were asleep! There was no warning. I only had a moment to grab Mackenzie. Megan, I need you. Please. I need you to take care of her. If the pack fell, you are all I have left. My father, Andre. It was Andre. I don't know why, but you will need to protect her."

"Rhiannon! No, you're going to be fine-"

She grabbed Megan’s hand, squeezing too tight in her desperation, "I'm not. I can feel myself fading. I held on so I could get her here. But you have to take care of her now, get her away. Please, I’m begging you!"

Megan sucked in a deep breath, biting her lip with worry or maybe pain. Rhiannon could tell she was struggling to hold back tears. Unsure if it was sadness, or her tight grip, Rhiannon loosened her fingers. It was hard to hold on anyway, "Rhiannon, please. Let me help you. You heal fast, we just need to patch you up enough so it can start.”

"Promise me Megan." Rhiannon begged. She knew she only had a few minutes. Everything was starting to blur around the edges, and she felt disconnected and cold. She couldn't feel her fingers anymore. Just as she had that thought, Rhiannon felt Mackenzie roll towards the floor.

Before she could roll to the floor, Megan caught her. "I promise Rhee. I promise I will take care of her and love her as if she were my own. But I will check on your pack before I leave with her. If what you say is true, staying with her here would not be safe."

Rhiannon reached out and touched Mackenzie’s cheek gently, "Thank you. You are my greatest friend, Megan. Tell her about us. She will be a wolf and she will need to know. Tell her we loved her with all of our hearts."

She heard a sniffle and looked up from her beautiful daughter’s face. Megan was crying. She tried to reach out to her, but her arm was so heavy, and her eyelids felt like they had sand in them. She was tired, so tired. But she did it. She saved Mackenzie and she would be okay.

As Rhiannon drifted into the darkness, her last thought was of her beloved mate and son, wishing she could see them one last time.

Chapter 1.

Makenzie

28 Years later, Wilmington, NC.

Kenzie sat in the uncomfortable polyester chairs in the waiting room, her mind wandering to anything that would distract her. Right now, she was singing “Old Time Rock and Roll” on repeat in her head. She figured she had about three more repeats before the words lost all meaning, but it was helping.

Well, that's what she was telling herself.

It had been two weeks and she still wasn't ready, but Uncle Jake said the lawyer insisted. She figured it was time to get it over with. As Kenzie had that thought she heard footsteps heading her way, and looking up, saw it was her uncle.

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