The water was so cool against my skin. Not cold. Just right. My skin felt on fire.. the sky open wide above me, stars twinkling like diamonds.. my hands floated up in the water and it felt so good . To be weightless..I realized then that i was naked, bare of any sort of clothing. taking a deep breath, I relaxed.. smiling.

Hands were suddenly gripping my waist from below me, underneath the water.. but i didnt scream. I knew those hands. They were all too familair with the current that ran through them

Coming up from the waters surface, there stood Zaryn.. his face like i never remembered... he was.. different. Tattoos covered his shoulder and arm which were now chiseled with muscles.. muscles i had never seen before.

"Youve changed." His eyes roved over my body possesively.. taking in my new form, eyes dialating.. appreciative.

"You have too." I stared wide eyed. Mouth open.

Moving so i was standing, my feet in soft sand below.. I looked at him. This was just a dream.. it wasnt real. I could allow myself a moment of weakness.. to dream

His eyes were so deep as they gazed into mine.. that sky blue i missed and hated at the same time. I roved my eyes down his fine muscular chest.. large muscles over his neck and shoulders that i wanted to grab. So i put my hands on his shoulders... rubbing the muscles. He shivered visibly under my touch. I liked what i saw... this zaryn was .. so different. Dominant.. possesive.

Without another thought on his part, hands were on my hips, pulling my body flush against his. My heart was hammering out of my chest as my head leaned back, staring into his eyes. A hand roamed up my side, sliding over my curves to gently cup my jaw.. fingers running through my wet hair.

"You're beautiful. Even more so in this moment.. i have missed you so badly. Ive not stopped thinking about you since you left.. when i nearly died.. you were on my mind. Every day all day youre on my mind." My lips parted as his descended onto mine and i let them. His touch sent electrical currents pulsating through my body, straight to my core.

Dream Zaryn's kiss was passionate. Needy. I kissed him back with just as much need, my arms wrapping around his neck as his strong hands were lifting the back of my thighs to position myself around him. My legs locking around his back, pressing my bare body into his own. He wore nothing below as well.

I felt content... my wolf wasnt present in this dream.. it was just me and imagination Zaryn. His hands were roaming.. memorizing my new body as mine did the same.. as he kissed me deeply.. running my hands along the taught bulges flexing in his back.

I moaned, his lips leaving mine.. opting instead to kiss down my jaw line... leaving love bites down my neck as my body hung tightly to him. I was breathing hard.. feeling his excitement rock hard against my core...

"We don't have long." He breathed, my body clinging to him as his hands came up to caress my face... smoothing my hair back. He looked at me lovingly and i forgot about everything i was ever mad at him for in this moment.

"I just want to tell you i love you. And i miss you. I want to hear you say it back to me. Since this is just a dream... i just want to hear you say you love me." He pled with eyes so blue

"I love you." It was whispered.. not having to think about it at all. His lips pressed into mine sweetly before kissing back down my neck again.. my head falling back as his teeth sank into my mark.. every fiber of my being vibrating with pleasure.

"Zaryn..." i moaned.. my voice sounding so desperate.. my core tingling with the way he rubbed against me.

---------------

"No. Im not Zaryn. Wake up Nova.." a deep voice called out, jolting me from my dream.

My eyes shot open, seeing Damon standing above me, a smirk on his face as his brows wiggled. "Doing a little wet dreaming huh?"

Pulling myself up, i stared at him.. slightly embarassed. "I wasnt-"

His hand held up, stopping me. "Your scent in this room says otherwise. Now get up. Were doing a midnight run. Come on! Lets go! Its a full moon. Did you forget?" He grinned, turning away to leave out of the door as I glared at him, a blush forming over my cheeks.. mortified he could smell my arousal in the air..

"Ill be down in a sec." I grunted.

"Clean yourself up first." He attempted to refrain from laughing at me as i chunked a pillow at him angrily.. he shut the door behind him.

Sighing, i touched my lips. It felt so real... Zaryn's touch.. it was like we were together.. my imagination even bulked him up and put tattoos on him. It was only a dream though. Only a dream.

I shook my head, hopping out of bed and into my bathroom to clean up. Glancing in the mirror, i noted my face had partially healed.. eight more hours and id be good as new.

Something caught my eye..

My mate mark. It was red around the edges.. irritated.

Nah.. couldn't be.

I did however make a mental note to go to the pack healer and ask her about things that have to do with mates. Thats something i need to learn. We should have had a mate 101 in school.

In werewolf packs, once you turn 17 and shift.. you're done with school. But they never teach you all about mates. Just that they are sacred.

My body was still humming from the areoused state i was in, in my dream.. I needed this full moon run.. to clear my head.

---------

After my quick five minute shower, just to get the scent off my body.. i dried myself.. not bothering to put on clothes. .. I sprinted, running naked down the steps of the deck. Wolves didnt linger on things such as nakedness here. Ive seen more peni here in two months than i ever saw in seventeen years at Crecent Moon.

I leaped, shifting as soon as jumped off the last stair. Most of the pack was here.. in their wolf forms.. ready for the full moon run.

Every full moon.. the pack ran together at midnight. It was a tradition that I had come to love.

A bark from General Axel, who we referred to as just Axe, had us all moving to form a huddle.. his head falling back, howling at the moon as we all followed suit... our howls .. sixty something wolves singing their song out to the moon.

The pack had hundreds of wolves all together but not everyone participated in the run.. usually it was just the younger wolves.. warriors.. whoever wanted to come.

General Axe barked, signaling it was time, and took off. My wolf loved this time.. the time she could be fully in control. I have learned how to really be at one with my wolf now.. let her control but instead of huddling back in our mind.. i sit with her.. side by side in our brain.. letting her steer us.

The wolves began to run.. wild and free as we followed our leader of the night. Conrad usually led us but tonight he wasnt here.

As my wolf ran.. side by side along other wolves.. leaping through the forrest.. the air rushed past us, her eyes closing slightly at the feels.

It was a crisp cool night.. the smell of burning wood in the air from the bonfire I had missed out on. Dark.. the sky a spanse of midnight abyss.. diamonds glinting as they hung in the sky.. the moon illuminating everything around us. The forrest was beautiful.. my wolf loved this as she climbed up the hill.. galloping with her packmates.. wind rustling through her fur.

Alexa's wolf came up beside me.. her black wolf, beautiful with her startling hazel-gold eyes. She barked at my wolf, tongue hanging out in a wolfish grin. She nipped at her in response.. playing.

We ran harder. As fast as her paws could take us.. up the mountain side

It was liberating.. never in all our life had we been apart of something like this. A true pack of wolves.. running.. together as a unit. A pack.

Reaching the very top of the mountain.. a grassy hill that overlooked the valley below.. a river running wild between hills that looked as if it were sparkling black diamonds rushing the land.. the moon full overhead.. sending silver light down on everything as far as the eye could see.

We all crowded together.. tongues hanging out as our wolves panted.. the general, taking the lead up front.. gazing up at the moon. His large head fell back once more.. his wolf howling up at the moon. A chorus of howls rang out.. my wolf joining in right next to Alexa and Damons twin wolves.

It was a beautiful sound, my wolf thought. Singing our thanks to the moon.. our song. A melody. Happiness enveloped my entire form.. fur and skin. We were at one with ourself in this moment.. agreeing on how we both felt about this pack tradition.

With a single bark, general axe signaled to us that it was time to hunt.

Every full moon, after a run to the mountain top.. we sing our song.. and then we run.. we hunt.. flying down the other side of the mountain, leaping through the shallow river and through the woods.. hunting game.

My wolf ran downhill as fast as her legs could carry her.. passing the rest of the pack and the generals wolf as we dashed into the cool stream.. our fur wet.. never cold.. we leaped up to the river bank and stayed quiet.. listening for movement in the forrest.

My wolf, so much more in tune with her senses.. felt the heat from another wolf as they approached cautiously.. it was Alexa.. followed by Damon. The other wolves had gone their own way in the night... seeking out their own prey.

Padding closer to stand by my wolfs side, the sat quietly.. waiting.

She could smell something a little ways away.. a buck. Something she had yet to take down.

Kicking up dirt in her wake, she charged into the forrest.. following where her nose guided her. As the scent became stronger.. she stopped.. hiding behind the brush.. chest low to the ground, ready to pounce. She waited.. listening..

A breeze blew.. dancing dry leaves tangling into the brush of the forrest floor. Closing her eyes.. she inhaled.. smelling the scent of mother nature.

Then movements alerted her that the deer was approaching. As he came out of the thick dense trees, he grazed along the grass.. pausing right in the way of a moon beam from the open canopy above.. his form large.. muscular. He was a massive buck. At least forty points on his rack. My wolf wanted to take him down. She knew she could.

Coiling her muscles.. she waited.. readying herself to pounce on her prey. She was bigger now. More skilled. She could take him. I let her have full reign in our mind during these moments. No interfering.

Not giving the buck a chance to spring away, she launched herself by the stronger hind legs that now carried her.. muscles springing as she leaped over the shrubs.. the deers head shot up but he was too startled to move... my wolfs teeth catching into his throat as her massive paws latched around the deers neck.. hind legs dangling before they touched the ground.. bringing the stumbling deer down slightly before it began to buck.

My wolf refused to let go.. wanting this impressive kill for herself. Her head shook.. teeth going deeper into the deers throat as blood poured into her mouth.

Two other wolves came running out of the thickets.. Alexa and Damon. They launched themselves at the Deer.. teeth inside her as they ripped flesh from bone on the underbelly while my wolf put up the fight from the front.

Anger surged through her but she wanted to take this deer down first.

The deers movement slowed.. his legs weak as he stumbled.. falling down to the ground with a loud thump.

The deer lie bleeding on the ground, nearly dead as its pulse slowed to a low thud.

My wolf let go of her prey, snarling at the twin wolves who had made themselves comfortable eating the underbelly while the deer was slowly dying.

These two wolves just disrespected my wolf in her eyes. They helped themselves to something that was hers.. taking bites out of something that belonged to her before she had even had her fill.

Letting out a growl.. she raised her lip.. showing her canines as her ears lay flat.. menacingly staring at the two greedy wolves.

The twins lifted their heads.. blood staining their greedy mouths before my wolf launched herself at Damon first. He was the male. My wolf tore into him... rabidly.. hating what these two had done. Her fury was felt in my mind as she bit down hard on his front leg.. snapping the bone slightly as he yelped.. whining.

Alexas wolf growled behind me and my wolf turned.. snarling at her. She attacked.. launching at my wolf but my wolf raised up on her hind legs as Alexa was mid air.. catching her throat in her jaws, slamming Alexas wolf to the ground with teeth in her flesh.. biting.

Her wolf struggled.. trying to move out of my wolfs grasp but it only lodged the teeth deeper. A whimper followed by a whine as her wolf stopped struggling.. angling her head back.

Submission

My wolf held her there for a moment.. sending out low growls as Damons wolf watched.. licking his broken foreleg as whimpers tumbled out of him. It wasnt broken in half.. just fractured enough to really hurt.

We let Alexas wolf go.. licking her wounds as a sign of care.. then my wolf turned her back on the twins and went to her deer.. her teeth ripping the flesh away to reveal the blood engorged musckes she had dreamed of ... diving down into the belly of the deer.. she ate and ate.

The twin wolves were whining behind her.. sparing them a glance, she saw them both.. pawing the ground.. wanting to come closer but they were respecting her privacy now. Realising their mistake.

She caught a scent in the air.. the rest of her pack. Ignoring it, she went back to eating until her belly was full.. moving to the side of the half eaten carcass... her large form now required more food.

The twins whimpered... their eyes going to hers. Recognizing that shes in charge of this kill .. that shes stronger now. Alexas wolf submitted to her.. Damons didnt but he was too hurt to really go at it with her. His wolf understood his mistske.

My wolf barked, nudging the deers dead body.. looking up at them.. letting them know they could finish what she didnt eat.

Gingerly, the two wolves came forward... taking bites while Alexas wolfs eyes would peer up at my wolf every now and then.. to see if we were angry. We let them be.. walking away.

The other pack members came out of the woods.. still in wolf form. Led by general axe who was now in his skin.. stark naked. He was Conrads age.. just as big but not as tall. Handsome.

"Nova. Shift." His deep voice sounded.

Submitting to his request.. the wolf slinked away, sliding past me in my mind as i stepped forth.. my body shifting back to skin, fluidly. Quickly. Fur shrinking into pores... i stood. Proud of my new body, i didn't try to hide in this pack that didn't care if you had clothes on or not. I looked up at him curiously.

"Whats going on?" I rose a brow.

He chuckled, a strong tatooed hand running through his dark hair. "Your wolf is a lot stronger now.. we have all been watching the little show from the trees. Im impressed." He smirked.

My wolf was doing her usual prance in my mind that she does whenever someone compliments her now.. peacocking herself out.. fur fluffed.. swishing her tail as her ass sashayed around..

Diva..

"Thank you." I nodded with a blank face... not wanting to show my pride.

His features seemed to harden... a mix of sadness upon his face "Alpha has returned. We need to go back... theres... a problem. He's requested you."

Immediately Grace came to my mind. He was back with her. Axe is mind linked with the Alpha, Beta, and the other top warriors. Beginners and intermediate warriors don't get a mind link until they have reached the expert level. That's why i was not able to communicate with conrad through the mind link. Yet.