Hunter’s Residence
I trembled.
The sheets cocooning me were my only solace, offering a fragile barrier against the world.
Eyes tightly closed, I feigned sleep but was acutely aware of every word spoken, silently hoping Hunter would grasp the situation before time ran out. That man was the shadow within me.
Then, without warning, he detached from my being—a burden I finally felt I could release.
Fear was absent, replaced instead by a strange sense of relief that brought me to the brink of tears. But that moment of solace was shattered the instant Hunter entered, and a new wave of dread washed over me.
“Who are you?” Hunter inquired, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor suggesting someone had risen suddenly.
“A guest,” the shadow responded, his voice so distinct from Hunter's that it sent a shiver down my spine.
“Where did you come from?” Hunter pressed. Each question quickened my heartbeat; what if he provoked the shadow’s wrath?
A sudden clap of thunder sliced through my anxious thoughts as I clamped down on the impulse to move. They mustn’t know I was awake.
The shadow chuckled softly, “I’ll return to where I belong.”
"I don't like thunder".
I could feel the shadow’s hands on my legs; he had suddenly placed them there.
“You can open your eyes now, Dove.”
I went completely still.
How did he know?
I kept my eyes shut and stayed in the same position; I wasn’t going to budge—he was probably trying to test me.
The only thing I had noticed so far was that the moment he emerged from me, he took on a human form.
He had dark blue hair that reached his shoulders, black eyes, and a muscular build.
It felt so unexpected.
“I guess she’s not awake,” he said, but it felt like he was addressing me directly—a signal for me to stop pretending.
I sensed his hand leave my legs just as Hunter’s voice came through, “Don’t touch her.”
“Oh, come on,” the shadow complained. “She’s like a vase, and I’m the flowers. That’s where I find my joy—in her.”
“What are you talking about—” Hunter started, then suddenly paused, as if he had just realised something.
I desperately hoped that he finally understood.
This was no ordinary being.
The shadow giggled again, "It was nice meeting you Hunter", He said.
“Oh, and I really love your collection, but I kept it simple with just cigarettes.”
Hunter had been quiet since then, as I tried to crack my eyes open for a glance.
Then that familiar feeling washed over me again, like my soul was being tossed aside.
Forever.
Now replaced with emptiness.
I pressed my hand to my chest, attempting to withstand the sensation—it was the second time I’d gone through this.
I took a deep breath, opened my eyes, and sat up to finally see Hunter. He looked bewildered.
“Don’t be so surprised,” I said with a sigh. “It’s just possession.”
He approached me slowly, gazing at me intently before breaking the silence. “Was that a Dream?”
I nodded. “According to Abdo, yes, though I just call him a shadow.”
He plopped down on my bed, rubbing his face. “This is insane.”
I chuckled. “Are you traumatised?”
He turned to me. “Aren’t you?!”
I nodded. “But trauma doesn’t erase trauma.”
He stood up and offered me his hand. “Come on, we need to start training.”
I took his hand; there was no putting it off any longer.
"Wait", I said, standing up. "If we're planning on how to defeat the dreams, doesn't that mean the dream in me can hear us?"
"We'll get him on our side".
"How?"
"I don't know, I'm as confused as you".
I sighed, "Be more useful one of these days.".
Alpha's Mansion
Alpha spat out some blood, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief.
Chanel had been observing him for a bit now, noticing how he insisted he was fine and didn’t require assistance.
She poured a glass of water and approached him as he reached for it. “Thank you,” he said.
She pinned his hand down and offered him the water directly. “Don’t push yourself; you’ve already coughed up a lot of blood.”
Alpha moved the cup away. “I can manage holding it myself.”
“And I believe you can’t,” she replied, pouring out the remaining water.
“This happens to me every morning, so you might as well get used to it,” he said, coughing once more.
“Why does it happen?” she asked, putting the cup in the sink.
“Because the sun is coming up, and it’ll pass soon, so no need to worry,” he said while cleaning himself up.
Chanel sighed and made her way to her room. With every step inside, she couldn’t help but wonder how on earth this guy could be so wealthy while living in the woods.
Just then, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. “Come in,” she called out.
Alpha cracked the door open a bit and asked, “Are we going to eat before we begin?”
Chanel nodded, curious. “What do you have in mind to cook?”
“Just something edible,” he replied.
She flipped through the pages of her book, answering, “That works for me.”
“What are you reading?” he inquired.
“Just a random one I picked up from the shelf.”
He stepped closer, trying to catch a glimpse of the title, then suddenly snatched it away from her.
He clutched it protectively, saying, “You can’t read this.”
Chanel sprang up in surprise. “What?! Why not?!”
“Reasons,” he replied curtly as he walked away.
Determined, Chanel raced down the stairs, ready to chase him down for that book.
Once she caught up, she grabbed his arm. “You owe me an explanation!”
“It’s personal; it's not something you should look at.”
She released his arm in frustration. “I can’t stand that look on your face.”
“Alright,” he said, turning toward the kitchen. “By the way, do you like cold muffins?”
“Stop changing the subject!” she yelled, snatching a muffin from his hand and digging into it.
"You can take more from the fridge", He said, cutting onions.
He dropped the knife, suddenly looking up to the ceiling, "Yeah, that reminds me". He pointed to a drawer, "Abdo gave me something for you".
Chanel raised an eyebrow and opened the drawer, "This better not be weird".
There was a brown box there; it was suspicious, but she grabbed it and placed it on the table.
She found a pair of scissors and cut them open, the contents were clothes.
She raised it, "What's this?"
"School uniform", He replied, still cutting the onions, tears fell from his eyes, but he was very persistent in never closing them.
"Huh?!", she asked, her face scrunched in disgust.
"We're going to infiltrate a school, if you remember".
Chanel threw the clothes on the table as she groaned, "Please don't remind me".
Alpha turned on the tap, "Then come help instead of groaning".
Chanel got up, walking towards the kitchen, "I knew you were gonna end up begging me anyway".
He didn't reply, he seemed to prefer washing his hands.
Alpha's hair was tied back in a bun, and his sleeves were rolled up.
And Chanel couldn't get her eyes off his arms.
He turned to her, "Why are you staring at my hands like that?"
She stepped closer, eyes widened, "Alpha, on your arm".
"What's wrong with it?"
She looked up at him, "Is that a tattoo written Hunter?"