Chapter 2 Waking Dreams

Chapter 1: Waking Dreams

Araya Vale woke with a start, gasping as the remnants of the dream clung to her like a second skin. The remnants of fire, smoke, and an endless stretch of dark forest. Her heart pounded, and she could still feel the burn in her lungs-the weight of something that had been chasing her, something ancient, something relentless.

Her fingers tightened around the sheets, cold sweat drenching the back of her neck. The faint moonlight seeping through her window cast a pale glow across the room, making the shadows dance like ghosts. Her bed, small and worn, offered little comfort. The same dreams had been tormenting her for weeks, getting worse each night. And tonight... tonight was different.

There had been a figure-a dark silhouette, one she couldn't quite make out. But the energy of it-the coldness, the hunger-it was enough to make her blood run cold. She shuddered, pulling her knees to her chest, and breathed deeply, trying to steady her shaking hands.

"Not again," she whispered, pressing the heels of her palms against her eyes. "Please, not again."

The night was silent, too silent. Even the crickets outside had stopped their song. Araya knew it wasn't just the dream that unsettled her. There was something else, something just outside the reach of her senses. She could feel it deep in her bones, a restless stirring she couldn't explain. It had started about a month ago, the strange pull toward the forests that lay beyond the town. Every day, it grew stronger, like an invisible hand tugging at her, urging her toward the unknown.

She tried to shake off the feeling, but it clung to her like a shadow. Rolling out of bed, she padded across the small room, the cool wooden floor creaking beneath her feet. Her fingers grazed the faded curtains as she pulled them aside, revealing the crescent moon hanging high in the sky.

There it was again-the familiar tug. It came from the forest, from the heart of the ancient woods that lay just beyond the town. Araya had always avoided those woods. People said they were cursed, that the trees were haunted by spirits of old. But the pull had never been this strong.

Stepping back from the window, she exhaled sharply, trying to clear her head. The room seemed smaller now, suffocating. The air around her was thick, charged with something electric.

"Maybe I'm just tired," she muttered to herself, though the words felt hollow.

Araya glanced over at the small table beside her bed, where a single candle flickered softly. The flames cast long shadows that seemed to stretch and move, as though alive. She hadn't meant to light it tonight. But when the moon was full, the dreams always came.

"Come on, Vale. Get it together," she scolded herself, moving toward the door.

Outside, the air was colder than usual, biting at her skin as she stepped out into the night. The moon hung low in the sky, bathing the world in its pale light. The town of Hollow Creek was quiet, the streets empty except for the distant howl of a lone wolf. It was strange, how that sound had never bothered her before-until now.

The weight of her thoughts pressed down on her chest as she walked toward the edge of the town, where the forest began. Her breath came out in misty clouds, the silence pressing in on her from all sides. The trees loomed tall and dark, their gnarled branches twisting like skeletal fingers reaching for the sky.

Something shifted in the air, a crackling tension she couldn't ignore. Araya stopped at the edge of the woods, her eyes scanning the darkness beyond the tree line. She could feel it again-the pull.

A rustling sound came from deep within the forest, too soft to be a human. Her heart quickened, and instinctively, she took a step backward. But she couldn't leave. Not yet. She had to know what it was.

Suddenly, a flicker of movement caught her eye-a figure standing just beyond the trees, partially hidden in the shadows. Her breath hitched in her throat as the figure stepped forward, their silhouette barely visible in the dim light.

A flash of silver eyes gleamed back at her.

"Who's there?" Araya called out, her voice trembling despite herself.

The figure didn't answer. Instead, they moved closer, their steps deliberate, measured. The air around them seemed to shift, as though the very forest held its breath.

Araya's heart pounded in her chest. This wasn't just any figure. This was the same one from her dreams-the same one that had been haunting her every night. The one with eyes that burned like the sun and a presence that made her skin crawl with both fear and something else.

Before she could react, the figure stepped fully into the moonlight, revealing their features.

Kael Draven.

Araya's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the man before her, his dark hair falling in disarray around his shoulders. His golden eyes were intense, almost feral, and his gaze never left hers. The air seemed to grow heavier, thick with an unspoken tension.

"Who are you?" Araya whispered, her voice barely audible, as though speaking too loudly would shatter the fragile moment.

Kael didn't respond immediately. Instead, his eyes roamed over her, his expression unreadable. For a moment, she thought he might say something, but the silence stretched on, suffocating.

"What are you doing here?" Araya asked again, her pulse racing.

"I'm here to warn you," Kael finally spoke, his voice low and gravelly, as though it hadn't been used in far too long. "You're not safe."

Araya's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? From what?"

From the corner of her eye, she noticed something else-movement in the distance, flickers of figures emerging from the woods behind him. More wolves.

Her pulse quickened, and her instincts screamed at her to run, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Kael. Something deep inside her urged her to stay, to listen.

"The forest is waking," Kael continued, stepping closer, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat. "The Binding is near, and when it comes, everything will change."

Before Araya could process what he meant, Kael turned sharply and began to walk away, vanishing into the shadows of the trees.

"Wait!" Araya shouted, her voice breaking through the tension of the night.

But Kael didn't look back. The last thing she saw before he disappeared into the woods was his golden eyes, glowing faintly in the dark-a reminder that this was just the beginning.

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