I tried to take it easy, I really did, but I couldn't seem to take the edge off the looming doom that was bound to catch up with my pack. I tried to run the pack as smoothly as I could while my Alpha went to play Lassie for the leeches, but it wasn't easy.
The pack tried their best to be patient with me, especially my Third Embry. Thank God for Embry, he was the utmost patient person in the damn world as he calmly dealt with my hot and cold mood swings and my incessant groaning and complaining about Jacob's incompetence. Quil tried to relieve my stressed behavior in his own little way, bringing Claire around the house to play; he knew the little girl could always lift my spirits with her toddler antics. Seth continued to be the happy little freak he was and pretended nothing at all was wrong and continuously pretended the whole world was made up of rays of sunshine and unicorn farts.
I tried my best to show my appreciative side to them, I organized the schedule so everyone had the same amount of free time and so the imprinted wolves like Quil and Jacob had a sufficient amount of time with their imprints as well. However, my mind kept going back to that smoky room in my dream, I drove myself crazy trying to figure out what it all meant, or at the very least figure out the two shady figures who were out to change my life and very potentially hurt my pack.
I rubbed my temples with frustration, three weeks and nothing at all came to surface. The nameless wench who molested my dreamland hadn't made an appearance since then, leaving me clueless and damn near delirious.
"The little cunt," I muttered under my breath as I thought of the illusive little bitch. For someone who claimed to want to help me, she sure did leave me high and dry a lot. Embry looked at me with weary clear brown eyes and sighed aloud; I looked at him and gave him an apologetic smile, hoping he wouldn't bring up my little outburst.
I would not ever be so lucky. "What the hell is wrong with you Leah," Embry huffed, his usual soft voice hard in frustration. I sighed, and closed my eyes; I didn't need my third in command breathing down my neck as I went crazy in my own little mind.
"Nothing man, you know I've always had a few screws loose," I chuckled and went back to looking at the little planner I had bought to keep everyone's schedules marked.
"Don't play dumb, Clearwater, you've been acting crazier than usual. I gave you enough space, but now I want some answers," he huffed impatiently. He had me there, he did pretend he was blind and deaf for the last few weeks while I went crazy trying to put together my own little mental puzzle.
"Embry just drop it," I groaned leaning my head back in the chair with a deep scowl.
"Nah, I rather you tell me," He said in a deep, quiet demanding voice.
"You know, I just been…look I just have a lot on my mind lately," I said. Really, was that the best I could come up with?
Embry chuckled, threw his planner on the table, and looked at me, his fist supporting his head. "Too vague, try again," He chuckled at my futile attempt of lying.
"What do you fucking want from me," I finally snapped. H e seemed temporarily taken aback by my bitchy attitude, but he quickly recovered.
"The truth would be nice Leah, Jacob said we aren't supposed to keep things from each other," he stated matter-of-factly.
"Jacob isn't here," I huffed; I sounded like a five year old. I should've put the icing on the cake and stuck my tongue out at him.
"True…which means you're technically in charge. So as the third in command, I have to know what's driving my beta crazy now that my alpha lost his ever loving mind."
I paused, he was right. I gave him the position because I trusted he could handle things when Jake wasn't around and I needed a right hand man, guilt cooked inside of me. Dammit, I wasn't any better than Jacob was. Still, I didn't want to cause any more trouble while I was still in a funk, I went for my best defense.
"You know what with Sam and Emily's wedding approaching…" I started as I trailed my eyes over to him, he grew rigid, I watched as a muscle in his cheek jumped. "It's just making me a little antsy, you know me being her bridesmaid and all," I sighed. That wasn't a complete lie, with the craziness that was suddenly injected in my head left me little time to think about their wedding date that inched closer and closer.
He looked at me for a long time, his intense, observant eyes searching mine; I looked away nonchalantly picking his planner back up. He reached out and grabbed my arm, his warm hand squeezing my forearm with just enough force not for it to hurt. "Leah," He sighed, I kept my eyes straight ahead looking at the messy tendrils of hair sticking up from his head. If I looked at him now he'd see right through me, he detected bullshit from a mile away. "Leah," He repeated louder this time, I made the terrible mistake of looking directly at him. "Look I'll be there for you for that day if you need me to be, but you don't have to lie to me," He frowned. "If something is going on, you should tell me, you know you can count on me right?"
I sighed and nodded. "I just need to do this on my own Em, but-"he held his hand up to stop me, his irritation with me more apparent.
"Just spit it out already Clearwater, I need to know what's up with you, you never know I could help."
"Just promise you won't think I'm crazy," He arched a brow and gave me a cheeky grin. "Nor will you tell Jake." He nodded and I proceeded to tell him about my Leah in Dreamland stories.
…
"That's what's gotten you all shook up?" Embry asked with a stern look.
"Yeah, you can laugh now if you want," I shrugged my shoulders. I would've laughed if it wasn't me. Embry shook his head violently.
"I wouldn't laugh at you for something like this," He said softly. "I started to have dreams too…" He trailed off and froze when he looked at me.
"The little cunt has been harassing you too, "I chuckled, her little riddles would surely drive the usually patient Embry insane. He chuckled and shook his head.
"Nah, nothing like that, I just been dreaming and thinking about my dad lately," he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, but I could see the self-consciousness in his eyes and the jittery way his hands moved. I touched his shoulder with reassurance.
"Hey, it seems more normal than my dreams will ever be," I chuckled softly; he looked over at me and smiled slightly. A surge of relief went through me, I hated when he got all brooding about his Dad; the chump didn't deserve a son like him anyway.
"Here I thought I was the only one subconsciously talking to strangers," He chuckled bitterly; he shook his head and cleared his throat. "You think we should ask Billy about this?"
I shook my head no. "Billy isn't going to want to be bothered with our renegade asses right now since his son his doing God knows what with leeches," I giggled at the way Billy seemed to always ream Jacob out about his responsibilities on the rare occasion he stepped foot back on reservation land. "I'll figure it out soon enough," I sighed.
"You mean we'll figure it out?" Embry grinned; I couldn't help but to chuckle at his determination.
"Yeah we," I patted his back and went back to running the pack.
…
I went to sleep a little easier that night, I felt like a giant boulder was lifted from my back after I told Embry the chaos that was in my mind.
I awoke on the forest floor, the soft and slightly wet soil caressing my face and bugs carefully crawling around me while they gathered food. I lifted my head as I pushed my body to get up; I stood burying my feet in the ground feeling suddenly light headed.
My eyes squinted as sunlight assaulted my eyes; I held my hand over my eyes to block out the unwelcomed light that seemed to creep past the serene leaves of the tall trees. I let out a sigh and automatically threw my hands to my throat. I was grossly dehydrated; my throat ached for water something terrible.
I searched through the trees, relying on my senses to carry me to water. I looked around the forest, aware of every sound and echo my body alert and ready for any danger that could come my way. The saltiness of water reached my nose and I found myself running toward it like I never ran before, getting closer and closer to the scent in which my throat desperately craved. I saw a stream of water and picked up my pace, my lungs burning from the constant running, but I didn't care I was almost there.
I skidded to a halt when I saw a tall shadow crouched by the water calmly, I cocked my head to the side in curiosity. Everything was in vivid color, the leaves the bright color of green and brown, the water a sparkling blue, but the figure was casted in dark shadows by the forest. I took a timid step forth, I wasn't going to let whoever it was get in the way of what I wanted the most at the moment. I jutted my chin forward and high and went towards the water, the shadow turned around, and the sun now embracing his face for the first time. Embry's smiling face came toward me, a canteen of water in hand, as he thrust his hand toward me in offering. I looked at him, then the canteen and made my way to another part of the stream to get my own water.
"Shouldn't have done that," a familiar female voice rang. I looked around the forest desperately trying to locate her, her voice sounded close. It was like she was everywhere, but nowhere at all. Her voice sounded strangely warm as the cool wind picked up and caressed our hair. I looked over to Embry, his hand still offering me his canteen with a serene, stoic look on his face now. The more I stared, the more confused and disappointed he began to look.
"The pack is only as strong as its bonds between the wolves right?" He voice chided, slightly condescending.
"Come out bitch," I said with irritation finally. The wind picked up and I felt a strange pain in my ears, I thrashed at the wind stupidly as my ear began to bleed, I heard her devious chuckle above me.
She sat completely nude high in a nearby tree, an amused look on her face as he leaned against the tree's rough trunk. "My, my, Leah what a mouth you have on you. " She chuckled. "I heard you were looking for me," She jumped down to face me.
"Here I am," She said in a deep huskier voice, I looked at her and was immediately taken aback by who exactly was standing in my face.
Author's Note: I'm having a blast writing this and my other fiction called Freedom.
This chapter may have felt like a little bit of filler, and I do humbly apologize about that I just wanted to establish the relationships between everyone before getting into the nitty gritty.
The idea of the dream woman came from a few mythic legends I once read about (If I expose them here I'd ruin the story) and one of my favorite anime Bleach. Where when the soul reaper is supposed to establish a relationship with their sword, which are personified in a dream like state and represent their heart. All their fears and secret desires, in short their true self. So I'm sure I just gave you guys a major hint on where I'm going with this.
Remember to Read, Review, PM, Favorite and Follow. I'm off to write another chapter of Freedom and the Sweet Taste of Strange.