Raymond POV
I woke up gasping for air, my breath coming in short, ragged pants.
It was the same dream—
the same dream that had haunted me every night for the past week.
Each time I closed my eyes, I found myself standing before a massive chair, carved of ancient stone and silver, unmistakably a throne. Beside it stood a colossal white wolf, its fur glowing faintly in the darkness.
The most terrifying part was not its size.
It could speak.
Every time I encountered it, the wolf spoke the same words, its voice deep and commanding, echoing through my soul.
"Remember your name. Remember who you are. You were born to rule. The realm is calling. The time is now. Take your place in destiny."
And every time, I woke up only to realize it had been nothing more than a dream.
Yet the dream refused to loosen its grip on me. It haunted my nights, robbed me of sleep, and left my heart racing with questions I could not answer.
I sat on the edge of my bed, my head resting in my palms, wondering what the dream meant. It felt less like a nightmare and more like a warning… or a summons.
I wished I could ask Jason what he thought, but I hadn't seen him in days. He had been busy lately, too busy.
I hadn't asked my father about my growing suspicion that I might be a werewolf. But at this point, did I truly need confirmation? Everything happening to me pointed in that direction.
I turned on the light and walked toward the mirror.
My skin glistened with sweat. My hair was disheveled, longer than it had been the night before. I looked… unreal, almost otherworldly. My eyes had changed too, more golden now, the silver rings within them sharper and more pronounced.
I had always been considered handsome, but now my features were sharper, stronger more defined, as though something ancient was awakening beneath my skin.
In two weeks, I would turn seventeen.
Just as Jason had suspected, the closer I drew to my seventeenth birthday, the more my body changed rapidly, uncontrollably.
I needed air.
I needed to cool off.
I didn't know when I had started enjoying walks at night, but my vision had grown so sharp that darkness felt almost like daylight to me.
I reached for the door.
"Where are you going at this time of night?"
My father's voice stopped me in my tracks.
I turned to face him. "Father, I just want to take a short walk in the woods. I'll be back in thirty minutes."
"It's too late, Raymond," he said sternly. "When did you develop this habit of wandering at night? It's dangerous, and you know it."
I was already burning from the inside, my skin hot, my head pounding. I couldn't take another lecture.
Without waiting for him to finish, I stormed out.
I would apologize later. Right now, I needed relief.
I returned from the lake an hour before dawn, exhausted but calmer.
My father was gone, probably checking on a patient. Relief washed over me. The last thing I wanted was another lecture. The lack of sleep had left my head aching, my thoughts heavy.
I collapsed onto my bed and decided to take a quick nap before he returned.
When I woke up, everything was dark.
Had I overslept?
How long had I been asleep? an entire day? Was that even possible?
Still groggy, I turned toward the window.
And then the impossible happened.
Standing at the edge of the woods was a massive white wolf, the same wolf from my dreams staring directly at my room.
My breath caught in my throat.
Without thinking, I leapt through the window and ran toward it.
The wolf allowed me to get close before it bolted into the woods. I chased it, my feet moving faster than I thought possible. Yet no matter how hard I ran, I couldn't catch it.
It felt like a game.
The wolf would run, then stop—waiting—allowing me to draw near before sprinting off again. We moved like that for what felt like an eternity.
All I wanted was the truth.
I needed to know if I was a werewolf.
Deep down, I already knew this creature was no ordinary wolf. It was far too large… far too aware.
Eventually, the wolf disappeared, and exhaustion forced me to stop. I turned back toward home.
Then it appeared again.
This time, it stood directly in my path.
My heart pounded as I took slow, careful steps toward it. The wolf didn't flee. When I stood before it, I finally understood just how massive it was towering over me, majestic and powerful beyond words.
I should have been terrified.
But I wasn't.
Instead, I felt something else,familiarity. Connection.
I reached out and touched it. The wolf didn't move. It only purred softly, a deep, soothing sound. Warmth spread through me as I wrapped my arms around its neck, hugging it.
Strangely, it felt… comforting.
After a while, I stepped back and asked the questions burning in my heart.
"Am I a werewolf? Do you know me? Are you the one I see in my dreams?"
The wolf said nothing.
It simply watched me for a moment, then stepped
forward and licked my face gently.
And then it turned and galloped away, vanishing into the forest
leaving me dazed, breathless, and forever changed.