Fern's Perspective
"Little Tree, do you ever feel like our lives have been too quiet lately?" Giovanni suddenly asked, perhaps noticing the frustration on my face.
My heart tightened, and I forced a smile. "Isn't it good to have some quiet?"
"Of course, it's good," Giovanni replied, "but sometimes I wonder if we should do something special. Like go on a trip or try some new activities. Little Tree, I just want you to be happy. The worry in your eyes always breaks my heart." Giovanni looked at me with an expectant glint in his eyes.
I nodded. "That sounds good, we can plan something."
"How about we go camping at the nearby lake? I've heard it's very scenic there," Giovanni suggested.
"Yeah, I haven't camped in a long time," I smiled.
Night fell, and the moon hung high in the sky, shedding a silvery white light.
It was late, and Giovanni and I lay in bed. Giovanni soon fell asleep, while I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. I closed my eyes and tried to relax, but my mind kept drifting back to Giovanni's discovery of the truth.
I finally fell asleep without realizing it, only to be haunted by a nightmare.
In my dream, I was standing in a barren forest, moonlight spilling through the sparse branches of the trees, and a chilling silence all around me. I turned my head to look around, only to find Giovanni walking towards me, his eyes filled with anger and disappointment.
"How dare you fool me?" Giovanni's voice was low and icy, each word carrying endless anger.
My heart was beating like a drum, and I tried to explain, but found myself unable to make a sound. It was as if something was blocking my throat, and I could only watch helplessly as Giovanni approached, step by step.
"Do you think you can keep this from me forever?" Giovanni's voice grew louder and louder, like thunder exploding in my ears. "You're just like your hypocritical parents, who take pleasure in fooling people's feelings. Giving someone love and warmth, only to cruelly reveal it's all a lie!"
My tears flowed uncontrollably as I shook my head, trying to express my helplessness and suffering to Giovanni. But his eyes grew colder and colder, and his hand suddenly transformed into a sharp claw as he grabbed my shoulder.
"I will make you pay for fooling me!" Giovanni said viciously, his voice filled with determination and anger.
The claw pierced deep into my shoulder, causing sharp pain that made me scream. It felt as if my body was being torn apart, the pain and fear intertwining, making it hard to breathe. I struggled but found myself powerless to resist.
Suddenly, I jerked awake, sweating profusely. I gasped for air, my heart beating wildly as if I were still in the middle of that nightmare. I turned to look at the sleeping Giovanni beside me, his face serene and harmless in the moonlight. My heart fluttered, and tears sprang to my eyes uncontrollably. I got up gently and walked over to the window, gazing at the bright moon.
"Are you really in love with him?" The voice of my wolf in my mind echoed once again.
I didn't answer. I didn't know the answer, or rather, I was afraid to face it. Deep down, I knew that if I couldn't make Giovanni truly fall in love with me, everything I had done would one day be revealed, and that day would mark the end of all the good things in my life.
I stood in front of the window, anxiety and angst filling my heart with nowhere to go.
I came back to the bad, and soon, I fell back into a deep sleep in my restlessness.
"I want you, Little Tree," Giovanni whispered as we lay entwined in the sheets, our bodies molding together in fiery passion.
"Don't leave me," I begged him.
He forced me to look at him. My fingers ran through his dark hair as my gaze met his clear blue eyes.
He was my gorgeous alpha. He was my world.
Over and over again, he made me unravel around him. The sensation of him sliding in and out of me made my mind spin.
I wanted him—all of him, forever.
The brush of his hand against my bare skin made my body shiver. "You'll always be mine, Little Tree—and I'll always be yours."
His declaration made my love for him grow. I knew I couldn't possibly forget how he made me feel.
As the passion between us grew, he suddenly felt distant. His body was sliding past me, leaving me feeling empty inside.
"Giovanni?"
My panic-filled voice drifted through the endless sea of darkness. Whispers pulled me out of that place of desire until finally, my eyes opened. A groan of disappointment escaped my lips, and I rolled over to face the slightly ajar bedroom door.
It was a dream, and not just any dream. What was happening was something that, deep down, I was hoping for, but I knew better than to let my hopes rise too high.
"Alpha, there's a message for you." A voice from the living room caught my attention, and I immediately recognized it as Tobias's.
"Come in and talk, Tobias," Giovanni's voice responded. "But please keep the volume down, she's still sleeping."
Obviously, by "she," Giovanni meant me.
Tobias paused, then with a hint of caution in his tone, said, "Vivian is coming back."
Hearing an unfamiliar name, I couldn't help but feel a bit confused.
Vivian? Who was she?
"Yes? Great. When will she arrive?" There was an excitement in Giovanni's voice that I found hard to ignore.
"She should be here tomorrow."