Wolf Dream Read Free

Two

    Training
    Esmerelda
    The sun glared into my eyes. Without a coat, my skin glistened as sweat dripped in an unladylike pattern down my front and back despite the cold March temperatures, making me shiver. The tall pine trees swayed overhead. Not too far away I could hear the babble of the stream that ran behind Jarak’s cabin.
    Narrowing my eyes, I stared at Ian. Standing about an arm’s length away, I could smell his cologne. How he wasn’t sweating was beyond me. Dregan growled and bared his fangs at me, standing dutifully beside him. Great. I let out an exhausted sigh and braced myself against the upcoming attack. Ian didn’t trust Jarak and Maztic after yesterday, and after the big fit I pitched earlier, he decided to be the one to go against me and have Jarak on the side as a coach.
    I felt Luna whimper in my soul from the thought of fighting Dregan. I pushed her feelings aside, needing to calm my own nerves. I had to defend myself without magic and rely solely on Luna. Psh. Well, that’s what Ian and Jarak wanted, but they didn’t always get what they wanted. I proved that to them almost daily.
    “Feel for Luna, ” Jarak said, standing behind me. “Listen to her thoughts and feel her movements.”
    “Just shut u p,” I spit out to him.
    I didn’t need him confusing me with instructions. I knew what to do. Luna and I had a plan. I felt her in spirit and smiled. This would work.
    I inched back, needing to place more space between myself and Ian. Luna and I practiced this for over a week, and as soon as I moved, she would appear where I just stood.
    Ian lunged for me . At the same moment, Luna materialized catching him off-guard. She jumped onto his chest, taking them both to the ground. She stood with her front paws on his neck, her teeth looking viscous as she snarled. I couldn’t help the smug smile that crossed my face.
    “Ni ce, but you forgot about Dregan,” Jarak said quickly.
    I dropped my smile and let out an exasperated sigh. Dregan disappeared. Great. I let the warmth from my core flow and feel around the forest, searching for his presence. It was harder since he was, in all reality, a spirit, but I could still feel him when he took form.              
    I looked over at Luna , who still held Ian to the ground. Time was running out; I could feel the tension build in the air around me. A twig snapped behind me. On reaction, I turned and shot a stream of power at whatever or whoever was trying to sneak up on me.
    I held on to my energy as I looked around. I felt something struggle and pull away from my inner core. I trapped whatever, or whoever, it was with magic. I tugged back, hoping to reign in an invisible cord of power. If this was Dregan, then I was seriously in for trouble. He fought me with every pull. It reminded me of a fish being reeled in on a hook.
    “Jarak!” I yelled as I felt whatever it was slipping from my mental grasp. Heat flooded me, mind and soul. I knew whatever it was, was close. “What is it? I don’t think it’s Dregan anymore.”
    “ Keep pulling it.” He was behind me, letting me feed off his energy and strength.
    “It’s too hard. It’s fighting me.” I winced. As the fight got harder it b ecame painful. My head throbbed, and it felt like someone stabbed me in the stomach.
    A loud cackle filled my mind, and I fought to not lose concentration. I had heard the same laugh in my dreams. “I can’t do this.” I tried talking, but it came out as more of a weak whisper.
    “ Luna, I need help,” I reached out to her mentally, hoping she heard.
    Instantly , she was by my side. I could feel her energy.
    “ Princess, stop. It was only a test,” Ian mumbled somewhere behind me.
    My mind didn’t register what he said. Test? How could this be a test? I still felt the pulling, but it died down a lot from when it first started.
    “I said stop! You’ll kill Dregan.” This time I looked back at Ian. He was getting himself up off the ground, bending