Chapter 5

Zara"s boots crunch the autumn leaves blanketing the earth as she nears Elder Thorn"s secluded cabin. Unease knots her chest, restless night and strange fever dreams ghosting her mind. Steadying her breath, she raps firmly on the weathered oak door.

After a brief silence, the door creaks open, revealing Elder Thorn"s wizened face framed by his wild mane of silver hair. His amber eyes study her intently, instantly sensing the turbulence roiling beneath her composed exterior.

"Zara, my dear," he says, his brows knitting together as he studies her. "Come in, come in." He steps aside, gesturing for her to enter.

Zara ducks under the low lintel, the familiar scents of herbs and ancient lore enveloping her like a comforting embrace as she steps into the dimly lit interior.

"What brings you here so early in the day, my child?" he asks, his voice warm and inviting.

She paces the room, her fingers trailing over the spines of the books that line the shelves, as if seeking guidance from the wisdom they contain.

Come on, Zara,she chides herself. You"ve never been one to shy away from a challenge. Just spit it out.

But as she meets his gaze, she sees only kindness and concern reflected back at her. Taking a deep breath, she steps further into the room, her hands clasped tightly in front of her.

"Elder Thorn, I... I"ve been having these dreams," she begins, her voice shaking slightly. "They"re not like any dreams I"ve ever had before. They feel so real, so intense…" so sensual.

She trails off, unwilling to say the last words out loud. Heat floods her face as flashes of the erotic visions that plagued resurfaces, along with the uncontrollable yearning that had surged through her body.

Zara shifts uncomfortably in her seat. "It"s like this... this heat that courses through my body," she starts, her voice trembling slightly. "It"s unlike anything I"ve ever felt before. It"s intense, all-consuming, and it leaves me feeling restless and on edge."

She takes a deep breath, her eyes flickering to the floor as she continues. "And then there are the dreams. They"re so vivid, so real, that I wake up feeling like I"ve actually lived them. In these dreams, I"m with... with someone. A… man. And we"re... we"re intimate."

Zara"s cheeks flush with embarrassment as she recounts the unsettling yet alluring images that have been haunting her sleep. "It"s like I"m drawn to him, like there"s this magnetic pull between us that I can"t resist. And when I wake up, I"m left with this aching need that I can"t shake."

She looks up at Elder Thorn, her sea-green eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "What"s happening to me?" she asks, her voice trembling.

Elder Thorn listens intently, his brow furrowing as he takes in the details of her account. When Zara finishes, he leans back in his chair, a knowing smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Ah, I see," he says, his tone light and teasing. "It sounds like you"ve found your mate. Who"s the lucky wolf?"

"I was out hunting with the pack, just like usual. But then..." She hesitates, unsure how to explain the strange sensations that overcame her. "This heat, it didn"t start until later. After I ran into a vampire."

Elder Thorn leans forward, his eyes narrowing. "A vampire?"

Zara nods, swallowing hard. The memory of the encounter rushes back—the flash of fangs, the blurring movement, the thrum of adrenaline in her veins as she faced off against the deadly creature. And something else, too. A dark pull, an instinctive awareness of his presence that went beyond the usual hunter"s instinct.

She meets Elder Thorn"s concerned gaze. "Yeah, we fought. But it was more than that." Zara shakes her head, trying to find the right words. "There"s this intense connection between us that I can"t seem to shake. And ever since then, I"ve been waking up with this deep, aching need..."

Her voice trembles slightly as she looks imploringly at the Elder. "What"s happening to me?"

"Our history with the vampires is a long and bloody one," he begins, his voice low and filled with the weight of centuries. "For as long as our kind has existed, we"ve been locked in a bitter conflict with the children of the night. We"ve fought countless battles, spilled blood on both sides, and lost many of our own to their insatiable thirst."

"The Faeren made a pact with what became the first werewolves," Elder Thorn continues, his voice low and tinged with an ancient sadness. "They saw the imbalance the vampire curse brought to the world, the way they disrupted the natural order with their insatiable thirst. We were meant to be a counterbalance."

Zara leans forward, her eyes wide with a mix of fascination and trepidation.

"And that"s why unlike humans, we live far longer than they do, but we"re not immortal."

But what does this have to do with my dreams?she wonders, her brow furrowing in confusion. How could this ancient history be connected to the strange sensations I"ve been experiencing?

As if sensing her thoughts, Elder Thorn hesitates, his gaze searching Zara"s face for a moment before he continues. With a heavy sigh, he leans forward, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"There is an ancient myth, Zara, a legend. One that I"ve heard whispered throughout my long life but never given much credence to. It speaks of a bond between a vampire and a werewolf, a connection so profound that it transcends the boundaries of our species."

Zara"s eyes widen, her breath catching in her throat as the implications of Elder Thorn"s words begin to sink in. A vampire-werewolf mate bond? But that"s impossible... isn"t it?

She leans forward, her heart racing as she silently urges Elder Thorn to continue, desperate for answers to the questions that have been plaguing her mind.

Zara stares at Elder Thorn, her mind reeling in horror from the revelation of a potential mate bond with a vampire. This can"t be happening, she thinks, her heart pounding in her chest. How could fate be so cruel as to tie me to one of them?

Zara paces the room, body thrumming with restless energy. "What does this mean, Elder Thorn?" Her voice trembles. "How could I possibly be bonded to a vampire? It goes against everything we stand for."

Elder Thorn watches her closely, his amber eyes filled with a mix of sympathy and concern. "I know this is a lot to take in, Zara," he says softly. "The path ahead of you is uncertain, and I can only imagine the turmoil you must be feeling."

He reaches out, placing a comforting hand on Zara"s shoulder. "Trust in yourself, Zara. You have a brave and noble heart, and I have no doubt that you will find a way to navigate this challenge with grace and courage."

Zara takes a deep breath, trying to calm the whirlwind of emotions that threaten to overwhelm her. She knows that Elder Thorn is right, that she must face this new reality head-on, no matter how daunting the prospect may be.

Fuck, this is a mess,Zara thinks as she steps out of Elder Thorn"s cabin, the door creaking shut behind her. Her heart feels like it"s being crushed under the weight of everything she just learned.

She starts walking, her feet carrying her forward even as her mind spins. It"s terrifying, the idea of facing this head-on. But what choice do I have? She kicks a pebble, watching it skitter across the dirt path. I"ve gotta deal with this, one way or another.

Zara takes a shaky breath, squaring her shoulders as she continues on into the unknown. Time to woman up and figure out what the hell I"m going to do. Goddess help me.