Kara Davies

"Well, you were right. They were still in bed," Demir announces when he barges into the kitchen. Denise grins. "Told ya. They couldn't keep their hands off each other last night."

"They definitely weren't the only ones," Hinote says, amused. He winks at Kara, who turns red in embarrassment. He's not wrong. After spending weeks in a forest surrounded by people with supernatural hearing, last night was the first opportunity to enjoy each other's company. Privately. And boy, did they enjoy it. If they had the chance to stay in bed all day, they would have taken it. But sadly, she knew it was finally time to share some information with the rest of the group.

"Who wants some eggs?" Shani appears at the table with a pan full of what seems to be scrambled eggs. Everyone but Hinote responds eagerly and the werecat divides the eggs into equal portions on the plates. "The bacon will be there in a minute," she chirps before disappearing. "This looks amazing, Shani," Demir compliments her when she returns. "Thanks!" she answers shyly as she watches the wolf attack his plate. Next to her, Hinote's also eying him in disgust, but she can't tell if it's because of Demir's eating manners - or lack thereof - or the food itself.

"Good morning, everyone." Athena appears in the doorway after a few minutes. She sounds extremely cheerful, and Kara can tell by their grinning faces. The rest notices too.

"Good morning, Alpha. Luna," Denise greets the two lovebirds. "Did you sleep well?" Her teasing tone betrays her immediately, making Athena blush deeply. "Very well, thank you," she responds quickly. "I bet you did," Demir chuckles, earning him a murderous look from Darius for not only outing them to the entire group, but also joking about it. But even the new Alpha can't hide the happiness on his face. One look at Athena and his angry expression transforms into the biggest smile Kara has ever seen on him.

They all look so happy this morning. How will they feel when I've told them the truth?

"Are you okay, Kara? Your heart is beating like crazy," Hinote whispers to her. Well, yes, thank you. It's because I've been lying to you all for weeks and I finally got the balls to tell you today. That's why I'm a teeny tiny bit terrified at the moment.

"I'm fine," she says instead, but her monotone tone doesn't seem to convince the group. At all. Since they already know she wants to share something with them, Kara's certain they will not let it go. "Are you sure?" Shani asks, encouraging her to speak up. All right then. Here goes nothing.

"Well, there is something..." She looks at Denise, who simply nods. After taking a deep breath, she continues. "You know all of this is new for me. That until a few weeks ago, I had no idea the supernatural world existed."

"Yes?"

"Well, that's not entirely true," she tells them. Her eyes are fixated on the ground, even when the group stays silent. She falters. "For almost two years now, I've been having these strange dreams I can't explain. At first, I thought it was all nonsense and never considered it to be supernatural, but that changed when I..." How on earth am I going to explain this in a way they don't think I'm a nutcase?

"Look, I-I didn't understand. I thought I made it up," she stutters. That I made you up. "But..." Oh, just say it, Kara. It cannot get any worse than this.

"I saw all of you in those dreams."

...

"What did you just say?" Demir is the first one to respond. He looks confused, a feeling she can relate to quite well. First, she thought the dreams were just nothing more than that, but after finding out the world, the people she saw were real; a disoriented feeling was all that remained.

She's frozen, staring at the group with big, troubled eyes, scared to explain what her words meant. I saw all of you in those dreams. Did they think they couldn't be surprised anymore? With all they have been through; all the secrets they have revealed one by one, they must have thought they had reached the maximum level of crazy. Well, surprise! Kara thinks grimly.

Her left leg is shaking like crazy, but she ignores it. Instead, she just keeps watching the group.

"What do you mean exactly when you say you've seen us?" Hinote asks. Kara knows her answer will only result in more questions, but she also knows she has been keeping this information to herself for too long. It's time to tell them everything. Her heart is beating like crazy and her hands feel sweaty. Denise squeezes them softly, obviously seeing her nervousness. The hand she has placed on Kara's leg doesn't prevent it from vibrating, but it gives her the confidence she needs to say what needs to be said.

The rest doesn't need a clammy hand to notice she's afraid to speak. Before any of them can mention it, she starts to ramble. She tells them the reason she joined their group in the first place. She talks about the dreams she has, their faces she sees and has been seeing every night for more than a year; how she saw Athena and Shani almost getting killed, and the way she witnessed Leon losing control. About Darius watching Athena being cornered and Denise watching them quietly in the background.

"Wow," she hears Shani say almost inaudibly, before clearing her throat. "How?"

"I-I don't know," Kara responds. "I can't explain any of it, but imagine my surprise when I met you in real life. I thought you weren't real."

"Oh, that is freaky, even for our world," Athena responds instantly. The hybrid looks to her right, where Darius stares in a distance. It looks like he hasn't blinked in a while. And he's not the only one, she realizes when she sees Leon with a similar expression.

She can't tell what's going on in their minds, nor is she brave enough to ask. At least they know the truth now; no more secrets. It doesn't matter whether it was all a dream; she doesn't have to keep the images she saw to herself anymore. Telling Denise was a relief, but releasing the truth to all of them feels freaking satisfying. However, she still would like to what they're thinking. Perhaps they're debating whether she's a bit crazy or a straight-up lunatic. Or how fast they will get rid of her?

"Do you think what you dreamed... really happened?" Darius asks her after a few minutes. She shrugs. "The images feel too detailed and clear not to be real. But it must be fake, right? None of us knew each other two years ago, right? That means whatever I saw cannot have happened," she reasons, looking at the group for some sort of support.

"Exactly. We didn't know each other until a couple of weeks ago. Besides, we don't have any memories of the events you just described. I don't think your dreams are memories. Perhaps they have a symbolic meaning; it would explain why we're all in the dreams and here in real life," Athena suggests. That sounds plausible. The rest nods in agreement.

"Just to be sure, do you mind if I enter your mind? I might be able to find out more?" Kara shakes her head, and Athena places a finger on her forehead. "It won't hurt, I promise. It'll be brief," she explains before closing her eyes. For a few minutes, the entire kitchen is filled with silence. Kara closes her eyes as well the moment she feels a strange awareness tickling her body. She can't reach it and realizes it must be psychological. Well, there is a witch poking around in your mind. That could be it.

"Hmm, strange," she hears Athena suddenly say. She opens her eyes. "What is it?" Is there something wrong inside my head? Athena frowns. "Normally, I would have been able to tell whether the dreams were just dreams or memories, but with you, I can't..." Athena explains. Her facial expression exposes immediately she has no idea why that is.

"What could that mean?" Hinote asks her. His tone is formal; his voice low. Oh dear, they really detest not knowing. Welcome to my life. "What it means," Athena continues, interrupted her inner dialogue. "Is that someone could have entered your mind to mess with your head, Kara. And using some powerful magic while doing so..." Oh shit.

"Do you know anyone capable of pulling this off?" Demir asks. Athena shakes her head.

"Honestly... no. Nobody is that powerful, everyone leaves a trace." Her frown deepens. "I have no idea what to do about it." Shit. Again.

"Okay," Denise suddenly rises from the seat next to her. "Let's run over every little detail from your dream. Maybe we can determine where and when it took place...you might have seen who did this to you," she says, soundings as desperate as she feels herself. Kara nods in agreement. Of course, she has analyzed her dream already frame by frame, but maybe, with the help of her friends, they might find something new.

"Good idea. Can you talk us through everything you see?" Demir asks her. She nods before leaning back in her seat. Her eyes close automatically again and the dreams start playing like a movie in her head. After months of repeating it all over again, she has got quite good at that.

"The first dreams I had, I saw barely anything. It was all quite vague. But later, I see faces as well. One moment, I'm just walking and the next thing I know there are people, supernatural people, everywhere."

"How do you know they're supernatural?" She hears Darius ask her curiously.

"Well, first I didn't, of course, since I had no idea you existed, but now I notice the glowing eyes, the pale skins. It's like I can feel the auras of the Alphas and the magic of the witches. I can't explain it, but I just know they're supernatural. They all stick to their own kind until that Alpha with her vampire mate shows up."

"Hold on, you see a werewolf and a vampire together?"

"Yes, that's what got Shani and Athena into trouble," she responds.

"Did that alpha say anything? What does she look like, maybe we can identify her?"

"I don't know, I can't see. Her face is too fuzzy..."

"There is only one day a year werewolves and vampires come together, and that's on the Day of the Goddess, the first Monday in June," Demir says after another silence. Athena nods in agreement. "The witches join that day, too. I know, because I took part in England two years ago."

"Me too..."

What?

Kara looks up when she heard multiple voices reply simultaneously. Shani, Leon, and Hinote are watching each other, switching their gazes back and forth. To say they look shocked is an understatement. All three of them look like they've been slapped in the face. Frozen while standing. This cannot get any weirder.

"Oh my goddess, we were there too," Demir says looking at Darius. Clearly, I spoke too soon.

"And so was I," Denise whispers. Oh, dear God.

No one's saying it, but Kara knows they're all thinking the same. What is happening?

"Kara? Where were you on the first Monday in June two years ago?" Athena asks her. Her eyes widen. "I-I don't know. Let me think," she stutters before running her trembling hand through her hair. Think, Kara. Think! But she cannot think. Her mind is blank and her nerves are getting the better of her. She can feel them rushing through her veins, taking over her body.

"Babe, calm down." She feels Denise stroking her hand while whispering soothing words to calm her down. "I-I used to walk a lot in the forests in England, but I don't remember coming across an enormous crowd of supernatural people. If I did, you'd think I would have remembered that," she says, murmuring the last part. Although in this world full of magic, that might also not be the case.

"Well, I do remember that day and nothing violent happened," Denise tells the group.

"I definitely don't remember being almost killed," Shani responds. Darius nods. "And I think I would have recalled meeting my mate."

"So? What are you saying? Do you think somebody altered Kara's memories?" Hinote suggests. All eyes are focused on Athena again. The hybrid tilts her head slowly before meeting their eyes. "Perhaps..." she whispers.

"Or somebody erased ours."

...

An ominous silence strikes again, and this time nobody even breaths. What does all of it mean? If they don't know, how on earth am I supposed to feel about it? Kara's thoughts run wild. She told them everything, but it wasn't enough to get an explanation for the images that had been haunting her forever. It was easier to ignore when she thought it was just a weird extraction of her imagination. Thinking about the possibility that it could be true was not even a thing that had entered her mind. But meeting supernatural creatures change that and now, she's analyzing her dreams all over again.

"Is that even possible?" Demir asks Athena. She shakes her head, but the puzzled expression doesn't leave her face. "Nobody is capable of that, except maybe the Moon Goddess herself."

"Why would I have memories of something you all can't remember? I'm only human. That makes no sense," Kara declares fiercely. "I have no idea, Kara. I'm sorry. If you really saw something you shouldn't have, they would have just wiped your mind and be done with it. Instead, they've either given you fake memories or took ours."

"I'm not sure which options sound more likely?" Demir mutters. "This is just too weird, especially because you dreamt of all the people who end up meeting each other... that cannot be a coincidence."

"Darius, are you okay?" Athena asks in a worried voice while eying her mate carefully. He looks upset, the debate inside his mind written on his face. "You know," he says, his voice suddenly hoarse, "I always thought it was weird our first meeting felt so intense. Whenever I would hear stories about people meeting their mates, they only spoke of the direct urge to be close to one another. But when I met you, Athena," he swallows, "I felt whole again. Like I only realized at that moment I had broken my heart for so long; It felt we had been reunited after being years apart."

"What if ..." he starts. "What if what Kara saw was true, and I really found you two years ago? Then our meeting wasn't a meeting, it was a reunion. It would explain what I felt." He sounds unsure about his words and only looks at Athena.

"But it felt like a meeting to me," she whispers. "It felt intense, more intense than I could have ever imagined, but it definitely felt like a first meeting."

Kara digs deep into her memory, replaying every scene that has been capturing her mind for months, looking for an answer Darius and Athena desperately need. "In my dreams, Athena never noticed Darius. I only see him staring at you while you're being attacked by other werewolves. Then the white light comes. I'm not sure if you ever saw him, Athena."

"Fear can mask the connection, if there's enough of it," Leon says sadly, looking at Shani.

"Well, you looked terrified, since you were about to be slaughtered," she tells them. "It's possible you didn't sense your mate because of it. I've heard it happen before." Hinote adds softly.

"We really could have met two years earlier?" Athena whispers in shock. "We don't know that for sure, guys," Demir tries. "It could still be fake." Athena looks at him; her eyes glittering in sadness. "But what if it's not? What if someone prevented us from meeting? From remembering each other at all?" Her words establish yet another silence because filling the void would mean answering a question and nobody seems able to do that.

"Do you know how difficult it is to mess with even one supernatural mind? A human is easy to manipulate, but our brain, our body is constantly healing, which makes it almost impossible to control us or our minds. Whoever did this, to Kara or to us, is extremely powerful and I'm not sure I want to encounter them."

"You know, I also have been dreaming weird things lately." the hybrid murmurs and all the heads turn towards her within a second. "Seriously? More madness? When is it enough?" Demir says dramatically, raising his arms to the sky.

The hybrid rolls her eyes. "There is this woman and sometimes a man. First, I thought it was my mother, that I was dreaming about my childhood, but in time the woman's face was clearer, and I knew it wasn't her. And although it's almost impossible, I know these aren't my memories. Which means they must be someone else's. What if they are theirs?"

"Anyone else been having weird dreams about other men and women?" Darius asks the group loudly. He might be serious, but at this moment where madness dominates and questions are only answered with questions, his words only cause a hysteric wave of laughter. Suddenly, everyone seems out of their minds. "Don't worry, Darius. The dreams are not at all sexy," Athena responds dryly.

"Still," her mate answers stubbornly, ignoring the tears of joy surrounding him. "What would you think if I had dreams about other men?"

"I'd say you're very open-minded. I don't mind watching. Or sharing," his mate answers with a giggle. Shani's eyes grow big in surprise; it seems like she doesn't agree with Athena's response.

"Sharing? You? If looks could kill, that she-wolf who was looking at him yesterday would be six feet underground right now." Athena's cheeks turn immediately red in embarrassment, but she doesn't give up. "My looks can kill, Shani. That was just a simple warning," she says, while Darius only looks confused. "What she-wolf?"

Shani snickers as she looks at Darius. He narrows his eyes when she wiggles her eyebrows. "What she-wolf?" He repeats. "One of your gamma's. Madeline," the werecat answers playfully.

Darius looks surprised. "Madeline? I thought she had the hots for Demir?" he answers. "She did," the Beta responds with confidence. "Athena was just being unnecessary jealous," he chuckles. "Madeline and I had a lot of fun, actually," he says, but a smile doesn't reach his face. Kara didn't see it coming, but the surrounding atmosphere fluctuates. She looks at Demir, who's now blinking his eyes to fight back the tears. They don't have to ask why.

"Let's just say I'm glad I don't dream about my mate. Anymore," he murmurs softly, sounding sad and utterly defeated. Shani stands up before wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She says nothing, and Kara sees immediately she doesn't need to. Demir closes his eyes while holding Shani's arms tightly.

They've all heard what happened to his so-called soulmate. He told them once and asked them to never bring it up again. The pain of her rejecting him is still there, aching with every minute of every day. Kara is too scared to ask if there is something like a second chance. A new soulmate? Surely, it isn't his fault his mate didn't accept the bond. Why must he suffer from it? With stories like Demir's, the concept of mates confuses her. Isn't a mate bond supposed to be stronger than anything else? How could somebody reject the one that's literally made for them?

She actually thought most mates were like Athena and Darius, with a bond so strong it seems almost unbreakable. Or perhaps a bond like Shani's and Leon's. Difficult to embrace, but still undeniably strong. A bond they can't fight even when they want to. And Leon clearly wants to.

What would it be like to be connected on such a level that they know what you feel, think what you think? She knows Denise very well; every look matches a thought, and Kara has seen them all, but she can't feel her emotions, her pain. But her affection for Denise goes deep; she knows that. It's much more than fondness, more than just an attraction towards each other. She feels the need, the desire to be close, to be together. How is that so different from a mate bond? Ultimately, it's all the same. Love.

The moment she saw Denise, she was enchanted. First, because she recognized her from her dreams and later because she had gotten to know every part of her. Or so she thought back then. But it was more than her eyes and her smile she loved. The attraction she felt for Denise was overwhelming and almost scary in the beginning. Not for one second, she considered leaving, and sometimes, her strong feelings towards Denise scared her. It made her insecure and left her wondering if Denise felt the same things she did.

She found the answer was yes, one example being her protecting Kara from three deadly, supernatural creatures with one crossbow and a gun. That girl loves her as much as she loves her. In no other circumstance would one risk their lives like that.

But she knows there are more connections possible than a connection between two mates. This group has protected each other through everything. And when Kara looks at them. Shani comforting Demir; Darius and Leon sharing a look showing they understand each other on a level that eludes her. Hinote squeezing Athena's shoulder. She didn't understand at first. How could she? She's human. She has witnessed only shallow friendships and incomprehension towards friendships between men and women in her life. This group is different. They aren't just friends; they're much more than that.

They're a pack.

And together they will find out the truth. No matter what.