My eyes fluttered open. I looked around to find myself alone in the Blackwater Forest. The night sky bathed in the light of the twinkling stars above me. I was wearing the clothes that I wore to sleep before. Why am I here?

All of a sudden, I heard loud footsteps rushing through the thick thorny bushes as a figure ran out of it, looking behind constantly in fear of whatever was chasing it. As the figure approached me, I realised who it was. This has to be a dream.

"Noah!" I called out to him.

He didn't hear. He kept running. I felt my body jerk abruptly and next thing I knew, I was running through the forest with the wind slapping against my face. Sweat dripped from my matted hair. "Please God, let me live." I felt the words leave my mouth but it wasn't my voice. It was Noah's.

I'm in Noah's body!

I could smell the fresh grass and wet soil as adrenalin was being pumped through my veins; the cold evening air shocking my throat and lungs as I inhale deeper, faster. My heart beats frantically as if saying all or nothing. The air didn't seem to be enough as I sprinted forward, panic trembling in my exhausted limbs.

Being chased was nothing like the movies. The stars look heroic, sexy and in command of the situation. Reality was far removed from that pretty version of running to save you skin. There was no reason for me to believe that I'd make it out of this dream alive. I don't know if Noah did either.

I felt cold and empty as I tried controlling his body. It was physically exhausting to be in his body. I screamed as I felt a sharp pain in my right thigh and I had a strong feeling that I'd just torn my hamstring. My legs abruptly stopped and I felt myself crashing into the wet soil, my head scrapping the pointed edge of a hard rock.

The dark red blood makes its way out of my body. It oozes between the space between my fingers as I cover my wound with a shaky hand. My vision becomes blurrier as my shirt turns darker and all I can see is the scarlet blood that once flowed in my veins.

Each drop of blood slowly takes away the life in me, leaving me pale and weak, yet defying death. I wonder if he felt the same way. My eyes fluttered shut slowly. I only hoped that Noah was strong enough to survive whatever happened.

I woke up to Jamie shaking me furiously. "We need to leave! I really have to plan today's bachelorette party!" I groaned and shoved my head under the pillow. She called out again.

"Just two more minutes!" I begged, trying to will myself to calm down.

Twenty minutes later, I threw my hair into a messy bun and pulled on a random t-shirt with my skinny jeans. Jamie entered with a plate of pancakes and sausages. I moaned hungrily and reached out for the plate.

"Missing your mate?" She teased. I rolled my eyes and shoved as much as I could in my mouth. "I can survive for a few hours without having him breathing down my neck at all times," I said with a small chuckle although deep down I knew that at least a small part of it was a lie.

The dream made me feel grim and dreadful and I wanted to feel comfort again. Comfort only my mate can offer. Jamie and I walked out of the room together. I took mental notes of the entire mansion as she gave me an early morning tour of this place.

A small part of me was hoping to see Arian. Did he not sleep properly as well? Jamie squeaked and pulled me into one of the rooms, locking the door behind her. "What happened?" I whispered nervously. She looked flushed as she shut her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "My mate. He's here."

Someone cleared their throat behind us making both of us jump in panic. "Ladies, what a pleasant surprise," Raven mumbled, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he smiled at us. I laughed awkwardly. "We were playing hide and seek?" I offered an excuse.

Jamie nudged me in the ribs and glared at me for my unbelievably stupid lie. "May I join you?" He asked, slipping on a shirt over his bare chest. I'm sure Jamie had been enjoying the view of his naked chest but eh she got a mate now.

"No!" She jumped.

"Why?" He asked in confusion.

"B-Because we don't like you!"

Our heads snapped towards Jamie who covered her face in embarrassment. Raven let out a laugh and walked towards her. "I can tell that you're lying, J. What's wrong?" He asked her, lifting her chin gently so that he could look at her.

A knock was heard. "Baby?" Summer's voice made us look at each other in alarm. Summer wouldn't be very understanding of two girls being in her fiancé's bedroom at this time of the day. He quickly pointed to the window and signalled us to jump off. Oh hell naw I ain't jumping off the first floor! Unfortunately, Jamie had other plans. I huffed and jumped after her.

I landed on the floor with a thud and the cracks were enough for me to know that I'd broken a few bones. "Mate." I heard a soft purr. I looked at Leo with Jamie wrapped in his arms safely like someone was gonna steal her away from him.

"You were scared of him? He's your mate?" I asked in disbelief. Why would anyone be scared of Leo? He's such a cupcake! Leo is Arian's beta or second-in-command whom I met the morning after which I accompanied Arian to the Night Phantom market. I'd not really interacted much with him but he seemed like a complete gentleman.

Jamie blushed and looked at Leo who raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You don't seem very frightened, Luna," he teased, with a smirk. I grinned back at him. "You don't seem very frightening, beta." Jamie frowned at us questioningly. I grinned. I hope she does decide to come back with us. I can finally have a female friend in that hostile castle of Arian's!

"You told me you're a prince!" Jamie growled. Leo rolled his eyes. "I said that I'm the prince that you've been dreaming of. You have the attention span of a teaspoon," he snorted.

I laughed and returned his high five. "Jamie," I said, "I know that this is none of my business but Leo's a great guy. I assure you that he won't mistreat you and besides, I'd love if you came back with us. It gets pretty lonely out there." She nodded hesitantly. I threw Leo a warning look before leaving the two of them alone.

I smiled sadly as I walked away. He'll keep her so happy; she has absolutely no idea of how lucky she is. I stopped at the balcony of the library and looked outside at the majestic view that it offered. I saw Summer and Raven holding hands and walking around in the garden. My heart cracked a bit as I thought about my relationship with my mate.

Speaking of the devil, from a distance I saw Arian running towards me. I smiled at the sight of Arian huffing like a normal human would. He looked completely at ease in his black jeans and denim shirt. Just his presence made me feel at ease. "I don't get why people like running," he grumbled, wiping the sweat away from his forehead.

I offered him a handkerchief but he refused saying it made him less manly. "It's rude to roll your eyes at someone, you know," he chided. I rolled my eyes again and laughed.

"I'm sorry," we both said together.

We laughed. "You're scared. What happened?" He asked, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. I shut my eyes, recalling the horrendous dream. "I had a nightmare. I felt what Noah felt, Arian. I need to find him," I whispered softly, fearing the nightmare of coming alive.

I narrated the entire thing to him. He pulled me into his arms when I began shivering. He kissed the top of my head as he held me against the chest that held his beating heart. "There was a symbol on the soil," I murmured softly recalling my bleeding hand.

"As my blood dripped onto the soil, it formed a symbol. It was an eye enclosed within a triangle," I continued. He stopped stroking my hair and pulled away. He shut his eyes and ran his fingers through his silky black hair. I longed for his warmth against my skin again. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

"His name is Dryden, love. He's a white witch. White witches are basically the oldest and most powerful witches found. They can be destructive or of great benefit to all races but the thing is, they're only visible to those who truly seek them," he said with a long sigh.

"You're in search for one, aren't you?" I asked. His eyes snapped to mine and he nodded hesitantly. He looked desperate to search for this Dryden guy. "He's the only one that can tell me what happened to my father," he said softly.

In that moment, he wasn't the Mighty Prince Arian that everyone looked up to; he was just a son longing for the truth about his father. "You need to be careful, okay? The only way a white witch can get into someone's mind is if they have eaten a certain herb. I'll have my people take care of it," he assured, taking my hand in his.

I nodded. "Will these induced nightmares have any side effects?" I asked. "He can make you see things- the past, present and future; blurring lines between these three. It may impair your judgement and you may not being able to tell the difference between dreams and reality," he said cooly.

I smiled sharply. "That's absolutely lovely," I said. He chuckled. "It won't happen when I'm around. I have powers too, you know," he said in a mildly condescending tone. I laughed and shook my head at him. "You'll have to come up with another way to charm me, Ice."

"Today happens to be your lucky day because I have quite a few tricks up my sleeve, Ivanov," he whispered. We goofed around while walking around the mansion's garden, making sure to maintain a comfortable distance between us. We approached the lake and I sat down next to Arian.

"This is nice," I said softly.

"That's because it isn't forced," he said.

I looked at Arian. I wasn't expecting him to bring this up now. This whole relationship got accelerated the moment we found out we were mates. I wanted the love of my life to be my best friend before I decided to love him. With Arian and me, we seem to be going in the reverse order. There's no going back.

"I've never really done the whole relationship thing before. It's overwhelming at times," he confessed. I smiled. I felt the same way! It's like he read my mind.

"I know. I really like you but I don't want to be forced into this relationship. I want to fall for you because of who you are and not because of a god up there that decided that we should spend our lives together. Arian Ice, would you like to be friends?"

"With you? Give me one good reason," he smirked.

I gasped and clutched my chest dramatically. "Let me tell you something, mister. You won't find anyone as good as me," I boasted.

"I know. I'll definitely find someone better," he laughed.

"And do you think anyone will be able to make you wet like I do?" I grinned.

"Excuse me?" He choked.

I pushed him into the lake and laughed as his head poked out of the water after a few seconds. His surprised and slightly annoyed eyes found mine as he swam out of the lake and ran towards me. I got up to run but was picked up by an extremely wet Arian.

"Wait wait! I'm sorry!" I laughed. "I can't swim!" I reminded him as I clutched onto his body tightly. He huffed and put me down gently. He unbuttoned his shirt and shook his head, sprinkling the cold droplets of water on me.

The water dripped down his hair softly. And the drops slowly made their way to his body and the perfect abs he had. The water defined his well organized and obviously worked out body.

The way it highlights the contour of muscle reminds me of what a powerhouse he is. As the future king, he's trained himself exhaustively to perform at his peak physically and mentally and it shows.

"Why, Alaska Ivanov, that's no way to look at your friend!" Arian called out.

I laughed as I watched the muscles of his naked back contract and relax as he walked back into the mansion to change into some warm clothes. Arian turned around and gave a dramatic bow before he disappeared into the mansion. I removed my phone and texted Avian.

• • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • •

So Alaska, in her dream, basically saw Noah and felt everything that he felt even though it wasn't happening to her. To help you guys understand it better, I made it seem like she was 'actually' in his body. The condition is called Mirror-Touch synesthesia. This condition was caused by the White Witch Dryden and ONLY exists in her dreams.

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Hahaha I'm back with my GK sessions😎💕

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