**Author's Note**
Hello to all my readers. I am very sorry for not updating as I should. There have been a few things that have set me back quite a bit. Between my two kids getting sick, my mother-in-law having to go to the hospital, and minor writer's block...it has been a mess. However, I am getting back into the swing of things, and I promise to have at least one chapter out every weekend. THIS CHAPTER MAY BE TRIGGERING TO SOME READERS
*Natalie*
So far it has been three days since Lucas gave me a notebook to write down my nightmares. Each night since I have written them down, with some detail but not all. And now I am on my way to Lucas's office, to give him the notebook, and I am scared. However, Midnight has been keeping me calm, and even said that this alone might be able to help get rid of them to some extent.
After getting ready for the day, I grab the notebook and make my way to the bedroom door. Once I have made it out of the bedroom and into the hallway, I start to hesitate. So instead of second-guessing, I forced myself to turn and walk down the hallway to the office.
*Lucas*
I am currently in my office trying to get some pack work finished, however, I cannot stop thinking about Natalie. From what Dom told me this morning after getting up for the day, Natalie will be bringing the notebook in for me to read. I know that she is probably scared and anxious, but hopefully, soon she will realize that I am not going anywhere. Suddenly there was a knock at the door that pulled me out of my thoughts.
"Come in." I say loud enough for them to hear. A second later the door to my office opens to reveal my Natalie. "Hey sweetheart, how are you feeling?" I ask standing up and coming around the desk towards her. Once I am a few inches away, I pull her into my arms and put my nose in the crook of her neck.
"I am doing okay. I brought the notebook so you can read the first three entries." Natalie said while looking up at me with her chin on my chest.
"Okay, did you want to stay in her while I read it, or did you want to go back to the room?" I asked looking into her eyes.
"I am going to go back to the room. I want to watch a movie, and then see about getting a small nap in."
"Alrighty babe, I will see you when I am done." I said and then kissed her forehead before she pulled away.
"Okay, see you later." Natalie said with a small smile before she handed me the notebook and left my office.
Making my way back around the desk with the notebook in my hands, I sat down on my chair. Once I took a few deep breaths, I opened the notebook and started reading.
~Entry 1~
I just got out of school, and I am making my way home from yet another horrible day. The kids at school always make fun of me and bully me. However, this dream is not about those events.
I make it to the front of my house, walk up the stairs, and ad soon as I close the front door behind me I am grabbed.
"Why are you so weak?! Why couldn't you be stronger?!" My dad yells at me.
All I can do is whimper because if I try to explain myself the beatings are worse. Before I can even blink he is raining down punches to my stomach, and to my face. He does not care that I have to go to school the next day. No one questions him, and I feel that it would make it worse if they did.
When I fall to the floor he switches to kicking me in my stomach, and anywhere else he can get contact to. I do not know how long the beating lasts, but then he is finally done I am being lifted up by my hair.
"You are going to be going down into the basement. You will not have any food or water until I say otherwise!" He screams in my face while opening the basement door and then throws me forcefully down the stairs.
However, before I hit the bottom, I wake up.
-Dom: how are we going to be able to read these without freaking out?
-Me: I do not know man, but we have to. We need to make sure we are there for Natalie, and Midnight as well.
I really do not know how I am going to be able to read the next two entries. I feel like a failure that I could not get there sooner. Although, I know that if I was to voice this to Natalie she would tell me otherwise. No one should have to go through what she did, and then to find out that that man was not her father? Then on top of that, Midnight and her are powerful? I would be having a mental breakdown long before I even got to this point. My mate is one strong woman, and I would not change her for the world.
After a little bit I decided that I was going to get more paperwork done, and then read the other two entries. Hopefully this will give me a little more motivation to get things done. I also made sure to start doubling guards around the pack borders. Just in case someone gets word of Natalie. I do not need her to be scared or more stressed than she already is.
I was able to get more paperwork done than I thought I was going to. Like I am actually almost caught up on what I missed. Since I made it this far, I picked up Natalie's notebook and just looked at it. I want, no NEED, to read the other two entries. However, I am actually a little nervous to read what else my Natalie has gone through.