Nora's pov
"You'll have the most beautiful wolf this world has ever seen" she cupped my cheeks with affection, almost as if I would slip away from her fingers.
"I want to see my wolf, I can feel it nudging to be let loose but something seems to be holding it back mum" I explained, trying to keep my frustration at bay.
"All in time Nora just be patient. We might make mistakes as humans but our wolves never make mistakes and I believe your wolf knows exactly what it is doing" she gently caressed my cheeks.
"What's wrong?" I asked as tears welled up in her eyes and slowly spilled onto her cheeks.
"You have a long path ahead of you" she sobbed.
"I'm sorry I can't be there to take it all away" she continued.
"I don't understand" I shook my head in confusion.
"I am always here to guide you Nora. Always remember that. Everything is not as it seems and danger lurks just around the corner, be careful" she looked at me sadly.
"Mom?" I called out to her in panic as blood began to gush from her eyes and stain her dress.
"You have to run Nora, run. Don't let them take it" she took a hold of my shoulders in a painful grip and kept on repeating to me.
"Take what?" I asked in a panic even though she wasn't listening to me.
"Mum!" I screamed as I bolted from the bed.
I gulped, trying to calm my breathing as the familiar cream coloured wall of my room slowly came into view.
"It's just a dream" I keep on repeating to myself, hoping to calm the tremor within me even though I knew it was anything but a mere dream.
I could still feel the vice grip she had on my shoulders and gently rub the sore spot with my hands. These weren't mere dreams, it was almost as if my dead mother was trying to tell me something.
"But what could it be?" I murmured to myself.
"And what is it that I have that anyone could possibly want?" I asked myself, remembering her words.
"Nora are you okay?" Selene, my step mother, asked me as she leaned against the door.
"I just had a bad dream" I muttered, getting up from my bed.
"None of that energy, especially on your birthday" she smiled as she walked into the room.
"Happy birthday" she held up a little cupcake I hadn't noticed earlier.
"Thank you" I smiled softly, ignoring my pounding heart as I take a bite out of the cupcake.
"I know you are scared and wondrring if your wolf would make an appearance today" she began.
"We'll just have to wait and see" I tried to laugh it off but she looks at me sadly, with the pity I saw in the eyes of other members of my pack.
Every wolf was expected to transform once they came of age which was typically at eighteen but here I was at twenty one without my wolf.
"It's alright to be different, it doesn't make you any less than the rest of us. You might have limited capabilities in the pack but that's also alright as long as you have family" she said and I stared at her in confusion, wondering wether her words were meant to serve as a source of comfort to me.
"Selene it's fine, really. I know my wolf will come in it's own time and like my mother always tells me in my dreams my wolf is going to be magnificent" I replied.
"Your mother?" She narrowed her eyes at me.
"You are still having those dreams?"she asked.
"I never really stopped" I confessed with a shrug as she pinned me with a hard stare.
"There is a reason a chasm exists between the living and the dead Nora. It's best you respect the balance and don't go looking for trouble" she said.
"I can't really control what I dream about now can I?" I asked helplessly.
"You can and you must" she said with an air of finality, letting me know the conversation was over.
"Now clean up, we have a lot to do for your ceremony this night" she swiftly changed the subject.
"Why do I even need a ceremony?" I muttered.
"Because this year your wolf might just decide to come out and it would be worth celebrating" she explained as she headed to the door.
"You never know what's about to happen" she gave me an icy smile before she leaves the room with a soft nick of the door behind her.
'Danger is lurking just around the corner's my mum's words rang in my ears and I wondered what they could possibly mean.
I felt a nudge within me as I gazed at the green forestry outside.
'Could that be my wolf urging me towards the forest?' I asked myself as I went about tidying my room.
"Well there's the birthday girl" Cassian, my stepbrother, called out to me as I stepped into the living room.
"Hey Cassian" I smiled at him gratefully as he handed me a cup of coffee.
"We thought you wanted to sleep the whole day away" he commented as Selene set a plate of omelette and sausages in front of me.
"Today is a big day, I can feel it" she smiled at me before turning back towards the sink. I, however, don't miss the smiles she shared with Cassian before doing so.
"Why do I feel like there's a secret and I'm the only one who has been left out" I commented, looking pointedly from her to him.
"Just tell me already" I insisted as they share a glance once more.
"Alright. Alpha Damien has decided to host a party for you to celebrate your birthday" Cassian said.
"What?" I stared at him in shock.
"Selene?" I looked at her, hoping she would refute his claims.
"It's true Nora. We all feel like this year is special and your wolf will finally make an appearance. The Alpha wants to celebrate you like we do everyone else" she explained and my heart dropped as a chill settled around me.
"What would happen if my wolf failed to make an appearance?" I thought.