Chapter 8
Unfortunately, my mind and body didn’t agree on what constituted a good rest.
My dreams were disturbed. Disjointed scenes and images played out, and I couldn’t escape from them.
In this scene, I stood in the center of the island, staring up at the blackened sky. But it wasn’t night. As the air shifted, I realized the sky was blotted out by the wings of countless gryphons--an army of them--descending upon me, and me alone. I was helpless against their numbers. Their talons dug into me, hauled me off the ground as I screamed silently for help. But nobody came.
The gryphons suddenly dropped me from a bone-shattering height, and as my stomach lurched, the scene shifted again. This part of the dream was just as uncomfortable, as it also involved something tearing me apart.
But this time it wasn’t gryphons--it was Eric, Ramsay and Colton.
I hung as small and limp as a ragdoll in their grips as each of the three alphas pulled me in separate directions. I cried out for them to stop, but they didn’t heed me. They continued to jerk and pull, all yelling at each other in uncharacteristically aggressive voices. Pain shot through my limbs as I was slowly torn apart.
In the dream, Noro suddenly appeared, like he’d been there the entire time. I was briefly hopeful that he would demand the alphas stop, and save me from their brutal game of tug-of-war. But instead he only watched, blinking with his wide yellow eyes that seemed cruel and full of apathy, unlike the Noro I knew outside my dreams.
The alphas were different, too. Dream Ramsay jerked on my arm, pulling it so hard that I was afraid it would pop right out of the socket. He screamed at Eric and Colton, and in my mind he sounded strange, probably because I’d never heard him raise his voice before in real life.
Eric and Colton, too, were like brainless cavemen--all interested in a piece of me instead of justme.
The scene shifted one last time. This one wasn’t physically violent, but it was just as painful.
It was simply my mother standing in front of me and telling me I should’ve never been born an omega.
The torture finally ended as I woke with a gasp. Sweat poured down my forehead. I tried to get up but found my muscles sore and my body still uncomfortable with the concept of waking.
For a second, I didn’t know where I was. My surroundings seemed alien to me. It took a few moments for me to calm down and recognize the barn--Ramsay’s home.
But the bed next to me was empty.
“Ramsay?” I called out shakily.
Somebody groaned and shuffled downstairs. A moment later, Ramsay’s familiar voice rang out. “You okay, Matheson?”
“No.”
Panicked footsteps were followed by Ramsay’s concerned expression appearing on the top of the stairs. He hauled himself quickly over the ledge and to my side, putting his hand on my shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. Well, just a nightmare,” I said, feeling embarrassed now that the confusing fog of the nightmare had ended and I knew I was upset over silly images in my head.
Ramsay stroked my back in calming motions. “That’s not nothing. Nightmares can be scary.” He tilted his head. “Wanna talk about it?”
I gazed into his sweet expression full of concern and thought about how it was the polar opposite of the Ramsay in my dream.
“First the gryphons were attacking me,” I said. “Like, all of them at once. Just like Noro said would happen.”
Ramsay clicked his tongue. “We don’t know that. Besides, that’s only if they find out about you being an omega, and nobody’s gonna tell them.”
I rubbed my arm. “The next part was worse, though. It was you and Eric and Colton, all fighting over me. You were all tearing me apart, like I was just a doll.”
Ramsay frowned. “Well, you know we’d never do that.”
“Maybe not literally,” I said. “But what if it happens?”
“Us fighting over you, you mean,” he said, trying to understand.
“Yeah.” I sighed. “I don’t want that. Maybe it’s stupid of me, but I don’t want any jealousy. I want you all to get along, just like we always have since we were kids goofing off together at the Moon Meetings.”
