Chapter Five

Katya grew up among the humans unaware of who she truly was, the human family she was placed with showered her with love, she had two much older brothers and they were very protective. She grew up into a precocious child, far more intelligent than her peers and stunningly beautiful, like her mother but with a wild temper that belied her angelic looks. At school, she excelled in every subject her bright inquiring mind held a photographic memory and she climbed through the years of schooling quickly, they never held her back, always encouraging her to reach beyond herself. The humans could not hope to compete with her she had no idea who she truly was, even her adoptive parents did not know her birth parents, the pretty older lady who had brought their little angel to them had asked nothing of them. They had longed for a daughter but after two boys it was impossible for their human mother to birth another child. She was heartbroken as she longed for a daughter, so when offered the gift of a newborn girl child she saw it was a huge blessing for her family and asked no questions about the baby's origin. She did not find it strange that no one else asked any of the questions flowing through her mind. Thanks to the intervention of the Goddess Katya was accepted by her human family as if she had been born to their mother. The whole community believed she had been born to her adoptive parents naturally, a wonderful gift to her mother who had thought she was starting the menopause. By the time Katya had grown up enough to leave home for college she was a stunningly beautiful young woman, with waist-length platinum blonde hair and the most incredible unusual silver-grey eyes. She was nearing full maturity and her whole life was about to change forever.

Katya woke up in a cold sweat, her heart-pounding eyes wild with fear as she sat up quickly glancing around her bedroom, it was the same nightmare and had the same ending, every time she closed her eyes to sleep. What on earth did it mean? Could her unconscious mind be trying to warn her of something and if it was why was she always so afraid? Taking several deep breaths to still her racing heart she switched on her bedside lamp and then lay back against her pillows trying to recapture what had happened. It was always the same theme, she was running very fast through the forest at night, trees and shrubs a blur as she pounded past them. Something or someone was chasing her staying close by but not attempting to stop her and she wasn’t afraid of it for some reason, her brain told her whatever it was would not hurt her. It was no match for her now how could she possibly know that? She jumped as the howling wind rattled her windows, a storm was brewing, thunder rumbled nearby and a flash of lightning told her it wasn't far away, yawning widely her eyelids felt heavy as she tried to analyse her nightmare more deeply.

Why did she keep running if her pursuers could not hurt her? She thought wearily turning off the light and snuggling down under her quilt already drifting back to sleep as her mind threw up more questions but she was so damn exhausted………

Instantly she was back racing through the same woods yet again her heart pounding as she dodged this way and that, in a vain attempt to avoid her pursuers.

‘Stop running and face whatever it is that is chasing you’.

She told herself angrily and forced herself to skid to a stop almost somersaulting over herself in her haste to face them.

The four huge wolves leapt out of the trees into the clearing and stopped when they saw her waiting for them, she watched wide-eyed with terror as they paced in a circle around her. The largest wolf stepped forward he was huge, much bigger than any normal wolf she had ever seen in a zoo, his blue/black fur was thick and glossy and his eyes deepest cerulean blue. To her surprise, he stopped in front of her and looked straight into her eyes startling her when she heard its deep masculine voice,

‘About time you stopped fucking running.’

He spoke in her mind and she shook her head as if that would make his words go away then she backed up putting a little distance between her and them,

‘What the fuck?’

Spinning around she thought there would be someone behind her controlling the huge canines but the forest was deserted save for her and the wolves then she heard his rich sexy chuckle,

‘I am mind-linking you little Wolf do not be afraid you will soon get used to speaking this way’

It said and she shook her head again wondering how her mind was conjuring up talking wolves, she frowned and admonished her overactive imagination, this was just a nightmare any minute now she would wake up in her bed,

‘Who are you? Get out of my head.’

She snarled at the huge creature with the razor-sharp teeth,

'Oh God, its teeth were huge why on earth was she trying to antagonise it?'    Attempting to back away further a low growl stopped her from one of the other wolves who had circled behind her to prevent her escape, stopping abruptly she sat down with a jolt and then noticed she had paws.

‘What the fuck is this? What have you done to me? What the fucking hell am I?’

She was hyperventilating, scrabbling backwards away from them in full-blown panic mode, her heart was racing so fast she felt sure it would burst through her chest, and she could not breathe as her fear escalated and her fight or flight mode kicked in. 'Could this nightmare get any worse?'

Her head swung from side to side as she tried to find an escape route, her breath coming out in sharp painful rasps,

‘Get away from me’

She screamed at them then spun away quickly running off back into the forest unsighted by her own irrational terror and unable to process what had happened to her she kept up her headlong dash through the trees. Crashing into them blindly and stumbling over roots and rocks she was so desperate to escape the chasing wolves she could not see where she was going but ran on anyway. The wolves followed her closely but keeping their distance so as not to spook her any more than she was already spooked, they kept her in sight at all times talking to each other through the Pack link. Katya knew she had to stop running, her lungs were bursting from the effort and she could not go any further but the wolves were close and she was so scared,

‘Why can’t I wake up?’