The Rogue who saved me was standing before me.

Moonlight bathed the forest in a silver glow, and I stared at him very closely. I was barefoot on the soft moss, my breath catching as the Rogue slowly emerged from the shadows draping all over him and stood a few breath away from where I was.

“Who are you?” my voice echoed in the forest, and the Rogue’s lips split into a smirk.

“I am the one who saved you.”

My brows met. “I know that.”

His intense eyes locked onto mine. His dark hair caught in the moon’s ethereal light, and there was something primal about the way he moved towards me. Every step was beckoning me to draw closer to him.

“You came back,” I whispered, my voice trembling with emotions I couldn’t name. “I could have died without you.”

“I never left you,” he murmured, his voice rough yet gentle in my ears like the forest wind rustling through ancient trees in the dark of night.

“Tell me your name,” I begged. “Please.”

My heartbeat raced as he closed the distance between us, his warmth radiating against my skin. “You will know when time comes.”

When he’s now in full view, I just realized he was completely naked.

Something surged within me—a wild, uncontrollable need to thank him for saving my life, for being there when death had nearly claimed me and took me away from my family.

And I need to thank him more than words.

Without hesitation, I reached for him. Our bodies collided in an embrace that I never expected to have done. Then his lips found mine. The kiss was fierce and unyielding, and the world around us melted away. It’s like my soul, my wolf, has known him for a long time. It’s like my lips have long been yearning for his mouth.

“Thank you for saving me,” then I plunged myself into him, burying my core into the hardness of his manhood.

My fingers gripped his shiny hair, and he held me as if I were the only thing that mattered to him, the only one he needed and wanted.

“We shall meet again,” he said when he caressed my neck. “You meant to me more than you ever know.”

I swallowed, pulling him deeper into me, breathing in his scent and relishing into his touch. “I will wait for you then.”

He paused his thrusting and pressed his forehead to mine. “Rhiannon...”

***

I don't know how he knew my name. The dream shattered even before I could ask more.

My eyes fluttered open, and I could feel my body was slick with sweat, my heart thundering in my chest. The infirmary was still dim, the faint smell of a lemon-scented candle lingered in the air.

“Rhiannon?” a familiar voice broke through my haze.

“Ca—Catrin?” I turned to see my best friend sitting beside me, concern etched into her delicate features. “Are you okay? You were thrashing in your sleep.”

“Why are you here?” my voice was laced with wonder and confusion. I haven’t seen her in days, maybe in a week and a half. She was still pretty as ever, her blonde hair shining bright like the first flare of a rising sun.

“Because you’re hurt,” she whispered, choking on a sob. “I thought I'd lost you...”

I swallowed hard, wiping sweat from my brow. By doing so, I suddenly remembered that I’ve dreamed—and what I’ve dreamed. “It was just a dream,” my head bowed down as my voice came out hoarse.

“What?”

“The...panting and thrashing in my sleep,” I inhaled. “It was all a dream.”

Catrin’s eyes bore through me as I shook my head, as if it was enough to shake everything: from the Rogue’s attack in that forest to the Rogue savior kissing my lips in the dream—

“One hell of a dream, judging by the state you're in.”

I chuckled nervously at her words.

My best friend huffed but relented, leaning back in her chair. “Fine. But when you're ready to spill, I'll be right here.”

I eyed her, and noticed the shadows beneath her eyes and her rather unpleasant look. “You stayed here all evening? To look out after me?”

She merely smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “That’s what bestfriends do.”

Catrin handed me a towel a minute later and even helped me wipe away my sweat all over my hair, face, and body when a knock interrupted us.

“Good morning, babe,” Beta Homer strutted in, and I can’t think of anything else to hurl at him but a glare and a raised brow.

“You’ve broken up,” Catrin folded her arms. “I think it’s unwise and assuming to call her ‘babe’.”

“Not to mention you cheated on me with your other woman.”

Homer then gathered all the sadness in his face as he looked up at me. “I’m sorry, okay? See?” he wiggled the bouquet of reddest roses, so red that Catrin and I winced.

“I see that,” I told him in a lame tone. “And it won’t do much. In fact, my day would be brighter if you would just fuck off, will you?!”

Catrin gestured to the door as well but Beta Homer remained standing where he was.

Over the time that I’ve been here, hours blurred into minutes as I recovered from my injuries. And this bastard will just ruin it for me just for his petty chasing-me-back tricks.

“Just because it worked last time, Homer, doesn’t mean it will work again this time. You cheated. You betrayed my trust. Do I really have to spell the rest of it to you?”

I think that even if my wounds will heal quickly, Homer and Lazel’s betrayal will linger longer. Their kiss was still vivid and fresh in my mind that no matter how I shake my head, it remains unshakable. “I couldn't banish the memory of you two so I’m pretty sure even those flowers won’t.”

Homer dropped to his knees dramatically. “Rhiannon. Please.”

His gaze held a strange pull, but it suddenly melted away and I was replaced by the vision of that savior Rogue kneeling before me. Naked.

I cursed beneath my breath and ordered him to get out.

“Get out, before we call the Alpha’s Guards. Or worse, the Warriors,” Catrin warned.

Homer looked at me first, biting his lips as if seducing me. Beckoning me back in his muscled arms and bold look. I voicelessly told him to get the fuck out.

The Beta glared at Catrin. “I’ll leave this right here,” Homer placed the flowers atop a dining table by the window. He jerked his chin towards me. “I’m not giving up on you.”