I am woken by a gentle breeze gliding softly over my body. I sit up and look around and to my surprise, I'm sitting in the middle of a beautiful garden.

Flowers bloom in beautiful vivid colours while the grass stands lush and fluffy beneath me. A heavenly smell fills the air as insects continue their busy lives, the sun shining down upon us.

I pick myself up off the ground as a butterfly lazily floats past.

I've never seen this place before.

Surely I'm just dreaming?

Slowly, I make my way across the soft grass towards a small stone path.

Curiously, I begin to make my way down the path, admiring the stunning flowers that line it.

Another butterfly catches my attention. It's a brilliant blue and is floating slightly faster than the other one.

I chase it down the path and into another clearing where I come face to face with the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

She radiates her power through a silky pink aura.

I know exactly who this woman is.

My mother used to tell me fairytales and bedtime stories about her when I was little.

The Moon Goddess.

I gulp and curtsy and she dips her head in acknowledgement.

"My Child" she speaks into my mind.

I stare at her in shock.

"Do you know why I'm here?"

I shake my head nervously in response and she smiles.

"Your wolf. She is waking up" she says softly, beaming at me.

My eyes widen as I stare at her in disbelief.

"She is?"

"Yes, my child. You are currently experiencing the cycle called 'The Awakening'. It is very rare. It only ever happens when you lose your inner wolf. Very few have experienced such trauma as you. You would have felt the same pain when you lost your wolf."

I knew it! It was déjà vu. I watch as she walks towards me and gently takes my hands in hers.

"You and your wolf are powerful Acacia, and so are Grayson and his wolf."

I nod as I take the information in, slightly confused.

"You and Grayson were both born the firstborn to pureblood Alphas and Lunas. That alone is very rare. It was your destiny to find Grayson, Acacia. Your wolf is waking up but she's not very strong."

"But-"

"She's hurt badly but Grayson's wolf can fix her, you just need to let him in. If you don't, you might lose her for good."

I nod, a ball of nerves forming in my stomach.

A light breeze picks up, swirling leaves around our feet.

I look around to see the world slowly start to melt and blur, fading away before my very eyes.

"She actually almost died the day you first shifted but I was able to save her, keep her safe and give her enough strength to help you escape until you met Grayson."

"I-"

"I have to let go, Acacia. It's not in my hands anymore. You need to go to him."

"But I don't understand!"

Tears well in my eyes as the Moon Goddess begins to fade, the edges of her face being consumed by the aura around her. She squeezes my hands before gently dropping them and taking a step back. She gives me one last smile before disappearing. I stand there in the clearing, dazed when suddenly everything begins to plunge into darkness.

I'm waking up.

I gasp, sitting up forcefully as I begin to cough up a little blood.

Instantly, Grayson's hand is on my back as he holds a bucket in front of me.

Eventually, I stop coughing and groan as I lay back down, rubbing my palms into my eyes. I roll my head to the side and see Grayson sitting next to me with a worried expression on his face.

I look around and see I'm back in the hospital before noticing Doctor Teresa walk into the room. She frowns when she sees me and I look at her confused.

"I couldn't find anything wrong with you Acacia. You're still very underweight but that shouldn't have caused you pain like that" she signs to both Grayson and I.

"That's okay" I sign back with a small smile. She gives me a funny look before flickering a glance at Grayson.

I look over at him and he looks upset.

"It's not okay Acacia. How are we supposed to fix what's wrong when we don't even know what's wrong in the first place?" he signs, frowning.

"It's okay I promise. I know what's wrong with me" I sign back, looking at both of them.

"How? You blacked out?" Teresa signs.

"While I was out, I had a dream."

Grayson and Teresa exchange worried looks before turning their attention back to me.

"So what's wrong?" Grayson signs, raising an eyebrow at me.

"I'm going through the Awakening cycle. My wolf is coming back" I reply, grinning.

"Oh my god, that's amazing!" Teresa replies happily.

"Yeah. Apparently, when I was forced to shift back straight away, it essentially killed my wolf. However, the Moon Goddess told me that-"

"Sorry, what? The Moon Goddess?"

"Umm, yeah? She sort of visited me in my dream and told me what happened to my wolf"

"Oh wow. I've never heard of her doing that before. That's incredible!"

"Oh. Really?"

"Yeah. Very few people have actually met the Moon Goddess. Mostly just ancestors claiming they had many many years ago. But anyway, what else did she say?" Teresa signs excitedly.

"Well, she said that she was able to save my wolf and keep her alive until..." I trail off.

"Until what?" Grayson signs, shock swimming in his eyes.

"Until I met you, Grayson."

We stare at each other for a moment, my stomach fluttering.

"I see. Makes sense I guess, with us being mates and all" he signs, slightly lost in thought.

"Yeah. So hopefully I'm going to get to meet my wolf soon."

"Hopefully?" Grayson signs confused.

I look down at my hands and sigh.

"There is a chance my wolf might die again if I don't find out a way to heal her. The Moon Goddess said she's hurt badly and if I don't heal her then I could lose her for good this time."

"So how do you heal her?" Teresa asks curiously.

I bite my lip and fidget.

Eventually, I look up at Grayson and our eyes meet.

Realisation washes over his face.

He knows.

"My wolf" he signs slowly.

"Are your hearing aids on, Princess?" Grayson signs after setting me gently down on his bed.

Teresa had said I was allowed to go home as long as I drink lots of water and keep eating. I had agreed and Grayson carried me to the house.

Grayson had been quiet since he realised that I need his wolf to help heal my wolf and I was starting to get a bit worried about him.

I nod and he gives me a worried look.

"What exactly did the Moon Goddess say, Acacia?" he asks aloud as he begins to pace around the room, making it even harder for me to hear him.

"She said that I have to let you in, that we are both powerful and it was my destiny to find you and if I don't let you in, I could lose my wolf for good" I sign back, watching him carefully.

He stops to watch me sign back to him, frowning.

"Did she say how to do that?"

"No," I sign back.

A million emotions swim in his eyes.

He knows something.

"What is it?" I sign after watching him for a moment.

He sighs and makes his way over to me. He studies me carefully before hesitantly sitting down on the bed next to me.

"You're not going to like this, but I think I might know what she means when she said you have to let me in in order to heal your wolf," he starts, looking at me.

"What is it?" I sign nervously. I watch as he fidgets with his hands before looking up at me again.

"She wants us to have sex, to finish the mating process," he says carefully.

I stare at him in shock and suddenly all the memories start flooding back.

Oh god.

I squeeze my eyes shut and take deep breaths, trying to keep myself from having a panic attack.

Grayson's arms snake around me and gently pull me onto his lap, holding me tightly. I lean into him as he kisses the top of my head.

Slowly, I feel myself start to calm down and slowly sit up to look at him.

"We don't have to do anything yet, Acacia"

I nod as tears begin to well in the back of my eyes.

"Please don't cry, Princess. It's okay" Grayson continues, worry present in his voice.

"I promise you, we don't have to do anything yet. Right now, you just have to focus on your eating and getting through the awakening cycle."

I nod and he tips my chin up and kisses my lips.

I give him a small smile before leaning into him again. He holds me tight and I begin to find myself falling asleep.

Grayson notices and wakes me up to get ready for bed.

When I'm done, he scoops me up and carries me to the bed. He climbs in with me still in his arms and sets me down before taking out my hearing aids.

He smiles and kisses me again, gently.

"I love you Acacia" he signs grinning.

I smile back at him before gently kissing him again. He scoops me back into his arms and lays down, causing me to giggle.

He pulls me right into him and nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck, his arm draped across my waist and within minutes he is out. I smile and slide my fingers gently into his, trying not to wake him.

"G-g-goodn-n-night G-Gra-a-ay-s-son" I whisper stuttering before closing my eyes.

___________________

Hey Guys,

So I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! I know it's been a while since I last posted but as promised, here is the first of the two chapters I plan to post today! 

Thanks for sticking by me through all this and feel free to vote and leave me a comment below letting me know whether you liked this chapter!!

If you feel so inclined, go follow me on my Instagram account @allamy_duffell for a look into my life outside of writing!

Thanks,

- Allamy xx