Chapter 8: Unexpected Revelations

Lyra'sPOV

Consciousness returns slowly, like wading through molasses. I blink against the harsh morning light, disoriented. As my senses sharpen, I become acutely aware of two things: I'm completely naked, and there's a cool breeze caressing my skin.

My eyes fly open fully, my heart racing. The window is wide open, curtains billowing gently in the morning air. But I distinctly remember closing and locking it last night. Didn't I?

Nova, my wolf, stirs within me. 'Relax,' she soothes. 'It was just a dream. A very... intense dream.'

Heat floods my cheeks as fragments of the night's visions flash through my mind: the white wolf, the mysterious man, the passionate encounter in the forest. My body tingles with phantom sensations as if his touch still lingers on my skin.

"It felt so real," I whisper, running a hand through my tangled hair.

'That's the nature of mate dreams,' Nova explains. 'They're our wolf's way of preparing us for the bond. But they can be... overwhelming.'

I frown. "But Xa