One

Parker’s P.O.V

Dreaming of her used to be one of my favorite things to do.

She was breath-taking.

Kate Ryan was the most beautiful woman to ever grace the Earth. I would take down an entire army just to get the chance to have her smile at me like this every day for the rest of my life.

Her short black hair and her deep brown eyes had me captivated. My fingers were locked in the silky strands as I held her close to me. Her legs were tangled with mine in the dew-covered, overgrown grass as we lay by the edge of the lake.

It was too cold to swim in, but it was still beautiful and full of memories. There were so many things that I wasn't ready to say goodbye to, even if it was only temporary. Her, being at the top of my list. Having her here in our spot only made sense for this moment.

She was my everything. I couldn't wait to return home and claim her as mine. My bloodline required me to attend training at the Supreme pack for three years to prepare me for the title I had been cursed with at birth. Should my older brother step down or be stripped of his title as Beta, it would be passed down to me.

I didn't want it. He was currently at training. Being three years older than me, he would be home in the next month, but I would already be gone by then. It was hard at first, as they weren't allowed outside contact to limit distractions, but eventually, I became used to it.

It was just the way they worked. They trained to become the strongest and best wolf possible, to be worthy of their title, and then they were sent back.

Alpha's had training to go through as well, but theirs was different. They attended training half the year, every year from the time they first shift. I remembered the pain Gabriel was in each time he was sent away from his mate for training. Not many people knew about her, the Luna, at the time. She was a human, and he was forbidden from approaching her until she was of age.

As the Beta's family, it was up to us to protect her at all costs. It was part of why our training was so important. When I returned, I would be one of the wolves assigned to her private detail.

After seeing how much it tore our future Alpha apart to be so far away, I had low expectations for my training. To be away from Kate, my Kate, for three entire years with no contact… it was deadly.

I stared into her heart-clenching beautiful eyes, before scanning over her face. I needed to memorize where every freckle was. This was the face that I wanted to see each night before I fell asleep. This was the small body that I wanted to hold and cherish for the rest of my life.

The wide smile on her face, let me know that she was just as content in my arms as I was in having her there. It was where she belonged, with me.

"Tell me again," She whispered in her soft, honey-like voice. I hung on every word, ready to do anything she asked.

"I love you," I responded before leaning in and kissing her soft, pink lips. The lips I could melt into forever, and I would…one day. I was as much hers as she was mine, and I was ready to share it with the world. Not that our own pack didn't already know.

Every single person in our pack was aware of our relationship. Some were against it as we hadn't shifted yet, but others adored the undisputable love we had for each other.

"I love you more," she whispered back against my lips, and I groaned out in happiness. "It's me and you."

"Forever," I responded, knowing where this was going. She had mentioned it several times, and each time I would stop what we were doing and reassure her. There was nothing more important to me than her safety, and her happiness and confidence in us. "It is only you and me. There will never be another for me. I swear to you that I will be faithful and come home to you as soon as possible. When I do, I'm going to mark you and claim you as mine for the rest of our lives."

She nodded, her finger running along the sensitive skin on my neck where her mark would lay. The mark that would claim me as hers.

I loved being hers, but more so, I loved that she was mine.

My head turned and caught her hand. She pulled back slightly to trace my lips with her fingertips, and I kissed each one. Every touch and every kiss felt like it was the first, and I never wanted that to end.

"What am I going to do without my best friend for three years?" She asked as I pulled her in closer, her hips pressing against mine.

"You will be fine without me. You are the strongest woman I have ever met. I plan on having you with me for the rest of my life. Three years will seem like nothing in the long run when we have pups running around and grand-pups." My hand freed itself from her hair as I wrapped it around her waist, my thumb sliding up and down her spine.

The sound of her giggle, had me closing my eyes in the feeling of bliss that filled me from her beautiful laughter.

"Oh, really?" She asked as she pulled her head back to get a more full view of my face. I nodded in response and leaned in to kiss her once more.

"Really."

As the sun continued to rise around us, the early morning calm was disrupted by the sound of the warriors taking the field for training not too far away.

Her smile fell, and it took everything in me not to let her see the way it killed me inside.

We both knew that meant it was time for me to leave. Our life together would be placed on pause for a short while, but I would be back, and she would be mine.

My heart swelled with love and pride as she held onto me tighter, refusing to let me stand. This was my woman, and I would never love anything or anyone the way I loved her.

I would become the strongest warrior in the world and give her the life and future that she deserved.

The edges of my vision began to get hazy as my dream shifted. The tighter I tried to hold onto Kate, the further away she seemed to move until she was no longer within my reach.

My brothers mocking laugh echoed throughout my subconscious making my stomach tighten with disgust as Kate turned with a smile and ran toward him.

The last thing I had expected was for that beautiful woman to tear my heart from my chest when I came home. Yet, she happily jumped into the arms of my brother, crushing their lips together as he turned and carried her into the forest, away from me.

“Parker,” I heard behind me. I spun around, a small part of me was hoping it was Kate coming back, but I crushed that thought as soon as I recognized the melodic voice saying my name. I had heard it before. Every night for the past few nights. It didn’t matter what I was dreaming about, for the past week, she always appeared.

Her eyes were hypnotic. One a bright green and the other a deep brown, unlike anything else I had ever seen before. The button nose in the center of her face was the cutest thing I had ever come across, and I was not a man who focused on that kind of detail. The curve of her lips was mesmerizing, and every night I considered leaning in and stealing a kiss.

At least, I did until she would start calling out for help. Her eyes would bore into mine as she begged and pleaded for me to find her…to save her, shaking me to my core from the torment and fear in her voice.

My wolf fought against my restraints, fighting to get out and find her. He wanted control. He demanded blood from the person that caused that beautiful woman so much pain.

I did too.

Her hand lifted to reach out to me as blood ran down the length of her forearm and dripped from her fingertips. "Please, find me."

My arm moved on its own, trying to grab her, so I could pull her to safety but aloud knocking on the door broke through my subconscious state, and the goddess before me faded out of view.