Wild Flower

DAKOTA

Few hours before the banquet.

Clenching my fists, I tap my right foot on the ground, repeatedly. The silence is discomforting, almost eerie. For the past sixty minutes, I've been sitting here in this large room with it's imposing paintings and jarring interior decorations. On the center table is a bottle of wine and a couple of wine glasses. My anxiety is peaking. Earlier, I'd been summoned by The Six. I'd stepped out of the house and had arrived at a strange looking building. My limbs had moved of their own accord. I find it disturbing. But, what can I do? The Six basically gave me a rare opportunity, I don't have a choice.

"You're here."

I look up, my gaze meeting Landon's warm ones. He's standing in front of the door, a hint of a smile on his lips. He walks towards me and sits on the couch directly opposite me. He picks up the bottle of wine and opens it. I watch him as he pours the red liquid into two of the wine glasses. He hands one of them to me. I hesitantly accept it.

"You remember what your mission is, don't you?" He questions.

"To find the seals?"

He hums, taking a sip of red wine.

"Dashiell is going after one of the seals, today. As a matter of fact, in two hours, he will succeed if you don't stop him"

My eyes widen.

"Where is the seal?" I ask.

"A vampire will attend a banquet tonight. He will bring the seal with him. Dashiell will be making an appearance at the banquet. This means you have to attend the event as well"

I lower my glass of wine, nervous. I wonder how he'd made his discoveries.

"We have prepared your dress and shoes. All you have to do is stop him. He think he can do whatever he wants. He's your murderer as well, you can't let him escape"

...

At the banquet,

My gaze follows Dashiell as he heads up the stairs unhurriedly. Taking a deep breath, I stalk him, making sure to keep him from noticing my movements. He suddenly bumps into a man wearing a golden three piece suit. My brows knit up as I watch the man turn to face Dashiell. My eyes widen the moment he stabs the vampire with his claws. However, before I can reach him, he has grabbed the seal and beheaded the vampire. Chaos breaks out and screams of terror fills the air as the guests race towards the exits. I can see the back of Dashiell's head even as he mixes with the crowd. I can barely make my way through the mass of bodies. Frustration fuels the rage welling up inside of me.

Just when I think I've lost both Dashiell and the seal, I catch sight of him close to one of the exits. A woman is standing behind him, the tip of her knife pressed to his lower back. I try to push my way through the crowd but I only get pushed to the ground. Letting out a growl, I scramble to my feet.

Again, I'm pushed down. Dashiell's laughter reaches my ear and I rise to my feet, desperate. A gunshot goes off and I instinctively duck. More gunshots go off and my heart races in my chest. When it all goes quiet, I straighten. Dashiell is gone and so is the seal. I watch the unfamiliar woman as she loses her shit and shoots at the wall. Disappointed, I head out through another exit. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I take it out.

'Pull out. There's been a change of plans'

It's a message from Landon.

...

I stare at the sky through the window of my new room. The sky is particularly gloomy today. I think it's about to rain. Thunder rumbles in the sky and I let out a sigh. After leaving the hotel, I'd returned home and had stayed up all night, waiting for some sort of scolding from The Six. They never showed up.

I feel terrible about failing to stop Dashiell from getting his hands on the first seal. I know I can always try again. But, what if I keep failing?

'Don't think so negatively' a familiar voice invades my mind and I let out a gasp.

"Ocean?" I breathe, my eyes filling up with tears.

'I'm back' she says.

'How? I thought-"

'I'm Melanie Knox's wolf spirit. I'm attached to you' she tells me. A big grin curves my lips.

'I couldn't feel you. I thought I'd lost you' I whisper.

'I was only adjusting to your new body, Mel'

The knock on the door attracts my attention.

"Come in" I say, turning away from the window.

The door opens and Hunter walks in. He smiles at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Morning, beautiful" he states as he approaches me. I take a moment to appreciate how good looking he is. He's so fine.

He kisses me on the lips when he gets to me, his hands resting on my waist.

"How did you sleep?" He asks.

"Not well" I mumble and he raises a brow. "Although you've lost your memories, you still haven't changed."

"What do you mean?" I ask and he grins.

"You never sleep well unless I'm with you" he whispers, stroking my cheek with the pad of his thumb. I lower my gaze, feeling my face heat up.

"Are you flustered?" He asks with a teasing voice.

"Don't be ridiculous" I mumble.

"Don't worry, I'll make you fall in love with me all over again"

I am a sucker for confident men, I can't help but blush.

"First of all, let's go on a date" he says.

"Right now?" I breathe, my eyes wide. He nods, takes my hand in his, and leads me out of my room. I contemplate turning him down but I decide against it, a moment later. I have decided to be selfish for once. Guilt niggles at the back of my mind but I refuse to acknowledge it.

As soon as Hunter and I walk into the sitting room, I find Dashiell sitting with Dale, my brother. Dale beams at us and turns to look at Dashiell.

"Who is he?" Dashiell asks.

"Right, you haven't seen him before. This is Hunter Sparrows. He's Dakota's boyfriend" my brother tells him.

Hunter and I join the duo in the sitting room. An awkward silence sets in. Dashiell's gaze meets mine and I quickly look away.

"Babe?" I turn to look at Hunter. He looks concerned.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asks and I nod stiffly, giving him a smile.

He leans closer to me and plants a kiss on my cheek. I can feel Dashiell's gaze on me. It's making me feel uncomfortable. Hunter's phone rings and he picks the call, rises to his feet and leaves the sitting room.

"Does she not remember anything yet?" Dashiell suddenly asks and my brother grunts.

Dashiell's gaze is beginning to make my blood boil. He has the audacity to look at me like that. The bastard murdered me. I can't stand the fact that he's in the same room with me, breathing the same air with me. I want to rip his heart out.

"Dakota? Can we talk privately for a second?" Dashiell suddenly states, catching me off guard. Dale glances at me, a bewildered expression on his handsome face.

"Is there something I don't know about?" He asks. I shrug.

"I don't know."

Dashiell rises to his feet and brings me to my feet.

"Let's go to the garden" he tells me. Although, I want to kill him, I quietly let him lead me out of the house. When we get to the garden, he runs his finger through his hair, pushing it away from his face.

"What is it? What do you want to talk to me about?" I ask, refusing to look him in the eye.

"I have a question for you" he tells me. Folding my arms across my chest, I shift my weight to my right leg.

"Get on with it"

"For someone who has amnesia, you seem to be well familiarized with me" he says. I scoff.

"Look me in the eye, Dakota" he orders and I freeze. Ocean, my wolf suddenly begins to whimper in my head. Slowly, I look up to meet his azure gaze. He grabs my hand and takes one step closer to me. Despair washes over me when my wolf begins to whimper even more. I can feel sparks and it's because he's holding my hand.

Something is wrong. My heart.... it's pounding too hard. I can't breathe. My head's spinning. I'm too excited. His scent. Fuck, his scent. It's driving me insane.

'Mate' Ocean whimpers and color drains from my face.

"I saw you at the banquet, Dakota. I know you were watching me. Tell me, why did you follow me there?" He asks and I freeze, my blood running cold in my veins.