Chapter 381: Another Sign, Another Dream?

Meanwhile, back at the pack compound...

The day had settled into a quiet calm. Members of the pack moved about in anticipation of the trainees’ return, families loitering as they checked to see when the trainees would come back.

But there was an hourglass timing them, and it showed that the test was only halfway done.

Orion, Daniel, and Caspian were in his office.

Sunlight filtered through the windows of the office, casting it in shades of gold.

Orion leaned against the table as Daniel and Caspian settled into seats not far away from him.

"It’s been weeks since Ronan and the others went into Nirvana. I know we have Sam with them, but we haven’t heard anything from them at all. Not even a signal and..." Daniel cleared his throat. "I’m worried. Could they have met something even more serious than we thought? Is that why they are still there?"

"It could be," Caspian said with a nod. "But just to be sure, I think we should send scouts into the forest. We have to make sure that there’s nothing wrong and that they are safe."

Orion exhaled slowly through his nose. He hadn’t voiced it aloud, but the same unease had been gnawing at him. Again, there was this unsettling feeling he had.

Ronan knew the forest, and he was smart. He also had competent people with him, but still, he doubted that was enough.

"If we still don’t hear anything from them by the end of the week, then we do what Caspian said, we’ll—"

Orion paused, unable to finish his words. Everything became blurry, and it was like he was in a dark space. Words were muffled in his ears.

Then he heard a faint scream. It sounded like it was coming from far away.

Orion stiffened.

For a moment, he wondered if his mind had fabricated the sound — a trick of stress, of worry for Sophia stretching his nerves too thin.

But then it sounded again, and this time it didn’t sound like it was from far away. It sounded close, like she was screaming right in his ears, and the voice was filled with pain.

His heart slammed violently against his ribs.

That voice—

His breath caught in his throat.

He turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing as his senses flared outward.

"Noctis," he murmured under his breath.

His wolf stirred instantly within him, presence snapping alert like a blade being drawn.

’I heard it,’ Noctis said calmly.

The confirmation sent a chill racing down Orion’s spine.

He went completely still, every muscle locked, every sense straining outward. He knew the voice. He’d know and recognize it even in his sleep — Sophia.

His pulse spiked so violently it made him dizzy. He turned around to the space meant for her, to see if she would just magically appear — but she wasn’t there. She didn’t show up.

Someone called his name, but it was muffled.

Orion, this is the same as last time, Noctis told him.

Orion nodded. He already suspected it. This was the same thing that happened the night Sophia had that dream about Brynhild — the night she had run into the rain.

Another cry tore through the invisible distance.

"Behind you!"

Her voice cracked with panic, sharp and urgent.

Orion’s breath hitched.

His hands curled into fists.

His entire body vibrated with a dangerous edge of instinct.

"Run!"

Her scream echoed inside his skull like a wound ripping open.

Orion tried to move, but like before, he was stuck there. He cursed loudly. Sophia sounded like she was in trouble, or someone she knew was in trouble. She sounded pained, and the fact that he could do nothing irritated him.

Then he heard her crying, almost similar to what he heard the night she had seen Brynhild in her dream. Orion wondered if Sophia was asleep right now. He wondered what was wrong.

Suddenly, the sound stopped, and he was back to reality. Caspian and Daniel were closer, staring at him with frowns on their faces.

Orion swallowed. "I... I need to go."

Daniel frowned. "Or—"

He didn’t get to finish his words when Orion suddenly picked the first weapon he could reach. Thankfully, it was a sword — but it wasn’t his. It belonged to Daniel.

He moved past the table and headed straight for the door.

"Orion, wait — what’s wrong?" Caspian demanded.

Orion didn’t answer.

His blood roared too loud in his ears. His chest burned with a wild, feral urgency that demanded motion, demanded action, demanded that he get to her.

He burst into the snow-filled compound in a near run.

"Orion!" Daniel called sharply behind him. "What’s going on?"

Footsteps thundered as Daniel and Caspian chased after him.

Orion broke into a full sprint.

His cloak snapped behind him, boots pounding against the snow as he cut through the compound with reckless speed, weaving past startled pack members who barely had time to step aside.

His grip tightened around the sword.

He skidded slightly as he took a sharp turn toward the outer paths leading closer to the gates.

Behind him, Daniel’s heavier footsteps faltered.

"Orion!" Daniel shouted again, voice strained with effort. "Slow down! What are you—"

Orion pulled even farther ahead. Daniel couldn’t keep up. Orion was younger than him, stronger and faster too.

Within seconds, the distance widened until Daniel’s voice blurred into the background noise of the compound.

Caspian slowed beside Daniel, breathing hard, a hand on his aching back. "He’s not stopping."

Daniel cursed under his breath, a hand braced on his knees for a brief second as he tried to steady his breathing. "He’s acting like his ass is on fire."

Caspian straightened slowly, eyes narrowing toward the direction Orion had vanished. "Or running toward something."

Daniel’s jaw tightened. "Moon Goddess help us if this has anything to do with Sophia."

Caspian didn’t answer. He too hoped that Sophia was safe and that she wasn’t the reason why Orion was running through the pack like a man possessed.

Wind burned against Orion’s face, lungs pulling in sharp gulps of air as adrenaline flooded his system. Pack members scattered instinctively at the sight of their Alpha sprinting full-force with a sheathed blade, eyes wild and focused.

The guards at the outer gates barely had time to register what was happening.

"Alpha!" one of them shouted in alarm.

Orion didn’t slow.

They threw the gates open just in time, the gates parting wide for him to pass.

Orion burst through without breaking stride.

The scent of forest slammed into his senses instantly.

His pulse thundered louder.

He veered sharply onto the familiar route that led deeper into the forest where the trainees were stationed.

His body began shifting mid-stride.

Bones snapped and reformed fluidly, muscles stretching and coiling into powerful lupine strength. His clothing was replaced in practiced motion as fur rippled across his skin, his vision sharpening, senses exploding outward into layered clarity.

The world slowed.

Every leaf rustle, every broken twig, every distant breath registered.

Noctis surged fully to the surface, their consciousness aligned into a single, predatory focus.

His massive paws tore into the forest floor as he accelerated, weaving between trees with lethal precision.

Orion didn’t believe in the Moon Goddess, but once again, he whispered a prayer to her, hoping that whatever was happening right now, Sophia was safe.