ALMOST A NEW BEGINNING

**Dominic’s story**

I had just walked into my room when a million thoughts made their way into my mind. How would I help her walk again or see again? So she could join me at the gala. I intended to hire the best physiotherapist in all of New York. And that could only be Declan, who I knew had such courses under his belt. And also arranged for a specialist to perform surgery and restore her sight. It was a bold and difficult plan, but not impossible. And I would be with her all the way.
Just as I was getting ready for sleep...
“No, Tom! No! Leave him alone, you beasts!”
I immediately jumped out of bed and went into her room. She was having a nightmare, one of her many. She was calling her fiance. I reached over and grabbed her shoulders with both hands and shook her a little, then harder... She didn’t wake up. Every second she sank deeper into her dream and she was more anxious. I could feel the terror she was feeling right now. Beads of sweat caressed her angelic face. Seeing her like that broke my heart. I had to get her out of her dream.
“Rebecca, please wake up! You’re having a nightmare. Rebecca...”
She slowly calmed down, opening her eyes. Her first instinct was to cry. Second, she hugged me with all her strength. She wept into my arms, and suddenly I felt the urge to hug her back. Which I did. I raised my hands and placed them around her waist. I left one of them there and lifted the other towards her beautiful, dark chocolate hair and caressed it. Slowly, she regained her composure and her breathing returned to normal. But I kept moving my palm along the length of her beautiful hair.
This was one of those moments. She was an irresistible human being. Her fragrance, me touching her. Everything was like a prayer to the angels. I held her so close and buried my head into her hair, which wrapped me in its feminine floral fragrance. Her purity, her beauty, intoxicated me. Everything about her was enchanting.
I wouldn’t have cared if time had stood still. If I could hold her like that in my arms for the rest of our lives. Time seemed to stop when she was around.
Eventually, I let go of her gently, cupping her face and looking deep into her eyes, even though she couldn’t see me. Still, I could admire the glow in her dark green eyes. She was crying in terror and desperately seeking my comfort. “Calm down, beautiful. I’m here with you!”
I tightened my embrace around her until I felt her relax and rested her head on my chest. I held her like that for a while until she looked up, trying to find me.
“Thank you...”
Tears were still rolling down her cheeks, melting on my palms.
“It’s all right now! Don’t be afraid. I am here for you”
“I’ve been having these nightmares since the day I woke up in the hospital. I always dream about me and a young man I call Tom, and how I was begging some enormous wolves to spare his life. All this sounds so crazy but.... What could this mean? Who could that man be?”
I instantly cringed hearing her questions. How was I supposed to answer that? I should have known this day would come. But to be honest, I wasn’t ready to tell her... not just yet.
“Rebecca, you already know that you were brutally attacked and from Declan’s explanations, you don’t remember that moment exactly. But unfortunately, in order to cope, your mind is recreating the entire scene in your dreams. So it’s your subconscious trying to deal with it.”
“And who is Tom? Why does he appear in my dreams?”
Another question I was afraid of. If I told her that Tom was, in fact, her fiancé, I risked her getting completely lost in the haze of her mind.
“Try to get some sleep. We’ll talk about it tomorrow morning over coffee, okay?”
“Okay then, maybe you’re right. I’m tired...” and to my surprise, she didn’t press the subject. Although now I had to come up with a good enough motive so as not to hurt her feelings.
I helped her get back into bed, gently settling her hair on the pillow. She looked so fragile. And that was when I thought I had a long day ahead of me tomorrow.

The next day, I went to the office to talk to Nick. I had wasted no time and had already called Declan, who to my disappointment couldn’t help me with Rebecca. Lucky for me, Nick knew a good friend of his who certainly wouldn’t ignore my cry for help. I desperately needed to get Rebecca back on her feet in the next two weeks. Again she invaded my thoughts, her face, the way she acted, the way she spoke, even without seeing, the way she looked at me, seeking me with her vivid green gaze. Because she was in my soul, and with every breath I took, she sank deeper into it. Because I longed for her, I always filled my mind with this woman’s essence. Even now, I was feeling guilty for leaving home every single day.

But the wolf inside me was growing more and more frantic and I wouldn’t allow myself a single mistake around her. And even now I was gone before she woke up, despite the promise of a talk.
“Hello, Nick. I need your help in a matter” Nick’s face remained shocked because today was one of my days off.
“Hello to you too. Do you need something, Dominic? Today was your day off, wasn’t it?” He was curious, too. I rarely came to see him on days I didn’t have rehearsals.
“Actually, I need some information about Dr. Catherine Rogers, the physical therapist, your fiance”
“Oh, wow... what do you want to know?”
“I’ll get straight to the point. Is she on duty today?”
“On duty...you mean...” he tried to string a few words together, but my request came too bluntly.
“I want her at my house tomorrow morning at 8AM sharp! Declan isn’t available, as I would have called him. Do you think that’s possible?” It sounded more like an order, but I was running out of time.
“I can call her and ask. You need her for Rebecca, right?”
“Please do that! And yes, it is for her. I need her on her feet in two weeks”
“In two weeks? What’s the rush? Wait, a minute...” Suddenly he realized what my hurry was. “Don’t tell me...” He didn’t even get to finish his sentence before I interrupted him.
“Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking. Rebecca Holland will accompany me to the Treasure Awards!” I stated so determinedly that it seemed nothing would budge my decision. Not even the fact that she still couldn’t walk was standing in my way.
“I can understand your intentions, but Miss Rebecca can’t walk. Do you really think my fiance will work a miracle in such a short time?”
“She’s the best, isn’t she? Nick, I need to introduce Rebecca gently into my world firstly so she would believe me who I am secondly so she can discover who my alter ego is,” It all seemed so unreal to me and even though I felt like I was rushing things I knew it was the only way. Rebecca was my Luna, and she had to be with me. “Now, call her please! I bet you miss her” I commanded once more.
I folded my hands across my chest and watched my friend Nick make the call. It only took two minutes, and he made my appointment for tomorrow morning as I asked him. What I just did will certainly shock Rebecca.
“There, I called her! Happy now?” I could sense he was a little serious in his tone.
“I am beyond happy. Thanks, man!”
“Always a pleasure doing business with you, Dominic! But seriously, it’s really not a good idea what you are planning”
“Trust me, Nick! I know what I am doing”
“Do you, my friend? You are forgetting one important thing. Someone is on her tail. They already killed her fiance, I bet it is her turn, and soon”
“I know. I am counting on it, actually. But I don’t have time right now, so if you’ll excuse me... today’s my day off, as I recall!”
“Dominic, wait...”
“Goodbye Nick!”
I wouldn’t stay here a second longer. Rebecca needed to know what I had planned for her. Although I knew Nick was right. Rebecca had some enemies on her tail. I was pretty worried about that, but I would have to figure it out. But for now, I had other plans.
My house wasn’t too far, so I walked. Walking might help me clear my head. I was going to see her and talk to her in a few minutes. I felt like a schoolboy waiting to recite a lesson I had to learn. Only I hadn’t studied it, and now I was going to be punished.
But when I got home, I saw Rebecca sitting by the pool, sunbathing. I felt my heart leap out of my chest. With a gasp, I took a step back, but then realized she couldn’t see me. She could smell me, though. I allowed myself to admire this goddess from where I was standing. Even as she laid back in that chair, I could look at her perfect curves, her inviting, sinfully shaped breasts tucked into her feminine floral bra, and a perfect alluring view from the cleavage to the bikini line that disappeared into a sweet, warm place.
My mind, and my thoughts, all went wild. I felt like I was running out of air.
“Hey Dominic!”
I jumped when I heard my name. It was Megan.
“God, you scared me!”
“I bet I did! You got lost in that delicious view, didn’t you?”
“Who wouldn’t?” I answered, still gazing at her.
“Well, me, for starters. And maybe Nick or Declan”
“I got it! I’m the only one. How was your day?” It was so obvious my love for Rebecca in Megan’s eyes.
“It was calmer than usual. We talked a lot. I like her!” Megan’s voice became so jovial I turned to see her.
“I’m glad she has someone to talk to. Thank you, Megan, for your help”
“No problem. So, what did you do this morning? You disappeared so suddenly”
“I went to the office and spoke to Nick about the Treasure Awards and how I intend to take Rebecca with me”
“Take her with you? Are you aware that she can’t... walk... literally speaking?”
“Are you going to start on me just like Nick? I’m aware she can’t walk right now, but in two weeks, everything will change” I had turned so much to face Megan that I hadn’t heard Rebecca’s approaching. But she had heard my words.
“What is going on? Where are we going? And how, with me like this?” Maybe now was the best time to tell her.
“Rebecca, tomorrow you’ll meet the woman who will help you walk again, your physiotherapist. The good part is that she actually knows me. She is my agent’s fiance. You’ll have two weeks to learn to walk as you used to! No more, no less!”