For bitter or worse

ADRIANA

I wake up with a raging headache, sweat covering my body and a heart that is beating out of my chest. This shit happens every full moon, I have this nightmare about two women I don’t know, but I feel an odd familiar thing towards them. They both share the same emerald eyes my mom had. Maybe that’s why. I look over at my alarm-clock, but I already know the time before checking.

The last three years, since I turned seventeen, I had this dream every month and I always wake up at 02.44.

Why does this have to happen every single month? I think to myself and my wolf Alexis gives me an apologetic smile. She knows exactly why this happens every month but decided to keep that information to herself. “Just until the time is right, you know that.” She sighs and I push her to the back of my head. I don’t want to deal with her cryptic messages right now, I just want to be able to get back to sleep.

I toss and turn for half an hour, but sleep isn’t settling in. I groan and kick back my blanket, deciding a glass of water might help. I rise to my feet and head to the kitchen.

I sit at the kitchen-table and a few minutes later I hear someone stumbling down the stairs.

“Hey baby, did you have that nightmare again?” My father walks in, gives me a hug and plants a kiss on top of my head. I nod in response. “It was the same damn thing as always, the two witchy sisters, the torture they went through and their death at the stake.” Dad hugs me a little tighter, his warm embrace calming down the storm that is still raging inside me. “Come on dear, try to get some sleep. There is nothing you can do about it now anyway.” Dad helps me get up and squeezes my shoulder, he always knows just what I need.

The next day I wake up by my little brother jumping on my bed, he is way too excited this early in the morning. “Adri, Adri, Adri! You need to wake up! Mom made us her super special breakfast!” His high-pitched voice fills my ears. “Rover goddess please relax. I am getting up now. Can’t miss moms’ special breakfast!” I push him of the bed with a smirk and send him in a fit of laughter. I swing my legs off the bed, grab my blush pink sweats of the floor and I can put them on.

Rover stands up, tapping his foot impatiently. “Can you hurry up; I am really hungry, and mom told me to not get downstairs unless it was together with you.” “I’m ready, let’s go.” I say while straightening the shirt I slept in a bit.

Rover’s little legs carry him in as fast as possible out of my room and down the stairs. I chuckle at the sight of the little boy and his love for food.

Rover is my half-brother and just turned eight, his mom Sabine, is my dad’s second chance Mate. He met her ten years ago on a meeting with a German pack, she was their Luna’s Beta and had lost her own Mate a few years before. They were shocked, but grateful the Goddess gave them a second chance for love. Sabine is the mom I never had, she treats me and Rover as equals and I love her for that.

I lost my own mother when I was just a little girl. She died while protecting me from vampires attacking our pack, while I remained unharmed. The only thing reminding me to that night is the wine-red scar on my collarbone. It pains me to admit I hardly remember my mom. Just her scent, her laugh and her emerald eyes.

Dad never really wants to talk about her, it is too hard on him. My grandparents however tell me lots of stories about her whenever I am with them. She was extremely outgoing and helpful to anyone; accepting and not afraid of the supernatural world while being human, she had a special talent with anything plant related and her love for me and dad was a beautiful thing to see my grandma always says.

I enter the kitchen and Sabine is just putting a plate with freshly baked pancakes and bacon on the table. “Goddess, it smells good in here.” I smile at Sabine and look at the kitchen-table. It’s filled with strawberries, slices banana, freshly baked bread and different spreads. Dad takes out the coffee can and fills up our cups, except for Rover. He is too young for coffee and gets chocolate milk instead.

“I hope you were able to sleep a bit after your nightmare last night?” Sabine informs while taking the orange juice out of the fridge. “Yeah, dad calmed me down and after that I had a pretty decent sleep.” I say and take a seat at the table next to Rover. He looks up to me with his bright blue eyes. “Adri, you don’t need to be scared. I can protect you; I am your brother and I am really strong!” He attempts to roll his bicep and I gently squeeze it. “I know you can, next time I will wake you, ok?” I say, trying to hide the smile that is creeping on my face.

We eat our breakfast and talk a bit about me leaving the next day to participate in the European Wolf Games. Dad really hopes this is the year I find my Mate and will be able to start a life for myself. Not that he wants me out of the house, he just wants me to find love like he has and obviously he also wants grandkids.

The European Wolf Games are an annual gathering where all European unmated wolfs between the age of seventeen and twenty-one come together. Our Council came up with the idea at least twohundred and fifty years ago. It was at that time a lot of packs moved to America and Australia, now there aren’t many packs left in Europe. So, the games are a way for us to find our Mate a bit easier and forge alliances between packs.

The games take up fourdays and they are held at a different pack every year. I have been to the games in Belgium and Croatia and this year will be in Spain.

A new pack will be hosting the games, they originated from Costa Rica and rumor has it the Alpha’s competing in the games. I wonder what activities they have in store for us.

“The Spanish you had in school will come in handy this year-round.” Alexis smirks at me. She is way too excited about the new pack and is certain our Mate belongs to it. “We will see tomorrow when we arrive, I just hope you can control yourself for 5 minutes when we do find him.”

There hardly is any information about the new pack. I can’t have Alexis taking control and jumping my Mates’ bones if he belongs to it. “I’ll try.” She says, wagging her tail and a big smile on her head. I shake my head at her and I mind link my best friend, Jenna. “Babe, you wanna go on a run today? I really need to let Alexis blow of some steam.” “Yeah, sure. Laura was also going for a run, maybe we can go together?” I hear her soulful voice sing out through the mind link. “Sure! Tell her to be at towns square at 8 PM.” I say and I end the link.

I live in The Netherlands and we are the only pack in the country. Due to how crowded our country is, most weres moved to Germany or France. But our pack stayed at the place it was originated. We now have a small village all to ourselves on the border of a big National Forest Park. After 8 PM everybody needs to be out of the forest, so we can let our wolves out without anyone trespassing.

The Park is beautiful with a mix of thick forest, sandy plains, patches of heathland and some small streams and I am thankful we are able to have such a good life here. We have everything; a place where we can be ourselves, good schools, a park to stretch our legs and many job opportunities in the area.