Hunting Season (A Royal Hunt Trilogy)

Living in isolation deep within the forestry under the Crescent Peaks Mountain range, were a pack of werewolves led by a well-respected alpha named Lucian. Since his founding of the settlement, he was stern on keeping distance from the humans living on the southern regions of the continent. No werewolves were allowed to attack humans, unless they were the ones who ventured into their territory first.

During his reign as the alpha, the werewolves dutifully lived like normal humans; they farmed, they foraged, they care for livestock, they have houses, and they commune together as neighbors. Their way of living reflecting the knowledge he earned through his travels from his homeland, until he settled in the location with his companions.

In time, though, werewolves developed a discriminatory stance against humans and any creatures they regard as lesser to their kind. It was in their nature to be prideful of their strength. It was part of their culture that they would look down on by kinds other than their own. They were the apex of nature’s food chain. In turn, the children were indoctrinated to treat everybody outside their pack with as little regard as possible. He was not happy with how the parents taught their pups, but he can’t really change their minds.

Werewolf pups are always born in their beast forms. They will be covered head to toe in hair, their claws still soft and malleable, and they are typically silent at birth. It was regarded as a sign of strength. A werewolf must be born strong and resilient. Nobody really knew what a human child would look like at birth, until one fateful night.

***

Mikhail Edevane looked down in expectation on his beloved wife, crying in labor as she gave birth to their pup. He can barely contain his excitement and happiness at the thought of being a father, after everything all the years they tried conceiving. It was fun, the making of it, but the grueling cycle of disappointment every time they failed was brutal, to say the least.

His expectant smile dissolved on his face when his midwife gasped with eyes wide open. Then he heard a tiny cry from her hands. He looked over and saw a naked child. It was a girl. But it was… different. It looked too human. He frowned and tapped on the midwife, “What’s wrong with my baby?”

The midwife did not reply. She immediately cut the cord and placed the baby on a basket. She looked at Helene and Mikhail and grimaced, before turning around, leaving the couple with the crying baby.

“Wait—” He tried to call for her but she was already out the door in an instant. He looked down on the basket. A baby – his daughter – had a crown of red hair like her mother. Her high-pitched cries pierced his ears as she reached out in front of her as if pulling on an invisible rope. She looked weak and frail.

“What’s wrong,” Helene asked him weakly.

“I don’t know,” he said, lost in thought.

“Can I see my baby?” she asked, reaching out her hands at him. He was reluctant at first but he can’t keep her away from their daughter. He brought the basket to her, letting her see their strange offspring. She was visibly shocked at the initial sight of their daughter, but her lips curved to display her beautiful smile.

“She is beautiful,” she said.

“Yes, she is,” he agreed.

Helene looked at her husband and asked, “What should we name her?”

“Selene,” he said. They both looked longingly at their newborn, dreading what the future might bring them.