IN BED WITH THE CHOSEN ONE

Moonlight shone across the land, where the 5000 shifters made the Grey Wolves pack gathered, white gowns and shirts as far as the eyes could see.I stood at the edge of the path in my red dress and boots. I knew my mother would kill me if she saw me, but she didn't know how it felt to be without a wolf. At least once a month, she was accepted as one of them. I wasn't.I sat on the grass, looking ahead at the shifters. Alpha Buick would soon make his arrogant speech, and then at midnight, everyone would tear off their clothes and shift, running under the moonlight, paying worship to Luna. I was here to replace every cloth for their return, since they were not really comfortable with nudity.“Clarissa,” a nasal voice. Gwendolyn Buick, the alpha’s mate, walked past me. “What a waste,” she said, sneering at me. “You should be with the normals, banished. You don't belong here.”I grinned at her. “Too bad your mate can't get enough of my mother,” I retorted. Her face turned red, and she shi

“Restrain him!” Screamed Alex. I froze, watching Buick struggle in the hands of a strange man.His eyes were white, no pupils, and he kept whispering something.“We didn't finish it,” he moaned loudly, fell, and started sobbing. Everyone was shaking, cries of children echoing.“What is going on?” I asked. This festival was going so differently from everyone's expectations.“Clarissa”I turned to my mother. Her eyes had turned white like Buick's. “You are going to die,” she screamed, and then collapsed.What the actual fuck?Alex signaled to two wolves, and they quickly shifted. Tieing up Alpha Buick and my mom, they shifted back to wolves, waiting for their Alpha's command.“People of Grey Wolves Clan,” Alex started, “as you can see, you've been lied to.”He looked at everyone. “I am here to set you free. Free to be shifters; there's no need to hide anymore.”We weren't hiding. Yeah, sure, we were different from other shifters, but we didn't hide. We shifted within pack lands and wen

What was he saying? I stared at Alex, refusing to break eye contact. The whole dining room was silent, like everyone was waiting for the Alpha to go berserk on me. His eyes were hard, and his jaw set in stubbornness. That jaw, I wouldn't mind rubbing my fingers on it.“I did not start any war,” I slowly spoke. “I did not even have a wolf until you came into my pack, and did some voodoo on me, told me all sorts of rubbish, and drugged me-”“Nobody drugged you,” he cut in, “it was just some sleeping powder.”He corked his head at me, the sun reflecting on those pupils. “I do not care. I am not here with my permission, so refrain from referring to me as your mate.”“Are you rejecting me, little wolf?”. I felt the stare of everyone around me, but damned if I'll let him think he could control me because of some bond that I had not yet felt.“I do not know you. There is nothing to reject.”Daia chuckled a bit, obviously pleased with what I was saying. Which was good. I needed some friendly

The shaman took my hand in her hand, pulling me to her feet. I followed her closely, observing the scenes in front of me and taking in how the coven worked.They seemed enthralled with herbs and plants; one of the triplets was trimming a bush. She threw a quick glance at me and continued what she was doing.We moved slowly, mostly because the shaman had to lean on me. Her cane clacked every time it got to the ground, the noise loud in the otherwise quiet room.We got to the stream, and she gestured for me to sit. “Long ago,” she began, “the moon came down to earth to visit.”The origin of shifters. I was aware of this.“When she came, she encountered men, a rough group of people. She had not come as the moon; you see, she had come as a white wolf. Her fur shined so brightly, even miles away she could be seen.”She looked up at the tree and dipped her hand in it, swirling it around.“Look child,” she said.I stared at the water and saw a wolf very similar to mine. I knew it was Luna.“

My mother was lying down curled on her side, like a baby. She still refused to acknowledge my presence, looking at the wall opposite her.“I want to talk to you,” I began. Then I spoke. I told her about all the times she hit me. How much abuse! How all I wanted was for her to say she loved me. How much she was sneaking around with Buick made life more miserable for me.I asked why she hadn't come to any of my graduations. Even though they were normal schools, she should have been there for her daughter. I asked her why she hated me so much. What did I do to deserve to be treated like that from her?“You were meant to protect me, mother,” tears ran down my face. I knew Alex could hear from outside the door, but I didn't care. “You let them humiliate and beat me multiple times.”“You are a curse,” she finally answered me. Stretching and frowning, she pointed at me.“You, you were my curse,” she cried out. “He left me because of you; he said he didn't want a child.” She got up and paced