The moon shone brightly in the sky, accompanied by the distant echoes of wolves howling in the background. Wolves roamed around, playfully shifting and rolling amidst the grass. It was the annual festival of shifting, a time when older wolves who hadn't shifted yet finally got the chance to do so. Those who had been mocked by their peers for their inability to shift were now relieved to shift under the first blood moon.
Amidst the lively crowd, three teenagers animatedly argued, each claiming their wolf would be more beautiful than the others. The Lunar Crest wolf pack was crowded, with its members and some members of neighboring packs eagerly participating. The festival wasn't as grand as the upcoming Mating Season, but the excitement was palpable.
Men sat around a big table, mixing drinks and laughing boisterously; their merriment even caused a nearby pup to flinch and bawl.
The mating season festival was set to happen on the blood moon. Every wolf girl in the pack was discussing the upcoming "D-day," except those who had already found their mates. Luna's father, a member of the pack, had talked to her about the day, even though she was already familiar with the festivities. She had witnessed young wolves shift for the first time before, and now a new alpha would be crowned on that day, tasked with finding their mate before the event.
Luna stood near the window, tightly clutching the necklace she had received as a present. It was a cherished keepsake that she never took off. Knowing her father would be looking for her after her decision to skip the festival, she hesitated to join the crowd.
As a hybrid—a forbidden child with the ability to shift and yet choosing not to—Luna worried about revealing her true form to the pack members. She raised her hand and touched the window, finding solace in the comforting wind.
"Luna?"
Startled, she turned to see her father leaning against the door frame with his favorite long jacket on and his hand folded on his chest. Shirtless and with chest hair poking out, he had been watching her attentively, like a hawk eyeing its prey. She frowned, briefly avoiding his gaze.
"How long have you been standing there?" She questioned, her annoyance evident.
"Only a few minutes ago," He replied, raising his brows.
"You were stalking me." She demanded, feeling defensive.
"No," Her Dad said, quickly raising his hand in defense. "I was just checking up on you. I couldn't find you at the festival, and I figured you'd be in your room. You're not even dressed up yet."
"Dressed up for what? A shifting festival when I can't even shift."
Luna observed her father trying to put on a strong face. She knew he understood her inability to shift, and she couldn't comprehend why he wanted her to expose herself to potential humiliation. The pack members knew nothing about her inability to shift since she stayed mostly indoors and only ventured out at night.
"I never asked you to shift, and if you don't want to attend the festival..."
"I want to stay in my room," She chirped in, determined to avoid the event.
Bartram's jaw tightened. "I still liked it better when he was here."
Her eyes locked on his. “When was who here?"
"Assy," He stated. "He was a good friend who made you smile more often, even though he was an imaginary friend."
Sadness enveloped Luna as she remembered Assy, her only friend during her lonely times. She used to check the wall clock, eagerly anticipating his arrival. But those days were gone, and the sadness dissipated as quickly as it emerged.
"I never had an imaginary friend. Assy was real, and he was the only one who cared for me after Mom. You were only devoted to Lunar Crest and serving the alpha like a great Beta."
"Luna!"
"Father!" She retorted. "Assy is going to come back."
Her Dad pretended to understand. "He will never come back. It's been years, Luna. He never existed; you only imagined him because you were lonely."
"I was lonely, I admit, but Assy taught me how to manage it. I can be alone and still have a great friend."
"A friend that only comes at night? I could only hear your giggling; I thought you
"Father, don't start," She interrupted, not wanting to delve into that topic.
Bartram took a deep breath. "Fine, I won't say anything, but you have to come downstairs with me. You might be lucky to find your mate before the blood moon."
"I don't feel like going to the festival."
"You have to, Luna. You won't find your mate in your room. I'll pick a dress for you; you don't have to shift since everyone thinks you can."
"I'll only go to the festival if you promise to let me go to the lake and stay for a little bit."
Bartram thought for a moment before nodding. "Sure, the lake might brighten your mood, just like always."
Luna rolled her eyes before turning back to the window. "You can go now; I'll pick the dress myself."
As she waited for the doorknob to turn, she realized her father was still watching her. His hands were tucked to his sides, and his expression suggested he had something important to say or lecture her about. Luna's look conveyed her unspoken question: "What?"
"You can't be alone forever; you can't keep shutting people out of your life. You need friends."
Before her father could continue, Luna placed her hand on her ears and began chanting loudly.
"Yada, Yada, Yada, blah, blah, blah."
Bartram smiled, understanding her message through her sign language. Though Luna had asked him not to choose a dress for her, he insisted. As she chanted, he walked over to her wardrobe and picked out a silver gown.
"This would complement your moonlit silver eyes perfectly. It's night, and you'll look like a goddess."
"Stop trying to sugarcoat it, Father," She hushed. "Wearing that long dress looks boring. I'm going to the lake, remember?"
Bartram smiled. "No dress, no lake."
"You can't be serious," Luna grumbled.
"I may have a smile on my face, but I'm not joking," He stated.
"You're unbelievable!" Luna snapped as she walked over to him and snatched the dress, then snapped her fingers.
The dress appeared on her body, and Bartram grinned with delight. The dress suited her so perfectly; she looked like a moon goddess that had just stepped out of the lunar realm.
"Are you done staring? Can we go now?" She inquired, trying to act impatient.
"Not yet. Your birthmark is showing," He said, pointing at her forehead.
Luna raised her hand to touch her forehead and hurried to the mirror. The glowing symbol of a half-moon and another unidentifiable mark appeared. She grabbed a brush and tried to hide it, but her father took it from her and styled her hair to perfectly conceal the mark.
"We might have to curl your hair to hide the mark better."
"That's not what I wanted to hear. Why can't I just walk freely without hiding everything about me? Can't I be normal for once?" Luna asked, her frustration mounting.
Bartram smiled at her reflection. "Now this looks better. Let's head downstairs and to the festival. Do not disappear on me."
"I won't," Luna replied.
"Good." He rubbed her hair. "You can go to the lake after staying within the pack for at least an hour."
"An hour? That's too much! Why would I waste so much time in the pack?"
"You've always wanted to fit in, haven't you? If you want them to regard you as one of the pack members, you have to act like them."
"I don't love red meat, and I don't like body rubs."
"You have to act like you love it to avoid suspicion. You can be friends with other beta's daughters, the gammas, or even the alpha's."
"I will try, Father, but I am scared of being discovered."
“No one would be able you discover you.” Her Father assured. “As long as you do all I say. Everything would be alright.” Luna rolled her eyes, as if! Her father had always wanted her to become a pure werewolf even though she wasn’t. He was a great liar that covers up for her when others became suspicious. As the most respectful beta daughter in the pack, she should be ongoing, generous, friendly and kind. She was the opposite of that, she loved being alone in order to hide her precious secret. Having a friend was a way of show casting her powers, a friend will get to know who she was. She didn’t want to take that risks. Assy was her only friend who knew all of her secrets and he kept them all to himself, without telling anyone. “Sure Father, on your command.” Bartram smiled at her, “Get up, and let’s go find your mate.” He hurried away from her towards her door. Luna stood up immediately and rushed after him. “How are you so sure you will find my mate? Not that I even needed one.”
“Why are you out without drying off your body?” He stared at her before grabbing a shirt that was hanging on the hanger, he hurriedly put it on. He had just finished bathing, his hair was still dripping wet. The atmosphere was warm, all thanks to the fire. He sniffed in the air, there was something mixed with the air and he could read that scent. He sniffed again and rubbed his nose. He had been perceiving that scent since he was in shower, he tried to ignore it but the scent was stronger and alluring. He had to find it, his wolf was walking to and fro inside him, trying to come out but Adrian was not going to let him out. The scent had made him jump out of shower and get dressed without drying his body. “I have to go Mother it is important.” He answered. Before his mother could speak, he rushed out. She stared at him, a cloth in her hand until he was out of sight. She had picked a cloth for him to wear for the festival but he had took a shirt and ran out like something was botherin
Falling into the water, forgetting that she was just lying beside the ocean. Luna sank into the water, her long dress pulling her down even further. She stretched her hands up and pushed herself up. She swam up to the surface, and she glanced around the place immediately after her head left the water. Her hand moved to her hair, grabbing it and wrapping it in a messy bun. "Assy," she repeated. She kept glancing around before moving towards the land. She wasn't hearing things; that voice looked familiar, and only Assy had always said those words. She was about to reach the land when she felt something pulling at her dress. She glanced back at the dress only to see it stuck between tree roots in the water. Without thinking, she pulled the dress with so much force. The hem of the dress tore away, and she was free. She held up her gown and stepped into the land. Immediately after her feet touched the sand, she began running towards the woods where she had heard the voice. Her heart was
Adrian had been searching endlessly for the scent and the goddess his sister had spoken about. Her name was Luna. What a nice name she had! He had not expected to scent his mate before the mating season; he had thought he was different from the rest of the other crowned alphas, who found their mates pretty fast. His mate had a nice scent; the scent had been unbearable, but now he could not smell any bit of it. The scent was gone, and he wondered where she had gone. He was in the woods now, walking towards a tree. He stopped. His wolf was growling lowly inside him, blaming him for missing the chance of getting their mate. Adrian glared at it; he knew the wolf was only trying to find their mate, like he was too. He wanted to know what she looked like; he wanted to mark her. Adrian cursed under his breath. What if she turned out not to be his mate? His wolf was great at perceiving, and the urge he had was too overwhelming to be ignored. She was his mate, alright. He glanced around the
Bartram glanced around the place, checking for anyone. He could not find the person his daughter was talking about."Luna, I can’t find anyone there.""Father…""You found him; that is what you said.""Yes, he was here."Luna watched the expression on her father’s face change to one of concern. She knew that with the way he was looking at her, he probably didn’t believe her."We have to leave now." Bartram urged. "I don’t want you to stay here any longer."Luna stepped closer to him. "You don’t believe me, do you?""I never said that." He defended. "We will talk about this later when we get to the pack.""Father…""You shouldn’t have come here. This is the border between werewolves and vampires.""I was…""No arguments; come with me."He grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him. Luna did not try to struggle. She tried to keep up with his pace as she glanced over her shoulders. She had not hallucinated him; she had touched him. She felt his skin and spoke to him; he was real. Rig
Luna glanced at her father. "He can’t be my mate." "Luna." He gave her a signal to keep quiet. "This is not possible." She whispered. "I can’t have two mates." Her father shot her a grin. "That means the probability that you imagined your first mate is high." He leaned in and whispered into her ear. "Now. Should I say I told you so?" No, you can’t; Ashford is real." Adrian watched the two dark heads argue; he could not hear what they were saying because they were talking so low, and the only sound he was hearing was like a bee buzz. Bartram was saying something, and his daughter was not agreeing to it. "You can’t say I imagined Ashford." Bartram ignored her words and placed a gentle arm on her shoulder. "This is the opportunity you have been waiting for, Luna. To be among the pack. To feel among them since you are Adrian’s mate. You will be Luna, and you are going to be accepted. Isn’t that what you always wanted?" "That’s what I want. Fine, but I am not going to throw Ashford
"Father doesn't want Adrian to make decisions just yet until he finds his mate. And now he already did," she answered. They stepped into a dark passageway, and Phoebe walked to the wall, turning on the light. Luna glanced around as Phoebe continued to lead the way. The house seemed to come back to life as they walked into it. "Do you want to see Adrian's room?" Phoebe asked. "No..." Phoebe pulled her away, cutting off her words, and dragged her along with her. Luna let herself be dragged as they were running into a tight passageway. It was dark, and Luna could barely see anything. She wondered why Adrian's room was going to be in such a place. Phoebe came to a halt when they reached the front of a large door. Luna glanced around the place and then at the door. "Here we are," Phoebe announced. "Adrian's room." Luna raised her brows. "Okay?" "We leave." "Excuse me?" "We leave," Phoebe repeated. "You brought me here so we could look at a door and leave?" "Yes and no. Adrian let
"You can't ask me to leave." Evelyn hushed. "You have no right to say that to me. Yes. Your Father was a pathetic loser, always supporting you when you did the wrong thing. That was what led him to his death, ignorance."Ashford's eyes turned dark; his father had been the only one who understood him and took good care of him. His father had listened to all he had to say and let him do whatever he wanted as long as it made him happy."He was better than you, even though you call him a pathetic loser."She smiled. "I know that, right?""What do you mean?" Ashford asked, his confusion evident.He had just said she was not as good as his father, and he agreed to it without saying a word about it."I agree with you; he was better than me, but I am smarter than him." She said."No. He was something you will never be.""No matter what you say, you are still going to get married to Diana. I don't care if you have found your soul mate or not. You still have to marry the woman I chose for you,