Chapter 3 - The Tour Guide

My family are the betas of the pack, which means my life is better than the omegas and less stressful than the alphas. When I was young, my grandma would tell me tales of when she was young—of how the pack lived together in one place, a big pack house. The harmony and peace that existed, but she would also soon shift to talks of fights and bloodshed, and that was my cue to pretend I had fallen asleep. My grandma doesn't like how the modern world has changed the ways of how packs work, even though the Silver Crescents never fail to celebrate our pack event every month. We gather in the holy temple of the luna, sing, and eat together, as discreetly as possible.

The sun is high up in the sky, blazing down at me. It's a good day, I try to convince myself, pretending to think that the incident in the classroom never happened. The waves rise high and crash onto the irregular rock bed and sandy shores. The sight makes me want to draw out my surfboard and spend hours in the sea. But that's barely something I can do this evening.

My family, the Martins run a small hotel business on the island of Bellpond, providing lodging facilities to the tourists. It's not only an efficient way to blend in, but it also provides a good source of income for us since the island has too many eye-catching spots. The seafood is served hot and delicious in the restaurants, and the locals sell items made from seashells along the shore.

I march into the hotel lounge, turning the ring of the surfboard keychain around my index finger as my eyes sweep across the place in search of my mother. The hotel isn’t grand, but to me, it's beautiful and more like a second home. I know the staff well, consisting of betas, omegas, and humans.

“There she is!” A familiar voice calls across the room. I recognize immediately who it belongs to. I take quick, large strides and halt right beside my mother, garbed in a flower-patterned dress, her cheeks flushed in the bright lighting.

“Sorry, I had an extra class,” I tell a quick lie, enhancing it with a shrug. My mother purses her lips and waves a hand at me before she leaves to caress her garden roses placed in the vase at the reception.

The group is waiting for me at the door, a small one—two boys and two girls; none much older than I am.

I approach them with a wide, warm smile.

"Hello, I'm Vanessa. You may call me Nessa. I'm your tour guide this evening,” I say confidently. As much as I would like to be doing something else, I like meeting new people, especially those that don't live here.

The tallest guy in the group is the first to introduce himself. "I'm Cole," he greets me with a handshake, a glint of mischief in his dark eyes. My smile widens. "This is Carol, my sister, and Megan and Dan, our friends."

"Welcome to Bellpond, all of you," I say with a cheerful tone and begin leading the way out.

Cole begins, stepping beside me as we reach the exit, "I had no idea this beautiful place existed. You live here?"

"Yes, I'm the daughter of the hotel manager," I say, and his eyebrows inch closer.

"Oh, well, it was obvious from the glare she gave you. You're in high school?" He questions, lifting a corner of his mouth. As we step out into the sun, his blonde hair glows golden, and his cheeks gain some color.

"Junior year, yes. What about you guys?"

"Graduated high school a year ago. On the move for now."

"Interesting…" I comment, not really feeling the conversation like usual times. Jordan's handsome face pops into my mind, and I sigh.

"More people should know about this place," Cole says, his eyes watching the shoreline, then darting to fix on my face. "It's really beautiful."

"Ah, thank you," I manage, now turning the keychain around my pinky finger, my eyes glued to the sand under my feet. "Actually, it's the off-season. The island is very crowded otherwise."

I turn my head, and Cole smiles at me and then snickers, looking away.

"What?" I ask, feeling my lips widening.

"Nothing," he assures me, shaking his head.

I halt and look behind at the three watching us with odd expressions. "So, you guys wanna sightsee today or try some fun activities?"

"What fun activities?" Carol speaks for the first time, and from the way she sounds, she seems to be imitating my voice. The beta lets it slip, nodding her head at the blonde girl with a tanned body.

"Snorkeling, swimming, er–shopping from the stalls. Or surfboarding, my favorite?"

Carol frowns at me while Dan and Meghan look at each other.

"Wait, you know how to do that? Surfing?" Cole asks, his eyes wide as saucers.

I nod at him.

"That's cool. I'm scared of water, actually."

"Really? Well, then we should go visit some good places. You can try to get rid of your fears tomorrow," I wink at him and begin walking again. The tourists follow closely behind.

By the time we're done, the sun is long hidden under the horizon. The skies are lined by clouds of shades of pastel pink and blues, and I notice a few stars twinkling overhead.

"My legs hurt," Carol complains to her brother, who only rolls his eyes. We're at a local stall. Megan is trying out necklaces made from seashells, while Dan is taking pictures of her.

Cole leans against a wall, engaged in a deep conversation with me about the tales associated with Bellpond.

"That's not really possible!" I hold a hand over my flat stomach and laugh at his words. "You won't find any werewolves jumping out at you if you walk through the woods."

"But I've heard so much. It's fascinating. The very reason why I wanted to visit this place, not because of the beaches and the water sports," He shrugs at me. His dark eyes watch as the waves rise and fall along the dark sandy floors. The half-moon overhead glimmers its light on the water, giving them a silver glow.

My eyes instinctively sweep from his face and move to Meghan, clad in seashells, only to get stuck on a figure approaching from a distance. It's only a silhouette, but as the person moves forward, the moonlight illuminates his face.

Jordan.

I feel my body tensing, my mind recollecting what happened that morning. My feet grow restless, and I struggle to keep my eyes away from him. Jordan is walking with his eyes lowered to the sand, occasionally kicking a handful of it as he walks leisurely, his eyes drifting between the sea and the sand.

I'm sure Cole has noticed the change in me, but he doesn't make any comment. His eyes even watch Jordan as he walks past us but make himself discreet.

"There's a temple here, I've heard. Of the moon goddess?" I hear him ask all of a sudden and silently appreciate his attempt at distracting my mind.

"Yes, but it's deep in the woods. You want to see it?"

Cole sighs at me, running his hand through his golden blonde mane. "What if a werewolf attacks us?"

I pat his shoulders, holding back a laugh. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."