The Beta’s Choice (Book 2 of The Luna’s Choice)

Playlist ———-

Floating Under Water - John Coggins

Exile(feat. Bon Iver) - Taylor Swift

Silhouette- Active Child

Always Been You - Katie Hargrove & Harry Baymiller

Stay - Cat Power

Goodbye - Cage the Elephant

Death Rattle - Andrew Lockington

Bullet - (Vampire Redux) Ryan Star

Paradise - Bazzi

Ordinary - Alex Warren

Lovin On Me - Jack Harlow

Down On Life - Elliphant

Houdini - Foster The People

Circles - Mac Miller

Wait - M83

Passo Bem Solto (super slowed) - ATLXS

Light a Fire - Rachel Taylor

Meant to Be - The Prams

Upside of Down - SVRCINA

Flights - Eric Matthys & Ovrthro

Outro - M83

Terrible Love - The National

Pretty Little Poison - Warren Zeiders

Wasted my Time - Default

Skin - Zola Jesus

To Love - Suki Waterhouse

Joanna - Def Joe

Oblivion - Bastille

Everlasting Lover - 49 Winchester

Something About You - Level 42

Twice - Little Dragon

Dauoalogn - Sigur Ros

Be Still - The Fray

Never Tear Us Apart - INXS

Fade Into You - Mazzy Star

Into Your Arms(slowed & reverb) - Whitt Lowrey feat. Ava Max

Medicine - Daughter

Still Don’t Know My Name - Labrinth

All I Want - Kodaline

Wings - Birdy

Closed Shades - Crozet

Roslyn - Bon Iver & St. Vincent

Hold On We’re Going Home - Drake(feat. Majid Jordan)

To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra

The Argument - Aidan Hawken

Cold World - Jon E. K.

I made it - Kevin Rudolph

Hero - Reddy Redd

In Red and Blue - Adalita

We’re Running out of Time - Alan Silvestri

Changes - Black Sabbath

Human - Civil Twilight

Shelter - Birdy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PROLOGUE

Collins

When I was a little girl my grandfather would tell me stories. Stories about his people and their culture. Stories about my mother when she was a child. Stories about the great eagle.. our pack symbol.. and of it’s protection over us. And…. stories about wolves.

One in particular he used to tell me all the time was the tale of the two wolves. The legend was the first werewolf that was created had two wolves inside him , not one. The two wolves fought against each other for control. One was good, and one was bad.

When I had asked him what happened .. he told me nobody knew for sure, only that the strongest wolf had been the one to survive.

“You have the two wolves inside of you now…” grandfather had said.

I gasped… my eyes widening.

“I do??” I asked him.

“Yes. By the time of your first shift, whichever one is the strongest.. will be the one that emerges,”. He said.

I thought about that for a moment. Then decided I would always be good. I would be the best person, best friend and daughter.. and surely that way the good wolf inside me would become the strongest. I didn’t want to have a bad wolf.

When I told this to grandfather, he smiled at me.

“Will it work?” I asked him.

“I don’t know..” he said. “But there is always a choice. A choice to be good or bad. And I think if you make the right decisions in life, you will be rewarded. And having a good wolf is is a pretty nice reward, wouldn’t you say?”

I nodded.

“If you always remember no matter what you do, what path you walk, or what hand you play… that you will always have a choice. You will go far in life

nôsisim.” He told me.

As I got older I began to think my grandfather had just told me that story to scare me into behaving. I had always been a little mischievous before that. I was the rambunctious one who had always wanted to run and play and get dirty, getting into everything…causing chaos wherever I went. My mother said it was my overly curious mind that caused this.

Now however…. I had no doubt people had either good wolves or bad wolves. I had seen and heard too many things in my short life that proved it. My grandfather had been right, at least about the two wolves.

Not only that, the same could be said for humans. They might not have the two wolves inside them fighting. But they had something that made them come out inherently good, or completely evil. I had witnessed that as well.

I had experienced that… up close.

And because of that experience? Now we had to leave our pack. I had to say goodbye to my grandfather and my best friends. I had to leave the college that I had been going to for two years. I had to say goodbye to the warm sunshine.. and trade in my sandals and cut offs for sweaters and boots.

All because MY human… had masked his evil and covered it with good. And I hadn’t seen through it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the day we were leaving our pack, my grandfather slipped something into my hand.

“For good luck, nôsisim.” He told me.

It was a beautiful necklace, a strand of Navajo beads that I knew he had made himself. It was a cherished gift from my grandfather that I would forever keep close to my heart and never remove…. hoping and wishing that it really would bring me good luck. I certainly could use some.

I hugged him tightly. “Thank you nimosom, I love you.” I told him. Saying goodbye to such a constant in my life felt like half of my heart was being ripped out.

Moving to a new pack in the north certainly created distance between my demons and I. But it didn’t keep the memories or the nightmares away.

I didn’t dare tell my parents. They had enough to deal with. But every single night I woke up in a cold sweat from the dreams. I had to talk myself down from the ledge.. Garrett isn’t here… Garrett isn’t coming back…. Garrett can’t hurt you anymore.

I clutched my necklace… trying to even out my breathing.

It’s funny…. how dreams seem so real sometimes.

Or maybe you’re in such a nightmare… you wish it was just a dream.

Yes, my grandfather was right about the two wolves. But I think he was wrong about the choices. There may always be a choice. But sometimes, that choice is taken away from you.