The Shining Star Pack

It was a beautiful summer day, the kind where the sun warms you down to your bones. I was so incredibly excited because it was just two days until my 21st birthday, which lands right on July 4th. And as luck would have it, a rare full blue moon is scheduled to light up the night sky on that exact evening, which is a major milestone for anyone, but especially for my kind. In our lore, a blue moon is considered a deeply spiritual and magical event. It is whispered that during this rare alignment, the sky holds a unique celestial energy that serves as an extra, powerful blessing directly from the Moon Goddess herself. This magical moon is said to amplify a wolf's natural traits and gift them with immense, extraordinary power far beyond a normal transformation.

In my family of wolves, the 21st birthday is already the monumental moment when your wolf finally shows their elements of power. If you're lucky, you get more than one. If you're unlucky, you get none at all. But even without an element, your wolf would still grow in strength and abilities. My oldest sister got incredibly lucky because Abigail's wolf had three elements, which were fire, wind, and earth. Because of that, my family had high hopes for me, especially with the added mythos of the upcoming blue moon blessing. But even if I didn't get an element, I knew they would still love and support me no matter what. Guess I'm really lucky in that aspect.

Oh, lol, by the way, my name is Brooke. When I'm not running through the woods, I'm attending college to get my doctorate's degree in finance. I'm at the very top of my class, and even if I say so myself, I got pretty lucky in the looks and friends department, too.

My family are the alphas of our pack, the Shining Star Pack. Our pack has absolutely no omega wolves. We don't believe in putting people down; we don't see rigid titles, we see people as our equals, as long as they grow, contribute, and learn traits that help the entire pack grow. Only our highest ranks hold formal titles, and that is the alphas, which is my family, and then the betas, which is my uncle Eric's family. Everyone else in our community are Deltas and Gammas. Now, other packs think we are completely strange, crazy, and unethical for running our territory this way. But our methods speak for themselves, as it has made us the strongest and wealthiest pack in the entire country.

Alpha Damien is my Dad. His wolf is called Blue Shadow because his fur literally glows a stunning, deep blue in the moonlight. His Luna, Krissy, is my mom. Her wolf is called Burning Star because she is a gorgeous golden wolf that glows bright like a shooting star traveling across the night sky. My oldest sister Abigail's wolf is called Silver Light because her wolf is pure white and glows silver under the moon, and her husband Rick's wolf is called Blue Lightning because his wolf is as fast and striking as lightning itself. They are currently being trained to be the next alphas of our pack.

Oh, and my own wolf is a unique, light blue color with vibrant pink tips on her fur. Her name is Pinkrose. Now, to help you understand how this works, when we are bonding with our wolves at age 16, that is the moment when we agree on a name together. Running in our wolf forms for the very first time is when we truly started to understand each other and connect.

As for the rest of the inner circle, my Uncle Eric's family consists of my Aunt Linda and their twins, Jack and Jordan. Both of the twins are my exact age, and we are all really close, almost like siblings. Okay, enough about my family tree for now, let's get back to my story. After spending the entire day spinning around the mall and shopping for my upcoming birthday party, my feet were tired and it was finally time for bed.

The next day, I decided to take a break from all the birthday stress and join my friends. We decided to go enjoy the beautiful sun at Crescent Lake, a gorgeous spot where the water is always crystal clear. My closest friends in the world are Dawn, Bella, Casey, John, and Drake. We were swimming, splashing around, and having a wonderful time just enjoying ourselves and the warm weather.

But like always, someone has to come along and ruin a perfect day.

A very old and close family friend named Ms.Polly, who happens to be a witch, was standing on the edge of the woods, watching us for a couple of minutes before finally calling my name. Now, I know, I know, in a lot of stories about witches and wolves, the two species don't coexist and are usually at each other's throats. But not in my town. We get along with them perfectly, and we always listen closely when they tell us something.

As I got out of the cool, clear water and reached for my towel to dry off, a sudden, freezing cold chill ran straight down my spine, feeling exactly like a bad omen. And boy, was I right. When Ms. Polly, a powerful witch who could see the future, stepped out of the shadow of the tree line, my heart stopped for a second.

"Hey, Ms. Polly, what can I help you with today?" I called out, trying to shake off the nervous feeling.

"Brooke, I've been looking for you," she said, her eyes serious. "Care to take a walk with an old lady?"

"Of course, Ms. Polly, I would love to walk with you," I replied, turning back to the lake to wave at the group. "Just one sec. Hey guys, I'm taking a walk with Ms. Polly. I'll see y'all later!"

Little did I know, as I stepped into the woods with her, I was about to get the absolute shock of my life.