Chapter 2

Raven

The house feels quieter once everyone stops talking, but not in a way that makes me nervous. It feels more like everything has shifted slightly, like we’re all trying to move forward without making it obvious that anything has changed.

Even though it has.

Now that my initial excitement from getting Calliope has started to fade, I realize the conversation has stopped. I start looking around at everyone, fully taking in everything.

My dad stays close beside me on the couch, and when I look up at him, I notice he looks tired. His light hair, that normally looks like gold in the sun, seems dull. Theres shadows under his ocean blue eyes and his broad frame seems to shrink under some invisible weight. 

Mom sits on my other side, and I notice she still looks a little pale. It’s almost like she’s seeing a ghost, but I know that’s not the case because we don’t have magic in our family. I realize that the warmth in her blonde hair isn’t as bright, and the gold of her hazel eyes isn’t shining like normal, making them look more green right now.

She keeps her hand resting lightly over mine. It isn’t tight or protective, just steady and familiar, like she’s reminding me that nothing important has changed.

Across from us, Alpha Avery sits composed and you can feel his strength just by looking at him. His jet black hair is pulled back, like always. But his eyes that are normally more of a chocolate brown are almost as black as his hair. That means his wolf is forward, paying attention to what we’re talking about. Paying attention to me. 

But the man who came with him, his wavy hair looks shaggy. The light brown color doesn’t seem to catch the light and makes it seem muted. But his eyes look ice, the blue is so pale and light, like he hasn’t been outside in a very long time that they lost the color. But I don’t know how that’s possible. 

They both sit like they’ve done this before, calm and composed, like none of this is unusual. Alpha Avery is starting to look uncomfortable. I think it’s because he’s realizing that the light green chair he sat in, is the one my mother normally occupies. It seems to make his height more noticeable even though he’s sitting. 

I can tell the other man isn’t as tall as the alpha, or my dad. The longer he sits in my dad’s usual dark green chair, the more obvious it becomes. There’s something about him though, something familiar. Maybe I’ve seen him around the pack, but I’m suddenly too distracted with everyone’s silence to think about it any more. 

“You said earlier that this was different,” I say, looking at Alpha Avery. “But not in a bad way.”

“That’s correct,” he answers.

I take a second to figure out how to ask what I actually mean without making it obvious how much I don’t understand.

“Then what does different actually mean?” I ask.

He leans forward slightly, resting his forearms on his knees, and it feels less like I’m being told something and more like he’s trying to explain it in a way that makes sense.

“It means your wolf awakened exactly when it was supposed to,” he says, his tone steady. “But the strength that came with her was higher than we usually see at your age. That isn’t a bad thing. It just means we want to guide you and her carefully as you grow into that strength.”

I frown, trying to picture what that actually looks like, but I still don’t really understand. 

“That doesn’t sound like something to worry about,” I say.

“It isn’t,” my dad answers quickly. “It just means you’re a little stronger now than others your age, especially before you’ve had time to train. We want to make sure you can manage it before anyone else starts trying to push for more from you.”

Mom’s hand shifts slightly over mine. “You’re still you,” she says. “Nothing about this changes that. It just means you might grow and learn things a little faster than some of the others, and we want to make sure you feel ready for that when it happens.”

I glance between them, letting that settle.

“So nothing is actually wrong,” I say.

“No,” my dad answers, his tone steady. “Nothing is wrong.”

Something in my chest loosens a little, and I lean back slightly into the couch. It’s soft and comforting. The rich sandy brown color and the faint scents of home cooked meals that linger on it, add to the calming feeling my dad’s word give me.

“Okay,” I say, quieter this time.

We are as we are meant to be, Calliope says, her voice calm and steady in the back of my mind.

I’m just trying to catch up.

The quiet in the room becomes a little more comfortable, and even though I still don’t fully understand what’s happening, it doesn’t feel overwhelming anymore. It feels like something I can figure out, even if it takes time.

“Will anything change?” I ask after a moment.

“Not in the way you’re thinking,” Alpha Avery says. “You’ll still go to school. You’ll still spend time with your friends. The only difference is that your training may be adjusted slightly.”

“Adjusted how?”

My dad glances at the man across from us before answering. “Just a little more focused. Nothing you need to worry about.”

I follow that glance, looking back at the man who hasn’t said much of anything. I’m starting to wonder why he’s even here. 

“Who are you?”

“This is-“ Alpha Avery starts but the man cuts him off. 

“You can call me Rion.” It’s matter of fact, but it makes it sound like Rion is short for something else, or maybe a middle name he prefers to go by. Well, whatever, if that’s what he wants me to call him. 

I look at my parents for a minute, then turn back to Rion. “You’re going to train me?”

“In part,” he says. “You will still learn alongside the others when the time comes. For now, I will help you build a foundation that matches your needs.”

A foundation that matches my needs. I repeat that in my head, trying to wrap my head around his words. I nod slowly, even though I’m still not completely sure what that means.

“Okay,” I say, my voice is quieter, starting to give away how tired I’m quickly becoming. 

Alpha Avery stands after a moment, and the shift in movement draws my attention back to him.

“We should let her rest,” he says. “It’s been a long night.”

My dad nods, and Mom gives my hand a small squeeze before letting go.

“Go get some sleep,” she says softly.

“Okay,” I say, standing this time.

I glance once more at the man, at Rion, who is apparently going to be training me. He’s watching me, it doesn’t make me uncomfortable, but it’s like he’s waiting for something. 

I turn and head upstairs, ducking into the bathroom really quick. I close the door and turn the light on. When I look into the mirror, I still see the same girl staring back at me. The same girl I was before midnight. My white hair stands out, still looking a little messy. I’m still Raven Crawford.

Mom said it came from dad’s side of the family, but since dad was a lone wolf before he met mom, I’ve never seen any pictures. I have mom’s nose, it’s narrow but not too small. I’ve seen pictures of her when she was my age, and even though her hair is more of a strawberry blonde, I look just like her. 

Except right now, my eyes aren’t the light blue that is closer to dad’s, they’re that dark, more earthy blue. Calliope. She’s quiet but my eyes show she’s present, just watching. 

By the time I leave and head into my room, their voices fade behind me, and the house feels like itself again.

My room feels different when I step inside, even though nothing has actually changed. I close the door quietly behind me and lean back against it for a second, letting everything sink in, now that no one is watching me.

My bed is still over on the left side, my thick pink blanket still turned over, exposing the soft yellow sheets that remind me of spring. The dark wooden desk I got last year when I started getting more homework still has my open math book.

The cork board with pictures of my friends, still has the little fairy lights around it. My eyes shift to my nightstand, the lamp still turned on from when I got out of bed. My room isn’t actually different.

I’m not as overwhelmed as I thought I would be, when Alpha Avery and Rion suddenly showed up, but my head still feels full. It’s like I’m trying to hold onto too many things at once. Trying to think about it all at the same time. 

I walk over to my bed and sit down, my hands resting in my lap as I stare at them for a moment.

‘Callie?’

‘Yes?’

Her voice feels softer now, not as present as it was before, like she’s feeing her own exhaustion the way I am.

‘Does it feel weird to you?’

There’s a brief pause before she answers.

‘It’s not weird, I have always been a part of you. I was sleeping, growing, preparing to join you on our birthday. I think.. I think that’s the part they have all forgotten. We are different. The only thing that has changed is that now they are starting to realize it.’

I nod, even though she can’t actually see it, letting that sit for a moment.

‘They keep saying that word. Different.’

‘Because it is true.’

I shift back on the bed and lie down, staring up at the ceiling as everything from tonight starts replaying in pieces.

‘I don’t really understand what that means yet.’

‘You do not need to understand it all at once. In time, you will.’

That answer feels more calming than I expect, like she isn’t trying to push me to figure anything out right now.

‘They’re all acting like us being a hunter is the only thing that matters, but also like it doesn’t.’

‘It matters, but it is not something to fear. This pack is blessed by the moon goddess. All will be as it should.’

I let out a slow breath, and as I let her words sink in, I pull the blanket over myself. My body is tired, and my mind is finally starting to catch up. As soon as my eyes start closing on their own, I force them back open.

‘You’re really here?’

There’s a small pause before she answers again, her voice sure and steady.

‘I am.’

I let my eyes close this time, letting sleep pull me under. In my dream that night, I’m in the middle of a beautiful garden. Light coming from the full moon, reflecting off the water from a small lake. I’m wearing a sundress that looks like a deep violet but the color is muted from the light of the moon. 

As I sit down at the edge of the lake, I feel a presence approaching me. When my head turns, I’m looking into the deep earthy blue eyes of a gorgeous white wolf. Something shifts inside of me and I just know, this is Calliope. 

I get onto my knees and without hesitation, I wrap my arms around her neck. I can feel her lean into me, accepting me. When I pull back, she licks my cheek, and it makes me giggle. 

“You’re so beautiful!”

‘So are you, my human.’

She lays down, and I settle against her. If I had any doubts that she wouldn’t still be there when I woke up, this takes them all away. I feel a knot in my stomach come undone, and let the comfortable silence fall over us. We go to sleep just like that, and I feel more complete than I ever have before in my life.