Tuberose

ELEANOR

Something isn't right.

My head is throbbing, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. Leaving an echoing sound that rang inside my head.

Ignoring the pain, I stagger on my way to my room.

Opening the door, I see sparkles of red light dance in the air all the way down the floor. I narrow my gaze, clearing my vision, only to find that it was coming from the moon. I glance over the tall glass window and see shining red moonlight seeping through the panes.

It is a full-blood moon tonight.

Groaning, I let my body flop down on my king-sized bed, shuddering in intense pain.

As I curl up in my bed, my body suddenly turns cold. A chill runs up and down my spine as I move around the bed, breathless. Pinching my forehead, I shut my eyes trying to get some sleep.

A minute passed.

All of a sudden, I feel the most excruciating pain zap me to the bone, rattling me from the bed. As if I'd been struck by a bolt of lightning, making me cry out in extreme pain. I feel something inside me awaken. Eager and desperate for release. Whatever it is, it's telling me to get up and ditch the covers of my bed. I close my eyes before rubbing my temple, performing small circles on both sides. I continue rubbing my temple wishing it would make me feel better yet it does anything but. A few seconds later, the aching stops but the pain had gone now to my body, sending jolts of pain to each bloody part of me.

I grit my teeth in a bid to divert my attention, turning when the corner of my eyes catches the red moonlight, distracting me. Despite my refusal to follow the demands of that something inside me, I get up reluctantly and land my feet on the cold floor. I stare at the huge window, my body shaking violently amidst the frigid air.

Goosebumps cover my body. I knew I was shivering, but I also noticed it wasn't the cold that caused this. I wasn't sure, but I walked towards the window with my bare feet. I raise my head, staring up at the blood moon high above me. It's the first full-blood moon after a hundred years.

Suddenly, my breathing quickens, changing its pace the longer I stared. I let out a shaky breath, panting. The overwhelming feeling intensifies the moment the red moonlight shines upon me. My eyes widen when I realize my skin was glowing before the snapping sound of bones fills my ears.

Claws ascend from my nails as I grip the window ledge tight. They scrape on the wall, ruining the white paint. Blood was flowing out from my clawtips when another jolt of extreme pain shoots through my body, bringing me to my knees. I run my fingers through my hair, hoping it would lessen the pain. I could feel my head throbbing, and my body shaking uncontrollably.

Snap!

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" I scream from the top of my lungs 'til it left me trembling and panting in my position.

I hear the door to my bedroom slam open abruptly, my Mum and Dad marching their way toward me in a hurry. The lights flick open, blinding me for a moment as I gather my bearings.

Just then, the deafening sound of bones snapping and cracking fills the room instantly.

"What in Goddess' name is happening?" From the soft, feminine voice, I could tell it was my mom.

"Eleanor?" Dad called.

Their voices sound muffled and broken in my ears, and I groan. The pain building up inside me was getting stronger and stronger the longer I knelt on the solid, icy floor.

"Don't come near me!" I shouted, letting out a thunderous growl which surprised me more than it did them.

I could hear them gasp when my body forces my hands to drop so that I was standing in all fours. The next moment, my blurry vision turns darker, sharper, and clearer than it ever did before.

I can sense their eyes widening while they stood there, gawking at me.

The sound of my clothes shredding as the shifting process began startled them. Their watchful eyes never left my body, and they stared hard and cold at me, which I didn't understand why.

I felt as if my head was one square inch away from exploding, like a ticking bomb counting down until it beeps loudly to say, "it's the end of the world". My world.

Closing my eyes, I surrender myself to the bone-crushing process of my first turn.

At this point, I knew my wolf was coming at the mere age of 13. All werewolves from the Alpha bloodline did, whereas other werewolves of beta to omega blood typically shift much later or just after their 18th birthday.

My mother screams just when the pain finally subsided inside me. I open my eyes, seeing only my mother's chest and my father's too.

I knew I was already in my wolf form, but why am I staring down at my mother? Her eyes widening in shock.

The pain that was making my head spin crazily two minutes ago unexpectedly stops, as though it never even happened. Everything moves in slow motion as time freezes like ice,

"Victor! Your daughter---"

"I know Sandra!" My father snaps. A low fierce growl fills the room and that was the first time I heard my dad yell at her for years. The power exuding from him seeped out of the walls and floorboards, spreading throughout the entire pack house. I could feel his intense fury burning through his amber eyes, yet no matter how I look at him, I couldn't tell exactly what was inside his heart.

I blink at them, staring at me in a state of anger and shock. My eyebrows furrow at the disgusted look my parents' faces were throwing at me.

I cock my head a little, wondering if I had done something wrong to irk them.

They don't look happy at all when I turned. But isn't that normal for werewolves from the Alpha bloodline? Something tells me there's more to it than that.

From the corner of my eye, I caught my reflection in the big mirror. I turn my head and glance at it, wanting to see my wolf.

My eyes widen just the same as my Mom and Dad did the first time they set their eyes on me. My jaw drops before I felt my body freeze, shocked, speechless.

My eyes are a pair of bright gold, with a touch of orange resembling the beautiful scenery of the setting sun.

It was the rarest mix of eye colors a werewolf can possibly have.

Werewolves are supposed to have the same color of eyes as their wolves. Mine are originally blood-red. But on the good side, I had big and strong paws. Long claws. Soft, bouncy fur that wrapped my body completely. I was bigger and taller than the other she-wolves I'd seen in this pack. But, one thing that really puts me off, the only thing that looks and feels wrong about my wolf is its fur.

Blood red. I hurriedly peered over my shoulder, gazing down my spine which confirmed my whole body was covered with blood-red fur.

No, no, no, no, NO!

It can't be. My wolf.

It's the same blood-red wolf from the legend!

"Eleanor." I heard my father call out to me but I was too busy staring at myself in the mirror.

"Eleanor!" This time I darted my eyes at my father, clenching his fists firmly by his sides. His face seemed really disgusted, annoyed. Most of all, I felt his utter disappointment. It broke my heart to a thousand pieces.

After I turned, my father stepped away from the room, turning to the guests, and declared that his only daughter was wolf-less, crowning me as the freak of the pack.

In their eyes, I was basically a human. A human that they can criticize and do anything they want with. To my father, shamefully an eyesore and the biggest disappointment this pack has ever seen. He would rather tell them that than the truth. That I turned out to be the cursed blood wolf from the legend.

Either way, I'm damned.