It was still bright out when the moon first peeked into the sky. Such was the British summer months. Despite daylight lasting longer, it didn’t seem to affect the ritual’s process at all. We gathered everyone around the circle that Sam had drawn on the ground while Rem and I stood at the north and south spots of the circle, not quite inside it, but close enough that when our blood was spilt, we would already be within the correct spot for our blood to be. Sam and Ken stood on the east and west spots and between the four of us, we lit a candle for each hour that got closer to midnight, going in the right direction for the rising and setting of the moon. It wasn’t a complicated ritual, but it was imperative that the candles remained lit and the timing was not off by more than a minute at most. Meanwhile, the werewolves had to meditate and pray to the moon Goddess for as long as the ritual took place. If one of them faltered

The next morning, Rem and I had woken up to the sound of kids play-fighting outside of our room. We had spent the night in one room of the guest house. That way, the pack got used to our presence as their new leaders. Though with our bonds forming and growing stronger, it wasn’t really required for us to do so, however, Rem was adamant about doing so. I turned over to cuddle up next to him. It was still too early for me to get up and too late for me to go back to sleep so I laid there, happily taking in this feeling of belonging. If I woke up like this every morning, then I could die a lucky man indeed. Rem was still asleep. He had spent the remainder of his energy last night dealing with some other issues that had to be done before he could rest, so I dared not wake him up just yet. We could start training the werewolves later when he was well-rested. Besides, if it meant I got more alone time with him, then I’d do anything to give myself that

All around me is fog as thick as soup, but I don’t care. My enormous paws lead me towards something or someone in the distance, as my tail behind me wags happily. I can’t wait to get to where I am going. I easily navigate the dark woods, as whatever draws me towards it calls out my name on the wind.I leap over a large tree root with ease and continue my journey towards that which summons me. As I near the edge of the woods, I slow down, but my excitement remains as wild as the very nature that surrounds me. I see a figure not far off, waiting for me.Gently, the figure says, “listen my child, I am the voice of your history.” Their words are like a melody in the wind. I can’t tell who they are yet, but they are familiar to me.I pause at the edge of the tree line and look around. Nerves wrack my body, even as my excitement grows. I am panting heavily from the length of running I’ve had to do to get here.

As the day drew to a close, the Hunters seemed confident that Rem could keep the werewolves in line with his wishes. Of course, the youngest children were harder to control, but they were zero threat to the Hunters and they understood they were just average children in the times they were merely overtired or fussy about certain tasks.With permission from Mrs Emerson, the werewolves could transform so long as they remained within the gardens and did not stir up any troubles with the Hunters. It was a large test of trust she was offering them, and it was only possible because of Rem. It really pleased me to see the two groups were slowly coming to trust one another, though we still had a long way to go.It was entertaining to watch the younger werewolves transform for the first time and the new bodies they had to get accustomed to. I looked back fondly on the first time I had transformed. Back then I had zero balance on all four paws and the momen

As I rounded up the werewolves to head back into the guest house, things ran smoothly. The children were, as before, harder to order about, especially with how excited they all still were, but thankfully their mothers were there to help move them along. I couldn’t help but smile at their enjoyment of being allowed to transform for the first time. I knew the pack at some point would want to leave the guest house and go back to their own homes, or find a new home for themselves once things were safe, but I wasn’t sure what Rem and I were going to do about that. I hoped they’d be able to stay here in Cardiff and the surrounding areas, but I couldn’t assume the Hunters would allow that now that the pack had regained their wolves and abilities. As the last few returned to the guest house, I turned my attention to the main mansion and hesitated. Something felt strange. It hadn’t been more than an hour and a half since Rem had left to deal with the ca