Introduction
For the last century, we have had peace. Peace between the lycan packs, as well as peace with other supernatural beings. The Elder Council settles any disputes between the lycan packs, and other supernatural’s rarely attack us. But my pack was attacked a year and a half ago, and no one has ever told me why. We had no ongoing conflicts with other packs in the area, nor with any other supernatural creatures.
To this day, the Elder Council insists we were attacked by rogues or a werewolf pack, but both are impossible. While some rogues will work together for survival, they only look out for themselves and take orders from no one. I know what I saw that day, and the attack was too calculated to be rogues.
As for the werewolves, the sad tales of our wars with them can be found as far back as our history books go. Although we are both born of the Moon Goddess and are considered cousins of the shifter world, we’ve never been able to put our differences aside.
We’re stronger and faster than our werewolf cousins, and our lycans look like actual wolves, but we’re bigger. We run on all fours and have the ability to shift at any time. Werewolves, on the other hand, cannot control their shift and must turn on the full moon with less enhanced abilities than us. Lycan elitists consider them a lesser species because they appear more human than wolves when they shift. They also stand on two legs, like the werewolves depicted in human horror movies.
That’s how I know they weren’t involved because it was wolves who came that day. They assassinated our Alpha and Gamma, as well as innocent pack members. We were one of the country’s strongest packs, and yet we never saw it coming.
I will never forgive myself for leaving my father on that fateful day. As Gamma, he had ordered me to the northern part of the territory to help others, but when our Alpha was killed, we returned to help. When we got back to the main fight, though, my dad was shot and killed. My father was my hero, and I can’t move on until I find those responsible for his death. So tonight, I leave the safety of my pack and territory to find answers, and I will not return until I have avenged my father.
But first, let’s go back to the night my story began…
Chapter One—First Shift
Eight Years Ago
‘Wake up, Athena…’
My eyes flutter open, and I sit up, rubbing my eyes, adjusting to the darkness in the room as I search for the voice that woke me.
“Hello?” I whisper, my heart beating faster as I realize there’s no one else in my room. The full moon shining brightly through my window is creating scary shadows, and I pull my blanket up to my nose. “Mommy?” I whisper a little louder. “Mommy, was that you?”
‘It’s okay, Athena, I’m here now,’ I hear a soft voice say.
I scream in fear and hide under my blanket. “Who… who said that?” I call out as I start to cry.
‘I’m Enyo. I’m your lycan, Athena,’ she tells me, and I realize the unfamiliar voice is in my head.
“What’s happening, Enyo?” I ask her. “Why did you wake me? How are you here?”
‘We’re shifting!’ She says excitedly, and I gasp.
“But… No! I’m not old enough!” I panic. “I’m not ready for that!” I cry harder.
‘The Goddess wouldn’t make you shift if you weren’t ready, Athena! So, we will do this together!’ Enyo says, trying to calm me down.
I suddenly feel an intense pain in my back, and I scream in agony as my back arches and my bones crack, making me fall off the bed and onto the floor with a thump as my body convulses.
“Athena! Is everything okay?” My mom asks as she rushes into the room and turns on the light. I try to answer her, but I can’t control my body as my muscles continue to contract and spasm, and I scream as she looks down at me in shock.
I hear my mom gasp, and she runs from the room. “HECTOR! SHE’S SHIFTING!” I hear her yell out to my dad.
My dad runs into my room a minute later, my mom right behind him, and when he sees me hunched over in pain on the floor, his face turns white. “This can’t be happening!” he yells. “She’s only ten years old!”
I scream again as my spine cracks and breaks, and it feels like my skin is ripping apart, like my bones are tearing through my skin.
“Elena, go get a cool washcloth,” Dad tells Mom as he rushes over to me, gently lifts me from the floor, and places me back on my bed. Then he pulls the blankets off my bed as he mind-links someone in the pack.
‘We can do this, Athena! But you need to focus on what’s happening,’ Enyo says, trying to calm me down.
“It’s okay, sweet pea. Your body knows what to do. Just try to focus on your breathing. What does your lycan look like?” Dad asks me as Mom comes back. She sits on the floor next to my bed and wipes the cool washcloth over my face and arms.
“I don’t… know… what… she looks like, daddy,” I say between sobs.
“Ask her. She will tell you,” Mom says softly.
Before I even ask, Enyo tells me what she looks like. ‘We’re beautiful, Athena! Our fur looks like the night sky, black with silvery flecks through it that make us shimmer like stars!’
I close my eyes and try to focus on what Enyo described, but the pain is so bad that I can’t.
I hear my parents’ front door open downstairs and footsteps coming up the stairs. A few moments later, the pack doctor and Beta Damon come into my room.
“Are you sure she’s shifting?” Beta Damon asks my parents. They both nod, and I feel pain in my fingers as they extend, and my mom cries out in pain. I look down and see blood coming from her hand where my new claws have cut her.
“I’m sorry, Mommy! I didn’t mean to do that!” I sob and pull my hands away from my parents, so I don’t hurt them.
“It’s okay, honey, you didn’t mean to,” she says as Doctor Apollo comes over to my bed and looks at her hand, but she’s already healed. He kneels next to my mom on the floor and opens the small doctor’s case I’ve seen him carrying around. “I’m just going to check on a few things, Athena. Just try to relax,” he says and smiles at me.
He checks my temperature, then shines a light into my eyes, but frowns and puts the light away. “Hello there, young lycan. You’re here early, it seems,” he says. He turns to Beta Damon and nods. “She’s shifting alright. Her lycan is trying to come through,” he says.
“Have you ever heard of this, Apollo? I thought pups could only go through their first shift when they turn sixteen?” Beta Damon asks, his arms crossed as he leans against the doorframe.
“It’s unusual, but it happens,” Doctor Apollo says as he watches me with his eyebrow raised. “Not usually this young, though,” he says, rubbing his chin in thought.
I lean forward onto my hands and knees as my bones break more, trying to shift into my lycan form. I cry out as I feel the muscles in my back tear and then go back to normal again, then I feel the bones in my feet trying to move and change into a paw. But just as it feels like the bones might be in place, they snap back to normal.
“I can’t do this, Daddy!” I scream. “Make it stop!” I beg him as I cry. The pain is unbearable, and I lean over the side of the bed and vomit from the pain.
#
Three Hours Later
“There must be something wrong. Why hasn’t she shifted yet?” My mom asks the doctor.
“Some lycans can take hours to shift their first time. This isn’t unusual,” he says to her.
I feel so tired as I lie on the ground on my side, hugging my knees to my chest. Enyo has been trying to talk me through the shift. She even tried to take over and force the change, but my body refused to shift all the way.
“Mommy,” I whimper.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re so close. Just try to push through it and visualize what your lycan looks like,” Mom says.
“Doc, she’s exhausted. Isn’t there something you can do?” My dad asks Doctor Apollo.
“She does seem to be struggling more than most do. It may be because of her age,” he says, tapping his chin in thought. “We might need Alpha Niko,” he says, looking at Beta Damon. “He can force the shift with his aura.”
Beta Damon nods, and he mind-links with the Alpha of our pack.
I groan as I feel my bones breaking again. My body feels like it’s on fire. Mom tries to rub my arm, but I scream at her to stop. Anyone touching me feels like a knife is cutting into my skin. I roll onto my hands and knees as my back arches again, my spine trying to break and bend into my lycan form. Everything around me seems to fade away as I feel my neck extend, my jaw break, and my muzzle form. This time feels different. It feels like the shift is going to happen. My legs bend and snap, growing longer, and I look down as my arms break and black paws appear in place of my hands. But then, just like every other time tonight, everything starts re-breaking back into my human form, and I cry out in pain.
‘WHY CAN’T WE SHIFT ENYO?!’ I scream at her while crying again.
‘I… I don’t know Athena,’ she whimpers, and I feel her lie down with her muzzle on her paws like she’s given up.
Just as everything goes back into place in my human form, it starts again. “No, not again. I can’t do this.” I sob as my spine breaks and shifts. “Daddy, please! Please make this stop!” I beg him.
“ATHENA! SHIFT!” The powerful voice of Alpha Niko echoes around the room. His Alpha aura washes over me, and it happens. I finally shift. I feel everything click into place and I fall onto my stomach, panting. Two black paws are in front of me as I open my eyes, and I gasp, but it comes out as a slight growl.
‘Enyo, we did it!’ I say to her excitedly, and I look at my dad.
“I’m so proud of you, sweet pea. Now try to stand. You may feel a bit wobbly being on all fours,” my dad says, giving me a big smile.
Alpha Niko and everyone are smiling at me as I look around the room.
I nod my head and try to stand. Wow, this is weird. My legs shake, but I stay standing. I look down at my front legs and paws and see our black fur. ‘Wow, Enyo, our fur is so pretty!’ I squeal in delight.
‘Told you so!’ Enyo says proudly.
I look back at my mom and freeze. Her mouth has dropped open, and she looks like she’s going to cry. ‘Why is she looking at us like that?’ I ask Enyo.
‘I don’t know.’
I look at my dad, and he seems surprised. So do Beta Damon and Alpha Niko. Doctor Apollos’ eyebrows crease as he looks me over.
‘What’s wrong?’ I ask them through mind-link.
“Erm, nothing sweety. You’re just… Well, you’re quite big. Even for a Gamma pup,” Mom answers, looking to Doctor Apollo.
He nods. “This could explain why she was having so much trouble shifting,” he says. “Her wolf is almost as large as an Alpha pup.”
‘Really?’ I ask
I walk over to the mirror in my room and look at our lycan form. Enyo’s fur is jet black and shimmering in the moonlight coming through my window, and there’s a white spot on her forehead that looks like a crescent moon. I close my eyes as Enyo suddenly pushes herself forward, and I feel the shift complete as our souls connect, and we become one.
I gasp when Enyo opens her eyes, and ice-blue eyes look back at us.
‘Your eyes, Enyo! Why aren’t they yellow?’ I ask her.
‘I don’t know, but aren’t they pretty?’ She exclaims.
‘Mom? Dad? Why are our eyes different?’ I ask them both through mind-link as I turn around, casting a blue glow over the room.
My dad shakes his head and turns to face my mom. Mom clears her throat. “I’m sure it’s nothing, honey. It’s probably just because you’re so young,” she whispers, looking at Doctor Apollo again.
He looks at me with curiosity. “I can honestly say I have never seen or heard of this,” he says as he kneels in front of me. “I’m going to have to look into it.”
‘Who cares! Let’s go for a run!’ Enyo says impatiently.
‘Okay, let’s go!’ I giggle, and we rush out of my bedroom door and down the hallway. But as we get closer to the stairs, Enyo realizes she’s going too fast. She tries to slow down but ends up slipping on the hallway rug, sliding past the stairs, and crashing hard into the wall with a yelp.
Present Day I wake up startled and panting as the memories of my first shift start to slowly fade to the back of my mind. ‘What the fuck was that?’ Enyo asks. ‘That would be a nightmare, Enyo,’ I say as I breathe deeply, trying to calm my pounding heart. I wipe my forehead, and my whole body is covered in a layer of sweat as I remember the pain from that night. ‘No shit, sherlock,’ she says sarcastically, rolling her eyes. ‘Why are you dreaming of our first shift? That needs to be locked away and never thought of again.’ ‘It wasn’t all bad. Our first run was fun,’ I say as I get up out of bed to pee. ‘Okay, so remember that part and forget the rest,’ she demands. It’s my turn to roll my eyes. ‘Like it’s that easy,’ I huff. ‘Whatever. Happy Birthday, by the way.’ I stop washing my hands and look up into the mirror, my green eyes changing to blue as Enyo pushes forward. ‘Do you think we’ll find our mate straight away?’ She asks excitedly. ‘We don’t have time for a mate,’ I sigh
‘Is now a good time to say I told you so?’ Enyo asks, her hackles raised. ‘Not helpful,’ I tell her, my heart hammering in my chest as I turn slowly to face the house, finding an old man standing at the front door with a pump-action shotgun aimed at us. “Mr Stokes?” I call out, “My name is Athena Argos. I’m just here to talk to you.” “I know who you are, mutt. And you’re not welcome here,” he says coldly. “How did you even find me?” “Derek Williams gave me your address,” I say calmly, and the old man looks surprised by that. I raise my hands above my head and step around the front of the truck. “Mr Stokes, if you know who I am, then can you please tell me what you know about what happened to my pack? Derek said that you might be able to help me.” He studies me for a moment before responding. “Arrogant, little she-wolf. Just like that Alpha of yours,” he says as he spits on the ground. “Niko thought he was above it all. But we showed him,” he says as a cruel grin spreads across hi
‘Athena, it’s been two hours, and he still hasn’t called back. We need to get into his office and see if there is anything in there we can use,’ Enyo nags me. ‘I’ve left him voicemails. He’ll call back soon. He always does.’ ‘Athena, get the hint. He is not calling you back. So, let’s go around to the back door of his office and see if we can get in.’ I cave and get out of the truck and go around to the back of the building. I find the back door to Derek’s office and try the door handle. ‘It’s locked, just like the main door. What now?’ I ask Enyo. ‘Do I really need to answer that? Break it down!’ I take a step back and kick the door in, and I walk into Derek’s office, but stop immediately. The whole place is empty, besides Derek’s desk, a coffee table and filing cabinet. “What the fuck?” I say, surprised. I take a few more steps into the room to look around. Every drawer of the filing cabinet in the corner is completely open, and there are random pieces of paper spilled on t
3 weeks later I slam my fist down on the table in the motel room. “This is useless. We’ve visited five different packs, and no one will talk to us,” I say, frustrated and tired. ‘You can’t really blame them. From the little we have found out, what happened is a tragedy.’ “Well, someone needs to talk. How are we supposed to find out who did this if they refuse to talk about it?” ‘Who are we meeting with today?’ Enyo asks as I stand up and pack my things into my backpack, getting ready to leave. “The Moonstone pack. Let’s hope they’re willing to talk,” I say as I pick up my backpack, leave the motel room, and head to the truck and get in. I throw my gear onto the seat, start the truck, and head towards the Moonstone territory. # I travel south along the old highway until I finally come across the turnoff we need. I pull onto the old dirt road and find an SUV parked on the side of the road. The young guy standing near the vehicle waves me down, so I pull over and wind my window d
2 years ago ‘Let’s go down to the lake,’ Enyo suggests. ‘That training kicked both our asses.’ “Dad! We’re gonna go down to the lake for a swim. I’ll see you later!” I yell to Dad, who is training with some young pups. “Okay, sweet pea, I’ll see you for the afternoon run,” he yells back. I run into the tree line and strip down, putting my clothes in the small tool shed we use to store our things when we shift so we don’t shred our clothes. We quickly shift, and I let Enyo take control. She’s so graceful, considering her size. We run through the forest at full speed with little effort. Then, in no time at all, we’re jumping into the cool water of the lake. Enyo swims to the edge of the lake, and we shift. I dive back into the water, and I float on my back, enjoying the cool of the water and the sun shining down on us. ‘Do you think the training is going okay with the pups?’ Enyo asks. ‘If Dad needed us, he would have said so.’ ‘I know, but he seems to be slowing down a bit
Present Day I wake up to my stomach grumbling. It’s dark out, so I lean over and grab my backpack and get my phone out. Goddess, it’s 3am. I’ve slept for hours. I get up to pee, finding the ensuite on the other side of the room. When I’m done, I go to the sink and wash my hands as I look at myself in the mirror. My eyes are puffy and red from crying, the remnants of the nightmare still lingering in my mind. In the mirror behind me, I notice an oversized shower with various jets and decide to take a shower. I grab a towel from the cupboard near the sink, undress, and turn the water on as hot as I can stand. Water shoots out of the jets in all directions and standing beneath them feels like heaven. I wash my long auburn hair and feel slightly better afterwards. When I’m finished, I exit the shower, wrap myself in the large fluffy towel, and return to my room. I unpack my backpack and find the extra clothes at the bottom. I put on my workout shorts and top, my runners, and head downstai
Sitting on the long metal bench in the change room after getting dressed, I take a deep breath. I don’t know what has gotten into Enyo. She’s always been aggressive, but her aggression seems to be getting worse. I lean over to the cupboard where spare sneakers are and put them on, then take another deep breath to calm myself down. I’m about to leave the locker room when the door swings open, and Catherine walks in with two other women. They walk over to the corner of the room, and I can hear them snickering and looking in my direction. I ignore them, open the door, step out, and find my way back to the gym. When I get there, I see Alpha Peter and Beta Jason in the middle of the room, talking to an older guy. Alpha Peter stops talking when he sees me approaching and crosses his arms across his chest. I bow my head as a sign of submission and stand in front of the three men. “Athena, I’d like to introduce you to our pack doctor, Doctor Shields,” Beta Jason says. Doctor Shields holds
I slump back in the seat. This is too much. “I don’t understand any of this,” I say. “We all have the same marking?” “Yes, and all of them are in the same place. We think this mark shows that you’ve been blessed by the Moon Goddess. Apart from your eyes, this shows that you’re a chosen lycan,” Luna Rachel says. “Chosen for what? Why would I, or any of the others, be chosen or blessed by the Moon Goddess?” “We don’t know why you’ve been chosen, Athena. At the end of the day, what matters is finding those responsible for the attacks, and that will hopefully get us to the bottom of this,” Alpha Peter says. “But how?” I ask. “I have no idea where I’m supposed to go from here.” “I contacted Nicholas Teresi this morning and asked him to come down. He should be here tomorrow,” Doctor Shields says. “What? I didn’t ask you to do that,” Alpha Peter says. “I thought it could be helpful to get them together, Alpha. To see if they can help each other,” Doctor Shields says. Alpha Peter