Lenor and Jeaoul prepare a bed for me in their home, and somehow scrounge together some clothes that fit me relatively well, even if they are a little loose.I take my first shower in probably three days, and after, I feel like a new woman. Yes…a woman. I’m not eighteen just yet, but I have grown since I left home. I have become a whole other person—a werewolf—and have attained a fresh identity.I sit in my room with my journal. I have so much material for my play now, but that isn’t my focus. I need to work out my thoughts. After all, so much has come to light in the past twenty-four hours. My parents are not who I thought they were, and one of them even tried to kill me. Then there’s the whole werewolf thing, and I’m not even some plain-jane one at that.It’s a lot to process, but now that my shock is wearing off, I can think about things rationally. The pack is going to expect me to stay and fulfill my duty. The wolf in me wants to, but I have a whole other life I can’t disappear f
When I walk out, I’m on cloud nine. Not as a Luna, or a werewolf of any sort, but as a teenage girl in love.And there is my boyfriend—my love—waiting for me, his hair a sexy mess and a feverish look in his eyes. As I walk toward him, a life together flashes before my eyes: Us getting older, having children, finding our way together…forever.I don’t know if it will be like that, but in the moment it’s the only thing I want to think about.He takes my hand, playfully swinging them back and forth as we walk to the outer perimeter. Then we take a turn into the woods. “I thought we could use some privacy,” Alex explains.“Whatever happened to the rogues? Did you find them?”“I don’t think we found all of them. There were thirteen there. But we left a message for any that returned.”“Do you think they’ll be a problem?”“Charles thinks they won’t be an issue now that Ryan is dead, and we’ve cleared their camp.”“I hope he’s right.”“Me, too.” He kisses me on the head. “Have you noticed…” Al
“Ahhh…” I exhale bliss when we stop. “Thank you, Alex.”“I know you need to go back to your mom soon, so I’ll do everything I can. But you will eventually have to come back to your pack.”“Yeah—I know. I just have to figure out how to do that. What to tell my mom and when to make that break.”“Just remember, I may not be able to go with you…at first.”“Oh, no—Michael!” How could I have forgotten? “Is there a cure for Wolfsbane?”“If there is, it probably died with the wolf that poisoned him.”“I’m ssso sorry.”“Yeah…we’ll deal with it when we get back. But I probably can’t go back home with you, to live anyway. The pack will be my home now.”Finally, this seems to be a good time to ask him about us. I need to know how he feels…what he thinks.“Where does that leave us?”“I’ve given this some thought. Once you turned, it all made sense: my attraction to you, my inability to leave you alone.”“But what about Rita?”“Yeah…about Rita.” He pauses to organize his thoughts. It’s almost like
We return to the base in time to go to my honorary dinner. Which is terrible.No—it’s actually very nice. Extremely thoughtful. It’s just awkward to be thrust into a position you know nothing about and to have to tell them you don’t intend to stay. At least not for now. If I can get my words together, I hope to be able to make them understand.When Alex and I enter the Meeting Hall, everyone is there. Tables have been set up with food, and my stomach growls at the thought of getting to slaughter some meat. Literally.Yeah, it’s weird for me.Everyone stops and looks at us. I smile, cordially, though I’m sure my face is red.Lenor comes to my rescue. She rushes over to me, takes my hand, and leads me to the other end of the table.I know from the last pack dinner I attended that the opposite end is where the leaders sit: the Alpha and his family.I see Rita on that end, along with two empty chairs.What I don’t see is an Alpha because there isn’t one. I’m afraid I know where they’re go
With no need to fear future attacks, we are set to leave the next morning. I meet with the Elders first so we could work out the details of my absence. Charles is also there, and there is a very informal “changing of the guard,” so to speak. He already knows his duties, so anything they explain to him is merely formality.For the first time, I feel a part of them. I may not know hardly anyone in the Malkeye pack, but I know this handful of Council members and they treat me like an equal. It makes me feel so included.And so grown up. Will my mother even recognize me? Of course she will, but will she notice any changes in me? I hope so…and for the better.The Elders and Charles also see us off. I feel like Charles and I have a connection, especially since he’s the first one to recognize me for who I am. I should be able to trust him while I’m gone.Rita and Alex wait until we’re out of town to shift.“I know it may take you a while to figure it out, and I didn’t want you to have to fig
That afternoon, I prepare to make my transition home.I talk to my mom and tell her I will be back within the week. I can hear the relief in her voice and it makes me yearn to see her. To be honest, I appreciate her even more now that I know she chose to keep me and love me as her own, though I’m disappointed she never told me the truth.I also text Hailey to tell her that camp is almost over. When I first left, I told her I didn’t know how many weeks I would stay to allow some leniency and to keep her from getting suspicious. She’s excited to catch up, and I promise to call her when I get back.That evening, we return to see Michael, who is looking substantially better. He’s sitting up and some color has returned to his face. He also already has a visitor. Sitting on the side of his bed—holding his hand—is Rita.Then it hits me. She didn’t want Alex because she’s already in love…with his brother. I can tell, because the look in her eyes is the same one I see in the mirror.Alex, my s
Alex talks to Michael for hours, leaving me to guess what is happening and eventually causing Rita and me to fear if something has gone wrong.Eventually, Alex returns to his parents’ house. I’m sitting at the table with his parents and with Rita, barely touching the plate of food in front of me. In fact, Mr. Hewlett is the only one who seems to have an appetite.Tala rises as Alex approaches. “Let me make you a plate,” she says before turning to walk away.“Don’t,” Alex says, causing her to stop in her tracks.She approaches him and places a hand on his shoulder, searching his face. “You need to eat something.”“I don’t have an appetite. I just need some time alone.”She lowers her hand and locks her fingers together, resolved to . “Of course. I’ll have something in the refrigerator for you when you’re ready.”I want to follow him to his room, but I don’t know if that would be appropriate, and he doesn’t ask for me. He simply walks away, followed by the sound of a door shutting. The
I spend the next few days at the Ayzena camp watching and learning, soaking it all in. Tala is very good about ingratiating me with the knowledge of everyday life in the pack, the roles that different members take on, and what is expected of a Luna.Each pack member has a role within the camp, similar to that in a human community. There are farmer werewolves—which is a crazy thought to me—who raise more than vegetables; in fact, other than a few staple staples, they spend most of their resources raising livestock like cattle, pigs, and chicken.“One thing that makes us different from humans is that we need almost twice as much protein in our daily diet,” she tells me. “We don’t get all of it from meat, of course. We actually eat a lot of eggs.”“Do you drink milk? A lot of humans do…for the protein.”Tala laughs. “No, dear. Drinking the milk of another animal is disgusting. No offense, but we’ve never understood why humans do that. Once our young wean from our milk, it is omitted from