She danced around with the ribbons, spinning and flying, as her mother hummed to the song. The aroma of her mother's food covered the kitchen and could be smelt from miles away. If there was one thing her mother knew how to do like a pro, it was cooking. Too bad she decided against being a chef. The little girl was positive her father had quite a good time when he was alive.
Twirling on her feet, she shot her arms out, using the ribbons to grab a cup and a salad knife. Adjusting her body, she spun the ribbon, slicing the knife through the air with a smile on her face. She was getting better at this.
"Mother, I have a question to ask," she spoke, bending her body backwards as she spun the ribbon spirally above her. Her mother hummed. "How do I identify my mate?"
"It's easy," her mother smiled, "when you perceive the most intoxicating and pleasant scent, when the wind blows against you in a way you can't understand when you can't think of anything but that scent, just know that the owner of the scent is the one. And what do you do when you find him?"
She spun her ribbon to a stop. "I reject him."
_____
Another ridiculous day, only worse. Since the news of “The Steel” Alpha's agreement to visit our pack spread, the alpha worked my bones into making the pack perfect. Every one of them knew I was a perfectionist when it came to arrangement, so they had me do most of the work, so the pack would be organised enough to leave a good impression. The only good thing about it was that I was allowed to spend time away as a reward. Though I knew it wasn't. They didn't want the alpha to choose me, just in case none found their mates. “Who would see such a good servant and turn a blind eye?” Alpha Swindells had asked rhetorically.
So, waking up that day was splendid news, actually. I washed up and put on one of the few nice dresses I inherited from my mother. I brushed my hair, braided it and placed the braided tail over my shoulder and wore my only good shoes. It was the black combat boots a distant friend of mine bought for me. If I was lucky, she would swing by, though I doubted.
Her name was Scarlette. I met her a year after my mother died. She had wandered into the forest and found my quiet spot. For a human, she wasn't a bit scared to find a tattered girl in the middle of a forest. Somehow, I felt safe with her. She would tell me stories and jokes, and even if I didn't understand, it was good to listen to her speak.
At first, she would come every day, but when the Luna started noticing the barrier intrusion, Scarlette reduced it gradually until she only came around my birthday period and unpredictably.
I found out she was not as human as I thought she was. Scarlette is a dhampir. She, somehow, was more human than a vampire. Had the speed, strength, telepathy and more she didn't tell, and she only drank blood twice a year or once, if she didn't use her powers too much. Scarlette was also a hunter as she claimed, which I believed was because of how easily she slipped in and out of the pack.
So, with the hope that I would be fortunate enough to meet her and, at least, make my day less boring, I headed to the pond. My mother's short sundress was even shorter on me, but it was okay to wear since no one would be seeing me in it. As I got closer, I got a whiff of her scent. Zinnia whooped with excitement because Scarlette meant me shifting. Yes, Scarlette knew, but I didn't tell her, my wolf did.
It happened two years ago, on my mother's death anniversary. Somehow, depression pushed me to the back of my mind and Zinnia took over. She would have gone on a rampage if Scarlette didn't show up and stopped her. Fortunately, Scarlette promised to keep our secret, and that was when she told me her secret. The secret of her being a dhampir. No one knew, no one except her mother. She was some kind of forbidden dhampir, so keeping her identity secret was the only way to remain alive. We had something in common.
Returning to me being able to shift. Scarlette had far more heightened senses than mine. She could see things from five miles and perceive them as well—though my sense of smell was stronger. So, she could keep a lookout for me. Running into the pond surrounded by trees, I smiled when I saw her there, skipping rocks.
Just like her name, she had a hair colour the exact shade of scarlet, something she said she took from her father. Dark skinned like her father, but more beautiful than all the alpha's daughters put together. Her emerald eyes were the perfect touch to her beautiful features, along with her glamorous body. She was absolutely stunning and extraordinarily nice.
"There you are!" She exclaimed, looking at me over her shoulder. The sunlight reflected on her emerald eyes, a playful smile on her lips. "I've been waiting for ages. Did you know I came here yesterday? And the day before that? And that? And that?" I giggled. She smiled, turning around to face the pond. "It's so boring now I've quit my hunter career." She sighed dramatically. I walked up to her and tapped her, demanding answers to why she quit. "The old geezers got out of hand. Seven months ago, they planned to attack innocent werefoxes—" my gasp interrupted her. She laughed, already knowing why. Her laugh was every bit as beautiful as her soul. Sometimes, I wished I was as beautiful as her. The girls in the pack thought I was a threat, they hadn't even met Scarlette.
"Did I not tell you about werefoxes?" I shook my head frantically. Scarlette was the only means of information about the outside world I had, other than my books. I pulled her to sit down, ready for the long story of how she met werefoxes. "Well, I've met them once. And one time, when I went to Asia, I met a nine-tailed fox," she whispered. I gasped again, my eyes flying wide. Those are real? "Yes, I was surprised too. Anyway, I quit my job when they decided to hunt innocent werefoxes, but they still went on with the plan. My mother ended up reporting to the higher-ups but turns out they were aware. Then the foxes reported to their guardians, the red nine-tailed fox, the white and the three-eyed sun fox. To cut a long story short, most hunters are dead now, my mother too."
My eyes widened. She looked at me unsurely, sadness taking over her usual happiness. "You don't need to feel bad, the hunters killed her, not the foxes. So now, the hunter empire is practically closed. They couldn't even fight the three awesome deity foxes, and they ended things. It's good but bad. Now, I don't have a cover for my identity." She murmured. Not knowing what to do, I wrapped my hands around her shoulders for comfort. She smiled half-heartedly. Now, we had another thing in common: we both don't have a mother.
"You know, your Luna really needs to work on her barrier. It's so easy to pass through, I pity the safety of your pack." She voiced out suddenly.
Werewolves had a strong defence system. According to history, it started thousands of years ago. There were strange shadow beasts or something like that, but shadow creatures. They allied themselves with vampires, back when werewolves and vampires were at war. The werewolves were being slaughtered like meat. The goddess was enraged and made an agreement with some gods to convert them into blessings for the werewolves. The classification goes like this:
1. Soul warriors. When the mark appeared on their bodies, they became soul warriors. Soul warriors are warriors born to fight and protect their pack and alpha. There are three divisions of soul warriors. The first had their marking located on their left shoulders, gifted with silver claws and bite. They were called Silver Souls. Similar to how silver affects most supernaturals, their claws and bites were deadly. They were strong, really.
The second is Toxic Souls. Toxic Soul Warriors have regular claws and teeth when they shift, but each claw and tooth contain deadly toxins that cause immobility, loss of consciousness and sometimes, even death—depending on the warrior and the opponent. For example, a markless wolf will die from the warrior's toxin, while it will only weaken an alpha, temporarily. But if the warrior is independently stronger, the toxin can paralyse an alpha. Their mark is located under their jaws.
The third is fire souls. They are naturally hot, claws as hot as a blacksmith's iron. Their claws looked normal, but it was strong enough to slice through walls and, sometimes, metal. They were faster than the others, smaller wolves but with stronger senses. They could also inburn their opponent when their claws make contact with flesh. They are immune to a toxic soul warrior's toxin and can ward off the effect of silver by heating their inside to a reasonable degree to push it out. That's what makes them stronger. The fire souls had a strong loyalty towards their alpha, making it almost impossible to get them to betray the alpha. The alpha's words are their life. Their markings are on their right shoulder.
2. The Warrior Captain. Armed with the ability of the Silver Soul and Toxic Soul or—in rare cases—fire soul. Because they had both strong toxic silver, fire souls weren't immune to their attacks. They also had quicker agility and were faster than a fire soul. Their mark is found on either side of their arms. There can only be one Warrior Captain in a pack, and it wasn't hereditary.
3. The trackers. They were faster than all except the alpha and Beta Male. They could track by breathing in a spot and exhaling through their snouts, creating a mist of images that replays whatever happened there. They could also see things no other could see, hear further than the Luna and Beta and some, more than the alpha. They weren't much of a fighter, but they were strong. Their marks were either on their feet; ankles or heels.
4. The Guard-Gifted. The Guard-Gifted were shifters solely dedicated to the luna. They obeyed the alpha, but their full respect was to the Luna. Their ability is intense strength and gravity. They are huge, taller and stronger than all, including most alphas. Their wolves are gigantic. They mostly guard the barrier and the alpha house—if he has a luna. They scared the shit out of me. Their mark is found on the back of their necks.
5. The healers. You can already tell what their use is. The healing ability is a hereditary trait. There are three types of healers: herbalist, curing and healing aura. They are like doctors but advanced because they add their abilities to their treatment to make it faster and more resultful than human doctors. However, their healing is levelled to intermediate, which means they can't cure cancer or raise one from the dead. They are useful, though, especially aura healers. Their marks are on their forearms.
6. The Beta. Basically, the Beta is a fire soul and a toxic soul put in the body of a Guard-Gifted—a shorter, less huge version. That's the best way to describe them. Their mark is found on their chest.
7. The Luna. Once one becomes a Luna, She automatically gains the ability to create stronger barriers for the protection of the pack and empathic healing; to heal the emotional pain of others to a limit. Although an alpha can create a barrier, without a Luna, the barrier is weak and vulnerable. So yes, a Luna is essential to a pack's protection. Their mark appears on the back of either palm or—in rare cases—their hips or breasts.
8. The Alpha. Now the alphas were given much more power than the others as the head protector of the pack. Especially back then when survival depended on him or her. The alpha has lesser barrier magic, a few had toxic claws stronger than the warrior's and the rest put together; strength, command, speed and kinetic abilities ranging from sound, coal, objects, wood, metal, telekinesis, chains, and plants. Then some alphas were gifted with rare abilities like silver, fire, shadow, thunder, earth, wind, water, and ice. My alpha and his ass of a son had coal at their command. But no alpha had more than two abilities—the least. However, Alpha Ajax had more than two, and most were whole new kind of abilities. That is why he is most feared. Their marks are located on the side of their neck or their backs.
In the world of werewolves, your strength is by your number, your alpha, and his mate. Among all those abilities, all the markings, I had none.
Along the streaming river, across a log of wood, one boy hopped on along the log, practising his balance. Another jumped from one rock pad to the other, while the third walked in the river, unperturbed by the current of the cold water or the fact that the river covered half his ten-year-old body. Among the boys, he moved without a smile, his eyes dull of every passion and emotion, the opposite of the boys in his company. The boy on the log waved his hands frantically, pretending to catch his balance. The one in the rock did the same thing, causing both of them to giggle. "Oh, stop being so stiff, Drix, have some fun," "We are late for training, again. I'm starting to think letting you two pull me away for lunch isn't much of a good idea. You both keep getting me in trouble," The boy in the water spoke blankly. "So what? It's not like the trainer is ever early. Loosen up, grouchy. If you keep going on like this, you'll scare your mate away when you meet her," "There's no need to wor
"Sapphire, my darling, there's something I want to tell you," the woman spoke softly, running her nails into her daughter's hair. The girl hummed, though she was drowsy and her mind fogged with sleep. "You shifted quite early, dear, but your wolf will never be able to identify your mate until you turn eighteen. If you find your mate before then, you will still feel the pull, you will still see him as the most attractive specimen in creation, that is if he is older and his wolf recognises you first. Please, dear, when you do feel like that, run away as far as you can." "Why, Mummy?" "Because if you don't identify the sign before you turn eighteen, he would have already imprinted himself in your heart, making it impossible for you to ever escape him and thereby triggering the curse. So please, never forget this valuable information, okay?" "Yes, Mother." The child murmured, every bit of her mother's warning going away with her thoughts as she fell into a blissful evening sleep. _____
She stared up at the stars, the fading twinkling stars in the night sky. Her head lay on her mother's lap, her mother's fingers raking through the soft threads of her hair and crooning. Just like every other day, she was in thought, thinking of her future and how it would play out; in every possible way. "Mother," the woman looked down at the small child. "Do you think we will ever leave this pack? I don't like it here," "If our destiny is to leave, then we will leave. However, I would prefer not to," the girl tilted her head back, blinking her curious eyes at her mother, "this pack is as ignorant as a blind fish. They don't care about anything else but themselves, which makes it easier to hide your identity and secret. I'm afraid that if we were to move to another pack, they might not be as oblivious to reality as this one. Some would be able to smell your lies, and if the alpha is strong enough, your wolf," "So if the opportunity presents itself, I shouldn't leave?" She asked sadl
"Monsters? What do you mean by monsters?" The boy asked his father in confusion. His father sighed, turning away fully from the window. He took slow steps towards his crying son and lowered himself to the boy's height. Reaching forward, he daintily wiped off his tears, forcing a smile on his sad face. "We are monsters by heart, for we kill with no remorse, slaughter with no soul and wield powers different from every other generation of werewolves, especially you. We are monsters because it's our path, and like every monster, we cannot love." "B…b…but Mum is your mate, you love her!" The boy cried distraughtly. "No, I chose her, but never loved her enough, or at all. If I were her mate, why then did she leave when her original mate appeared? Where is your mother if she is my mate?" He knew what he was doing, it was done to him and the alphas before him. It was a culture, their way of life; their tradition. However, unlike the rest, he wanted his son to hope, even if it would be tarni
Humming to herself, she swayed herself to and fro on the swing, using her legs as a powerful momentum to push herself forward. The other kids stayed away from the swing, just because the quiet belligerent girl was there. She didn't mind, it was better that way. The less company she has, the fewer people know about her… “condition”. Maybe one day, just one day, she'll be able to have a friend that will understand her and love her for who she is. "Darling!" The shrill voice of her mother echoed in the playground. Turning her head, she located her mother standing at the entrance/exit of the playground, waving her hand vigorously. A basket of green apples was in her other hand, swinging and hitting the side of her leg due to her energetic movement. The girl smiled, admiring the beautiful yellow flare dress on her mother's body. She made that dress for her mother. Jumping down from the swing, she smoothened her little pleated red skirt with a little dust and ran over to her mother. "Hello
She lay on the bed, kicking her legs in the air as she coloured her drawing. It didn't come out as planned, but it did look similar to what she pictured in her head. Her short hair was messed up and unnecessarily filled with pins. She hummed, tapping her chin thoughtfully with her head tilted to the side to observe her work. It was still missing something. Sunshine. She picked her yellow coloured pencil and drew a big bright sun. Once she was done, she sat up, sitting on her knees and holding the drawing book up. The little girl in a sunflower dress and bright red heels, playing under the big bright sun, was happy. She had nothing to worry about, she had no fear and felt no pain. The girl was surrounded by friends, all three skipping along with her in their floral dresses and their different shoe colours. They were skipping to her mother, who sat under the only tree in the drawing, smiling with her head tilted upward to the sun. The people in the picture were happy, free, and surround
Do you know that feeling when you are not used to something? How do you feel when something you are used to doesn't happen as expected? Well, that is how I felt. I was bothered beyond reasoning. Why was he being so nice? People aren't that nice. I was a hundred percent sure he didn't know I could shift, Zinnia was sure too. Then what? I wasn't feeling any amorous intent from him. Trust me, I would know. My mind flooded with thoughts as I arranged my clothes, and then I showered. I mean, I had my own modern en suite with a large tub and everything was good. I wasn't used to such luxury, not even when my mother was alive. After washing up, I dressed up and lay on the bed to rest my head. But then, the soft bouncy bed was just too comfortable, so I slept off with my legs hanging from the edge. When I woke up laying properly in the bed, the sheet over my body, I was stunned by how I felt. No one can ever get close to me when I sleep, let alone, touch me. I was always jumpy, always on ale
She stared at the night sky, the few stars twinkling above the full moon. The moonlight shone down on her as if paying her and only her attention. She chuckled amid her gentle crooning, turning her gaze to the head on her thighs. His soft red hair lay scattered on her thighs, her fingers rubbing the surface of his hard but raspberry-scented scalp. She always loved running her fingers into his hair. The man lay on the ground, one leg crossed over his propped-up knee, eyes closed and fingers drumming on the ground. He could tell she was trying to cover up her worry, trying to hide the fact that the news of her pregnancy wasn't bothering her at all. He knew otherwise because he knew her; he felt her. She was the other piece of his soul, his life, his dream. He knew exactly what was bothering her, he knew she had the right to be worried, but he also wanted her not to. Why worry about what is inevitable? Why worry about something that would happen in years? Having the strong urge to calm