I'M FLORA

FLORA

CHAPTER 1 — Hello, I’m Flora

FLORA

Hello!

I’m Flora.

Yes, Flora.

Flowers, plants, trees…

It’s not exactly difficult to guess what my mother was thinking when she gave me that name.

But you haven’t heard the funniest part yet.

I’m a botanist.

Yep.

A botanist named Flora.

I have to admit, my mother Katherina was remarkably good at planning my future.

Although if you ask my father, Alexander, my mother was already imagining me inside a greenhouse before I was even born.

And what did I do?

I went and studied botany.

But I didn’t stop there.

I also graduated in geology and environmental science.

So here I am, twenty years old, with three degrees.

A little excessive?

Maybe.

Do I regret it?

Absolutely not.

Because I love learning.

The cellular structures of plants, the mineral composition of soil, how rocks form, how ecosystems function…

All of it.

But now I’m going to tell you something much more interesting.

I’m not human.

Yep.

You read that correctly.

Not human.

I’m a werewolf.

But not an ordinary werewolf.

I belong to one of the world’s oldest wolf bloodlines.

Asterion.

That’s our pack’s name.

Sounds pretty impressive, doesn’t it?

I think so too.

Our pack consists of forty-one members.

We’re not particularly large.

But we’re close.

My father, Alexander, is our Alpha.

My mother, Katherina, is our Luna.

And me?

I’m the youngest member of the pack.

By a very, very long way.

Because before I was born, not a single baby had been born into our pack for one hundred and seventy years.

I know.

It sounds a little sad.

But there’s a reason.

We live long lives.

Very long lives.

Three hundred, sometimes even four hundred years.

But having children is extremely difficult for our bloodline.

For years, my parents believed they would never have a child.

Then, one night…

I was born.

The entire pack got the biggest surprise of their lives.

Because I wasn’t just a baby.

I was also the fulfillment of a prophecy.

Yes.

A prophecy.

An ancient bloodline.

Three goddesses.

Moonlight.

And the markings that appeared on my skin the night I was born.

Now, let me give you three names.

Selene.

Artemis.

Hecate.

Sound familiar?

Selene, goddess of the Moon.

Artemis, goddess of the hunt and the wilderness.

And Hecate, the ancient goddess associated with magic, the night, and hidden paths.

I carry a fragment of all three of their powers.

But don’t misunderstand me.

I’m not a goddess.

And I’m not their daughter.

I’m Flora.

The youngest member of the Asterion bloodline.

Just a little more… unusual than most.

So how did my pack know?

My tattoos.

Yes, I have tattoos.

And I’ve had them since birth.

Black markings cover parts of my arms, shoulders, back, and other areas of my body.

At first glance, they look like ordinary tattoos.

But they’re not.

Because they hide writing within them.

Letters.

Symbols.

An ancient alphabet.

The Moon Language.

The Asterion bloodline has preserved it for generations.

It even has its own alphabet.

Don’t worry.

One day, I’ll share that alphabet with you.

But not today.

Because I haven’t even finished packing my dorm room.

Priorities, my dear readers.

Priorities.

Anyway.

My tattoos are normally black.

But when I use my powers, they glow silver.

Just like moonlight.

The first time they glowed, I was thirteen.

Until then, the markings had remained completely black.

My family knew that was how it was supposed to be. According to our ancient records, my powers weren’t meant to awaken before my body had developed enough to withstand them.

The first night they began glowing, my mother cried.

My father was speechless for quite some time.

Me?

I stood in front of the mirror, staring at the lights dancing across my arm.

Then I asked the most important question of my entire life.

“Mom, these won’t wash off, right?”

Yes.

I actually asked that.

Hera still makes fun of me for it.

Because it was hilarious.

Oh!

Hera!

I haven’t told you about Hera yet, have I?

Hera is my wolf.

My other half.

And the most stubborn creature I’ve ever known.

I’ll take that as a compliment.

Of course you will.

Hera and I can communicate inside my mind.

Sometimes, we even think the same things at the same time.

We grew up together.

We trained together.

We fought together.

And, of course, we run together.

Are you wondering what Hera looks like?

Then let me describe her.

First, Hera is pure white.

But not just any white.

Her fur is so luminous that it looks as though it was woven from moonlight itself.

Especially at night, when she stands beneath the Moon, she almost seems to glow.

Her eyes are silver.

And she’s enormous.

Seriously enormous.

But that’s not even the most interesting part.

Hera has tattoos too.

Yes!

The same ancient Moon Language markings that cover my human body also appear on hers.

They run across her shoulders, legs, and back.

The black markings stand out beautifully against her snow-white fur.

But when we use our powers…

Those black markings begin glowing silver.

Just like mine.

They look better on me.

Hera!

What? I’m telling the truth.

I’m not arguing about this.

Because you know I’m right.

See?

This is what I deal with all day.

Anyway.

Yes, I can transform into a wolf.

Whenever I want.

And I absolutely love transforming.

Especially when I get to run through the forest behind our home beneath the moonlight.

But there’s something a little different about my transformation.

Nobody can see me while I’m shifting.

No, don’t misunderstand.

I’m not permanently invisible.

When my transformation begins, a special shield forms around me.

An ancient protection.

A seal that we know is connected to Hecate’s power.

The shield conceals me from the outside world until my transformation is complete.

No one can see my human body change into a wolf.

For a brief moment, it’s as though I’m hidden from the world’s eyes.

Then the transformation ends.

The shield disappears.

And Hera emerges.

With her brilliant white fur.

Her silver eyes.

Her ancient tattoos.

But that doesn’t mean I can transform wherever I please without worrying.

Because once the transformation is complete, Hera becomes visible.

And let’s face it…

An enormous white wolf, covered in ancient black symbols that practically glow beneath the moonlight, isn’t exactly going to blend into the background.

That’s why I usually transform only at home or within our pack’s protected territory.

Especially in our forest.

There, I’m free.

Hera is free too.

And neither of us has to hide who we are.

Now, let me tell you another of our secrets.

Nobody outside my pack can sense Hera’s presence.

Yep.

When other werewolves meet me, they assume I’m wolfless.

But not every member of the Asterion Pack can.

It’s unique to me.

Everyone else in our pack has a wolf.

They can all transform.

And other werewolves can sense their wolves normally.

But they can’t sense Hera.

We know why.

It has something to do with the night I was born, the markings I carry, and the powers of the three goddesses.

But I’m not going into the details just yet.

After all, if I reveal every single one of my secrets in the first five minutes, what will we talk about later?

Hera isn’t particularly happy about it.

Because everyone thinks you’re wolfless.

Let them think that.

It’s ridiculous.

Maybe.

We could show them.

No.

Just once.

Hera.

Fine, fine.

By the way, I should make something else clear.

I don’t need to transform into Hera to fight.

I can fight in my human form.

Because I’ve been training since I was little.

In our pack, we don’t discriminate between men and women.

We have female warriors.

Male healers.

Female engineers, male teachers…

Everyone is free to pursue whatever they want.

Nobody looks down on anyone else.

We don’t swear at each other.

We don’t insult each other.

Of course, we argue sometimes.

But we never forget to show respect.

And that’s why I love my pack.

We’re not simply a group of werewolves living on the same land.

We’re a family.

A rather large and slightly overprotective family, actually.

Especially when it comes to me.

Because I was the pack’s only child.

I’ve grown up, turned twenty, earned three degrees…

But to them, I’m still little Flora.

Anyway.

I’ll tell you much more about my pack later.

Because right now, I have a far more serious problem.

I need to empty my dorm room.

Two suitcases were sitting on my bed.

Three cardboard boxes were scattered across the floor.

Books covered my desk.

My potted plants lined the windowsill.

And there I was…

Standing in the middle of the room, holding a sock decorated with little pink rabbits.

Was this mine?

Yours.

Hera!

You bought it last winter.

Did you really have to remind me?

You said the rabbits were adorable.

Fine!

I threw the sock into my suitcase.

Just then, the door opened.

“Flora!”

I turned my head.

My roommate, Emily, walked in holding a cup of coffee.

“Oh, my God! You’re still not finished?”

“I’m almost done.”

Emily stopped in the middle of the room.

She looked at the suitcases.

Then the boxes.

Then me.

“I think your definition of ‘almost done’ is a little different from everyone else’s.”

“Eighty-seven percent complete.”

“Flora!”

“What?”

“Who calculates percentages while packing?”

“Scientists.”

Emily rolled her eyes.

I was going to miss her.

Really.

She’d been my roommate for four years.

She had no idea what I really was.

But that had never been a problem.

Because Emily was a good person.

A little too curious, perhaps.

Especially about my tattoos.

“By the way,” she said, sitting on the edge of my bed, “I’m asking one last time.”

I sighed.

“The tattoo artist?”

“Yes!”

“No.”

“Flora!”

“Emily!”

“Why is it so difficult to tell me where you got such beautiful tattoos?”

I smiled.

“Because it’s a very special place.”

“Where?”

“My mother’s womb.”

Emily burst out laughing.

“You’re absolutely impossible!”

“Thank you.”

“That wasn’t a compliment!”

“I decided to take it as one.”

My phone rang.

Mom’s name appeared on the screen.

MOM ❤️

“Hi, Mom!”

“Flora, sweetheart! Are you ready?”

“Almost.”

“Have you eaten?”

“Mom…”

“Flora.”

“Yes, I’ve eaten.”

“What did you eat?”

I glanced at the cracker packet on my desk.

Emily looked at it too.

Our eyes met.

“Carbohydrates.”

My mother sighed.

“Flora, please don’t tell me you’ve only eaten crackers.”

“I had coffee with them.”

“Flora!”

“I’m kidding!”

Well…

Not entirely.

But my mother didn’t need to know that.

“Your father is waiting for you,” she said.

I smiled.

“In the garden?”

“Of course.”

“Is he preparing something again?”

“Maybe.”

“Mom…”

“It’s a surprise.”

Oh, wonderful.

The Asterion Pack and surprises.

A dangerous combination.

Because when forty adult werewolves decide to organize a surprise, things can get a little out of hand.

But I loved them.

Every single one of them.

“I’ll be home this evening,” I said.

“Be careful on the road, sweetheart.”

“I will.”

“We love you.”

“I love you too.”

I ended the call.

For a moment, I stared at the screen.

I was finally going home.

Are we going to the forest? Hera asked.

Of course.

Are we going to run?

Yes.

Are we going to shift?

Hera, the moment we get home?

Yes.

I want to hug my mother first.

And then?

Then my father.

And then?

Then I’d like to eat something.

Flora!

Okay, okay!

Then we’ll go to the forest.

Hera fell silent, apparently satisfied.

Emily looked at me.

“Talking to yourself again?”

“Old habit.”

“One day, I’d really like to know what goes on inside that head of yours.”

I smiled.

“Trust me, you don’t.”

I sealed the final box.

Then I turned toward the plants on the windowsill.

“All right, little ones. We’re going home.”

Emily shook her head.

“You’re really never going to stop talking to plants, are you?”

“Nope.”

“They don’t answer you, Flora.”

“Exactly why we get along so well.”

Emily laughed.

And so did I.

Then I took one last look around my room.

Four years.

I’d spent four years here.

Three degrees.

Countless exams.

Sleepless nights.

Laboratory work.

Field trips.

Mineral samples.

Plant collections.

And far too much coffee.

I was now a scientist who had completed her education in botany, geology, and environmental science.

I could examine a plant’s cellular structure, evaluate the mineral composition of soil, explain how a rock sample formed, and investigate the causes of change within an ecosystem.

I could do those things because I loved learning.

The powers I’d inherited from the goddesses hadn’t handed me my degrees.

I’d earned those degrees myself.

I grabbed my suitcase handle.

“Ready, Hera?”

Since the day I was born.

I smiled.

“Then let’s go home.”

I closed the door.

And walked away from the little dorm room where I’d spent four of the best years of my life.

I thought about the forest waiting for me.

My mother.