LEAVING
Standing atop one of the vast hills, I feel the lush grass underneath my unnaturally dark paws. Staring over the beautiful one thousand acres (well it’s much more than that in all actuality) all belonging to me…well basically.
My father is the alpha of this pack, the Bloodmoon pack, unfortunately I’m not next in line: I have an older brother. It wouldn’t have even mattered if I had have been the first born anyways because I’m a she-wolf and you know how it always goes for the she-wolfs: you find your mate and are forced to move over to their pack.
‘What a load of Shit!’ I accidentally think through the pack link.
Just then a chestnut wolf steps out from behind the trees and sits next to me, ‘What’s gotten into you, well this time I should say?’ My best friend Spencer questions while looking over the scenery with me.
Shaking my head and tilting it down, I lower my ears, ‘Oh just thinking about politics.’
Standing to my feet I begin to paw at the ground. Turning towards Spencer I eagerly ask, ‘Do you want to race back?’
‘Whatever you want to do? It is your birthday today,’ he points out.
Bending low I get ready to push off with my back feet in a sprint, ultimately securing my win, ‘Yeah, yeah…Lets just go already!’ I remark impatiently.
‘Fine. You ready?’ he asks meeting my side.
I briefly glance at him, ‘Yep. Go!’ I say and push off with my back legs as I begin our race.
Feeling the wind rush through my fur and the burn of my muscles as I blur through the evergreens almost not seen; which is normal for me, but not for any other she-wolf in history.
I first turned at the age of fourteen, like every other werewolf does, but I knew something was wrong when my father, the Alpha was shocked. I then looked down at my paws and instead of seeing white or tan like every other she-wolf, I saw pitch black.
The he-wolves turn colors like brown or my father is ash gray, but it’s extremely rare to find a black werewolf; in fact I’ve never met one.
So imagine the shock when I, a she-wolf turned out to be not only dark but a black werewolf.
Honestly it wasn’t as much a shock to me as it probably should have been. I am a daughter of an alpha, which happens, obviously, just not that often; we’re usually born to Betas. Then there’s my disability that I’ve somehow been able to hide from my entire pack…well except for my family, our pack doctors and my best friend Spencer, I spend too much time with him for him to not have picked up on it. My disability is the reason I don’t know if I even want a mate, everything I feel, they will feel, and I would never want to do that to someone; I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.
Finding my clothes right where I left them, I transform back into my human form, and quickly change into my black sweats and tennis shoes meeting Spencer on the path leading towards my humble abode, I punch him in the shoulder, “You didn’t let me win did you?” I tease.
Scoffing, “Why would I do that, you cheated as usual!”
Chuckling I wrap my arm around his shoulders, “Man I’m going to miss you!”
“Well that’s easy just don’t go,” he tries to convince me again.
Putting my other arm around him so I’m now hugging him while stumble walking towards my house, “You know why I have to go.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’ve told me, you want to see more than just these lands. Hey, maybe you’ll be mated to me and then you won’t want to leave!” he suggests stopping and looking down at me.
Letting go and staring at him, “I’ve already thought about that…you’re going to be my brothers Beta so there’s a high chance I could be mated to you. Which, don’t get me wrong, I would love, but you don’t ever want to leave these lands. You’re perfectly fine never leaving here, and you need the time to get ready to be Beta…” looking down I add, “instead of getting mixed up with all of my problems.”
Using his finger to push my chin up, “You listen to me, anyone that ends up mated to you is the luckiest person on earth. Know that! Disability or not I would gladly be mated to you and your future mate better feel the same, or I’ll kick his ass!”
Beaming up at him, “And that’s why you’re my best friend…and why I’m leaving before eleven fifty six tonight!” I admit as he takes a couple of steps away from me, “That way if we are mated neither of us will know, because your birthday is tomorrow morning.”
Turning away from me I watch him start to walk away, “Hey Spencer, I’m only going to be gone for three years, I’ll be back for the ritual and then we’ll know for sure. If you haven’t found someone else who is your fated mate that is,” I say grabbing his shoulder.
Turning around I can see how furious he is making me instantly back up, having him follow suit, “You think I want to wait for three years to find out if you’re my mate or not? I don’t want you to be away from me for a day, let alone one thousand and ninety five days. And running away so you don’t have to know if you’re mated to your best friend is just ridiculous! No scratch that you’re just being a coward!” he angrily states staring me down as he pins me against a pine.
His arm leaning against the trunk above my head, his six foot body so much taller than my five foot four frame. Pushing my long wavy dark-brown hair out of my copper face, the color that all of our pack of werewolf’s have. I bat my eyelashes at him, “I have to do it that way. As it is I can barely stand leaving, especially you Spence, I wouldn’t be able to tear myself away if you were my mate. And for your sake I pray to Selene that you’re not!” I admit ducking out from under his arm and putting my hair up in a ponytail.
Following behind me, “Fine! But has anyone told you that you, Serene Bloodmoon, are the most stubborn werewolf on the planet?”
Smiling over my shoulder, “Why yes, yes they have!” I answer as I get told that on a weekly basis, if not daily.
Walking into what some would call a mansion, but to me I call home, and to whoever decides to come and visit, it’s their temporary bed-in-breakfast. So even though it is a mansion it can seem a little too small sometimes, depending on how many werewolf packs decide to visit. Which is why my father, dedicated the south wing to be our family house so we have some privacy, along with the Alpha and Beta offices that is. Which is probably how Spence and I became such good friends is because his father is my father’s Beta, so he is always over here, seeing that we both don’t have mothers.
Grabbing Spencers hand for support I walk down the maroon rugged hallway over hardwood floors I’ve spent years figuring out how to get down without hitting any of the hidden creaks. I’m sure my father payed extra to put in just keep his daughter from sneaking out, but unbeknownst to him, he failed miserably.
Finding the intimidating maroon door leading to Alpha’s office, I glance over at Spencer’s comforting smile, as worried butterflies swarming in my stomach. He then asks, “Are you sure you want to go in there?”
Rolling my eyes, I turn the copper nob opening the door and sticking my head in, “Are you ready for me?”
“Yes. Come in!” Alpha’s deep voice commands.
Inching into his office I let Spencer in after me.
Finding a spot on the wall I lean against it staring at my father as he looks down at the stack of papers that are covering his huge oak desk. Standing next to him is my older brother, only by a year but even if it was a minute: older is older in the werewolf world, and therefore makes him next in line to lead.
After a deafening moment I break the silence, “So you said you needed to talk to me before I left?” I ask rocking back and forth on each leg nervously hoping he’ll still let me leave.
“Yes, I do! And stop fidgeting, it shows weakness,” he commands smiling and glancing up.
Standing to full height, he grabs something off of his desk before stalking around it stopping right in front of me, “I was actually just looking at battle strategies with your brother and we’ve decided that you deciding you wanting to leave can actually help us; if you decide to take on an immense responsibility by taking this with you, that is?” he questions handing me the item he had grabbed from the desk.
Grabbing it from his hand I look down seeing a necklace made out of faux silver. Dangling down from the snakelike chain is a dangling about one inch white stone with silver vines encasing a stone holding it in place so it doesn’t fall out.
Taking a closer look at the stone I see the shimmer of blue and orange rainbow. Hitting me what I’m looking at, and what their asking me to take makes me almost drop it, “NO!” I say shaking my head and begin to repeat, “no, no.” As I try to back up forgetting I’m already against the wall.
“Why would you give me this?” I question my eyes way bigger than they should be.
Grabbing my hand he closes it around the necklace. “Thayer’s coven has gotten too close to breaking through our barriers while trying to get the moonstone already. The stone is no longer safe here anymore. The safest place for it is to be with someone I trust where they can’t find it. And since everyone in this office is of Alpha or Beta blood, no vampire can compel the location of the stone out of any wolf, because no compellable being will know it’s current location. You know as well as I do, alpha and beta blood can’t be compelled.
“Which means that not only can no one know that you are a werewolf, but if for some reason they find out, they definitely can’t know you are of alpha blood, or more importantly, that you have that stone!” he explains pointing to the moonstone in my hand, as I stoically nod my head in understanding.
“I know you can do this Serene, for all of werewolf kind!”
Ugh, Thayer! The King of Vampires…Talk about my worst enemy. He’s a born vampire instead of a made one, which means he’s stronger. Some werewolf’s say the strongest, with the biggest coven around, and for some reason wants our moonstone, but has luckily failed every attempt at getting it.
I listen as my father is apparently not done, “Now we’ve had our witch put a cloaking spell on the stone so they won’t be able to find it, and once it’s around your neck nobody and I mean nobody will be able to take it off of you until you yourself take it off.”
Putting the two ends together I feel a spark as the magic intertwines the chain to itself. I grab at the necklace, fidgeting with the stone as my father grabs my hand, “Don’t worry you’ll get use to it and don’t worry about when you transform, because of the magic our witch has promised that it will expand so it won’t chock you and will be covered by your fur…if it does show you’ll just be the best dressed werewolf in history; because you wanted another thing to make history for right!” he jokes with a wink.
Chuckling, “Yep that’s me,” I sarcastically remark.
Grabbing my shoulders, “You just have to be back here in three years for the moonstone ritual, so that’s as long as I’m giving you to travel and see as much as you want, hopefully getting whatever this is out of your system, before you absolutely have to be back here and possibly find your mate,” he says embarrassingly glancing at Spencer. “You only have three years you hear me!?”
“I got it. I’ll be back in three years!” I agree.
“And another thing,” he says dropping his hands and running them through his hair.
After a long silence Ean walks up taking his spot his hazel eyes matching mine staring me down, “What he’s having a hard time saying is to watch out for the bloodsuckers! They’ll be where you least expect them. Some of them live among the humans, and we have yet to figure out where their base is, if they even have a base.”
Nodding, I try to act calm as this is the most responsibility I’ve ever been given. “I will watch out, but are you two positive I should take this?” I ask holding up the moonstone.
My dad, looks up and answers using his alpha voice he shouts an order, “YES!”
I then watch him rub his temples calming himself down, “It’s the safest away from here,” reaching out and fixing it around my neck, “and it will just look like a normal necklace to everyone out there, unless they know different.
“Now remember if you do get found out and caught we can’t come to get you,” when I started squinting my eyes in a glare questioning him, he starts to explain, “if we did it would show them that you’re someone important to me and you’d be in worse danger.” Grabbing my shoulders he gives me a tight smile, “So don’t get caught!”
He then lowers his head, “But on the off chance that you do remember the first thing they’ll do is try to compel you, so you have to do your best to convince them you’re compelled because you’re life will probably depend on it.
“I love you peanut, have fun out there okay! And I’ll see you in three years.”
After a brief chuckle I sigh, “So what I’m hearing is Thayer’s waaayyy closer to getting what he want’s than you’ve been letting the pack believe, and if I get taken I’ll get to get tortured until he decides he’s done with me with no hope of help coming?”
I begin to nod, “Great departure speech Alpha, I could’ve done with an ‘I love you and be careful out there,’ but I guess I needed the whole gory version.”
Smiling he kisses me on the forehead, “Exactly! I love you and be careful out there.”
Extremely unamused I retort, “Gee thanks!”
Alpha turns around and walks to the other side of his desk. He then leans over in his black suit grabbing something off of his chair, and upon seeing it a smile covers my entire face, “Even though you’re not staying for your party I thought I’d still get you a piece of cake…and you of coarse have to blow out the candle,” he says as Ean walks up with a lighter lighting the purple candle on the chocolate piece of cake held in front of my face.
“Make a wish!” The entire room says in unison.
I wish these next three years are unforgettable! I think to myself with closed eyes. Once I’m finished making a wish on my candle as if I’m a little girl again, I open my eyes finding the targeted flame and with a quick puff of air it’s extinguished.
Smiling at the piece of cake, I look back up at my dads mirrored face. Walking around plate I wrap my arms around my fathers muscular frame, “I love you father!”
Feeling one arm wrap around my back, “I love you too kiddo!” Peering up at him, “Well you better get going if you don’t want a chance of seeing any werewolves on your birth time, I just can’t believe you’re already nineteen. I’m just sorry your mom isn’t here to see how amazing you are!”
A smile tugging at the sides of my mouth, “Me too dad,” I remark.
Walking around him I grab Ean into a hug, “I’ll see you later Ean, I love you!”
Patting me on the head, making me feel way to short, “Love you too little sister.”
Shaking my head, I turn seeing Spencer, “I’ll walk you to the car,” he sadly remarks.
Reaching my standard Bloodmoon pack black Jeep, I unlock the doors and start to pull open my door before I see Spencers hand slam it shut right before my eyes.
“You never let me say my goodbye!” he says leaning against the drivers side door, “You know I really hate this idea of yours,” rolling my eyes I fold my arms across my chest and listen to what he has to say, “but I know it’s what you feel like you have to do, and so I’m just going to leave you with the reminder to be safe and remember you can never drive on a full moon.”
“I know, I know! Thanks for worrying about me. I really do have to leave though!”
He nods his head and starts to push off of my car saying, “I know, but I also wanted to do this…” he says grabbing my head surprising me by crushing his lips against mine making my head begin to spin.
Pulling away, “I’ll see you in three years Miss. Bloodmoon…” he says cockily walking backwards away from me, “Oh and make up a different last name while you’re out there, Bloodmoon is too obvious to the bloodsuckers,” he remarks grinning and turning strutting away while I’m still shocked and frozen in place.
Once he’s completely out of view I get my barring’s and open the car door slightly speeding to make it out of werewolf territory before it hits eleven fifty six, knowing I just made it as I see the fireworks meant for me explode in the sky through the rear view mirror as I speed away.
