The Introduction

{ Lunanci }

Things I know about werewolves so far: they're high maintenance, rich and pampered. And mean. Except maybe the soft-spoken guy who told Rio he's being cruel to me, at least he has a bit of a conscience.

I have no idea where Tallahide is, but it looks like I'm going to that place full of other werewolves. I should be shitting myself because they're totally going to kill me over there, but to be honest, I'm excited. My stomach filled with butterflies just thinking about it.

All my life I've known there's more to life than just this. Whatever this is. I've always known that life couldn't be this boring, I've always known that there really are all these things that no one believes in. Except for me. Seeing a whole society of werewolves will be exhilarating, even if I end up dead because of it. I think it will be worth it to know that life is actually wonderful before I die.

"You're so right, Laurie. I'll do that," Rio agrees after thinking about it for a while, still eating the breakfast I prepared for him. Suddenly the energy around him feels more tempered, as if talking to his family has calmed him internally, "But I'll only come back once I find Alex. I can't leave him alone in here, what if he's in a situation similar to mine?"

"I highly doubt it," replies his evil cousin, Laurie, "Alex is way smarter."

"Hey! Can everyone stop praising him like he's the best thing in the world?" Rio spits with annoyance, "He does stupid things too, I don't know why no one seems to remember that. Anyway, the next point I need to talk to you about is that I need money. As much as you can send me. My fucking bitch of a mother cut me off."

Laurie lets out a loud laugh at that and teases Rio for a while, but he agrees to send him money and Rio relaxes when he ends the call and gets a notification, probably the arrival of his cousin's money.

"Can I have my fifty dollars back now that you're rich again?" I ask once he's done, "I need it more than you do."

"Sure, Lunanci," he replies with a mocking laugh and I know he wants to say something mean about my pathetic fifty dollars, but he stops himself from doing so, "Now that that problem is over, I have to get back to the main task and go find my brother. You said you can help me, so let's do it."

"Yes, but I have to go to work first," I say, Rio gives me a tired look. I know what he'll say, "We don't know how long it will take us to find your brother and I can't just put my responsibilities aside. I have clients who need me. We can look for your brother after three in the afternoon, after my session ends, then I can close up.”

"Don't think you're smarter than me, I won't let you go to your shop on your own. You'll just escape," he assures, but the truth is, I won't. At no time have I planned an escape, my survival instincts simply decided they are not necessary in this situation. Maybe because this rich wolf is so... un-scary.

"Honestly, I don't plan on escaping. I want to go to that place, Tallahide. I want to see how werewolves live, I'm excited by the idea," I admit. Rio gives me a deep look, but he seems to believe me, "You can go to work with me, I can say you're my new assistant or something. Then I swear I'll give everything I have to find your brother."

"Hmm... okay, I believe you," he agrees with narrowed eyes.

Like I said, Rio isn't scary. Now that I've heard him talk to his cousin, Rio is even less scary to me because seriously they both sound like a couple of stupid kids who want to kill me to protect a secret, which I understand. Although... I think the moment he lost all his power to scare me was last night when I saw that he needs to sleep with a mask on and hugging that pillow he had stuffed in his backpack.

Whatever it is, I just feel excited about this whole situation. I feel special, like the universe is giving this unique experience to me because I deserve it after begging so hard to find something out there that makes me feel like this life is worth living.

Once we finish breakfast we get ready to go and we leave my apartment. This morning there are a lot of people out and about, so I can see how everyone looks at Rio as if they can't believe that such an attractive man is walking around these parts of town.

They're right, I can't remember the last time I've seen someone this... beautiful. Magically beautiful.

Rio has a beauty that I can't even begin to describe, there's something in his eyes that shines in a different way. I've never seen that in someone before, but his whole aura draws stares and attention, even though he doesn't seem to notice it.

"What are you selling all this for?" asks Rio as soon as we enter the shop, "All of this… it's stuff a witch would use, no? Why are you selling it to normal people if you’re the witch?"

"Everyone can make use of these materials, they are just... instruments to channel energy. The candles, the crystals, the cards, all that can be used by anyone. I don't use them because I was born with different abilities, but they help a 'normal person' work with the energy in their environment and they pay me to teach them how to do it," I explain, Rio nods, "I'm going to set everything up for my session. You can sit on the couch."

"Okay," he agrees easily and does exactly that while I start sweeping and arranging what I need. Half an hour later, Julie comes into the shop.

"Hi, Luna," she greets me in a sing-songy voice, taking off her giant fur coat to toss it onto the couch like she always does, except this time it lands directly on the man sitting there, "Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there."

"No worries," Rio mutters through his teeth, stretching the coat back to Julie with a grimace. As soon as she grabs it, Rio waves the air in front of his nose as if he can't stand the smell of something.

"Who's that boy, Luna? You finally got yourself another boyfriend?" she asks, putting her coat where it should go.

"He's my cousin, he's from Alaska," I lie immediately, lighting the incense.

"Wow, really? You don't look even a little bit alike," he says looking from him to me, studying us.

"I'm adopted, Julie, remember?" I reply, Julie nods but she can’t stop looking at him, "You can sit now. I'm ready to get started. My cousin will sit there quietly, pretend he's not here."

"It's hard, your cousin is..." she murmurs, still looking at him. Rio put on the headphones he brought from my house so he can't hear us, so now Julie has no shame, "Fucking hot as hell. If you don't want him, put in a good word for me."

"Oh, Julie, he's gay," I say to get her to stop paying attention to him. Rio looks up at me then, as if he's heard perfectly, "Can we start the session?"

"The gays have everything I want, once again," Julie blurts out with a sad look, shaking her head and sighing, but sits in the chair anyway, "Okay, let's get serious now... I'm starting to feel bad again. A lot has happened, you're going to find out soon."

"Really? Okay, let's dig in," I tell her and start the white noise system before holding her cold hands.

Julie is a thirty-seven year old woman and has been a regular client of mine since I opened the shop almost a year ago. I personally think she should go to a psychiatrist to fix her main issue, but she would rather spend all her money on me instead. So I just treat her and help her as much as possible. Just these sessions with her keep my business going so I have no reason to deny her.

As usual, I am initially affected by Julie's horrible energy, and today is even worse than usual. She's right, I immediately realize what has happened now. Loneliness, this woman feels so alone and so in need of love, I do my best to wipe away her sadness.

I begin to visualize a little of what she has been through, the fights with her husband, the spiritual exhaustion that man causes her.

I have begged her to stay away from him since I met her. It's not like she loves him or they have a faithful relationship anyway, but that man is her main source of income and she can't leave him. So, I just do my best to cleanse the pain he causes her.

Little by little, the energy starts to change as I manage to cleanse it.

I open my eyes a while later when I feel Julie is better and once I let go of her hands, she lifts them up to wipe her tear-filled eyes.

"Feeling better?" I ask, Julie nods many times and gives me a sincere smile.

"Much better. Oh, Jesus, you're the best," she blurts out and gets up from her chair. I get up too to receive her hug as I do every time a session is over, "Thank you, my dear. I don't know what I would do without you."

"You're welcome, Julie. I hope things with Alfred get better," I say, stroking her back.

Julie says goodbye to me and gives Rio one last look before leaving. I just sigh, looking at the sleeping werewolf on my couch too.

I always feel drained after a session, especially with Julie, but Rio is sleeping where I rest so I have nothing left to do but just stare at him.

Something unknown makes me walk towards him and I raise a hand without being able to stop myself until I'm touching his forehead.

His energy feels good today, so good that I feel myself feeling... recharged. It's so intense that my knees go weak so I kneel in front of him and I grab his face with both hands to steal more of his energy. It's the best I've ever felt.

"Hello, Lunanci," I hear in my head again, loud and clear. It's a deep, powerful voice. My heart skips a beat because this has absolutely never happened before but I'm not as scared as I was yesterday and I manage to maintain the connection.

"Rio?"

"I am, but I'd rather you call me Alpha."