LOGINSophia
The Full Moon Ball is only a day away, and the pressure is on. Each year different pack hosts Full Moon Ball and this is year it is Redwood Pack's turn to arrange this annual ball.
My father is leaving no stone upturn to make sure our pack's Full Moon Ball is one of the best balls that has been witnessed in the years.
Determined to get through my day without drawing any attention, I keep my head low and busy myself with the long chores that I have been assigned.
My stomach grumbles with hunger but ignoring the hunger pangs I continue sweeping the hallways floors until it is shiny enough for people to see their reflection.
Standing up with a sigh, I pick up the bucket of dirty water and carry it outside to throw the water in the bushes before resuming the cleaning of the guest house where all the Alphas and their families will be staying.
As I am polishing the silverware in the dining room, I overhear some of the higher-ranking wolves talking about the guests who will be arriving.
"Did you hear? The Blind Alpha is coming," One of them whispers.
"Really? I thought he never attended these kinds of events," another replies.
A expression of disgust passes over my face when I hear them addressing the Alpha as the Blind Alpha. No one has the right to judge someone and especially labeling them. From what I have heard he is blind, but this doesn't mean that he should be defined by his disability. I quickly shake off the thought and focus on my work, determined not to let their gossip distract me.
As the day progresses, the guest house starts to take shape. The decorators hang lavish drapes, arrange elegant centerpieces, and ensure everything is perfect for the high-ranking guests.
I take a moment to admire the beautiful decoration and feel myself smiling at the thought how beautiful everything will look once moonlight will light up the entire place.
"Sophia! Stop lazying around and get back to work!" Cynthia's sharp voice reaches my ears, her eyes cold and unforgiving.
"Yes, Luna." Nodding my head, I head back outside to tend the garden.
My hands turn raw and bleed by the time I finish clearing up the weeds and picking up the roses from the garden for the vases.
Sitting on the steps, I bend my head on my knees as I feel dizzy because of the lack of food. I haven't ate anything for the past few days, but unlike last time this time I am allowed to drink water. And that is something helping to me suppress my hunger.
Letting out another sigh, I recall the rest of the chores that I have to finish before the sunset. The rest of the day passes in a blur of chores and commands. By the time the sun sets, I'm exhausted. I return to my room, collapsing onto my bed.
As I lay there, my mind drifts to the Full Moon Ball. It's a time when many find their mates, the one person destined to be their perfect match. A small part of me clings to the hope that my mate will come and take me away from all this.
Wrapping my arms around my stomach, I curl up on my side as the pain becomes overbearing. I have a wolf, and the lack of her presence is due to the fact that my father has made her dormant by not allowing me to shift. I have only shifted into my wolf once, and now I feel even she has left me because it has been years since I have felt her presence inside me.
I let myself cry for a few minutes, the tears flowing freely because the realization hits me that I don't have anyone with me; I am all alone, not even my wolf.
"Please come and find me, you are my only hope. I need you." Closing my eyes, I whisper to my probably non-existent mate, hoping that maybe by some miracle my longing will reach out to him.
LucasThe moment my feet hit the bottom step, my brain switches modes.Not panic. Not fear. Assessment.Places like this announce themselves, but they also lie. The trick is knowing which parts are real and which parts are trying to distract you. I take in the smell first because scent never lies. Old blood. Not fresh. Not recent. Dried long enough to turn sharp and sour, like metal left out in the rain. Rot layered on top of it, the kind that sinks into stone and never quite leaves. That tells me two things. This place has not been used in a long time. And when it was used, it was used thoroughly.Good to know.The hallway stretches ahead, narrow enough to funnel movement, wide enough to walk two abreast if you had to. Cells on both sides. Iron bars, thick, heavy, built to last. Some bent slightly inward, which tells me people pulled on them from the inside. A lot. That detail sticks. You do not bend iron unless desperation is involved.My mind pulls threads without me asking it to.
LucasWe sit around a small dining table in the kitchen, close enough that our knees almost touch when someone shifts. The room smells like herbs and heat and something familiar I cannot name, the kind of smell that settles into clothes and memory without asking permission. A large bowl of soup sits in the center, steam curling upward in lazy spirals. It looks simple. Everything here looks simple. That alone makes me uneasy.Ryan’s mother moves around the kitchen like she has lived in this exact rhythm forever. No hesitation. No searching hands. If you ignore the blankness in her eyes, the way her gaze never quite lands, you would never guess she cannot see. She reaches for bowls stacked neatly to her left, fingers brushing the rim of the top one like a quiet check. Five bowls. She does not count out loud. She does not pause.I watch her hands more than her face. The way she grips the ladle. The angle she tips it at. She pours soup into each bowl without spilling a drop, adjusting the
LucasAurora walks toward us before I can get my thoughts in order. I notice the way her steps shorten when she is serious, like she is conserving something. She stops in front of Ryan, tilting her head just slightly, eyes sharp but not accusing.“Your mother?” she asks. “But why?”Ryan swallows. I watch his throat work, the way his shoulders lift a fraction and then drop. This is not easy for him. Whatever he is about to say was never meant to leave his mouth.“I can’t tell you much,” he says. His voice comes out low, rough around the edges. “I don’t think I’d even know how to explain it.” He chews on his bottom lip, teeth catching skin, a nervous habit he probably hates about himself. “But I can take you to her.”Every instinct in me rises up at once. I open my mouth, already forming a refusal, already planning a dozen ways this could go wrong.I snap my head toward her. She is calm. Too calm. Not reckless, not naïve. Just certain. That is what gets me.Caleb stiffens beside me. I c
LucasCaleb rubs the back of his neck like he is smoothing out a bad idea, which is funny because he never regrets his bad ideas. His mouth is already tilted into that familiar smirk, the one that says he enjoyed every second of it. There is sweat drying at his temples, leaving faint salt lines that catch the light. He always looks like this after a fight. Too pleased. Too loose.“Did I hit you bad?” he asks.I snort. “You hit like a pup.”He laughs under his breath, shoulders relaxed, like we just finished sparring for fun and not because everything lately feels one step away from falling apart. “How about the elbow you caught in your face?”“Perfect placement,” I say. “I hope you enjoyed it.”“Barely felt it.” He shrugs, like we are talking about weather. Then his eyes shift, not to me, but past me. To her.Aurora is stretched out on the blanket a few feet away, one knee bent, hair lifting and falling against her cheek whenever the wind decides to toy with her. She is reading on her
AuroraI have been at this for hours.I know because the light has changed. It starts soft, gentle, brushing my skin like it is only passing through. Now it presses down, heavy and bright, sitting on my shoulders like it plans to stay. The morning slips into afternoon without asking me, and the sun turns sharp, almost rude.Sweat slides down my spine, collecting between my shoulder blades before trailing lower. My shirt clings in places I hate. My hair sticks to the back of my neck, and every time I move, I feel overheated and clumsy. I swipe my forearm across my forehead and immediately regret it because now my arm is damp too.I glance at Lucas and Caleb without meaning to.They look unfair.Both of them are sweaty, shirts darkened at the collar and chest, hair slightly messy. And somehow it works. Lucas stands with his sleeves pushed up, forearms flexed as he talks to Caleb in a low voice. Caleb is leaning against a tree, one knee bent, posture loose like this is just another after
AuroraLucas is sitting close enough that our knees touch when he shifts. Caleb is across from us, relaxed, joking, eating like this is just another morning. If I only look at the surface, it feels normal. Easy.But I know better than to only look at the surface.Lucas lifts his cup, takes a sip, then sets it down slightly closer to the edge of the blanket than before. Caleb’s eyes flick to it for a second. He does not comment. He adjusts the way he is sitting, one leg stretching out, the other bending. Lucas’s jaw tightens, just a little, then smooths out again.No words. Still, something passes.I keep chewing, slower now, letting my gaze move casually between them. Lucas nods once, barely there. Caleb’s mouth curves into a lazy grin that does not quite reach his eyes. I have seen that look before. It is the one he wears when he is thinking harder than he lets on.Mindlink.They call it that.I cannot hear it, but I can feel when it happens. It is like watching two people finish eac







