Chapter 1 - A Deadly Wolf

LUNA ASTERBELLE'S POV

 

Today marks the third day before my debut. I have anticipated the celebration to the point that I have prepared for it for two months, even though the invitations are already ready and are just waiting to be handed out to them. Since the day that I was born, I have been eager to get to know my wolf. I’m sure that it will show itself on my eighteenth birthday.

 

"Hey, Yve..." I softly called my friend’s name as we were both crossing the road while the signals were still allowing us to walk.

 

"Hmm?"

 

"Have you ever encountered your wolf? You’re already at your legal age, right?" I asked her out of pure curiosity as I faced her.

 

Yve turned around the corner before she grabbed me by the wrist. "Don’t tell me that you still haven’t met yours?" She gasped as I shook my head twice with a hint of disappointment. "Oh my… As far as I know, I’ve been living with my wolf since about two to three years ago, even though I still haven’t celebrated my debut," Yve answered my query.

 

It was the first time I heard about it. I can’t help but feel saddened. "What if mine never shows up? Would I end up being abandoned by my parents and be thrown out of our pack house?"

 

Yve hit my head with her bare palm. "Don’t be so negative, Luna. Your name says it all; you might be some ferocious Alpha’s Luna. You just have to be patient; your birthday is upcoming too. Keep your hopes up, okay? Your parents would never be ashamed of you even if you end up without a wolf," she said with a cheeky smile planted on her lips.

 

I was affected by her positive energy, and her words made me motivated. "Thanks, Yve!" I embraced her before we decided to proceed to our destination.

 

We’re supposed to head to the nearest cafe in our neighborhood for our group meeting. There are about eight students from the same class who promised that they would attend, excluding the two of us, which makes us ten members in total. The deadline for our project’s submission is already next week, but considering that my birthday is about to come before it, I wanted to finish this as soon as possible.

 

Less than half an hour passed, and Yve and I arrived at Lucio’s Cafeteria. I instantly got to smell the fragrance of the surroundings right after I opened the door. A bell resounded as the door creaked open as the both of us crossed the threshold.

 

"Luna, Yve!" I heard our classmates calling us.

 

The moment that I saw a group of people waving their hands at us, I headed over to where they were sitting. "Haven’t you made an order yet?" I questioned as I placed both of my palms above the table to grab all of their attention.

 

"Andrea already did; she even paid for all of the orders," Joseph answered. He was chuckling as he nudged his shoulder against Andrea’s waist.

 

It was kind of bothersome for me to witness, but I didn’t mind since they were a couple. I wouldn’t have sat idly in the same spot if I knew that they weren’t in a romantic relationship, since I would already consider it a form of harassment even without her signal.

 

"Let’s start discussing our plans for tomorrow, as well as the materials and the responsibilities of each one of us. I’m the leader here, so I hope that you will all be cooperative," I announced.

 

All of them replied with a yes, so I began to recall the main objective of our project. About fifteen minutes passed, and parfaits were brought to our table. There were a huge variety of drinks as well; of course, there weren’t any alcoholic beverages since not all of us were permitted to drink.

 

My eyes felt itchy at the same time that I got this weird feeling that something was approaching, not knowing what it was or who it would be.

 

"What is that?" I heard someone ask from behind. I chose to listen rather than look at whoever spoke. "Isn’t that a wolf?"

 

I almost choked myself when I heard what the man said. I instantly focused on what he was pointing out.

 

"Hey, Luna. Are you alright?" Emily asked; she must have noticed that I was acting out of the ordinary.

 

"Y-yeah…" I whispered.

 

I gritted my teeth when I confirmed that the man wasn’t mistaken. There really was a werewolf standing outside of the cafe, even though it was still broad daylight. It’s a mystery to me how the people outside weren’t even in a state of panic.

 

But weren’t werewolves not allowed to be in this city? I’m pretty much sure that they have their own territories, and only humans who still haven’t found their own wolves are permitted to stay here until they graduate.

 

"A-ahh!" Andrea screamed out of her lungs. It was quite deafening for me to hear since she was just right beside me.

 

Before I even got to turn my head around to ask what was wrong, blood splattered all throughout our table. I knew that the werewolf had killed a classmate of mine, but I was literally frozen in my seat. Everyone ran away from the cafe. Men didn’t care about the women and children that they were bumping into, as they prioritized their own safety. Some escaped through the windows since the exits were occupied.

 

"Luna, snap out of it! We have to run! Yve yelled directly in front of me as she was reaching for my arm.

 

I was dragged by Yve away from where we were. I looked back to our seats and saw that it was Joseph who was getting slaughtered by the werewolf. My lips parted in realization that the silhouette that I saw from the window was merely a trick for the wolf to get into the cafe without being noticed.

 

"J-Joseph… We have to save Joseph," I stuttered as I forcefully stopped Yve from her tracks.

 

"What are you saying? He’s already a goner!"

 

"But Andrea…"

 

"At least once in a while, think of yourself rather than anyone else. Don’t be stubborn if you don’t want to end up in the same situation as Joseph. Yve cut off whatever I was about to say.

 

Authority was evident in the tone of her voice, but I know that she’s also scared. Even though her eyes weren’t faltering, I knew that Yve’s soul was screaming with fear as well.