Prologue

A lot of myths were passed down.

Tales of numerous chimerical creatures whispering in midst of the silence.

But the deity of the moon was the legend of them all.

She's the light of the Crescent Moon.

Creating the ocean waves, its current flows, and the shines of the blue moon, with her celestial guidance of passion.

As the illicit romance of the moon rises, she, the light of the Crescent Moon, the moon goddess, speaks for her own heart.

"Mom? Can you sing me a lullaby until I fell into slumber?" a little girl asked her mother as she went to her bed.

The moonlight is gleaming as the wind blows the curtains of her windows. Lights from the moon penetrating the darkness of her room, serving as the lamp. She can smell the sweetness of the calm misty night.

Her mother lay beside her, tucking the white duvet in. She can hear the whisper of the wind outside of her windows, convincing her to close her eyes. Her mother hugged her, and the warmth she felt caused her to close her eyes.

"Moonlight gleams in the darkness," her mother began to sing a lullaby to her. Her mother's soft voice brings her the comfort and love she has always felt.

Her mother's hand caressed her hair.

In the cold and lonely cave

Wolf is howling as the moon rises

Hunger is knocking on its sanity

Through the lullaby of her mother, she can feel herself already drowning in a slumber.

Wolf is coming

Hunting on its prey

Go away, lone wolf

You can't take my child with you

Agad siyang napamulat ng tumigil sa pagkanta ang kaniyang ina. She looked at her and saw her mother, smiling as she stared outside the window. Tumingin siya sa kaniyang bintana, at mula roon kita niya ang kulay asul na bilugang buwan.

It is shining, flaring in the middle of the night, where people are already asleep.

Mas lalong yumakap siya sa kaniyang ina ng biglang umihip ng malakas ang hangin. She can feel the coldness passing through the room.

"I thought you were sleeping?" her mother asked.

The girl grimaced on what her mother said. She sighed and crawl more into her mother.

"You stop singing the Lone Wolf, I wanted to hear it more!" her mother silently chuckled. Mas lalong humiga sa kaniyang tabi ang kaniyang ina.

Ang malambot na kamay ng kaniyang ina ay humaplos sa kaniyang pisngi. Urgently closing her eyes as she felt the warmness of her mother's hand.

Nagmulat siya ng kaniyang mata, her mother was looking at her intently.

"Mommy, are werewolves true?"

Salubong ang kaniyang kilay habang nakatingin sa kaniyang ina. What she asked stilled her mother. Tinignan pa siya nito na parang hindi makapaniwala. Her mother can't believe that she asked about those things.

"Mommy?"

Umiling ito sa kaniya at hinaplos muli ang kaniyang pisngi.

"Werewolves are just fictions, baby. They aren't real," tumungo ang kaniyang ina para mahalikan siya sa kaniyang noo.

But she wasn't convinced about what her mother said.

"Really? I read a book about them. The book said that they were real," the little girl said like it was the truth.

Nangunot ang noo ng kaniyang ina, awang ang labing tinitigan ang anak, pinagmamasdan ang mata kung nagsasabi ng totoo. But the little girl didn't even blink just for once, she just keeps on staring back at her mother.

"What book, baby?"

The little girl pouted her mouth. "It was on our library mommy, but I don't think that you will find it anymore, it was already gone on its shelf." Her voice was full of disappointment and sadness.

Tumikhim ang kaniyang ina at nginitian na lamang siya.

"Fictions are fiction. Werewolves aren't true," bulong ng kaniyang ina. "Come on, sleep now."

"I really think that werewolves are true," hindi pa rin tumitigil ang batang babae.

Her mother chuckled at her cuteness.

"Sweetie, werewolves are not true, okay?"

Ngunit mapilit siya, she still insist on what she had read from the last time.

"But I saw on TV, in the news, they have seen a werewolf roaming around."

Bumuga ng hangin ang kaniyang ina bago bumangon sa kaniyang higaan.

"No sweetheart. It was just their imagination. Werewolves aren't real. They are just a work of fiction." Finality is already in her mother's voice.

"But..." sinubukan niya pang magsalita ngunit agad siyang pinatigil ng kaniyang ina.

"No more buts baby. They are not true, so you should sleep now. Wolf might come and eat you," ngunit hindi siya natakot sa sinabi ng kaniyang ina.

Inayos ng kaniyang ina ang kaniyang kumot at hinalikan siya sa ulo. Tinitigan niya ang ina at pinanood ang bawat galaw.

Her mother looked at her. "Close your eyes and sleep now, my baby. You still have school tomorrow," one more kiss on her forehead before her mother left the room.

She wanted her to stay longer but her mother already wants her to sleep. She doesn't want to sleep yet. She still wants to hear the lullaby about a Lone Wolf. Sabi ng kaniyang ina masasama raw ang mga wolves, they often eat children who don't sleep early.

The little girl sighed and just looked at the ceiling.

Her room's ceiling is full of glow-in-the-dark stickers. It has a crescent moon and stars. And the stickers formed the shape of a wolf. Her father did that because she really likes wolves ever since she read the book about them.

Drowsiness is still not visiting her. So she just kept on staring at the ceiling, looking at the shape of the wolf. She extends her hand like she was reaching for it.

Matagal niyang ginawa iyon, she chuckled in happiness. Nawala lang doon ang kaniyang atensyon ng makarinig siya na parang pagbagsak ng isang bagay sa sahig.

She stood up immediately, went out of her bed to walk on where she hears the noise. It was outside of her room, on the balcony. She carefully walks onto it, curtains are swaying, the winds blowing it from her window.

Dahan-dahan niyang binuksan ang babasaging pintuan, agad na sumalubong sa kaniyang malamig na simoy ng hangin. The wind blew her gray silky hair, she went out of her room just to see a werewolf sitting outside of his room.

Her eyes widened, lips were parted, as she saw how the moonlight shines the fur of the big black werewolf. It was growling and growling in so much pain. Nakaramdam siya ng takot ngunit naroon pa rin ang pagkamangha sa nakikita ng kaniyang mga mata.

She knew it. She knew that her mother is lying. Werewolves are true! And it's here now in front of her eyes.

"Who are you?" She bravely asked the werewolf.

But the werewolf just growled at her, didn't even bother to look in her direction. Nakahiga ito sa sahig ng balcony ng kaniyang kwarto. He is huge and looks really scary. And he looks wounded too while eyes are shut. Mas lumapit ang batang sa kaniya at umupo sa tabi ng taong-lobo na iyon. He keeps on growling at her like he's warning her about something.

Sinubukan niyang hawakan ang taong-lobo pero pinakita lamang nito ang kaniyang pangil.

"A-Are you okay?" She tried to ask again.

Natakot man ay sinubukan niya ulit na hawakan ito. She thought that the werewolf will growl at her again but a miracle happened, he suddenly stop in growling and stared at her.

And just like that, again, she was amazed as the werewolf turns into a human. Ang dating mga nababasa niya lamang sa libro, ngayon ay nandito na sa kaniyang harap.

The darkness vanished between them, the moon shines brighter and passed through to where they are. It was as if the light was being shone on them so they could see each other better. Nanatili siyang nakatayo sa harap ng taong-lobo na iyon. Still staring at the man looking at her intently.

The wind whispered softly, the new moon emits rays of light, and the silence between them fade as the wolves started singing with their howling voices. Their howls' harmony, length, and tone give her back a sense of security, belonging, and solidarity.

Bumaba ang tingin niya sa tagiliran ng lalaki, and there, she saw how the wounds magically disappeared like it's nothing but a scratch of mosquito.

Mas lumapit siya sa lalaki hanggang sa makaupo siya sa tabi nito. The man is looking at her, intently, watching her every move. She can't believe that the werewolf earlier becomes this man. Ang kaninang pulang mata nito ay naging kulay abo.

Lumapit ang kaniyang kamay sa mukha nito at hinaplos iyon. Her hand is too small on the man's face. Ngumuso siya ng matitigan na naman ang kulay abong mga mata ng lalaki. It really looks beautiful.

"Uh, do you really eat children who don't sleep early?" she innocently asked. This is something that she really wants to know.

"No," halos bulong na sabi ng kaniyang kausap. She smiled in excitement.

She knew it.

"Yes! I knew it, mommy is just lying at me. I know that werewolves are true."

The man keeps on staring at the excited little girl, studying her every gesture.

Mas lumapit ang batang babae, mas tinitigan at hinaplos ang pisngi ng lalaking kausap niya.

"Are you okay now?"

The man just stared at her but his hands went to the little girl's wavy hair and caressed it. "Yes, I am more than okay."

"That fast?"

"Yes, sweetheart." He tucked some strand of the girl's hair in the back of her ear.

"Mommy said, your kinds weren't true. But I know that it is, now I have more evidence because you are here!"

Hindi ito nagsalita. Tumayo ang batang babae at hinigit ang kamay ng lalaki para pumasok sa kwarto. Umupo siya sa kaniyang kama habang ang lalaki naman ay nakaupo sa upuan na nasa tabi ng kaniyang kama. Pumailalim siya sa makapal niyang kumot at tinititigan ang lalaki.

Her mother told her not to talk to strangers, but then he isn't a stranger because he is not a human. He is a werewolf.

"Can you... Can you sit beside me?"

Saglit itong tumitig sa kaniya bago tuluyang umupo sa kaniyang tabi. She smiled.

"Please, tell me a story about werewolves? My name is El, and I  really like werewolf stories."

He slightly nodded at her. She thought he's not going to tell her a story but then he started.

"There was a tale about a lone werewolf king," the man started to tell her a story. Titig na titig siya sa lalaking nasa kaniyang tabi. "He's an Alpha King, always looking at the bright blue moon, under the Sacred Falls..."

The man looked at her, she smiled and excitedly wiggled his hands.

"One night, he was sleeping beneath the Sacred Falls, it was a calm night, the new moon shining at him, the sound of the swaying trees is singing him a lullaby, and the smell of the new bloom flower night crept on his nose," he stopped, staring at the blue moon outside.

"Then? What happened next?"

Bumalik ang tingin ng lalaki sa kaniya. Lumandas ang kamay sa kaniyang pisngi, marahang hinaplos iyon na ikinapikit niya.

"You loved werewolves, right?" the man asked. She immediately nodded.  "Do you know who the moon goddess is?"

"Yes! It was Selene, the deity of the moon!"

Isinandal ng lalaki ang noo nito sa kaniyang ulo. "Right, Selene, the goddess of the moon..."

"What happened? What happened?"

"The Alpha King meet Selene, the light of the Crescent Moon." Nanlaki ang mga mata niya.

"Really?"

Tumango sa kaniya ang lalaki bago muling tumingin sa buwan.

"She was in her moon chariot, wearing a silk dress and robe, a true goddess that goes down from the heaven."

"Is she really so beautiful?"

"Yeah... the elders said so. Everyone will be enchanted by her exquisiteness, but not the Alpha King," nagsalubong ang kilay niya.

"W-Why? I thought she's so beautiful?"

"She is, sweetheart... but the Alpha King is blind," the man said.

"Instead of Alpha King being enchanted with the moon goddess' beauty, opposite happened, the deity of the moon fell with the Alpha King's."

The little girl smiled a little as she closed her eyes.

"And that was the start of the illicit romance of the moon."

"Illicit?"

"Yes, illicit, a forbidden love... that revolts into chaos."