Chapter 2: The Wolf Chief (Lucia's POV)

The present...

"Did you murder Cody Colfax? Where were you the night of the party? I am starting to grow tired of your petty excuses. Well, let's have it then..." The officer bellows as I fade away into the memory of discovering Cody's secret.

The past...

 "So, does this mean we can't be friends anymore," I ask as I glance at the clouds? They fall back into each other in layers.

"I don't know, Lucia. I was sent to the world of men by my father, Chief Wolfpaw. The man you know as my human father is my human guardian. The human guardians have protected the royal members of the wolf-people clan for thousands of years. They are the only mortals we trust. The only humans we can confide in."

Cody steps under the trees. Everything my grandma warned me about is coming true before my eyes. The wolf people exist under the protection of the moon and hide in sheep's clothing among men.

"Do you eat humans? Am I a snack to you?" 

I step back from Cody. I don't want to fear him. Fearing Cody wouldn't prove anything, but it wouldn't solve anything either. His claws retreat into his body as his fangs recoil back into his human-shaped teeth. The wolf he once was is gone as if it never existed at all. Before me stands a shirtless man, who may or may not be the local town madmen.

"No, Lucia. You were never a snack to me. But, I do hope we can remain friends. As complicated as this all is now, I would very much like to remain friends with you if you allow it."

He reaches for my hand. The part of me that likes him lets him hold one of my hands. The other part that is afraid of what this means and who he is shatters into a thousand confusions. The world spins with that confusion, and perhaps the earth is flat after all. With all the myths and legends becoming true today, maybe science isn't true either.

"Yes, Cody, we can still be friends. But I must ask you....why me? Why did you ever want to be friends with a pathetic human like me? I'm not the smartest or the prettiest girl. You could have befriended Tanya, Cora Rose, or Esther. Why boring old me," I ask as a tremble of fear strikes me? 

"Because none of them smell the way you do," Cody says as he puts my hair behind my ear. 

He grabs a bit of my hair and smells it beneath his nose. He sniffs my scent, and my heart flies to the moon, which is full of life and bright behind the clouds.

"My scent? What about it? I haven't taken a shower today, and I am not wearing perfume."

"Even better...I like your natural scent the best. It's why I chose you when we were kids. But, I needed to find a mate in order for the wolf-people clan and humans to live in peace. You, my dearest friend, are the woman I have chosen. I can hear your heart within your rib cage. I can tell you sense it too. There has always been something between us."

Cody speaks as his voice gets deeper and thicker. Then, finally, the moon returns, and the wolf within him breaks through the dawn. The clouds reveal all of him. He is a full-on alpha. He is beautiful in his own monstrous way. He howls as the distant pack bellows together in a thunderous chorus. Their echoes fill the valley of Saint Maria and bounce against the trees. I long to be one of them. Their voices are many, but they are one. Together they harmonize, and together they sing. Forever they howl under the light of the moon.

Cody's desire for me breaks the walls of our bonds. We hold hands, and I sing with them. His howling sings louder as I harmonize with the wolf-people. They appear before me, the wolf people clan of the forest. My voice has gained their trust.

Singing with Cody has gained their trust. The wolf people are now before us in a half-moon circle.

Chief Wolfpaw steps forward in his complete werewolf form. His fur is thick and the grey within it means he's wise in his years. Perhaps they all can't live forever as I suspected. 

"People of the Wolf Tribe. The time has come for my son, Cody, to take on a mate. Tonight his mate sings with him under the goddess Luna. His mate is a mortal. She is one of us now. We will now call her Luna, the goddess speaks, and it is known. If it is known, it is the law. The law of the forest is strong and binding. Lucia, daughter of man, will you mate with Prince Cody of the Wolf Tribe and bring peace between our nations?"

The Wolf Tribe is large and they are all in their half-wolf half-human forms. They are large with their claws and jaws gnashing. Their snouts smell the air as they familiarize themselves with my scent. Their eyes are of grey, light blue, and purple hues. Only the Chief has orange eyes.

"Yes, Chief Wolfpaw. I will try," I reply. 

The Chief howls to the moon and the rest of the clan howls with him. Cody's wolf form disappears as he presses his human lips on my face. The clan howls louder, and disperses when our kiss concludes. It's a lot to take in. My best friend, Cody Colfax, is a wolf-man, he's kissed me, and now I am their Luna princess. I only hope that being a human won't mean I disappoint them.