I didn't stop running until the trees started and I knew I was far enough away from the Pack House to not be seen. My chest heaved as I brought in huge gulps of air, but my mind raced faster than my feet ever could. With each passing thought, I could feel myself growing dizzier and dizzier with more and more weight pressing down upon my already weak shoulder. What was I going to do? Tell someone and run the risk of being looked at even crazier? I had no proof! Not to mention the risk of being caught by Clive and River themselves. They'd surely rip me to shreds despite my blood type!I shook my head and kept walking, determined to make it to the forest clearing before I had a mental breakdown from all the stress. As I pushed my way through the thicket of undergrowth and trees, I felt myself growing more and more weary. I knew it would be alright if I had Ryder to console me, but now he was gone, not there to help me. I wasn't close enough to Axel to confide in him, but I knew one perso
Axel's P.O.VLeaning back on the heels of my hands, I stared at something other than the screen with the movie displayed on it. What I was staring at was a sculpted masterpiece, blessed by the Moon Goddess herself.I will admit, when it came to my sexuality, I was a bit timid to admit it, even to my closest friends. But that didn't mean I wasn't allowed to admire the person I found attractive. It would be the same if I were to stare at a girl. Even though I always thought this way to help myself sleep at night, I still felt guilty when I did admire other men. I always felt perverted, like I was doing something wrong. It was just out of the ordinary to feel that way about other men when I, myself, was a guy - or at least that was what I was told, since I was able to comprehend words. Still, though, I couldn't help but admire the perfectly chiseled face, the beautifully toned muscles, and the gorgeous smile of the current man I had my sights set on; Broddi.I know it's odd for me to be
Standing in front of me were two werewolves, both of their scents unfamiliar to my nose - meaning they were either rogues of leaders of packs far away. I deliberated running away, hoping - even though I knew they would - they wouldn't catch me, or standing there and holding my ground, preparing for a fight.But as I continued to examine the unknown wolves - one light, dusty brown color, the other a pure white - they looked nothing like a wolf about to attack would. In fact, the only emotion on their faces was a dull, but genuine, curiosity. So instead of running off like I was just about to, I watched as they disappeared into the bushes and appeared only a moment later, fully clothed, and as humans.The two were very clearly leaders, wherever they came from, and they were also very clearly mates, standing close together, hand in hand. One was a man and one was a woman, both very attractive, as most werewolves were. The woman was a petite and delicate one with middle-length light brown
I awoke to Grey shaking my shoulder lightly, saying my name timidly as if he didn't actually want to wake me. I just rolled over so that I faced him and opened my eyes, blinking a few times before becoming completely awake. Grey just gave me a smile and said quietly, "We're here - back to the Pack House.""Okay," I croaked, sitting up and rubbing my eyes with the sandy heel of my hand."You're so adorable," Grey muttered absent-mindedly. I don't know if he meant to say it out loud, but he did, causing me to blush lightly at his words."Thank you," I replied. Grey looked at me oddly, as if he didn't know I heard his comment, but shook it off."Do you want me to walk you back to your dorm?" Grey asked, leaning across my lap and opening the door, much to my disliking."Yes please," I said. I guess I felt more safe with Grey around in case I ran into someone like Ryder or River or Clive."Alright, let's get you back to your room so you can get a shower," Grey said, popping out of the car,
A white text bubble popped up almost instantly, reading; 'What do you mean? The one about the massacre?"'Yeah,' I typed back, rapidly, 'there were dead bodies and blood everywhere. A girl tried to make me help her, but I couldn't and she died right in front of me. It was awful...'A pause, 'that sounds like the dream I had.'Then in another bubble, 'Now do you trust us more? Do you think we have bad intentions anymore?''Definitely not,' I replied, laughing to myself lightly, and I swore I saw Milo roll his eyes.'Good. Now that we have your trust, Alexander and I were wondering if there was any sort of meeting before where we'd figure stuff out, like make a plan? If not, do you need Alex and I to arrange one?' Well, that was a good segway.'We actually do have a meeting planned, my friend and I, who are kind of like leaders. Anyway, it's at six tonight. I can give you directions to the clearing if you know where the Bluefeather Pack House is.''Yeah, I know where that is.. don't ask
I stood, dumbfounded, outside of a dark oak wood door, waiting for Brandy to reveal to me who was inside. Through the door I could hear the soft, arguing, muffled voices of Brandy and quite undoubtedly another female, but I couldn't make out who the second voice belonged to, or what the two of them were saying.I'd been standing outside the room for a while - maybe thirty minutes - so with a heavy sigh, I melted to the floor, leaning my head up against the wall. I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped them in a protective seal with my arms. I was so mind-numbingly bored, waiting for Brandy for so long, that I actually began contemplating leaving her behind with the mystery person and going to see if I could rally up anyone else.Luckily, just as this thought started to become more and more appealing, the door flung open, and I had to roll away rapidly to avoid being crushed. Brandy stalked out, a triumphant look on her face as a person trailed behind her. I didn't recognize the per
"Milo, Goddamn it! Stop chewing on my shoelaces!" I yelled at him, as I pulled my top over my head. It was almost time for me to go get Axel and Broddi for the meeting, so I was getting dressed super quickly, but Milo was doing everything in his power to make the process agonizingly slow. He was usually very distant and cold, but today, he just had to be affectionate, wrapping himself around my legs, or chewing on the ends of my frayed jeans. It was absolutely tedious and was working on my nerves.Finally, I shoved him, lightly, off of me, and re-tied my damp shoelace, grunting in discontent as Milo stared at me with a smug look. "You know I hate you sometimes," I said to him, giving him a glare that could have killed. Milo just rolled his eyes at me and licked a paw, drawing it over his ear. I smiled and reached out to rub behind his ear, "You're lucky you're so cute, stupid."Milo mewed as if to say, 'who? Me?'I just glared at him in reply, and straightened my back, turning toward
'How's it going, kiddo?' A familiar voice echoed through my head, startling me to the point that I would've screamed if it wasn't for the tight clasp my teeth had on my lower lip.'Conall? Holy cow! I haven't heard from you in awhile. I was actually starting to get kind of worried,' I thought back, impatiently waiting for a response.'The reason you haven't heard from me is because you're doing well on your own so far. I've just come to say hi and give you a bit of advice real quick,' Conall replied.I felt a slight bit of pride at Conall's words, but asked; 'So what is it then? What advice do I need?''I guess you could say I just wanted to tell you not to hold a grudge. I'm afraid I can't be any more specific, but just remember that when encountering people later today,' Conall's words were oddly ominous, sending a shiver down my spine.'Alright,' I responded, making sure I mentally sounded skeptical, although I'm sure Conall could already tell I was a bit suspicious.'Good. Well, I
It actually took Brandy more like ten minutes to get ready, but when she came out of the bathroom, finally finished, she glowed like the Moon Goddess herself - more than usual. Her hair was in a curly bun, strands falling loose and spilling onto her forehead and by her temples. Her makeup was stunning and bold, bringing out her hazel, chocolaty eyes. I honestly didn't mind her estimate was off because she looked absolutely gorgeous in the time given. "You look stunning," I awed as we walked out of my dorm. "Thanks!" Brandy smiled, pushing back a wavy curl, tucking it behind her ear, "I know it won't matter in what - Less than an hour? - but if this is my last chance at looking good, then I wanna rock it!""And you're wearing short enough shorts to be hidden by that dress," I joked. "These are what I call my bar shorts. I wear them when I'm trying to get-" I cut her off before she could finish. "Woah! Woah! Woah!" I stopped her before she could finish, "Let's just get to the cleari
I turned to Lindsay irritably, giving her a sour glare, "Go ahead.""Alright," that was the only time I'd ever heard Lindsay even resemble being hesitant, "Well I'm having trouble.. accepting death.""Why do you have to?" I asked incredulously, surprised by her statement."If I have no hope left, I fight better. The thought of losing everything, not being there makes it easier for me to fight like hell, give it my all like it'll be my last fight," Lindsay shook her head in an almost pitiful despair, "but now, I just can't. I feel like I do have things to lose.""It might help you - we all have our methods of keeping cool in the heat of battle - but not being ready to die isn't necessarily a bad thing," I challenged, "Nobody's ready to die. In fact, you shouldn't be. The will to live should drive you, not the lack thereof.""What should I do now?" Lindsay muttered stubbornly, "How will I be able to control my anxiety without the complete lack of care for my life?""Do you hear yoursel
The first to reach me and bombard me with questions was Clayton, her face a mask of anxiety, while Matt looked mellow and slightly irritated as per usual. She chewed nervously on the corner of her plush pink lip before approaching me, her eyes darting back and forth restlessly, "H-hey, Ruby. Can we talk? Matt and I have some things we're worried about and I could really use someone other than Matt to console me."I opened my mouth to answer her, a gentle expression spreading across my features, but just as words began to form in my mouth, Iona interrupted me, suddenly having been the second one to reach me, "Ruby, I need some help with something. I have this internal conflict type thing going on, and I could really use your superior knowledge of how to control emotions."Looking at her a light bit impatient, I began to hold up a hand to tell her to wait, but was interrupted yet again by a harsher voice this time. It was Lindsay, "Hey, we need to talk. I need to clarify some things qui
Axel's POV:"Oh yeah," I nodded in acknowledgement, not bothering to glance down at my hand, "I must have pricked my hand on some branches. I'm fine, so-""No! Look!' Broddi said urgently, giving my wrist a slight tug, "Look at your blood! It's silver!""What?" I asked, dazed, my heart beat picking up immensely. I lowered my eyes, everything around me moving in slow motion, down to the faintly stinging, shallow marks in my palm. Sure enough, my inner forearm was spattered with scarlet intertwined with a sparkling silver, "W-What does this mean?""I think it means," Broddi gulped, looking from my wrist into my eyes, his eyes reflecting the same emotion I felt; horror, "you have Lunar Blood.""I-I can't!" I stammered, "I've bled before, and I've never seen it silver! This has to be some sort of mistake! It must have been something I ate!""You're shaking," Broddi observed, worriedly, "Let's find the end of this path and settle down. I really don't want you passing out on me just yet."I
The alarm that I set the night prior before I drifted to sleep, blared achingly loud now in the morning when I really didn't want to wake up. I rolled over, and like an annoyed teen before school, I slammed my fist on the snooze button, nearly smashing the machine to bits. Milo laid beside me, and didn't budge as I sat up, grunting irritably while doing so. It was a few minutes before I had the energy to stand up, and when I did, I nearly collapsed back down.The whole lower part of my body was aching unbearably, and the tingling was steadily creeping upward, corrupting my lower stomach. The events of last night rushed back to my memory like a flood, and I groaned, the anxiety already stored within my chest mounting twice as fast.Ignoring the awful pain in my legs, and tense muscles in my thighs, I scrambled to my suitcase, pulled out one of my more dainty outfits, and scurried into my bathroom, uncomfortable changing around Milo again, who still slept peacefully on one of my golden
I sighed, and plopped down on the edge of the rock, swinging my legs over the ledge, and resting my head in my hands. After what felt like years of everyone in the clearing arguing over whether the plan was sufficient and had no flaws, practically making it fool-proof, everyone, more or less, came to an agreement, and we were all able to go home to get some rest for the big day. My legs were cramped, my throat was scratchy, I'd developed a migraine, and I was mildly irritated, but the plan was finally finished, so a satisfied feeling spread over me, soothing everything wrong. "What's wrong?" Grey asked, sitting down beside me, grunting while doing so. "Nothing," I yawned, rubbing my eyes, "I'm just tired.""Probably, considering you're used to sleeping three times a day," Grey teased, referring to yesterday when we spent the day together and I fell asleep multiple times. "Call me what you want," I smiled back, "I'm not ashamed to be one who can fall asleep easily. You'll be wishin
"R-Raven?" I stuttered, my voice a mixture of shock, terror, and dread. I hadn't seen him since the day of the dodgeball tournament - which felt like years ago, but was only three days in reality. "You know him, Ruby?" Grey asked, oblivious to the tension in the air, "Raven is one of my best soldiers. I didn't know you two knew each other."I regained my confidence, and narrowed my eyes into slits, "Oh, I know him alright. It doesn't surprise me that he's in your pack.""What is that supposed to mean?" Grey asked, looking back at the rest of the group for support."Nothing, really," I sneered, coming off a lot more vicious than I intended, and feeling slightly bad after Grey flinched. "Ruby, are you okay? Did I say something wrong?" Grey asked cautiously."You didn't," I growled, drawing my lips back at Raven, who instantly recoiled, his eyes sparking with the flames of fear and discomfort. Good, I wanted him to feel as uncomfortable as possible. Suddenly sensing the obvious host
As soon as Iona and I finished speaking, her agreeing to even give her life to the plan if needed, I called attention to everyone wandering around the lobby. Much to my surprise, everyone's attention instantly shifted from whatever they were doing, to me, causing me to shift uncomfortably under everyone's gazes. "It's about time to go, so we should probably get on the road," I said awkwardly, avoiding everyone's eye contact and staring at my feet that shuffled nervously. No one had any interjections or trouble with what I had to say, so they all quickly gathered into a line behind me, following as I pushed open the door into the night, or rather midday, but night sounded cooler. Just as we stepped outside, and I began to lead everyone across the parking lot full of snazzy cars, all kaleidoscope of colors, I realized just how lucky we all were to not have been caught by a higher authority. I mean, a group of mediocre ranked teens, standing around, looking suspicious - how could it h
'How's it going, kiddo?' A familiar voice echoed through my head, startling me to the point that I would've screamed if it wasn't for the tight clasp my teeth had on my lower lip.'Conall? Holy cow! I haven't heard from you in awhile. I was actually starting to get kind of worried,' I thought back, impatiently waiting for a response.'The reason you haven't heard from me is because you're doing well on your own so far. I've just come to say hi and give you a bit of advice real quick,' Conall replied.I felt a slight bit of pride at Conall's words, but asked; 'So what is it then? What advice do I need?''I guess you could say I just wanted to tell you not to hold a grudge. I'm afraid I can't be any more specific, but just remember that when encountering people later today,' Conall's words were oddly ominous, sending a shiver down my spine.'Alright,' I responded, making sure I mentally sounded skeptical, although I'm sure Conall could already tell I was a bit suspicious.'Good. Well, I