One.

(Celina’s POV)

I felt the grip tighten around me as he tried to navigate through the dark forest. “I’ll make sure you’re okay.” He reassured me as he kept running, in the distance I could hear the growling of the werewolves chasing after us.

Our small town of Lore had been a peaceful one, where children could run around and people could come and go as they pleased until a pack of werewolves decided to call that their home too.

“No one is allowed to leave this town, if you are caught the punishment will be death!” The young man stated one day in a gathering of the town. As it is typical for human beings, no one took the young man seriously, but they soon would when he killed and displayed the bodies of a couple that had tried to leave the town, suddenly everyone lived in fear. They watched what they said, what they did and how they did it.

He put me inside a hallowed out tree as he covered me with leaves and branches, “I’m sorry sweetie that I put us in this situation.” He apologized as I watched him run off and shortly after a pack of werewolves ran past me and I tried not to make a sound.

I turned to look and the tree had a small hole that gave me just enough space to see as one of the werewolves pounced on my father and pinned him to the ground.

“Get her!” He barked to the rest of the pack which chased down my mother. “I don’t know why you try.” The werewolf said in a low voice as I saw the moon shine down on his claw as he slashed my father’s face making me gasp but I quickly covered my mouth, my gasp was drowned with the sound of my screaming mother, but her screaming was soon gone.

I was young and confused and didn’t know what to do, so I sat there silently consumed by fear and trying not to make a sound.

I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up it was in the morning. I removed the leaves and branches as I stepped out into the sun and the chirping of the birds, as though nothing had happened the night before. But something had happened and the blood that trailed back to town was proof that what happened the night before wasn’t just a bad dream.

I followed the blood back to town and there they were displayed, in the middle of the town centre. I felt someone cover my eyes as they led me away.

“You shouldn’t have to see that.” The familiar voice said.

Andrew, my best friend who was about a year or two older than me. Took me back to their house.

His mother hugged me, grateful to see me alive. “Are you okay?” She asked as she lowered herself to be face to face with me.

“They killed them.” I muttered, unable to get the picture of what happened out of my head.

She sighed as she took me to get cleaned up.

That all happened twelve years ago and I have dedicated my life to make sure that I get revenge for what that pack did to my family.

I was working at the diner with Andrew at the back when a group of people walked into the diner. Everyone knew who they were, werewolves, and they made sure not to even make eye contact with them but not me. I wanted to see every last one of them dead for what they did to my family.

Andrew dragged me to the back of the diner, “you need to stop acting like you are strong enough to defeat them.” He warned me but I quickly shushed him.

“Werewolves have sharp hearing and I don’t want anything happening to you.” I mouthed.

Andrew shook his head as he continued with his work.

I had been gathering literature that would help me learn anything and everything I could to get my revenge. I was determined and nothing was going to stop me.

“If you would spend this much time into doing something with your life then maybe you wouldn’t be stuck working in this shitty diner.” He stated.

I sighed, “I am doing something with my life, just not what you expect me to.”

“Exactly!” He agreed, “you are a very intelligent person and I think you can achieve so much more if you stopped thinking about avenging…”

“Ssshh!” I said putting a finger to my mouth and gesturing to my ears that they can hear everything.

Andrew just rolled his eyes.

“How about we go to the movies today?” He asked.

Andrew is an amazing guy and he has always been there for me when I really needed it but I unfortunately didn’t feel the same way about him the way he felt about me. I could tell that he liked me but I have been doing everything to make sure not to give him the chance to confess it to me. I was so consumed by getting revenge for my parents’ death that I couldn’t risk having to be distracted now.

“I have to read this new book I found. The full moon is in a few days.” I replied.

“Then you have a few days to read the book. How about for tonight you just try and have fun and not think about revenge or anything else.” He suggested.

I was about to reply when the door rung indicating someone was in the store. I sighed grateful to be out of the conversation as I didn’t like where it was headed.

It was the group of werewolves leaving the diner. I sat down in the empty diner and started reading a new werewolf book I had gotten, I needed to be ready.

“You do know that most of the things in the book are just stereotypical information on what humans believe to be about werewolves, right?” A man asked as he stood beside me.

I was so engrossed in the book that I hadn’t noticed anyone walk in. I looked up at the guy, “how would you know?” I asked.

He took that as an invitation and sat in front of me.

“Most books are used to sexualize and make werewolves seem like bad people but they really aren’t.” He answered, “I’m a werewolf and I would know.”

I chuckled as I looked back down at the book, “I have lived in this town long enough to come to the conclusion that the book is accurate enough.” I stated, “did you want something from the kitchen?” I asked as I kept reading the book.

“Just a cup of coffee.” He stated, “make it black.”

I looked at him as I yelled out, “Drew, make a coffee.” I paused, “black.” I added then went back to my book.

He leaned forward, “I noticed that you human ladies like to have a taste of the werewolf experience. I can help you with that.” He said with a smirk.

I looked at him then smiled as I rested my chin on my hand and started playing with my hair, “really?” I asked excitedly.

He nodded, the smirk still on his face.

“And what exactly can you do with me or for me?” I asked.

He pointed to the book, “I could show you everything that’s in the book and more.” He said as Drew put the coffee in front him, shooting me a look that told me to stop pushing my luck.

I laughed as I intertwined my fingers in front of me, “I thought the books were wrong about werewolves?” I asked with a smirk of my own.

He smiled, “maybe I can show you just how wrong it is.” He added.

I shook my head, closed the book and walked away.

I looked out of my window to see the darkness that was there. I reached over a drawer where I kept the silver knife that I had saved up to buy. That was the only way to hurt a werewolf, I had read somewhere.

I wore my boots and jacket, stuffing the knife inside it, as I snuck out of the window and ran into the woods.

I went to the exact spot where my family had been killed. If I was going to shed some werewolf blood, I wanted it to be in the same place where they shed my parents’ blood.

I was looking around reminiscing of that terrible night, feeling my anger become stronger when I heard a twig snap behind me. I turned and saw a man standing behind me, “looking for something?” He asked.

I smirked, “you.” I said as I put my hand in my pocket reaching for the knife.

He just stared at me a smug look on his face, “you are trying to leave, huh?” He asked, “I would think by now no one would even try to leave, knowing what would happen.”

“I just came here to get revenge.” I said as I removed a small blade from my jacket and held it to my side. His eyes saw it and his iris turned a light shade of red briefly before it disappeared almost like I imagined it.

“But I first want to be a werewolf.” I stated confidently, “I heard you can turn someone to be one.”

“Revenge for what?” He asked as he took a step closer to me.

I scoffed, “you have killed so many people that you don’t even remember me.”

He closed his eyes as he smelled, as he opened his eyes, now red and looked at me. “You need to go.” He stated.

“Not until I get my revenge for you killing my parents.” I said vehemently as I charged at him with the knife and stabbed him, but he didn’t move. He just stood there and let me stab him.

He looked down at the knife, nothing was happening to him. He removed it as he lifted his shirt to look at the wound which was healing on its own.

He grabbed my hand, “this is nickel silver. It’s not even real silver.” He stated with his eyes becoming red, and I lost all the confidence I had in me. Everything was becoming blurry and I just passed out.