Chapter 2

The Festival

When we left the house and entered the field, my worries of offending Godric soon left me. I had never been around so many wolves before. Their scents hit me all at once. There were little wolves and big wolves. Many were surrounding three large bonfires. I stopped in the middle and began taking it all in.

Godric leaned down so I could hear him clearly. "Have you never been to Remembrance Day?"

I shook my head no, "I haven’t but I heard a lot about it."

He started pointing towards the bonfires. "You pick a bonfire, sit, and listen to the elders tell stories. That’s Past. That one over there is Present. And finally, the one with the larger number of seats is Future." My eyes lit up when he mentioned the future. "So, you heard of the prophecies? Why don’t you head over there? I must check in with the alpha before I can sit and enjoy. I will find you later."

I watched as Godric made his way across the field to the alpha. There was another tall, strong guy standing next to the alpha. I assumed that was his beta. I looked around them but neither of my parents were nearby. As I took my eyes away from Godric and the alpha, I noticed many eyes on me. I assumed it was because my face was unfamiliar. I started walking towards the bonfire they called Future. I arrived just as the elder was telling the story of the half-human wolf. Legend has it, he would become a great alpha one day. I listened carefully as the elder told each story with embellished expressions.

After the third story, I felt something pulling at me. The strange feeling began to nag, causing me to lose attention. I looked around and found Godric staring at me. I stared back at him, wondering why he was looking at me. We continued our staring contest until the girl sitting next to him sparked up a conversation. I watched as the two laughed and playfully nudged each other. Needless to say, his eyes were no longer centered on me.

I started listening to the stories again. However, my focus was broken again. But this time by the person sitting next to me. "Do you like this story?" His voice was calming to my ears. Almost like a song. I turned to my left and a handsome guy was sitting in the seat next to me. When I didn’t answer him, he said, "The Selen Luna Prophecy. Do you like this story?"

"Oh, I’m sorry. Yes, I like this story. My mom told it to me a few times when I was younger. I haven’t heard it in a long time. It’s actually why I sat here."

He leaned in and whispered to me. "Do you believe in the prophecies?" Never taking his kind eyes off me while waiting on my answer.

I wasn’t sure if this was some trick question. And that if I said I didn’t, the pack would shun me. So I chose my response carefully. Without answering yes or no, I said "Do you believe?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Anything is believable if you know how to sell it."

"Good point."

 We sat and listened to the rest of the Selen Luna prophecy in silence. Once the elder finished, everyone stood. I joined them in standing and showing respect to the storyteller. I wasn’t interested in the other stories, so I started to make my way back to my room.

"Whoa! Where are you going? The festival is just beginning." The handsome guy pulled me back by my wrist.

I looked at my watch. It was a little after eight-thirty pm. "Beginning? It’s almost nine. Shouldn’t we be turning in?"

"Nah. The festival part hasn’t begun. After all the elders have finished, we play a little music and eat. We commune with the visiting packs. I’m sure the elders will be done soon. Are you hungry?"

Just as those words left his mouth, my stomach started growling. I only then realized that I hadn’t eaten anything since we left our house early this morning. Despite my mother’s pleads, my father wouldn’t stop for food. He didn't want to keep the Alpha King waiting. "I’m starving."

He led me through the crowded field to the tables holding food. I looked for my parents again, hoping they were near the food. No such luck. My eyes grew big as I eyed all the different types of food. I grabbed a plate and grabbed everything that looked good to me.

"What pack are you here with? Golden or Mountain?" He asked as he packed his plate with food.

"I don’t belong to a pack."

My new friend looked surprised by my comment. Then he sniffed the air around me. I laughed as I walked away with him trailing me. "Hmmm. You don’t smell like a rogue wolf."

I laughed again as he sniffed me once more. "That’s because I’m not a rogue wolf. My parents raised me outside of the pack near a human city."

He looked at me weirdly. "I’ve never met anyone raised in a human city before. What are you doing here?"

"The Alpha of Blood Moon Pack invited my family to join the pack. We just arrived a few hours ago."

"So, you met the Alpha?" He asked with a sly grin.

"Yes, I met him and his family."

"The whole family?" He questioned.

"Well, not the whole family. He has another son I haven’t met yet. Do you know the Alpha and his family?"

"You could say that. I’m a part of his pack." The grin on his face became a little bigger. I couldn’t read his mind. Just when I was about to ask what he was smiling at, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and it was my boyfriend, Luke.

"I’m sorry, I need to take this call. It was nice to meet you…?" I realized he never told me his name.

He must have been thinking the same thing. "Alex. And it was nice to meet you too…?"

"Zaya." I smiled as he left me to take my call.

I went back to my room to have more privacy. The music and laughter were too loud, and it didn’t seem like the place to have a phone call. I talked to Luke for almost one hour. The conversation seemed to be going great. Almost like we were still only two miles apart. Almost like we were going to see each other the next day at school. But then the conversation took a turn for the worse. He started asking questions about when I was coming back. I hadn’t gotten around to telling him the move was permanent. Maybe because I wasn’t ready to admit it. Or maybe because I was still debating if I should run away to the only home I’ve ever known. I could go back to our home and survive by myself. Needless to say, the conversation ended with me in tears. A little after my phone call ended, I heard a light tap on my door, but I didn’t answer. I pulled the covers over my head as I lay in the bed ignoring the knock. The festival was a good but temporary distraction from my feelings about the move. Luke brought me back to reality, and I just wanted to be alone.