NEVER WOLF

Two

Lauren

Lauren sat still, staring into space as the royal coach trotted along. She had bawled her eyes out through the night, and now she had no strength left even to feel bitter about it. Not even at Stephanie's heartless remarks here and there.

“You know,” Stephanie began again, her tone dripping with condescension, “it’s quite amusing how things turned out for you, Lauren. Thoughts of romance for a ‘never wolf’—how tragically misplaced.”

Ouch. Lauren had thought it was impossible to hurt further.

“How did he ever convince you that he loved you? You are a never wolf; neither goddess Artemis nor Selene considers you worthy enough to be accepted. If the goddesses don't see your worth, why would a fellow wolf want you? Are you really that foolish?”

The taunts cut deeper than usual. Each word felt like another wound, and Lauren fought to keep her chin up, her heart heavy with embarrassment and shame. Stephanie was right. How could she have thought there was a chance for anything between her and Josh? The memory of his smile turned sour in her stomach.

As the grand royal palace began to come into view, an unsettling feeling coursed through the air. When the doors opened, all eyes were drawn to a commotion that sent a shiver down Lauren's spine.

“A grimer in the palace!” a warrior shouted as he fled the scene.

The dark, wolf-like creature with no face lashed out at everything around it.

Panic flared, but before hysteria could take root, Stephanie sprang into action. Driven by a boldness that Lauren scarcely understood but had always admired, Stephanie rushed forward, striking the grimer with fierce precision. In an instant, the creature vanished as if it had never existed.

“Impressive,” said a voice from the shadows. Two wolves in grey and brown cloaks emerged, their eyes shining with approval. The colors indicated that they were the beta and gamma of the pack.

“Well done, Stephanie. That was a test—a demonstration of your abilities, and you passed.”

“Okay...” Stephanie replied.

“I’m Jasper, the gamma of the royal pack.” The wolf in the brown cloak moved toward Stephanie. “You are a selenite wolf, I take it from your beauty. Do you possess any special abilities apart from those granted by your wolf?”

Stephanie stood tall, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. “I can track a scentless snake, run at the speed of a deer, and hear a heartbeat ten miles away.”

The two wolves exchanged glances before some warriors began to usher elegantly dressed wolves into the room.

Two elders entered, and the beta and gamma approached them. They spoke in hushed tones, glancing at Stephanie before one elder finally addressed the group.

“Noble wolves of our Lunaria, I greet you all,” the elder began. “You have been gathered from the sixteen packs in Lunaria to identify the strongest among you,” he explained solemnly.

“As you may have heard, a prophecy foretells that an alpha king will mate with a special wolf. This special wolf shall aid him in conquering The Grim. For years, the alpha kings who have ruled have tried but have not been fortunate.”

The room seemed to hold its breath as the elder continued, “While you have all proven your worth and are considered worthy, the alpha king must choose whoever he desires as his partner. You will be assigned chambers; the one he selects to spend the night after the pre-mating ritual has been completed shall become his Luna.”

The gamma stepped forward again. “Each of you has been assigned maids who will lead you to your chambers now. Follow them.”

The cluster of she-wolves began to disperse as their appointed maids found them and led them out.

Lauren moved toward Stephanie, but the gamma reached her first. “I shall show you to your chamber. Follow me.”

“But I have a personal maid,” Stephanie protested, pointing at Lauren.

“Oh, she’ll get a room and stay out of your way until the mating is over.” He pointed to a room on the ground floor. “You’ll stay there.” The urgency and finality in his tone told her the order was immediate.

“Okay,” Lauren replied, turning on her heels. She noticed that maiden wolves that accompanied nobles like her were being directed to the dining hall, so she seized the opportunity to explore and get familiar with the palace.

She found the lore room and remembered her promise to update Thomas. Although she hadn’t figured out how to do that, she realized she could use letters. After all, many wolves had more duties than learning to read, the probability for find her out was low.

Sitting at an ornately carved table, she began to write in the ancient wolf language. Even if they had bothered to learn, they would never understand ancient Wolfian.

A flicker of mischief danced within her as she imagined the stress it would cause Thomas and the council to decipher her notes, should they ever manage to decode them.

“Chevran alei rav... rav or ran?” Lauren asked herself as she read her letters aloud.

“Strange. A young wolf that speaks ancient Wolfian?” a voice interrupted her. “Who taught you?”

Startled, Lauren quickly hid the letter, her heart racing.

“I… I learned it while studying,” she stammered, lifting her gaze to the wolf before her, who looked genuinely intrigued. “I love history,” she admitted, trying to appear more composed than she felt.

“Hmm. History. That's uncommon. Let’s see how much you know,” he quizzed. “What to you think of the three sisters?”

“They found the first werewolves and raised them.”

“Do you know how the Grim came to be?”

“Yes. The Grim is an always dark thick fog that that started at a small house but has expanded to swallow and destroy eight packs. It was believed that The Grim was forged by a curse from a very powerful wolf who was bitter because she could not have her own pups, and her abuse of power caused all magical abilities to be withdrawn by the goddesses.” Lauren could sight the wry smBut the archives foretold it that The Grim would rise and it would be a result of wolves ignorance and misdeeds.”

“Impressive. But you do know that the archives also says magical powers would return to our lunaria around this time?”

“Yes. It would be wielded by noble wolves, but we haven’t seen any proof of it, have we?”

“Hmmn.” He nodded. “What do you think of this then?”

With a flick of his wrist, flames ignited on his fingertip, illuminating his striking golden orbs.

Lauren gasped, the warmth radiating from the fire captivating her in awe. “What is your rank?” she breathlessly inquired, her mind racing. He had no cloak on to even signify his nobility.

“Find that out yourself,” he replied with a chuckle as a bell began to ring throughout the palace. “Every she-wolf has to be indoors for the pre-mating ritual. Hurry to your chambers.”

He left her feeling disoriented.

Magic is real.

Clutching her parchment, she made her way back to her room.

The bell rang persistently, reverberating through the hallways. She finished her letters to Thomas and slumped onto her bed, wondering who she would use as her carrier.

Finally, as the echoes of the announcement subsided, she heard the proclamation of the alpha king's arrival.

She wished everyone luck, though she was certain Stephanie would emerge victorious.

Just as Lauren was about to drift off to sleep, she heard a knock on her door.

With a fluttering heart, Lauren opened it to find the same man from the lore room standing before her, draped in a white cloak.

“You're the alpha king?” Lauren gasped.

The flickering flame danced in his eyes as he smiled at her. “Let me in.”