silver & stardust

blood moon

The property of the Blood Moon pack was teeming with action. There was a constant buzz of movement - like a little city. Every smell, sound and thing in sight was sharper like I'd been living in a pirated version of the world. Now everything was in HD.

And I'd been living like that - till almost dying pushed that wild thing inside of me into action.

We'd walked through the rustic downtown area, and we were passing through the training arena. A small army of women and men were running, sparring and doing whatever else made you sweat buckets. We hadn't spoken much - Liv knew I wasn't exactly in the state to chat.

She occasionally pointed things out and rattled off some names here and there. I was in and out of reality, trying not to stuck in my head for too long.

We stayed on the sidelines of the field, watching. Liv explained this was just a fraction of the pack's official warriors who were required to complete daily training - which was taking place now. A number of people waved to her - these were her friends, her family.

How did she hide this from me for so long?

There was so much I didn't know about Livia. I'd only ever met her immediate family; now that I thought about it, I'd never met her other friends or family members. I understood why; she could never let this secret of their existence slip.

"Would you have ever told me you were a werewolf if I'd never..." I couldn't finish my sentence but she got the gist of it.

"I don't know," she said hesitantly, eyes on the field. "It would have done more bad than good - and it's not just my secret." She sounded like she wanted to say more but decided against it.

"I wouldn't have told anyone," I said pointedly, a little hurt beside myself. "I would have never put you in danger like that."

"I know," she replied, her voice more resolute. And she smiled at me, with the warmth of so many years of laughs and memories. "Now it's our secret."

I gave into her contagious smile with a half one of my own.

"I was wondering: do you guys shift every month? Or is it a voluntary thing? Or both?"

"We shift voluntarily at any time," she explained. "But that's from practicing from a really young age. We also have to shift a few times a month because of the pent-up energy. You're an anomaly....none of us have ever seen anyone in your circumstance. You might have the same predicament of a newly-turned wolf. With lots of practice, hopefully you won't be shifting in class."

""So I'm going to became a rage-filled, growling ball of fur every month if I don't shift? And it's not optional?"

"Have you never seen a werewolf movie?" She grinned. "But yes, until you master it, that's how it's gonna be. It can be unexpected - your body should give you a warning. I've only ever heard of one turned werewolf ever controlling their first few times - that shows how powerful their self-control and mind are."

"Why would my...wolf be dormant?"

"We don't know. It's really a mystery at this point - it could be some kind of outside factor or emotional response. Do you remember anything that could explain you being one of us?"

"I don't even know anymore. I thought I was human and my dads too....what if they know something?"

"In all the years I've known your parents, they've never had the scent of a werewolf so I've always assumed they're human. But there are ways werewolves can hide their....werewolfness."

I didn't want to talk about this anymore - about the fact that my parents could be anything but human. Instead, I let myself drink in the view of rippling muscles and swift reflexes. "I don't think I've seen one out-of-shape person so far. Do you guys have abs even when you're babies?"

My segue into a different topic didn't go unnoticed. She laughed instead of commenting, catching the attention of some warriors nearby. "Don't say that too loud. Most of them already have their heads stuck up their asses." She paused and added, "We also have crazy fast metabolisms. That's why it takes a lot to get drunk for us and don't really gain weight."

"You were always drunk so fast when we went out though."

She scratched the back of her neck guilty. "I was pretending pretty much every time."

"So I chased you in the woods at night more than once when you were sober?"

She flushed a little now. "You would have noticed if the amount I was drinking wasn't affecting me - you're way too observant." That I agreed with her on. "And I will always cherish those memories of you attempting to chase me."

I shook my head amusedly, scanning through the vast area before landing my gaze on a tall, imposing figure, decked out in workout gear. He wasn't donning a shirt - but a bandolier of knives was wound around his very sweaty torso. He moved like a panther, lithe and sure, deflecting every offense from his partner. I couldn't rip my eyes away, almost entranced. Livia seemed to follow my stare with knowing eyes. "That's Julian Lochan. One of the best warriors in the legion." There was sarcasm in her voice but also a certain pride.

My face warmed. "He certainly seems to live up to that sentiment."

His eyes stayed on his sparring partner, his sword moving like a whip in his grasp. I think my gaze had lingered for too long to be considered polite - and his eyes met mine over that field briefly but heat soared through my face now. I quickly moved my eyes elsewhere at the very, very interesting trees and grass.

"I hear enough about it over family dinners," she said with a roll of her eyes. She answered my confusion for me by adding, "He's my cousin. From my mom's side."

"Oh," I replied. I'd just been ogling Livia's cousin. Great. "Why don't we move on with the grand tour?" I wanted to cringe at myself till the end of time and decided getting away would be a better solution.

She didn't say anything else as we moved on, walking back into town. But I couldn't shake the feeling I had a gaze glued to my back as I left the field. I shivered involuntarily, but not from fear.