From Rivals to Romance

Party

I wore a pretty green dress to the party. Most of them will be in shorts and tee shirts as they will turn into wolves and run around at night. But I haven't yet made the change yet, a werewolf shifts into a wolf when they are the age of 16, and it has been a year since I had turned 16, I will turn 17 next month and I haven't turned into a wolf yet.

Cynthia had been ecstatic to find another reason to tease and taunt me about. It didn’t help that she had moved the moment she had turned sixteen. She even tried to attack me in her wolf form. I was lucky that alpha Brandon came at the right time, otherwise she would have definitely harmed me.

There was music thumping near erics house which I could hear from my house. Taking the indication that the party had started, I nervously made my way towards his house. I had stayed home as long as I could, even after father went to the party. If I stayed any longer, it would be taken as an insult to the alpha.

As we live near the forest there was grass growing on the path, which was paved with cobblestones, flanked on either side by tall rustic houses. As I walked between the houses, I couldn't help but admire the beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and forest.

The houses were made of wood and stone, with sloping roofs and chimneys puffing gentle smoke. The windows were small and cozy, with flower boxes hanging beneath them and curtains are drawn for privacy. The houses were far apart from each other as wolves have sensitive hearing and having privacy is almost impossible if the houses are close together.

The air was chilly, but thanks to me being a wolf I felt warm and comfortable even in the thin flowy dress, one of the many perks of being a werewolf. She walked steadily, her breath forming small clouds in the cold air, enjoying the peace and tranquility of the mountain village.

As she passed by the houses, she could hear faint sounds of life emanating from within – a woman singing, a baby crying, the clinking of dishes. The village felt like a world unto itself, cut off from the noise and chaos of the outside world. This is what I like most about the mystic howl pack. The place they live in has the most beautiful view.

Despite the beauty of the scene, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of loneliness. Where would I be if my mother and father were alive? She was a stranger in this village even though I had formed a beautiful bond with some of the pack members. I was still an outsider to many of them. But I pushed the feeling aside and continued my walk, knowing that sometimes solitude was necessary for personal growth.

As I reached the end of the village, I could see the big bonfire they had created. It was big, the fire looked like it was reaching for the sky. The alphas house is near the end with other stronger members of the pack so that they can protect the village from any attacks. It was their duty and responsibility to protect the week members of their pack.

As she entered the party, she felt the eyes of her packmates upon her. She was greeted with nods and greetings. There were some who were looking at her in awe. But everyone was staring at me, making me a little bit nervous. I had trained myself to not be the center of attention since I was a child. And had been an expert in avoiding unnecessary attention. Even Cynthia only noticed me because of eric. Before that I was a nobody to her. Even though she didn’t like me as I was an outsider, she didn’t bother me this much. It was only after Eric told one of his friends that he likes me -I got the story from my friend ruth, she is a gossipmonger, there is nothing she doesn’t know- that she started making my life miserable.

Everyone congratulated me for being accepted into the arcane arts academy. They were looking envious. It is a dream of everyone to go to the academy. Not only to learn about magic and knowledge but also because of the wealthy people who attend the academy. Even if one doesn't study, they can always find a handsome and rich person and live a happy life. There have been many cases in which a poor nobody has gone there and gotten married to the richest man they could ever imagine.

I went into the house looking for Ruth, there were people everywhere. And it seems they all wanted to congratulate me. It took me ten minutes to make my way into the kitchen as I was exhausted from giving fake smiles to everyone out of politeness and hadn't still found Ruth.

I went to the backyard, taking a soft drink from the kitchen with me. There she was. She was talking to her childhood crush looking bright red. It was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. She had never talked with him before, even though I had insisted that she at least say hi to him. She refuses, and rightly so as she always freezes up whenever he is in front of him.

I could hear her stuttering in front of him, poor girl, she is unable to form words. Embarrassed, she ran towards me, leaving him looking confused. I stopped her before she could run straight to her house.

“Whoa there, slow down.” I said, grabbing her by her shoulders.

“Anaya! I made a fool of myself.” she wailed, putting her head on my shoulder. I wanted to say that she had. But refrained as it might trigger her, and she would start to go on and on and on about how much she loved him and still couldn't even talk to him. It doesn’t help that she stalks him like a hound and knows everything about him and is obsessed with him.

“Look who is here. The great Anaya who has been accepted into the prestigious academy.” a sugary sweet voice said as a long, really long sigh escaped me. This is going to be a long night.