Persona

Chapter 1

Anne lay under a tree basking in the afternoon sunlight. The grass tickled her exposed calves and the breeze trickled in between the leaves of the large oak. She was at peace.

“Ann!”, Caleb called out to her, “The guests are arriving and as much as I’m sure you’d just love to be absent from your own coming of age... Hailey is going to be there.”

That last sentence caught Anne’s attention as her eyes flew open. The person she admired the most would be attending her ceremony... hers! She jumped up with a squeal and ran. Caleb, who she saw shaking his head as she ran past him, had an odd look on his face.

Caleb was Alpha, the leader and backbone of their pack, but to her, he was like a father. Caleb had found her abandoned in the forest and decided to bring her home as his own ‘cub’ well as much as one as a human could be anyway.

Children are precious to the werewolves so no one really minded her too much and she was treated well. The whole pack had become her family and she adored each member... especially Hailey.

Anne rushed to the pack house as fast her legs would take her. Bumping into wolves with a quick “sorry”, before finally getting to the pack house. Everyone was bustling around rearranging table decorations, preparing the fires, and setting up the stage. She had been lazing around for longer than she thought and everything was almost set up. She opened the large oak doors and rushed into the three story building’s foyer.

“Ann”, she jumped at the sound of Caleb’s voice coming from the staircase in front of her. Their speed and stealth always amazed her despite being around it for 18 years already.

“Yes, sir!” She responded with a mock salute. He didn’t look impressed, his blonde brows furrowed and his mouth was turned down in a frown. He opened his mouth and then closed it, “You shouldn’t be running in the house, you could get hurt.” Caleb finally said with a sigh. Anne groaned and made a move to run up and past him, but before she was even half way up the stairs Caleb grabbed her into a hug. “I’m serious Anne girl. You’re not like us.”, her heart stung at the words but she knew what he meant and that he meant well. “I know Cal, I’m just excited. No more running in the house. I swear.”.

After that Anne had walked up the last or the two flights of stairs to get to her room. Her outfit already laid out for her on her bed. Bless Molly. She had known Anne would be late and had put the clothes put on the bed before hand. Anne stripped and went into her en suite bathroom to take a shower.

Upon getting out she stared at herself in the mirror. She looked like a doll really. Long brown hair with hazel eyes and a light skin stretched over a slender yet curvy figure . The complete opposite of warrior wolves who were dark or tanned with larger muscles and often had strikingly gold eyes, to those who were trained to see them of course. To others their eyes look brown as the wolf is not truly seen.

Sighing about the fact that she is not a wolf would not make her one so she went to her room and put on the ceremonial clothing, which consisted of a long silver spider silk dress it had a deep V-neckline and thin straps. Shoes were a big NO at ceremonies as they disrupted the flow of magic between the body and the earth.

“You look all grown up”, her heart started pounding. She knew that voice better than she knew her own. Hailey. She hadn’t heard her come in but she wasn’t surprised. She turned around and there she was. Hailey’s looks could only really be described as androgynous. Her red hair was kept short and her tall build was muscular but not in a rough or bulky manner, it was more lean. She was beautiful.