TWINS OF ZETA

“Why is nothing happening”Sixteen year old Laina asked her mother. Her mother smiled and moved closer to her. “It’s because you don’t eat enough meat my darlyn”her mother held her and reassured her that she was going to have her wolf soon.Her eyes were wide, searching her mother’s face for any reassurance, any hope. But all she saw was a soft, encouraging smile, one that had been offered to her countless times before though it was starting to feel more hollow with each passing day. Her mother, Aria, moved closer to her, her hands warm as they cupped Laina’s face. The scent of fresh pine and lavender from the nearby woods seemed to surround them as the wind blew softly through the cracks in the wooden cabin. It was another night under the glow of the full moon, and the cabin creaked as if the forest itself was whispering ancient secrets just beyond their walls. The pale glow of the moonlight filtered through the window, casting a soft glow on her mother’s face, but Laina didn’t feel comforted. She only felt the weight of the words that had been repeated to her for the last five years. Every full moon, Laina asked the same question, and every full moon, her mother answered in the same way. Yet, despite the comfort in her mother’s voice, Laina felt something in her chest that she couldn’t ignore: the loneliness, the confusion, the anxiety that had been building up ever since she’d reached the age when every other wolf in her pack had begun to shift into their true forms. And Laina? She was still waiting. Still human. Still trapped in a body that refused to transform. Aria wrapped her arms around her daughter, pulling her into a tight embrace. “You will have your wolf, sweetheart. I promise you. It’s just... it’s taking a little longer for you. You’re special, and sometimes the special ones take their time.”Laina buried her face in her mother’s chest, drawing comfort from the familiar warmth. The scent of her mother’s perfume, the soft hum of her voice,it made her feel safe. But deep down, Laina couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. She wasn’t like the others. The other girls and boys in her pack had shifted by now. By sixteen, every single one of them was a wolf, running free in the woods, living in the wild, with a bond to the moon that she could only dream of. Her hands trembled as she rested them on her mother’s back. She’d tried everything her mother told her—eating more meat, drinking the strange herbal teas, praying to the goddess, even meditating under the moonlight—but nothing changed. Nothing ever changed. “I’m trying, Mom,” she whispered. “I really am.” Her mother kissed the top of her head, holding her tighter. “I know, darling. I know. And I have faith in you. The moon will choose you when the time is right.” The warmth of her mother’s embrace was the only comfort she could hold onto in that moment. The weight of her own doubt, the pressure of the waiting, was overwhelming, but her mother’s steady presence was like a lifeline in the storm. “But what if I’m not ready?” she whispered, voice trembling. “What if the moon doesn’t choose me?” Her mother pulled back slightly, her hands gentle but firm as she tilted her daughter’s chin to meet her eyes. “The moon doesn’t rush, sweetheart. It waits for the right moment. And so will you.” She smiled, a soft, reassuring curve of her lips. “You don’t have to be ready for everything at once. The path is yours to walk, in your own time.” The words were a balm to her restless soul, but the uncertainty still lingered. She just had to trust that somehow, someday, the transformation would come. But for now, all she could do was wait—and believe. Laina nodded, though she didn’t feel reassured. She didn’t feel anything other than the cold, sharp ache in her chest the quiet voice in her head whispering that something was wrong with her. She wasn’t like the others. She never would be.