Her Unknown Wolf

The First Full Moon

~Drake

A few days have passed since the day we had dinner together and I find myself thinking about her often. The rush of every feeling she gave me still fresh in my head, and the feeling of her lips on mine never left.

I wish she wasn't raised with those boring human customs though. She should be here now, studying shifter law and training to be a great Luna, like I know she is destined to be. Being raised human, however, makes her want to wait to live with me or do anything more intimate than that impressive kiss.

Wolves always tend to move in together right away after finding their mate. I want her here with me. I crave her closeness and need her next to me. I want to share my territory and all the wonders of my land with her. I want to share my home and my bedroom. I want to claim her in front of everyone and give her everything she deserves and more. Suddenly, a knock at the door of my office brought me out of my thoughts and into the present.

"Knock knock handsome man." In strolls a tall, petite, blonde. She comes over to me and wraps her arms around my neck right before placing a kiss on my cheek. "I missed you."

Pulling her arms off me I sigh. "Viv, we've been through this already. I've found my mate and I'm pursuing her."

She let out a little scoff type laugh. "Well then where is she? Is she not a wolf?" Crossing her arms she tilts her head to the left and raises an eyebrow questioningly.

"She is a wolf, I assure you. And, if it truly concerns you that much, she is with her mother."

"Are you sure she's your mate though, Drake? Why wouldn't she want to come here and be with you? Or are you maybe ashamed of her and didn't ask her to come?"

"I'm not ashamed, Vivienne. It's a lot more complicated than that."

"How? I'm meant to be Luna and you know that, Drake. Perhaps you're just having cold feet about the commitment. It's okay to have them but I expect them to be warm in time for my ceremony." She starts to walk away.

"You are not getting a Luna Ceremony." I growl with authority. This causes her to stop and turn around.

"I know you did not just use that tone with me. Drake, I.."

"Alpha Drake. And I'll use whatever tone I like. It's my right as the Alpha of this pack. You are just the daughter of the old Gamma. You are not my mate and you will not be my Luna."

"Two years, Drake. Two years. You're going to toss that all away? You promised me. I was going to be your chosen mate. You loved me. You were supposed to stay loving me." She begins to cry and starts having hitched breathing. "There is something wrong with you. I hope you get help." She turns and runs out of the room, the heartbreak clearly visible on her face.

A whistle sounds at the door and I look up to see my best friend, Jason. "She seems to be taking it well."

I sigh heavily and pinch the bridge of my nose. "Wonderfully." I groan.

"So are you sure this girl is really your mate?" Jason walks into the room more then leans on the wall next to my desk. "It's also not just Viv, ya know? A lot of the pack feel like you're just trying to delay her ceremony or that you're nervous about it all."

"I understand that but I assure you, that is not what's happening at all. Vivienne isn't getting a Luna Ceremony because it doesn't belong to her. it belongs to Savia and once she figures out how things work in our world she'll be here. She will be the one with a ceremony and I know she will be a damn good Luna."

"Savia? That's a pretty name. So how does a wolf not know how things work?" Jason looks at me with curiosity.

I tell him all of what I know, confiding in my best friend. All about how she was abandoned as a baby and raised by humans. How she sticks to all normal and human unspoken laws of relationships and life. Its those unspoken laws that keeps her away from living with me.

"The night we actually met though, she had armed herself with mace and threatened me." I say, finishing off my story about my beautiful mate.

"The future Luna's got a bit of spunk! I like that." Jason giggled. "To think some short scrawny girl would believe she could take you on."

"She definitely shows the beginnings of a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure, fiesty thing. She also does the most unexpected things." My thoughts drift back to that unforgettable kiss. I've kissed many people before her, Vivienne an innumerable amount of times herself. However, none of them now could even compare to the one from Savia. All of then felt stolen in a way now. Like the kisses were meant for Savia all along but the other girls stole them from her. It was strange to feel.

"Drifting off into space, man?" Jason ask, shaking his head and snapping his fingers to get my attention back on him. "I was saying we ought to go patrol borders. Cain could use a run and I'm sure Sage could too."

I hadn't even realized he was talking, or the fact he changed the subject. He was right though, Sage has been wanting to run, ever since finding our mate he's been flooded with energy that needs released.

~Savia

Brooke and May are the only ones who know that Drake was the guy from the mall. My mother would think I'm insane if she knew, especially after all the craziness my mind put me through because of him.

After meeting him the nightmares stopped. Sleep is a sweet, sweet relief that I didn't realize I was missing so much. It's so nice to be back on track so I'm not tired all the time.

Now I can enjoy things again, like the bonfire at May's farm tonight. I have never been to a bonfire before and seeing the massive pile of wood, cardboard, sticks, and logs was impressive. This night is going to be amazing, I just know it!

At dusk May, Brooke, and I each given permission to light a side of the bonfire stack. These were traditions in May's family to let the graduate light it up, and since us three were always considered a package deal, sisters by bond, not by blood, we were each handed a torch.

"Here's to life." Brooke started to say to us. "May we never see complacency, unfaithfulness, or pain. I love you guys."

"Awe, we love you too!" May spoke.

This day will always be one I'll remember. The nights spent with these two are always the best. Sitting back in a fold out lawn chair I sigh and relax a little, letting the heat from the bonfire warm my skin.

When the last rays of sunlight disappeared and night covered the sky, I decided to go for a little walk into the deeper parts of the farm. There was an old shed May, Brooke, and I used to play in just a little way inside the surrounding woods.

Nostalgia and the want to be alone for a few minutes led me right to it. Brushing my fingers along the old and worn surface, I began to feel a tight knot forming in my gut. The feeling turned into a dull ache and began intensifying. Every muscle cramped and I felt like my body was folding in on itself.

I whimper and take a few steps heading back towards the farm before my leg twists and snaps out from under me. A scream escapes my lips as my other leg follows suit, knocking me to the ground. No longer able to walk, I crawl along the ground, sobbing, trying desperately to get back and away from whatever horror met me here in these woods. The cramping starts to feel like muscle and flesh ripping apart over and over again. My arms snapping in similar fashion to my legs. Claws sprout from my nails and before my wide and horrified eyes I watch as my fingers shrink and fuse together, rippling and snapping apart and then in place, until each bone formed into a paw. Hyperventilating I toss my head back and scream as loudly as I can. Halfway through the air in my lungs I hear my scream shift as well. My face contorting and growing longer outwardly the scream becomes a howl.

What is happening?! I screech inside my head.

We are shifting. Vex calmly replies. It is almost done.

It hurts so much. Why does it hurt? She doesn't answer my question but through the agony I can understand. Each muscle and bone has to reshape and rearrange themselves into this new form.

It will get easier. In time this process won't take as long and it will hurt less each shift. Her calm voice and presence help a little bit. At least I wasn't completely alone.

How long do we stay as a wolf?

Until the sun rises for this first shift. Every time after you can do either way at will.

Completely shifted, I let Vex take control. She sniffs around and decides to explore. Before we go far, her sense of hearing makes us pause.

"SAVY! SAAVVVIIIAAAA!" Brooke calls out, snapping twigs in the way towards the shed. Vex runs and quickly ducks behind a bush so we can listen but not be seen.

"Where do you think she could be?" A frantic May asks, the words tumbling out quickly in a jumbled mess of worry as they enter the area.

"Where she is? I'm wondering what happened to her. Did you hear her scream? What caused that?" Brooke replies. She gets out her phone and next thing we hear is my phone ringing away where I first collapsed.

I can see the color drain from their faces as they pick up my phone and some scaps of fabric that I realize were shredded remains of the outfit I was wearing.

"SAVY!!! SAAAVYYY!!!" Horror rings out in May's voice. I had never heard her sound so scared before. I feel terrible, unable to tell them I'm right here and I'm okay, causing this terror and panic among my friends, and knowing full well their next call will be to my mother. She will also worry.

We snuck away silently as more voices started sounding near the woods. Soon, the whole bonfire party will know I somehow disappeared. We break into a full speed run as soon as we're far enough away so that they wouldn't see a wolf darting across the woods. We just run and run, no destination in mind, but not wanting to stay there to be found.