*Whispers from the ancient Willow’s boughs,

In a cavern’s shadow where history allows.

By the moonlit lake, reflections guide,

Symbols hidden in ripples, where secrets abide.

Guardians of the night, statues stand tall,

Midnight echoes in the pack’s sacred hall.

Within the ancient forest, the howls reveal,

A path to follow, a destiny to unseal.*

*At the mountaintop ruins where stars align,

Celestial convergence, a gateway to find.

Decipher these riddles, a cosmic quest,

To the Moonlit Nexus, where the Keystone rests.*

I shot awake, cold sweat covering my skin and making it damp, I had the same weird dream again. I have been having the same weird dream for as long as I can remember but now it has become more frequent and vivid.

I get up from my mattress and stumble through our humid cottage and into the bathroom, the wallpaper is falling off and the walls have mold, we live worse off than the town’s homeless.But even this is grace from the pack, being in a pack guaranteed protection especially during the full moon, when those creatures came out.

I looked at myself in the mirror and as my mind cleared and the grogginess went away I was filled with disappointment, I could feel it , it wasn’t there maybe I was born without a wolf but the pack doctor assured me that I was a wolf,I had all the abilities of a wolf even though I was weaker than most of them which was a sign of being an Omega.

I was so excited when I went to sleep yesterday because today is the day I turned 18 and it’s the day I finally shift.

Stronger wolves tend to shift earlier so for an omega like me turning at 18 is a normal thing.

I run my hand through my short hair and sigh.

I hear the noisey cupboards open and I know Mariah is awake, so I quickly take a shower wincing as the cool water touches my skin. I scrape this little lotion with my toothbrush and apply it to my face, hands and ankles. After that I threw on some cargo shorts, a tank top and a hoodie to keep the taunting gazes away before walking into the kitchen.

“Hey birthday girl”,she cheerfully calls out to me, but seeing the expression on my face sighs “it’s okay Stormi you still have the rest of the day, so don’t worry so much about it” she smiled warmly and said shoving a bowl of cereal in front of me.

I was just a pup left at the borders when Mariah found me, the pack didn’t want to take in a pup with unknown origins but Mariah took me in anyway.

“Don’t try to make me feel better Mariah, I’m just some woofless bastard child that nobody wanted”,I say and grab my strap bag ready to start my half an hour trek to school.

She grabs a cupcake and puts a candle on it lighting it up as she brings it closer to me “I will love you either way, you mean the world to me and it hurts me to see that you don’t even consider how much I love you”

Now I feel bad I didn’t want to take it out on her so I threw myself into her arms, she’s all I have and is the most important person in my life. Soon after graduation Mariah and I will leave this town.

“Okay let’s not cry today is your birthday, so make a wish and blow out the candle”,she says smiling her black luscious locks falling to her face , Mariah is a beautiful woman I don’t get why she never tried to move on after the death of her mate.

“Today is the day you found me”, I remind her but I do as she tells me and wish for our plans to go our way.

“Awww you remembered my birthday? Thank you”, I sneered, I would usually keep quiet, let him do whatever he wanted and after he got bored he would leave me alone but I don’t know what came over me, maybe it’s because I was disappointed that I didn’t get my wolf.

“And you better come up with new names Freak? What are you still in fifth grade? “,I say and pull the twig out.

I then noticed the Jeep parked by the side of the road with Elijah in it scrolling through his phone, His piercing gray eyes , looking indifferent and unfazed by everything going on.

“Where is this fighting spirit coming from?”, he questioned raising his eyebrow as amusement danced in his eyes “I like it”,

“Don’t waste your time with the runt just get the homework and let’s go”, Elijah lazily said.

Isaiah grabs my strap on-bag, and throws the things in it onto the ground, and takes my cupcake and takes a bite out of it then spits it out on the ground together with my cupcake.

“Thanks very much Isaiah, that was my lunch”,I sarcastically said and rolled my eyes.

When he isn’t bullying me His friendly demeanor is mirrored in his warm smile and expressive eyes, which hold a hint of mischief whenever he is talking.

He gets upset and pushes me to the ground “it’s beta Isaiah to you “,he spits his Light, sandy blonde hair falling casually across his forehead. Which gave him a relaxed and approachable appearance. But I knew the real Isaiah, the one that took pleasure in making my life miserable. And I was reminded by the time he almost drowned me at the creek. I can still see him smiling down at me why I fought to get his arms off my neck and the three of them Elijah, Alex and Austin laughed as they watched from the bank.

I want to keep quiet like always or maybe cry so he can leave me alone but today I didn’t feel like it. I laugh sarcastically and look at him “with the way you take out time just to mess with me I’d say you like me”.

“Are you out of your mind, eww”,he says as he picks the papers up walking off and getting into the car. the weight of his disdain crushing me like a ton of bricks

I picked up my things and put them back into my bag taking some leaves to clean my legs that were now covered in mud, clean myself up and get on my bicycle and cycle with one hand all the way to school.