Greenfield, a picturesque little town where it rains 85% of the year. Black Pack, home to the indigenous pack in which I reside—unfortunately, also home to werewolves, or rather, wolves as per the legends. When you think about it, you don't imagine a pack of teenagers with hormones raging. Yet, unfortunately, these are our protectors against vampires and corrupted witches. Even Ichabod, who is still a young adult, manages to be reckless, always striking that grumpy macho pose. Idiots who couldn't keep the secret, not even for a 17-year-old teenager, which obviously is me. Nice to meet you, Effie Sagan.
I honestly don't understand how they haven't been discovered yet, I mean, I discovered it when the only werewolf was Ichabod. I remember watching the Calypso's house, our neighbors, thanks to the scandal that involved their eldest daughter Crystal and Mary, a friend who steals grooms who snatched Ichabod for herself. Our little town has never had such lively moments, except of course the day I made my discovery, chasing Ichabod practically in distress as he trembled after some argument with Godric, that's when I saw it.
I had no doubts or questions, after all, everything I needed to know about the supernatural world was before my eyes and in my memories, the legends of the city, and it was as if my eyes were opened to the world, each legend was true, Soulmate, witches, vampires, werewolves, and fairies.
I bit my lip rereading 'wolves' and wondering if it was spelled correctly. It wasn't the type of thing you wrote every day, scratching out the last part before closing the grimoire - which was more like a diary - in frustration. After a few years of writing every legend of the city in the grimoire, it was finally complete, along with something about myself. I wasn't sure what I would do with it, after all, it was just a pastime, so I simply tucked it behind the painting on my wall.
I needed more, more things to discover about that unknown world. I opened my notebook, which was without a signal once again, not that it was a novelty. My books about banshees would arrive next week, directly from China, one of only 200 to be manufactured. Maybe it was true, maybe it wasn't. I would judge that myself.
— Effie? — My brother's husky voice sounded as the door swung open without warning, prompting me to roll my eyes. I responded with a simple 'hummm'. — Have you eaten? — My twin seemed to forget that he was only one hour older, not a year, always treating me as if I were a child.
— No, Eloic, I've spent the whole day without eating, — I grumbled sarcastically as I turned to face him. Now muscular as if he had been injecting something, he had a younger appearance that contrasted perfectly with his playful smile.
My idiotic brother unfortunately was one of the wolves, which caused significant tension, especially because our mother was not part of the town. This meant that any man in town could be the father of the year, something I noticed causing some tension. On my shortlist of potential fathers were Black, Cassini, and Jacobs, who as far as I knew were the only men in the tribe carrying the wolf blood. However, I couldn't be entirely sure. As always, it was all just speculation on my part. It was frustrating, but I didn't have much interest in the matter. I didn't need a father; my mother had always been more than enough.
— Are you listening, 'El'? — Eloic asked, making me blink a few times as I returned to reality, staring at him again. I liked how innocent my brother was; it made me feel lighter, even though I would never admit such a thing out loud.
I rolled my eyes, spinning the chair disinterestedly.
— What? — I asked, crossing my legs and nervously tapping my feet.
— I'm going to make pasta, want some? —
Receiving only a frustrated sigh from me, Eloic dashed out of the room. I knew he tried to take care of me, even though responsibility wasn't exactly his forte. He tried, and if that meant eating raw ramen for the sixth time that week, then so be it. Mom was busy with work due to the recent disappearances, and if she found out we were using money to buy junk food, she'd probably have a fit.
— CHICKEN OR CHEESE? — he yelled before the familiar sound of pots clattering caught my attention.
— WHATEVER. — I yelled back, returning my gaze to the laptop screen before tossing it onto the bed. My room was simple, with a single bed, a wardrobe made of dark wood like the rest of the house, and a study desk. The most 'abnormal' thing in my room was probably the piles and piles of books scattered across the floor, forming heaps. I probably should buy a bookshelf or something similar to store them, but I always ended up forgetting and spending my money on more books.
Barefoot, I walked calmly into the kitchen, where I leaned against the door frame, happily whistling at the scene because Eloic could be a disaster when he wanted to, in fact, we both were like that, and the state of the kitchen didn't lie.
— Weren't you grounded? Where have you been? — I asked, crossing my arms. Eloic often disappeared during the night, and when Mom went to check on him, she always got a shock, which led to several fights in the morning, along with numerous punishments for Eloic, the 'rebel' as Mom used to call him. And although I had a certain idea of the reason for his disappearances, I kept to myself while watching the — fire burn — inside the house. — The water's boiling, — I pointed to the pot full of bubbling water.
— Shit... — he grumbled as he tossed the pasta into the pot. — I was at... Caedmon's, — he mumbled some excuse, making me sigh.
— You... — Before I could finish my sentence, knocks on the door caught my attention. — Take care of the noodles, I'll see who it is, — I said, giving him a stern look. He seemed to know who it was and was already heading towards the door when my voice stopped him.
I just needed to turn around as I walked towards the completely dark room, dancing among the objects to avoid bumping into them even though I couldn't see. I could see through the reddish glass of the door a large silhouette, which made me sigh tiredly as I ran my fingers through my messy hair in a futile attempt to straighten it.
I opened the door with some force, the scowl on my face probably enough to ward off whoever it was. To my surprise, it was Godric Vega. I knew what he was like, even though I had never exchanged a single word with him, much like most people, as my circle of acquaintances within the pack was limited to Jacobs and Caedmon, who occasionally showed up here to call Eloic. The man almost reached the top of the door in terms of height.
Even though I wasn't as curious as I usually was, it would be hard not to recognize Godric Vega, the town's ticking time bomb and, in his spare time, a heartbreaker. I allowed myself to assess him up close for the first time. I remembered hearing girls praise his appearance, and he was indeed handsome, with dark eyes that, even though they were completely black, I was almost sure were brown. His fair skin suited Godric perfectly, although he might have been too muscular and tall for my taste. Nonetheless, he was what many would call a god of beauty. However, I couldn't concentrate on that, only on how intimidating his fixed gaze was at that moment. Maybe it was my short stature, but Vega was so tall and large that he intimidated me, and staring at me without blinking or breathing didn't help much. Maybe he was just another idiot like Eloic.
Noticing the absolute silence, I leaned in his direction while snapping my fingers, trying to snap him out of it. — Sir? — I almost asked if he was lost, but stopped myself from calling Godric 'lost baby girl' as he seemed like a mountain. I called, trying to wake him from his trance, already hearing Eloic's hurried footsteps. — Hey? — I called a second time, before feeling large hands on my shoulders, pulling me away from Vega.
-Not my sister, Godric! - He roared before slamming the door violently.