The moon hung high above the dense forest, casting a silver light glow over the night sky. I can feel the cold wind brushing my hair as it stirred the branches, but it was the tension in the air that made my heart race. Tonight was the night.
The night that I have been waiting for, with every heartbeat, every passing season.
On a very peaceful night, I could hear the distant howl of wolves in the distance, which only made my heart race even more in anticipation.
I glanced up in the sky and closed my eyes shut as I tried to remember the memory of my beloved parent's faces, smiling up at me.
I was reminiscing in silence when an approaching footstep caught my attention.
A warm smile escaped my lips as Miya, one of the very few friends I've made all these years, padded up beside me.
"You look restless, Foxy... Is it the full moon or him you're waiting for?"
Miya asked, smiling from ear to ear.
"No, it's not the moon, Miya. And it's absolutely not him. I'm not waiting for Aric, and if ever I was, I don't think he'll come."
I replied, my eyes fixed on the horizon.
"Tonight's the night. I will change tonight.,my wolf will show. I can feel it."
I added and sighed as Miya sniffed the air, her expression unreadable.
"You've been saying that for months now. I don't mean to be negative, but just what if... What if your wolf doesn't show again? What if she's gone?"
My heart skipped a beat.
"No, Miya... She will come tonight. I know it."
I whispered the words with certainty, though doubt started to cover the edges of my soul.
"Any minute now..."
I whispered again, my heart beating a little faster as the cold night air brushed against my skin.
Alpha Alaric had told me this would be the night. The night I'd meet my wolf. It was tradition for young wolves to come into their full power when they turned eighteen or when the bond with their destined mate would be sealed.
Only my eighteenth birthday was months ago, Shara, one of the pack's elders, had told me that it happens sometimes, that sometimes our wolves won't let us meet them when they feel that we are not strong enough.
Alpha Alaric agreed to that and advised me to give it a little more time. Tonight, however, is a very important occasion, the elders has said that tonight will be the night that I have been waiting for.
Tonight was no ordinary night, it was my first transformation into my wolf form, and tonight will also be my first step toward claiming my title as Luna of Shadow Walker Pack.
And tomorrow, I will be married to Aric Barlowe, who will then become the new Alpha of our pack. I had felt the excitement bubbling in my chest for weeks, not because of the wedding, of course, but I'm excited to finally meet my wolf.
But as the hours passed, I began to feel that familiar knot of uncertainty in my stomach.
"Are you nervous?"
Miya asked. I glanced in her direction and nodded lazily.
"Of course I'm nervous, tonight is very... important."
"What is? Your wedding or our transformation?"
Miya laughed as I shot her a glance.
"Do I need to answer that? You know I never want to marry him, but what can I do? Aside from Aric being my destined mate, he's... Well, we've been promised to each other since we were little."
"But you do love him, don't you?"
Miya asked, her eyes gleamed with curiosity. I smiled lazily at her and nodded.
"But I know deep down, love isn't enough... Especially when I'm the only one who has it."
"Well, that's deep, but don't worry... You and I will change tonight, I can feel it too."
The members of the Shadow Walker Pack had gathered in a clearing, under the glow of the blue moon, all their eyes were on me, watching me closely, quietly, which only made my heart pound hysterically against my chest.
I stood in the middle, together with other young wolves like I am. My friend Miya and the rest were there as well, tonight will be as important for them as well.,they will also transform for the first time.
My fist clenched, my body trembling with both anticipation and fear. I glanced up at the full blue moon, its light close to its peak, and tonight, everything would change for me.
I hope...
"Are you ready for this?"
Shara, the pack's elder, approached me slowly, her voice low and steady.
"I—I don't know... I—I don't think I'm ready for all these."
Shara tilted her head, watching me closely.
"I—I am not sure if I am ready to change...to become what I'm supposed to be."
I added, my voice trembled as the words escaped my lips.
"Everyone says I'm close, but I've felt different. I—I feel like it's never going to happen."
Alpha Alaric's voice echoed from behind us.
"Patience, Foxy... The moon will not rush its gifts."
I turned to face him, my legs trembling as I met his gaze. He smiled at me, but I am too nervous to even smile back.
"I-I waited for months, Alpha Alaric. What if... What if I am really not meant to transform? What if my wolf—"
"You are a wolf, Foxy. And wolves change when they are ready. Not when they wish it, but when they are prepared in body and spirit. Change is not always on the moon's terms, but on your own."
"I don't know, Alpha Alaric... What if I fail?"
I whispered, worry almost visible on my face. Alaric's expression softened, and he smiled at me.
"You won't fail."
His voice was firm. He placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder as he stepped even closer.
"This is your destiny, Foxy. The moon will be calling for you. You are destined to be more than just a young wolf, but my son's bride... You will become this pack's Luna, and as promised, you and Aric will rule together."
Alaric had said he didn't give me the chance to answer when he started to walk away.
Just a few seconds later, the full moon glowed, emitting blue lights as others began to howl. I looked down at my hands, the smoothness of my skin a stark contrast to the rough claws of the wolf I was supposed to become. But then, I don't feel anything, not like the others do...
"It will come, Foxy, the moonlight, it will call to you. You just have to trust it."
Shara smiled at me. I nodded. I tried to smile back, but the doubt in my heart refused to be silenced. I absentmindedly glanced at others, they were already starting to shift, their bodies began to rip with the transformation. The air was filled with the sound of bones cracking, fur growing, and howls started to rise into the night sky. I took a step back, my breath shallow. I wanted to shift; I needed to, but still... I can't feel anything...
"Come on, Foxy...''
I heard Miya shout. Her wolf form was already taking shape, a sleek brown she-wolf with eyes full of fierce determination.
"The moon is calling for you too, you just have to embrace it."
I closed my eyes as I let the sounds of transformation wash over me. I tried so hard to feel the pull, to connect, to hear the moon call, but all I felt was a strange emptiness. My heartbeat quickened when a voice cut through the thick air. It was harsh, rough...
"What is wrong with you?"
Aric, Alpha Alaric son, the next Alpha stepped forward, his eyes amber like a burning ember, it glowed with a judgement that sent chills down my spine.
"Tonight, you are supposed to become one of us, a true wolf. And tomorrow you are supposed to become Shadow Walker Pack's Luna. Tonight is the full moon and you can't even shift, what good are you to us?"
"That's enough!"
Alpha Alaric's loud growl caught everyone's attention. But Aric didn't backed dowm.
"Why are you protecting her, father? You saw her, she's not one of us. She can't even change, not when it matters. What good is it to be the next alpha if I will have to marry someone who can't even claim her wolf?"
Those words cut through my heart, like a sharp metal shreding to every part of my soul. I felt the weight of their gazes, the silent judgement heavy on my chest, I swallowed my breath that caught in my throat.
"You're always too quick to judge, Aric. You know who she is, she's got more power to hold this pack more than you do, her father-"
"Her father is long dead, and this pack will vanish as well if we ever accept her as our Luna. If she's got more hold to this pack more than I do, then why didn't she shift into her wolf form? Why doesn't she belong to the moon like the rest of us She's weak, father. And if she can't lead... Then she has no place among us."
Aric's words stung like a lash across my soul. Especially when Alpha Alaric, who used to defend me fell into silence as if finally accepting the fact that I am indeed, not one of them.
I am just Brielle Fox, daughter of teh late Alpha Weldon Fox, chosen to be the shadow walker pack's luna, but I am not strong enough.
Maybe I'm really not one of them.