《Trial and Instinct》


 Damnation

    ¡°Wretched dogs! Your heads are so far up your asses that you turned away from your goddess,¡± Selene, the moon goddess, erupted. The battlefield below her smelled of fresh blood, vomit, rot, and burnt flesh. Dead bodies were scattered over the brown hills and barren meadows. Screams, cries, clanging of metal, and crackling fire assaulted Selene¡¯s ears. The sky was clouded by smoke from the remnants of magic. They turned all her gifts of magic into senseless weapons aimed at each other. They have destroyed each other over and over again. Nothing ever changed. Now, the humans were involved in the bloodshed. Her children were guilty of murder and destruction of the Earth she loved. It ends now. ¡°Defy all the gifts that I gave you all! I will just take it all from your kind, from all of my children of the night. Suffer my wrath!¡±


    With that, Selene began to glow like the moon as her children of the night fell to their knees. No beast was left standing. The magic inside her children began to pour out  of the beasts as strands of white light floated up toward Selene, collecting into a ball of light. Cries of agony were heard across the Earth. No one could hide from the angry goddess. They had no hope of stopping her wrath.


    Selene did not let up as her children begged for forgiveness. There was no guilt in her heart, however, she felt a deep sadness for the unnecessary violence and broken faith she had in her children. Her body rose into the sky under the full moon. The ball of light burned brightly as it fed on the magic of Selene¡¯s cold of the night. ¡°You filled the world with hate and destruction from your endless wars. There will be no more needless death since you will all be plain humans with your memories of your magic erased.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    One after another, the werewolves, vampires, witches, shifters, every other child of the night pleaded with the goddess. They prayed and vowed sacrifices if their young would be spared. Selene refused. She would not allow any chance for revenge.  She had given them all chances, yet each generation was worse than the last. It all had to end here.


    Then, he came forward in the midst of all the chaos. The only person strong enough to face her wrath was her great-grandson, the Lycan King. ¡°O¡¯ Blessed Moon Goddess, I, your humble descendant beg your forgiveness. Please reconsider your judgment. You created us from our curses and gave us a new existence from your magic. We wish to protect and preserve the innocent of our kinds. Please, Moon Goddess, do not forsake them,¡± the Lycan King pleaded.


    Selene glanced down at her great-grandchild. Were there any innocent ones among them? True, the young children were not guilty of their parents¡¯ sins. Still, she would not stop her wreckoning that she inflicted on her children. They needed to learn that life is sacred. She could not spare the children, yet, she is a benevolent goddess. Perhaps she could give them a possible future centuries from now as comfort. ¡°I will not spare any of you, but I will give your descendants an opportunity for forgiveness. Pray, they do better than you all and earn their magic back.¡±


    The last of the white strands of light left all of Selene¡¯s children of the night. All of the creatures crumbled to the ground, lifeless. Selene gathered the giant ball of pure magic and bound it into a magic book. She looked down on the Lycan King, ¡°Worry not, former King, one day your people will have a chance just as I promised.¡± Selene waved her hand over the Lycan King and chose to leave a drop of her power in a mark on him. ¡°This will guide your descendant to me one day. Pray for them, former King.¡±


    Selene left the battlefield in a disarray. All her children of the night were normal humans now. When they awake from their comatose state, the humans would not remember anything of their magic. Let the era of peace begin.

 Somethings Wrong

    Walking away from the university, I could feel myself getting tired. It was final exam week, and all I could think about was getting away from the city, and spending the summer on the beach. I looked up at the full moon above me. Sometimes it felt like the moon was calling to me, which freaked me out because I have a crescent moon birthmark that seemed to tingle when I looked at the full moon over the last couple of months. My tolerance for this big city that I live in began to feel more like a burden as of late. It made me wish I was back home instead of at school.


    The streets of New York were bustling as always. People were walking everywhere because the taxi fares had gone up again. Taxis were the yellow cockroaches of New York the way they blanketed the streets coming down every road way like an invasion. Lights lit up the streets making the stars above me seem dim. The moon seemed small tonight though I could still feel it calling to me. Almost like it was sad looking down at the city that never sleeps. The calling of the moon was always silent like something pulling at my heartstrings. All I could actually hear were loud horns, sirens, people talking, and the sound of trash tumbling through the streets. It was all overwhelming for me lately.


    A month ago, I started feeling anxious every time I walked out the door, almost claustrophobic from the tall imposing buildings. New York is full of people and things, but it had never bothered me until now. I could have gone to a quieter college town if I wanted, but Columbia University was special to me because my dad went there before taking a job at Johnson Space Center where he met my mom. Eventually they settled in Allwood, Texas. His stories made me swoon about this place. If only they had gotten to see me to this point. Huh, no point dwelling on it. My six block walk came to an end when I started to feel sick.


    My shoulder began to feel warm and¡­tingly? I brushed my fingers over my skin only to feel sharp tingling in my finger when I went over my birthmark. What the hell? Pulling back the collar of my purple flannel, I glance down to see the crescent moon shaped birthmark seem to glow. Skin is not supposed to glow¡­ Did I take some sort of drug or something? A sudden gust of wind rushed through the city, blowing today¡¯s trash off the street and into my face. The tingles and heat faded from my birthmark as I moved to block the trash from hitting my face. It didn¡¯t stop the gross coffee cup from hitting my shirt or the new mustard stains on my dark blue jeans. Who knows what landed in my frizzy, brown pony tail.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I muttered under my breath. ¡°Now, I smell like shit.¡± I may as well have walked into a trash can! My hands gripped the straps of my backpack as I stormed into Harmony Hall. What I needed was a hot shower. I ran up the stairs quickly to my floor only to run into the worst part of my day. Now, I know why I feel sick. The hallway was lined with boxes and furniture because people were moving out for the summer, but none of that could hide him. In front of me, I watched as my boyfriend of six months was making out with some girl right in the hallway. I clutched my stomach as I approached them. The woman must have heard me because she glanced at me and my trashy look. Asher didn''t stop kissing on her neck as she eyed me up and down. Without warning, I vomited right next to them.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The woman squeaked with disgust as my boyfriend turned to see me. There was no guilt or pity in his eyes as he looked at me. ¡°What is wrong with you, Korinne?¡± Asher, my soon-to-be-ex boyfriend asked. Like this scenario was my fault, and his stupid choices didn''t spark this miserable moment.


    If I had the energy, I would have slapped the jerk. ¡°Wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with you Ash!¡± Forcing myself to stand up straight, I yelled at him. I had been dating Ash for six months, but there he stood with a raven haired chick hanging on his neck. His green hair and Nike shirt were a mess from whatever they had been doing before I arrived. ¡°Damn. Why did I have to date a guy in my building? Fe warned me this might happen¡­¡±


    "Kori, are you-"


    I shook my head. "Nope. You don''t get to say or ask anything," I huffed. His eyes looked big in surprise."You are doing her. So, I say I am not doing anything you might want. You are responsible for that vomit since you caused it. Oh, and I officially end our relationship like you should have done before getting hot and heavy with little miss raven hair," I didn''t give him a chance to speak as I ran off to my dorm. My heart was pounding from the last 20 minutes of my life, and if I could, I would melt into a puddle. The whole world just felt like too much, and I didn''t want it.


    Finally, I make it in my door when Fe comes running in behind me. "Kori," she turned to smile at me until she smelt the horrible stench that was wafting off me. "What is that smell?"


    I walked over to my desk chair, ready to collapse. I didn''t want to speak, but she''s my best friend. "New York''s finest, Fe, trash and vomit."


    She shook her head. I must have activated mother hen mode because she made quick work of my half packed boxes, so there was more room to move. "All right, you gotta shower now. Let''s get this horrible day off you," she pulled me out of the chair, handing me the shower bag off my dresser. She pulled out my Stitch pajamas and shooed me out the door. Fe followed behind before gaping at Asher cleaning vomit off the floor with the angry raven hair girl complaining behind him. "What¡¯s happening over there? Do you know?" She asked, but I was near tears and couldn''t answer her.


    In the shower stall, I set the water to boiling, ensuring that the trash smell would wash away. Felicity stood outside handing me things out of my bag in complete silence. "You can cry if you want Kori. I got your back."


    If only she knew, the tears were already streaming down my face. I pulled off my horrible smelling clothes, dropping them to the floor and letting them get drenched in the water of the shower. What a miserable evening. I thought Fe and I would celebrate when I got back since finals ended today. Maybe Asher¡­Screw Asher! I wasn''t in love with him, but I did like him a lot. My heart still hurts. Why would he go and cheat? Everything had been fun when we were together. I have no idea why jackass decided that raven haired chick was better than me.

 Goodbye Harmony Hall

    My thoughts drowned in why and how could he. Heavy tears flooded down my face mixing with the hot shower as I finished cleaning myself up. Fe didn''t say anything, but I am sure she heard my crying. Honestly, I was probably dehydrated from all the tears, but I decided I wasn''t going to cry anymore over that jackass. This was it. I would still hurt, but I won''t let that jackass hold me back.


    Dressed in my Stitch pajamas, Fe and I left the bathroom. The hallway was empty, but I could still hear laughter coming from the kitchen. A room filled with people that I wanted to avoid right now. I noticed Asher had cleaned up the hall and disappeared, so I wouldn¡¯t have to see his cheating face. Fe rushed me back into my dorm room, which was a mess from my packing. Sitting down on the bed, my thoughts drifted to my summer plans. I only had a few days left in the dorm before Fe and I headed out for summer, so I planned to spend tomorrow packing. My mind went into checklist mode to avoid thinking about today, causing me to zone out for what felt like forever.


    The sound of the door opening forced me back into the present. ¡°Well, that was awkward,¡± Felicity sighed. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t leave your room for a while, but have no fear, I have brought essentials.¡±


    I raised my eyebrow at her, realizing she was carrying a bounty of food and drinks in a tote bag. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Chicken flavored top ramen, six bottles of water, two orange gatorades, Funyuns, an apple, bacon jerky, strawberry poptarts, and cookie dough flavored frosting¡­yep, those are essentials. I am surprised we had some of these things.¡± I gave her a slight smile even though I felt gut punched.


    ¡°Originally, these were rations for all the packing and hauling we will have to do this weekend, but I think they are needed now,¡± her voice sounded sympathetic, which irked me.


    I shook my head at her. ¡°Fe, don¡¯t go there. I am not a hurt puppy in need of care. I am hurt emotionally, sure. However, I am not going to let this rule my life. Maybe, my love life, but not the rest of me. You better pack up those feelings of pity and save them for a real person in need. Not me.¡±


    ¡°You say that¡­¡± Felicity started.


    ¡°No, Fe. When my parents died, yes. When I broke my ankle dancing in the musical, okay. When I dump a cheating bastard, hell no. Don¡¯t give it another thought after tonight. Let¡¯s just enjoy some ramen and go to bed.¡± I was through with today. All I wanted was to snuggle up with a blanket and sleep it off, which is exactly what I did.


    Once I fell asleep¡­


    The smell of the wild grass filled my nose. All I wanted was to roll around in the fresh grass beneath the full moon. It was beautiful tonight. So much so that I howled a lullaby to the moon. My howls rung out over the hill tops. The stars shone so brightly that the sky seemed to sparkle with jewels. The night air was warm and welcoming with a light breeze that blew through my pure black fur. I gave in, letting myself roll through that grass spreading the scent all over me. It was relaxing just playing in the grass beneath the moon. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the stream. My mouth suddenly felt dry, so I trotted toward the babbling water. The grass crunched under my fluffy paws as I approached the stream. My mouth began to water once I saw the clear water. I lapped it up, refreshing my sandpaper tongue. Looking down, I saw my bright blue eyes popping out against my black fur. The only silver fur dawned on my shoulder in the shape of a crescent moon. It made me feel sad in my heart for reasons that I couldn¡¯t explain. I didn¡¯t want to dwell on my odd marking, so I took off across the stream.


    The grass beneath felt soft on my paws as I ran across the hills. I could see the forest ahead of me. It truly shined in the darkness with small beams of moonlight passing through the branches, and the fireflies gracefully dancing about the tree trunks. I could feel the respect of the nocturnal animals as I passed them by. Owls greeted me while opossums hid in the trees. The music of crickets and frogs filled my ears. My run made me feel free, so I took it up a notch. I raced through the forest, weaving through the brush as quickly as possible. Imagining my favorite hilltop deep in the forest, where the tree branches reach the ground, I zoomed forward. In an instant I was there, climbing up into a branch to look over the territory. Everything felt calm and peaceful, which was all I needed. Laying my head down on my fluffy paws, I felt my eyes become heavy. Within a moment, I greeted the sweet darkness of my dreams as an old friend.


    My eyes blinked open slowly as the ruckus outside my door seemed to get louder. Memories of my dream flashed through my mind. Was I really dreaming about a black wolf? Her hilltop in the forest was beautiful. I wonder if a place like that exists¡­ A thunk on my door reminded me of why I was awake already anyway. Forcing my groggy body out of bed, I fixed myself with the little mirror on my desk. My dark brunette hair was flying about, so I tamed the wavy mess with a brush, rubbed the sleep out of my blue eyes, did teeth and breath check, and quietly walked toward the door. I wasn¡¯t eager to find out what chaos was waiting for me, nor did I want to see Asher anytime soon. A whole wave of anxiety crashed down on me causing me to crouch in a ball while I did breathing exercises. Focus on something, Kori. Anything. Finally, my eyes opened and settled on the ugly scarf Asher had given me for Christmas. It was burnt orange with dark green pine trees all over it. Why would someone make such a horrible thing?


    After ten minutes of imagining all the ways I could get rid of that scarf, I felt my anxiety release. At least my attack happened while I was alone this time. Using the wall, I lifted myself back up and shook out my remaining tension in my body. Walking back to the door, I could only imagine who was out there. Opening the door, I saw the bodies of all my floor mates busy packing and moving things. Asher was busy carrying things to his room, so he didn¡¯t notice me. Things seemed to be normal. There was even music blasting on the kitchen speakers. I may have wanted to hide in my dorm longer, but the world sure wasn¡¯t waiting for me.


    ¡°Hey, the lazy bum finally woke up yous guys!¡± William, my floormate announced.


    ¡°Morning Lil¡¯ Stitch,¡± Vanessa, the RA, called out from the kitchen. ¡°There¡¯s fresh coffee.¡±


    All eyes turned to find me barely poking my head out the door. My anxiety began to prickle under my skin like an unwavering itch. I swear my cheeks turned beat red before the annoying looks of pity settled on their faces. Suddenly shame and frustration flooded my emotions instead of anxiety. ¡°Mornin¡¯ busy bees,¡± I greeted. ¡°Y¡¯all just keep working. I am just goin¡¯ to shut my door and ignore the ruckus.¡± I quickly shut my door without a pause. My Texan accent had come out heavily just then. It was then that I decided to focus on me and my vacation. Making quick work of myself, my room, and all the packing, when Felicity finally came back to the dorm with her cousin¡¯s truck, I was ready to go. Goodbye, Harmony Hall.

 Fates

    Kalia POV


    "Damn it. Are you sure Kalia? You checked the whole world?" Selene paced about her sanctuary hidden in a cave on Mount Latmus. Normally, she resided in a small castle in the Endless Meadow on another plane of existence, but she had a promise to fulfill on Earth. In 3,000 BCE, Selene unleashed her wrath upon her creations that were destroying the Earth with endless wars and hate. Before her children of the night were turned human, she made a promise to the last Lycan King that she would give his descendants a chance to regain their power. It¡¯s been 5,000 years, and Selene was at her wits end trying to find a worthy heir to the Lycan King.


    "Yes, Selene. I have searched the whole Earth seventy-nine times now. There is no other option," Kalia, the sky nymph, answered. "Korinne Althea is the last descendant of your great-grandson, Lycan King Eron."


    Selene looked nervously at the ethereal, blue nymph. Time had gone by too quickly. She hadn¡¯t thought that the Lycan King¡¯s bloodline, her bloodline, would have diminished this much. ¡°Kalia, it¡¯s only been two hundred years since the last heir tried to pass the trial!¡± Selene scoffed. ¡°Colin Aldonis was the perfect candidate in an acceptable time to awaken my children. He had land where they could flourish, a natural born leader, a natural protector, and he didn¡¯t question my methods. I still don¡¯t understand how he failed. What makes this candidate so special?¡±


    Kalia rolled her eyes at the moon goddess. This was not the time to pussyfoot around the situation. ¡°Honestly? Nothing stands out about her, she hasn¡¯t shown any signs of her blessing, or any wolf traits at all, however, you don¡¯t have any other options. Twenty-three heirs have tried and failed, Selene. We tried to pick the last three heirs out of the bloodline and failed. Of the last three, the first one was killed by the villagers around them, the second one refused your offer because it was against his religion, and the third one failed to bond with his wolf. We don¡¯t get to pick or wait anymore.¡± She crossed her arms watching the pouty goddess in front of her.


    Selene wanted to control everything. Hell, since she is a goddess, it¡¯s in her nature to want to control everything. ¡°We have gone this long without my children having magic. Why should we give it back to them? My children are mortal humans living their normal lives on Earth. Who am I to change that? Besides, humans don¡¯t even know I exist. They have never known Greek magic or monsters, and they stopped believing in me ages ago anyway.¡± Selene shook her head. The twenty-first century felt as if it opposed magic. How could she revive her children in such an unforgiving environment? Surely, the Fates knew this. Korinne could have children and continue her line just fine. All Selene would need is a little help from Aphrodite¡­


    The nymph watched as the goddess began to plot and attempt to find a loophole although the nymph knew there was none. The Fates had her tell Selene that Korinne was the only option for a reason. What the Fates had seen that brought them to this conclusion, Kalia did not know, but they seemed serious about what was to come. Chills ran down Kalia¡¯s back when she thought of eyeless faces of the Fates staring at her. Selene knew not to cross the Fates, at least Kalia hoped Selene wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Okay, I have decided. Let¡¯s visit the Fates,¡± Selene announced, causing Kalia¡¯s eyes to bulge.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Kalia ran in front of Selene as she tried to exit the cave, ¡°Selene, please, you can¡¯t be serious. The Fates do not like unannounced guests.¡±


    ¡°Then, fly on the wind and announce to them, Kalia,¡± Selene commanded. The woman didn¡¯t slow as she ascended toward Mount Olympus.


    Kalia rushed past Selene in the wind. She flew through the clouds in an instant she arrived at Mount Olympus. Barreling into the hall and bouncing along the solid cloud floor, Kalia crashed right outside the Hall of Fate. Nervously, she knocked on the dark blue door. The large door creaked open, allowing her to enter. Looking up, Kalia saw the Fates on their stage at work.


    ¡°What brings you back here, sky nymph?¡± The tallest Fate, Lachesis, questioned.


    ¡°She came to announce my arrival,¡± Selene gracefully approached the Fates.


    ¡°Ah, the moon goddess. She has come to ask why she must complete her vow to the mortal with this particular heir of the bloodline,¡± Atropos muttered, crossing her arms.


    Selene nodded.


    ¡°This heir is set to be the last unless she can act fast. With a wolf at her side, she will survive the ordeal that is coming for her. If all goes well, a queen she might become, but she must unite them all for the day to be won,¡± Clotho said, nonchalantly.


    Lachesis watched the moon goddess process her prophecy. ¡°Korinne is your only chance, Selene. Or else, your vow will mean the end for you because the girl will meet her end otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Surely, there is another-¡±


    ¡°Ungrateful goddess! We have answered you. Now, leave,¡± Atropos commanded, forcing the goddess and Kalia out of the Hall of Fate.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Selene grumbled, descending back toward her cave. Kalia followed behind her. They both arrived in the cave without saying a word, but the nymph couldn¡¯t stay quiet for long.


    ¡°Why did we go there Selene? Nothing has changed,¡± Kalia crossed her arms.


    Selene ignored Kalia. She felt stuck, so she tried watching her beloved as he slept to clear her mind. Nothing was going like she imagined it would. The only simple thing was her love for Endymion. She wanted better for her children.


    Kalia watched the goddess stare at the sleeping man for what felt like forever until she couldn¡¯t take the silence anymore. ¡°You are just bitter since Endymion was put into eternal sleep by Zeus. It¡¯s been 4,000 years, Selene. Stop punishing everyone for Zeus¡¯ curse on Endymion. The Fates didn¡¯t deserve it, and this girl will be fine. They said so,¡± Kalia retorted to Selene.


    Bitter? Selene had never been described as bitter. Was she bitter? Yes. She was. Her only consultation was her sleeping Endymion asleep in his glass case. She would have him forever. Maybe, she had punished the humans instead of the god responsible, but if her children of the night hadn''t tried to wipe out the world with their wars then Selene could have stopped Zeus. She couldn''t change the sleeping beauty curse, and her children of the night were gone. Except for this Korinnne Althea, her last heir to the werewolves, her mortal children. Should she let sleeping dogs lie?


    "Selene, you can''t ignore this. You made a promise that you vowed to keep. If you don''t do it willingly, the Fates will force your hand." Kalia stated to the goddess who was daydreaming.


    "They already are. As you said, all of Eron''s descendants are dead, except her. I can''t pick his successor nor can Korinne deny her destiny. The Fates have decided," Selene groaned.


    Kalia shook her head. "The almighty moon Selene is pouting about doing what she vowed to do in the first place. My how the mighty have fallen."


    "You know, Kalia, you could be kinder to the goddess of the moon," Selene retorted.


    With that response, Kalia knew Selene was giving in. Kalia smiled. Finally, she could let her worries rest. They would at least try to help this girl realize her potential. Kalia would hate for anything to happen to Selene because of a silly vow she made in her youth.


    "Summon Korinne. We have work to do." Selene answered Kalia.

 Blue Woman

    Kori POV


    "SHUT UP AND DANCE WITH ME!" My voice cracked as I sang my heart out to my road trip playlist. It took three days to get here, but Felicity and I were finally on our way to Georgia to start our summer.


    "Your voice is terrible! What happened to the choir soloist from high school, huh?" Felicity laughed.


    "She decided that there was more to life than pianos and music notes," I smiled at my best friend. Felicity was my only family since my parents died six years ago. We had just started high school when my parents were out on a date that ended in their deaths due to a drunk driver. A police officer came to my home at 2 a.m. to tell me of my parent¡¯s tragic end. Felicity happened to live down the street at the time, and she saw the police car from her bedroom window. She dragged her parents out the door to my house, so they could get her some answers about the dramatic scene happening on her street. After hearing my story, her parents took me in, no questions asked. We have been two peas in a pod ever since.


    "So that made you tone deaf? Aren''t you classically trained?" Felicity asked.


    "You ask me that all the time, and you know what happens when you ask," I smirked at her. My hair was braided down my back for a reason. I turned my attention from the beautiful landscape in front of me and put my fingers on the window button. She really should anticipate my revenge after four years of wind blown hair dos, yet she acts like it is the first time I did it everytime.


    "Shit," she rushed to tie her blonde hair back into a ponytail as I rolled the windows down. The salty air wafted into the car, exciting me more for our road trip.


    Her ponytail whipped across her face, making it impossible to see. I burst out laughing watching her struggle to keep her hair out of her mouth. This is why I always braided my hair for car rides with Felicity, because this was my sweet revenge to her constant roasting. She fails in trying to keep her hair in her hands before she finally gives up. Her hair is undoubtedly a knotted mess. My revenge is complete, so I roll up the windows of my little Ford Focus.


    "Korinne Bernice Althea! You did not just helicopter wind after promising not to do it this road trip," Felicity tried to look stern, but her ridiculous hair had me busting my gut already.


    "Felicity Joan Moshly, I promised not to ruin your hair if you didn¡¯t poke fun at my amazing self," I grinned. Her face looked stunned at my words. ¡°Deals only work if both sides keep their word.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Felicity tried to give me puppy dog eyes as an apology, but that trick stopped working in tenth grade when I took her place in an awful game of spin the bottle. She managed to pull her hair into a messy bun and stared out the road ahead of us trying to keep from laughing. "Tell me why I agreed to get in the car with you again." Felicity jokes.


    "Summer vacation, trip to the beach, all the money we saved up to get away before we graduate next spring. Are those good reasons?" I put my sunglasses down basking in my short term freedom. The hot sun was shining brightly on the blue water to my left. Seagulls passed by every few minutes hoping for scraps of food. The smell of the ocean made my shoulders relax. We started planning this trip a year ago by finding online jobs for the summer and renting a small apartment for the summer from the HomeAway app. It wouldn''t be as fancy as the movies, but if we needed more money, we would just pick up a local job. Besides, come autumn, I will be deep in my studies in history and creative writing to finish my bachelor''s degree.


    "Sure. A last hurrah before we have to get big grown up jobs and worry about the state of the world." Felicity crossed her arms thinking about the future. She wasn''t looking forward to life after graduation. She was already being scouted by corporations since she won a national contest for her prototype cyber security program.


    "Cynical much?" I raised an eyebrow at her.


    She shrugged, "By product of having journalists for parents." Fe turned down the music.


    Suddenly, my skin felt like it was burning. The heat was coming from my crescent shaped birthmark. What the hell? The heat continued until it was painful enough for me to vocalize my discomfort. Felicity began questioning if I was okay, but I  could answer. It was taking all my focus to keep the car going straight down the road. The pain began coming in intense waves originating at the birthmark on my collarbone. My little Ford Focus began swerving on the road. What was happening to me?


    Felicity touched my shoulder gently until I heard her scream. "KORI!" Felicity shouted, forcing me to hit the brakes to look at her. She was pointing at a fast moving blue blob heading toward us. Was a bird in the sky dive bombing my car? No, the form didn¡¯t match a bird. This thing was big and coming in hot.


    "What-" My voice cut out as I felt anxiety overflowing in me. There were no words to describe what we were seeing. A giant blue thing was heading toward us. "The hell?" I pulled over on the side of the road in case another car came by. My hunch was right because a truck came barreling down the road.


    Booommm!


    Dirt flew into the air, causing little rocks to hit my windshield. There were four new, tiny cracks in the glass once the dust settled. Rage began building inside me. I was going to have to replace the whole windshield now! Felicity and I looked for whatever caused this stupid mess when we realized the blue blob was hit by an old Chevy truck. The truck didn¡¯t stick around to see what it hit even though it drove away with a huge new dent in its red hood. Out of the bushes came this blue skinned¡­woman? Was that what hit the truck? She wobbled out of the bush in her brown sundress and bare feet. Her hair was dark like the deep ocean, and her skin was light blue like the sky. Her silver eyes met mine at the same time my birthmark burned.


    "Korinne Althea, you have been summoned," the blue woman said.


    "Who is that? She looks like a wingless fairy," Felicity said, astonished. ¡°Do you think she is here to help us fall in love?¡± I shook my head at Fe. She had been reading too many fantasy romance novels.


    The blue woman looked at Felicity with a surprised expression. "That human can see me¡­"


    This can''t be good. A blue, nonhuman woman is calling my name like I know her, and Felicity seems fascinated by it. My stupid birthmark is burning like a flame, yet I haven''t started crying yet. Anxiety was building in my body. I silently dug my nails into my arm trying to keep grip on the situation. What the hell!

 Wrecking Ball

    Kori POV


    Dust clouds settled around my little Ford Focus as this blue woman stared us down from the bush she landed in. Luckily, the road was empty after the truck drove away. The fewer people that saw this¡­whatever this is, the better. How did this blue woman find me? I mean she can fly or leap high at least, but that doesn¡¯t explain how she found me or why she knows me. I haven¡¯t seen her before, so I can¡¯t possibly know her. Maybe she¡¯s a techno wiz¡­ Wait. Am I looking at my own cyberstalker? I am not sure if I should be scared or flattered right now. A strange¡­pretty¡­woman was saying I was summoned. But what for? I don¡¯t know.


    "Kori, why does the scary blue woman know your name?" Felicity asked.


    Good question, Felicity. Why, indeed. "You think, I know? I have no freaking clue!" I answered, allowing the panic in my voice to take over. The blue woman started to approach us, and all I wanted to do was crawl out of my skin.


    Felicity asked me again if I knew anything about this woman, and honestly, I had no idea. My only guess is it has something to do with my family''s cursed birthmark since the damn thing was burning like a sun beneath my skin. "Honestly, Fe, I think this might have to do with my birthmark."


    "You mean the one that you and your mom both had? The crescent moon?" Felicity whispered.


    "Yeah, that''s the one. It burns like hell right now," I replied, rubbing my shoulder. I felt the heat building up where the crescent moon lay. Shit. I am not going to combust, right?


    She reached over and poked my little moon. Immediately, she pulled her toasty little finger back. ¡°Oww. Damn it,¡± Felicity breathed. We both sat quietly as she sucked on the hurt finger. "Uh, Kori, that''s not normal. Like, that''s impossible," she said dumbfounded by the birthmark.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ya think I know that Fe? I have no explanation for any of this!¡± There goes my Texan accent¡­


    "Korinne, you must come with me." The blue woman said, ominously.


    Does she think I will just follow her wherever she goes? Hell no. I shook my head at her. I locked my car doors in protest. Too many things were happening at once. My birthmark is burning my best friend, and a random¡­alien¡­blue¡­person wants to abduct me. This is not how I saw my summer starting after Felicity and I started our road trip six hours ago. I just wanted a quiet summer on the beach, damn it.


    Felicity giggled nervously, "I don''t think that''s going to help much against the blue wrecking ball."


    "Come Korinne," she beckoned as she started walking toward me.


    "Forget this shit," I muttered, throwing the car into drive. My anxiety was running high, causing my fight-or-flight response to kick in. Luckily, this road didn''t have much traffic, so I floored it after I turned my car around. My wheels kicked dirt back into the blue woman''s face. Fe made faces and hung on to the car for her dear life. I glanced back in my mirror to see the blue woman¡¯s figure fade into the background until it disappeared. Keeping my speed as fast as I could go, I put distance between us and the stalker lady.


    Things were quiet in the car. I know Felicity is wanting to ask questions. I don''t have any answers. At some point, the music had gone silent too. All I could hear was the roar of my little car, breaking the speed limit. No one was around because we were still driving through the large cliffs that overlooked the coast. It was only midday, so the sun was high in the sky. Birds flew overhead, freely into the horizon. Something I wish I could be doing right now.


    We must have traveled about 20 miles in pure silence before Felicity decided to speak. "Do you have a plan here or are we just winging it?" Felicity asked in an anxious voice.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "Sure, when we hit the highway, go west and avoid the blue psycho entirely before heading south to our vacation in Georgia," my voice didn''t sound very reassuring.


    "How would changing our route avoid the blue wrecking ball? She can fly. She probably knows where we are going. Hell, she found us in the middle of nowhere in Virginia! Maybe, we should call the police." Felicity rubbed her arms trying to soothe herself.


    I shook my head. "How would the police handle a blue, flying wrecking ball? She''s either a science experiment gone wrong or an alien from another planet. I don¡¯t think guns will work so well if she can fly away before they get here."


    Fe''s eyes got all big at the possibilities of what that blue woman could be. ¡°An alien? What would an alien want with you? You are just a normal, human female. Plus, you hate small spaces. You could never be an astronaut,¡± Felicity shook her head. ¡°I am pretty certain you would accidentally kill the rest of the crew when you got the urge to run.¡±


    ¡°Fe, you can¡¯t just run in microgravity,¡± I could feel my body relax some. ¡°There would be nothing to hold you to the ground.¡±


    Felicity giggled for a moment before she seemed to tighten her grip on her arms. "Kori, what do you know about your birthmark? You said her appearance was connected to it."


    Ah. I did say that before. ¡°I think I would prefer to talk about astronauts,¡± I sighed. No point in keeping Felicity in the dark since a psycho is chasing us. "Right. I know a few things. My mom said it was either a curse or a blessing from a moon goddess depending on how you viewed it. Supposedly, everyone born into the family has the exact same birthmark although it''s in different places for each person. I am not sure how far back it goes in the family.¡±


    Felicity just blinked at me. "I would say it sounds like a load of bullshit, but there''s a blue wrecking ball after you. Is that blue wrecking ball here to take you somewhere? Were you summoned by this goddess?" Felicity reasoned.


    "I have no clue. I thought that my mom was just telling me a family myth to make our matching birthmarks seem cool. You know, people made fun of me for having it, and others thought I was weird for having a tattoo at such a young age," the memories made chills run down my back. "I thought it was a curse, honestly.¡±


    Felicity''s face sank remembering our days at Stevenberry Elementary. I was often bullied by our classmates, but Fe never let that stop her from being friends with me. Music class was my solace because music brought unity to everyone. It was where I first met Felicity. We were fast friends, and it wasn''t too long after that we learned we lived down the street from each other. "We are a long way from Allwood, Texas, aren¡¯t we?"


    Fe gave me a funny look. "Yeah, and we are six hours away from our school, Columbia University. Why are you changing the subject? We still have a psycho, blue woman after us."


    Felicity was a dog with a bone. She had to plan and solve the problem now. It was that drive that made her an excellent cybersecurity programmer. She could anticipate problems and solutions for her codes faster than the computer could. It must be killing her that we have no solution to our problem. Okay, more like, my problem. "That''s where my train of thought went," I shrugged.


    She sighed, "Focus. It could be the moon lady is summoning you since she supposedly gave your family the birthmark." I could almost see a little hamster in her head drinking an energy drink while running on a hamster wheel, trying to help her solve this mystery quickly.


    "I think the hamster in your little brain is working too hard there, Fe," I said. "I know we are in some kind of danger, and it is probably my fault or my family''s fault, but you are trying to tell me a goddess exists outside of old religions. It seems far-fetched."


    "Did you just call my brain a tired hamster?" Felicity raised an eyebrow at me.


    "I did," I giggled. I couldn¡¯t stand her serious attitude right now. I didn''t want trouble. We just got out of class for the summer and left my now ex-boyfriend. I turn twenty-one in a few days. Let''s just chill already. "You look frazzled from your serious thinking."


    "Someone needs to be Kori. This shit is happening, no matter how impossible it seems. Get your head out of your ass," she responded, curtly.


    We finally reached the highway, so I made a left to follow it west. "It''s not that I don''t think this is serious. I just choose not to dwell on what I can¡¯t control. I told you what I know already. The blue lady will be back, I am sure. I have done all I can do while being faced with a supernatural being." I regretted saying anything at that moment because an uneasy feeling filled me. The hair on my neck was standing up as the A/C blasted in the car. Chills ran down my body. It felt like strong winds were blowing through the vents. Fe tried closing them and turning the A/C off, but it continued to build a windstorm in the car. I had to pull over on the side of the highway to keep from crashing.


    "Well, you''re definitely not dealing with a human," the blue woman''s laugh filled the back seat.


    Shit. Shit. Shit. My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head. The blue woman had just entered her car by turning into the wind. Who the hell does that? I looked back at her, making herself comfortable in my little car. This was the first time I could see her. She had a certain beauty like a fairy from Neverland. Her sky-blue skin almost glittered from the sunlight peeking in from my car windows. She looked like a mythical creature from Greece. It was odd for an alien. Or wrecking ball, as I preferred to think of her.


    Still, this woman turned into the wind just to enter my car. Now, I was positive the police couldn¡¯t help. My car was small and locked. There was nowhere to run. The blue woman appeared in my backseat from the strong winds in the car although I had tried to lock her out. What the hell did this woman want from me? She seemed to have magic. Why would she come to me? Shit. What if she ruins my car? Should I just get out and walk? I feel like she could just drag me around like a doll if I did. There was no way to avoid this.

 Pain

    Kori POV


    "Were you two talking about me, Korinne?" The blue woman asked, flexing her knowledge of my life. There was a self-centered attitude in her voice that made me want to punch her.


    Felicity didn''t flinch. "Who are you?"


    The blue woman smiled, "Well, aren¡¯t you daring? I am not human if that''s what you are asking. You truly are an interesting little human." She leaned forward to talk to us. "But, I am here for you, Korinne. You have been summoned."


    I let out a stupid laugh. There was no way I was going with this woman anywhere. "Okay, let me put this simply. I don''t know you. I don''t give two shits about you. You can''t muscle your way into my life just because you think I owe you something. Go away."


    "Aww. The little wolf has some bite to her after all, and here I thought you were just a runner," the blue woman looked hopefully at me. "My name is Kalia, and I am the sky nymph that serves the goddess of the moon.¡±


    Is this woman serious right now? There is no such thing. Perhaps, she is a fanatic of an old religion. Like Greek, Egyptian, or Chinese¡­ I don¡¯t know how she got her skin to turn blue though. Surely, Fe is thinking the same way. I think this woman is just a crazy, beautiful, science experiment in a brown sundress. How did this woman even learn about¡­ "Oww!" Damn it. That birthmark felt like it was on fire. This shit was getting worse¡­


    "Kori!" Fe yelled. ¡°Is it still burning you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­maybe,¡± The pain was getting intense. ¡°So, nymph girl, what religion are you a fanatic of?¡± I crossed my arms trying to keep my pain from showing on my face.


    ¡°Fanatic? Interesting choice of words. It¡¯s not a religion for me, but I believe the people of ancient Greece once celebrated Selene, the goddess of the moon, in a religion,¡± Kalia answered. Her words didn¡¯t falter. This blue woman believed she was a nymph serving the lady of the moon.


    Fe suddenly looked like she had a brain blast or something when she said, ¡°Didn¡¯t your ancestors come from Greece, Kori?¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    It was like a bucket of cold water was dumped on me. My pain hit a new level that nearly made me speechless. My family was from Greece as Felicity had suggested. There were a lot of coincidences happening right now, but I wanted to believe the blue woman was just a crazy stalker from the internet. I didn¡¯t need some family secret to turn my whole world upside down. Life was hard enough without considering I was somehow connected to an ancient Greek goddess. The burning sensation forced me to start cursing under my breath.


    Felicity tried to soothe me, but nothing was helping. What could I do? I tried pouring water over me, but all it did was evaporate when it touched my skin. My best friend looked at me and panicked because we had no control over the situation. ¡°Kori, what can I do?¡± she questioned.


    As much as I wanted to answer, all I could do was groan. The heat began to spread across my body in a painful wave. I couldn¡¯t form words to tell Fe, but I was sure I had a bad fever at this point. Why was my body on fire? Fe freaked out next to me as she tried to touch me only causing herself to burn. This shit was inhuman. Was I like the crazy blue wrecking ball?


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Fe looked like she was going to punch the blue woman. ¡°What¡¯s happening to her?¡±


    The blue woman looked me up and down from the backseat. I could see her wanting to reach out and touch me, but I forced myself forward, hugging the steering wheel. ¡°Well, that was a dramatic reaction, Korinne.¡±


    ¡°Leave¡­me¡­alone,¡± I grunted out.


    Felicity looked desperate at this point, watching me writhe from the pain. ¡°Can you fix this?¡± Fe asked the woman named Kalia, or so she said. ¡°Can you end her pain?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that complicated, blondie. She just needs to come with me to see Selene. This is happening because your friend is resisting Selene¡¯s call,¡± Kalia answered with ease.


    ¡°Leave,¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Wait, Kori. We should hear her out. I don¡¯t want to watch you crumble in pain,¡± Fe interjected.


    ¡°Not much to tell, blondie. Selene wants to see your friend. Korinne, here, is a special person because her family was blessed by her. Simple.¡± Kalia said


    .


    ¡°Fe we aren¡¯t listening to this crazy person,¡± I countered.


    ¡°Take us. Let¡¯s go see this moon goddess,¡± Fe completely ignored me


    .


    ¡°Felicity, are you hearing me?¡± I grabbed her hand to get her to look at me. ¡°I don¡¯t want this. I don¡¯t want to see this alien from the moon. I don¡¯t want you to speak for me. I am saying no.¡±


    ¡°What if this pain kills you because you refuse?¡± Fe responded angrily.


    ¡°What if you were a purple turtle named Bill?¡± I countered.


    ¡°You are in pain. Debilitating pain!¡± Felicity yelled.


    I sighed, trying not to yell. ¡°Fe we are not getting abducted by this blue freak.¡±


    Her hands started flying about in frustration. I thought she might explode for a moment even though I am the one on fire and in pain. She grunted at me before a few tears started falling down her cheeks. ¡°Kori, I can¡¯t help you. I can¡¯t fix this!¡± She shouted.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked dumbfounded. My best friend was crying over me.


    ¡°No policeman, no doctor, no human can help you. This pain you have is getting worse. For lack of any other options, we need to go. We have to.¡± Felicity said without hesitation. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose my sister.¡±


    Damn it. Felicity made sense. This shit was supernatural. Some kind of magic was affecting me. The pain was horrible and unrelenting. My forehead was melding with the top of my steering wheel. Felicity was scared. I was her sister since her parents technically adopted me. I guess I need to do this for her. ¡°Fine. Where¡¯s this moon goddess?¡±

 Spiraling

    Kori POV


    Kalia smiled at my resignation to see this moon lady. My grip remained tightly on the steering wheel from the intense pain my damn birthmark was giving me. Why did my mom¡¯s family have some sort of weird blessing from this moon person? It seemed odd that my family was the only one to have such a connection to a Greek god. Actually, all of this was otherworldly. Kalia was just quietly watching me as I was waiting for her to say or do something. Felicity glanced back and forth between us, waiting to see who would blink first.


    After ten minutes of this quiet stare-down, I wanted to get things moving. ¡°Are you taking us or what?¡±


    Kalia gracefully sat backward in the seat. ¡°You see¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s always a catch,¡± I sighed. ¡°I am already regretting this.¡±


    Kalia tried to speak, but Fe beat her to it. ¡°Korinne, you can¡¯t just assume it¡¯s going to be bad. Let the crazy lady speak.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I am a well-respected nymph, thank you,¡± Kalia defended.


    ¡°And I am suffering from internal burning. Move it along, nymph,¡± I countered.


    Kalia mumbled to herself about breaking some rule and just shook her head. ¡°Fine, we will take the human too.¡±


    Felicity¡¯s mouth opened to say something, but she decided not to say it. I wasn¡¯t going to be as considerate as her. ¡°We are both human, nymphie.¡±


    Kalia looked at me for a moment and decided to disregard me. ¡°Buckle up, This car is going airborne.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± Fe and I yelled at Kailia.


    It was too late. The sky nymph had begun brewing a storm around my little car. The car began to rise above the ground, and the jeep passing by just honked at us as we rose. Did they think this shit was normal? Wait, why did we need to fly to this Selene? Why couldn¡¯t we just drive there? I didn¡¯t have a chance to ask before I felt my car thrust forward on the wind. My stomach started jumbling in addition to my body felt as if it was on fire. Pain enveloped me as the car swayed in the wind. I was riding a breeze to some far-off place. This felt like a scene out of a fairy tale, except I had a nymph instead of a fairy godmother. Oh, and I didn¡¯t want any of this.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Felicity was in awe of the clouds floating by and the bright blue skyscape that surrounded us. I didn¡¯t have a chance to enjoy the sights as my body demanded that I deal with this constant pain. The steering wheel was useless in this case because I couldn¡¯t steer the wind. Kalia held her arms out keeping us steady on the breeze. Her magic was breaking every law of physics that I learned in high school. Why did all this magic have to break so many natural laws of science? I preferred my simple world to this supernatural one that Kalia was dragging me into.


    ¡°Where are we going, Nymphie?¡± I asked.


    She looked up at me annoyed as if I was breaking her concentration. ¡°It¡¯s not easy keeping this car in the air, little wolf.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me where we are going,¡± I responded, ignoring the wolf nickname.


    ¡°We are going to Greece, right?¡± Fe interjected. She paused her sightseeing to join in the conversation.


    ¡°You would think, but Mount Latmus is in what you call Turkey. Now, why don¡¯t you sleep or play on those silly rectangles that light up? It¡¯s going to be a long way to Turkey.¡±


    ¡°Silly rectangles that light up?¡± Fe giggled at Kalia. ¡°I think you mean smartphones.¡±


    Turkey¡­I was supposed to be going to a beach house in Georgia. Not that traveling abroad is bad but¡­ ¡°Shit. We don¡¯t have passports. What if shit goes south? We could get stuck in Turkey!¡±


    ¡°You are in constant pain from a crescent moon birthmark while riding in a car flying on the wind, powered by a sky nymph. We are dealing with magic, and you are worried about the passports?¡±


    ¡°Duh! I want to make sure I can go home after this,¡± I said, feeling annoyed at the situation, and the heat in my body was causing me to start sweating.


    Kalia groaned, ¡°I will guarantee your passage home when your business is done with Selene.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Why am I the only one concerned right now?¡± I looked over at Felicity who just raised an eyebrow at me.


    ¡°I am not concerned because I have already started a backup plan. You know, I always have a solution,¡± Felicity pretended to pout. ¡°Marcus already knows where we are going, and he¡¯s ready to find us if need be with our passports that we got two years ago.¡±


    ¡°There. All settled. Can you two please be quiet now?¡± Kalia whined.


    We did have passports, I just forgot all about them. We left them with her parents, so they wouldn¡¯t get lost with all the moving. It¡¯s hard to concentrate when you are becoming a human fountain. ¡°Thank goodness, your brother has our backs, and that was rude, Nymphie.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Just let me focus okay?¡± Kalia closed her, blocking us out as she sailed us through the clouds.


    Felicity just sighed looking at the blue woman. ¡°I guess our vacation has turned into an adventure.¡±


    ¡°An adventure that I didn¡¯t want,¡± I groaned from the pain. ¡°This is more like a bad dream where I suffer through pains that my ancestors caused.¡±


    ¡°Kori, I know your anxiety is skyrocketing, but I am on it. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Felicity tried to comfort me. She eyed me up and down, paused for a moment, then grabbed a towel from the floorboard. ¡°Here, try to stay dry¡­or as comfortable¡­as you can.¡± She handed me the towel.


    I knew she was just trying to help me, but there was no way to tame the wild ocean of anxiety swirling around inside me. It¡¯s something I have to live with since my parents died. There''s no everlasting cure for anxiety. It just is. Sometimes it feels like a thousand pins pricking me and other times it feels heavy like a steamroller plowed me over. Although, right now, I just feel helpless with a side of dulled pain pulsing through me. Felicity was right when she said this is anything but natural. When did my life become a fantasy novel?


    "Kori?" Fe whispered, trying not to disturb Kalia. "Are you spiraling?"


    "Maybe? I am not sure. Let me just try to deal with all of this for a while," I sighed. This is my reality, and I am going to have to be okay with it.

 Turkey

    Kori POV


    Five hours later¡­


    My little car had made its way across the Atlantic Ocean, parts of Europe, and most of the Mediterranean Sea when Kalia finally began to relax a little. We were closing in on her home, which made me want to vomit the cheese puffs Felicity had fed me an hour ago due to my anxious stomach. About an hour and a half ago, the pain began to lessen. It was a huge relief. Getting closer to Selene seemed to be the answer to this surge of pain that took over my body. I still didn¡¯t understand why this Selene person needed me. Maybe Kalia could tell me. I turned to her, catching her eye. ¡°Hey, what did my ancestor do to earn this crescent moon mark?¡± I asked, breaking the silence. "I have no idea why a moon goddess would bless my ancestors."


    Kalia gave me a sly grin. "I wondered when you would ask, little wolf."


    There she goes with that wolf nickname again. Does she think I am some type of loner? I mean my best friend is in the car with me. "Will you answer Nymphie?"


    She gave me an annoyed stare for a minute. "I am not sure I am the one who should be answering that question. It seems like something that should be saved for Selene."


    "You are no help," I muttered, facing back toward my window. The view below was amazing. Greece was well behind us as we approached the coast of Turkey. The only reason I knew where we were is because of the map feature on my phone. All of a sudden, the car started soaring faster than before. I knew wind could be powerful, but Kalia seems to need speed. Within minutes we were over a rocky mountaintop. My heart wanted to beat out of my chest. I knew my life would be over the moment I met Selene.


    The car began to descend toward the mountainside. My stomach wretched from anxiety, forcing me to vomit out everything in my stomach. Thankfully, I was able to stick my head out the window in time to keep from wearing the cheese puff mess. I feel Felicity¡¯s hand touch my back as I just rest my head on the car door. So much for eating¡­


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The car touches down the ground, and I have to fight the urge to lock the car doors. Kalia sighs, finally relaxing in the backseat. I glanced behind me to see her looking a bit run down. At least, I am not the only one feeling awful right now. However, Felicity looks as excited as ever to be here. How is she so relaxed when we are going through this crazy fairy tale stuff? Normally, she is constantly needing structure because she has to plan everything out like the tech, solution-driven person she is. It¡¯s like she has put her personality on vacation.


    ¡°You okay there, Kalia? Looks like you are a bit winded,¡± Felicity tried to hold in her laughter, but it was nearly impossible for her. She likes to make terrible puns.


    Kalia just ignored Felicity like she had been doing nearly the entire time that I have known her, which is less than a day at this point. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go see Selene,¡± Kalia forced herself to move even though she was unsteady and exhausted.


    ¡°Wait a minute, Kalia. We can take our time. You need rest,¡± Felicity reached out for the nymph¡¯s hand to keep her from opening the door. ¡°Look at Korinne, the girl is paler than a ghost. We need to regroup.¡±


    ¡°You may need time, human, but I live here. I want to go relax in my home,¡± Kalia yanked her hand back from Felicity and pushed her door open. ¡°Let¡¯s go, little wolf,¡± she called out, holding onto my car. She slowly made her way around my trunk toward my door. I rolled my window up and locked the door in protest. She banged on the door to get me to come out, but I ignored her.


    Felicity watched me in silence. Probably trying to decide if my actions were going to come back to haunt us, but I honestly didn¡¯t care. The sun was about to set in the clear sky above us. Kalia had parked us on the side of a mountain on a steady incline. I could see a cave on the ridge above us, which is where Selene most likely lived. We would need to climb a bit to get up there. I wasn¡¯t dressed for mountain climbing though. Felicity was wearing a sundress with flip-flops since we were headed for vacation. How many obstacles were going to run into this stupid adventure?


    Kalia grabbed both of us by the arm and forced us up to the ridge using her wind power once again. How this woman was even moving was beyond me. Aside from the gush of wind blowing Fe¡¯s dress up, the burst of wind carried us up to the ridge quickly. Thank goodness, I am wearing green Converse, black jean shorts, and my yellow tank top. Once we stepped foot on the ridge, Kalia fell to her knees from exhaustion. Fe gave me a look telling me to help her get Kalia to her feet. I pulled the blue woman¡¯s arm over my shoulder.


    Her knees were buckling as we tried to help her stand. She huffed trying to catch her breath. ¡°In the cave¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°I need¡­to rest¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we told you to do while we were in the car,¡± I reminded her.


    She gave me an unamused side glance. ¡°Be nice¡­little¡­wolf,¡± she managed to say.


    We walked toward the cave entrance, and I felt my birthmark heat up again. It was a short warm wave bursting through my body. This heat was my birthmark¡¯s way of letting me know that I was close to Selene. Suddenly, my body wanted to curl up into a ball. I would even venture to say I felt worse than at the dorm the morning after my stupid breakup. In fact, I would rather deal with Asher than with this moon magic stuff. The cave was dark but dry, unlike most mysterious caves. I could see the light up ahead. There was nowhere to run now.

 Selene

    Kori POV


    ¡°Selene, your guest is here,¡± Kalia called out weakly.


    The cave was beautiful. Ivy ran up and down the walls, and soft grass blanketed the cave floor. Beautifully carved stone furniture outlined each living area. The seats even looked soft with blue cushions to sit on. The cave was lit by oil lamps and luminescent minerals in the cave walls that looked like stars in the night sky. It felt like a Greek fairy tale just looking at it. In the corner, a young-looking woman with hair as dark as night sat looking into a stone case. Her skin was fair and her eyes shined like silver moonlight. Her gown was a soft blue with silver accents, and she had a matching crescent moon headband that matched my birthmark. When the woman looked at me, my birthmark heated up to the point it burned a hole in the top of my shirt, so it was visible to this woman.


    ¡°My, my, Kalia. You found the girl that the Fates have chosen,¡± the woman¡¯s voice was gentle and calm, but there was no warmth in her face as turned around to study me. ¡°Well, she is built like a Greek woman based on her curves, but the rest of her doesn¡¯t look like her Greek ancestry.¡±


    I felt insulted. Did this woman not think I was good enough to be in her presence? Yes, I was the great-granddaughter of Greek immigrants, but I felt more like an American than anything else. Why did any of this matter? I am only here because she called for me. My anxiety was turning into anger at this woman who continued to judge me.


    ¡°Her hair is dark brown and straight in that braid. Where¡¯s the wave and bounce her hair should have? She has blue eyes that seem unsettled and her skin looks like it was cooked by the sun. I don¡¯t see much of my daughter, Endymion, or even Eron in her. The only way I recognize her is the moon on her shoulder,¡± the young woman finished.


    ¡°Selene, this is Korinne Althea, your last descendant,¡± Kalia said, nonchalantly as Fe helped her toward a cozy-looking couch.


    I watched Fe freeze as she processed what Selene was saying. ¡°Wait. My best friend is a descendant of a moon goddess?¡± Felicity''s eyes nearly popped out of her face.


    The young woman¡¯s calm expression faded. This woman was Selene, and I am her descendant¡­ My brain wanted to combust with all of the panic and dreadful thoughts that crossed my mind. How was I related to Selene? I thought she just blessed or cursed my family, not that she is my family. I guess that explains the crescent moon birthmark and creepy magic stuff, but what does she want with me now?


    ¡°Who is this Kalia?¡± Selene motioned to Felicity.


    ¡°She¡¯s my sister,¡± I answered Selene.


    Selene seemed speechless, but her face turned red with anger. ¡°Why is there a human here? She¡¯s clearly not your blood sister.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    What the hell? Didn''t she summon me? "Hey, I didn''t ask to be here. Nymphie just showed up causing my stupid birthmark to burn me from the inside."


    "I summoned you, not this human," Selene¡¯s jaw clenched as she eyed Felicity. "The human is not supposed to be here."


    ¡°Fine. We will go. Come on, Felicity,¡±  I said, turning to leave.


    ¡°The human is the only reason Korinne is here, Selene. Just let her be or you will be in trouble,¡± Kalia cautioned.


    Felicity slowed our pace so we could listen to Kalia. I wasn¡¯t keen on staying. My grandmother over there had insulted Felicity and me enough.


    ¡°Make the human leave,¡± Selene demanded.


    Kalia continued, ¡°It will mean Korinne dies without an heir.¡±


    ¡°Who cares about that? I don¡¯t need kids,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Kori, can you just listen to Kalia?¡± Fe asked. I wanted to say no, but Felicity had this look in her eyes that reminded me of all the stupid guilt she carried toward. I knew this was her way of trying to make it up to me, so I just stayed quiet. She carried that guilt in her heart for far too long.


    Kalia grabbed Selene¡¯s hands. ¡°There is just too much at stake. Remember what the Fates told you?¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Selene answered.


    Kalia looked at both of us. ¡°The Fates said Korinne would die early, and you with her.¡±


    Death will happen to both of us¡­ I stopped looking at Kalia though her emotions seemed honest. She could be lying. Felicity and I can walk out of here right now, and go back to Georgia for our beach vacation. Felicity was slowly moving as she listened to Kalia¡¯s words. I know Fe is about to stop and ask what the nymph meant by saying that. The cave entrance felt further away with each passing second. Fe wasn¡¯t going to let me walk away. I cared too much for Felicity to fight her on this. She was concerned for me.


    Felicity whispered to me, ¡°We can¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I spit out. Walking back toward Selene, I felt my anxiety try to stop me from confronting her. I was standing up against a proclaimed goddess of the moon. I reached her and Kalia. ¡°Listen, Selene. I am here because of Felicity. Because she is crazy worried about everything that comes out of Nymphie¡¯s mouth. In less than a day, you have managed to throw off my entire life. I did not ask for this crescent moon or your intrusion in my life. Felicity is staying with me or I walk and let myself die an early death. Do not try to separate us.¡±


    Selene stared at me in silence. Kalia was still holding her hand, but Kalia looked somber. It was as if Kalia knew Selene would accept having Fe in her cave. Why was Selene so against having a human in her cave anyway? I am human too! ¡°And you know what? I am human too!¡±


    Finally, Selene reacted to my words. ¡°Ha. You may appear human dear, but that is not who you are.¡± Selene waited for me to say something, but I had no idea what she was trying to tell me.


    ¡°I feel human. My DNA says I am human,¡± I crossed my arms. Selene may be some fancy Greek person, but she looked human enough. She just has a long life and magic powers.


    ¡°My magic made your family seem human,¡± Selene replied.


    ¡°So? You look human!¡± I raised my voice at her.


    Selene scoffed. ¡°Did anyone teach you manners?¡±


    I heard Fe whisper to Kalia, ¡°Why don¡¯t I help you to your bed? That way you can rest.¡± Kalia agreed, leaving me alone with Selene.


    Great. They left me alone with my ancient grandmother. ¡°You certainly weren¡¯t around to do it, Grandma,¡± I responded.


    "Ungrateful child! Learn some manners." She huffed.


    I had enough of Selene. We just needed to get to the reason why she turned me into a human lantern in the first place. "Tell me why I have to be here. What''s this junk about me dying an early death?"


    Selene kept her arms crossed, thinking about where to begin her explanation. This story transcended a few millennia. She glanced back at the stone case that held her sleeping beloved. It started with how Selene fell in love with a shepherd boy¡­

 History Lesson

    Kori POV


    ¡°About 4,500 years ago¡­¡± Selene started her story, and it was a long one. At least, the part about her falling in love with the shepherd boy, Endymion, was long and drawn out. The short version is that she fell in love with a beautiful teenage boy, but he was human. Selene asked Zeus to make Endymion immortal. Zeus, however, ended up cursing Endymion into eternal sleep after he noticed Endymion lusting over his wife, Hera. Selene was angry, but her consolation was that Endymion would live forever by her side since he didn¡¯t age. They had about fifty daughters together. A bit excessive if you ask me, but Endymion doesn¡¯t know about his daughters or anything else since he¡¯s asleep.


    Anyway, the story got interesting when Selene told me about her daughter, Ianou¨¢rios, which translates to January. Yep, Selene named some of her daughters after the months of the year. However, January is the important daughter to me according to Selene because that is who I descend from. So January or Grandma Jan as I choose to call her fell in love with a man named Lycaon, who was once a legendary king of Arcadia. According to Selene, Lycaon was a cruel king who tried to trick Zeus into eating rotten meat, so Zeus cursed him to be a monster who would eat any meat, creating a vicious lycan.


    Grandma Jan sought to tame the vicious monster Lycaon had become in hopes of saving his humanity. Lycaon was feral and unmoved by Grandma Jan¡¯s attempts to lure him in. So, Grandma Jan decided to seek help from Cupid. One of his arrows in exchange for a bottle of pure moonlight, which can only be gathered by a goddess of the moon. Grandma Jan didn¡¯t think twice, so Cupid got his moonlight and shot an arrow into Lycaon. Lycaon instantly fell for Grandma Jan, soothing his monstrous curse for a time. Lycaon and Grandma Jan began to build their town with other outcasts of the world, so they called themselves the Lycans after Lycaon. Their relationship proved fruitful when Grandma Jan gave birth to twins, Dymek and Elena.


    Unfortunately, the story takes a sad turn after the twins are born. Lycaon could not maintain any shred of sanity and destroyed his whole town of people. All the Lycans died except Grandma Jan and the twins. Heartbroken, Grandma Jan asked for the help of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, to bring Lycaon¡¯s life to an end. Dymek and Elena never knew their father, but they did inherit his curse in a way. Both twins were born theriomorphic, which meant they could shift into a wolf instead of the monstrous lycan wolf their father was. Thankfully, Grandma Jan¡¯s demigod powers were also passed down to the twins, keeping them from going insane like their father.


    However, their troubles did not end when Lycaon died. Humans had heard of the tragedy that befell the Lycans, so they blamed Grandma Jan and the twins for everything. The twins were nothing more than toddlers when a mob attacked them. As theriomorphs, the twins became wolves to defend their mother. The mob did not stop when they saw the toddler wolves baring their teeth and growling at the mob. Grandma Jan tried to stop her kids, but they moved as fas a lightning strike biting each member of the mob under the bright full moon. No one died, but each human changed that night from the bite of the twin wolves. The humans became the impossible by walking as a human in the sun and as a wolf in the night. The twins turned an entire mob into werewolves. A mob of angry and scared wolves violently attacked the forest around the twins. Grandma Jan feared for her kids, so dug in deep to allow the bright moonlight to flow through her to catch the mob''s attention. She calmed the mob with her soothing motherly words and compassion, and on that night, Grandma Jan became responsible for her twins and a crowd of new werewolves. She became the guide for these newly cursed humans. Her kindness radiated over the werewolves like moonlight, giving her the name, Luna.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Grandma Jan was able to command the werewolves as the twins grew although her power over the werewolves would not last forever. When the twins came of age, Grandma Jan retired her leadership, shocking everyone, even Selene. As their grandmother, Selene became concerned for the twins'' future. As a gift from Selene, the twins were gifted a chance at true love if they could find their soulmate to keep the twins from going insane. Dymek and Elena found their soulmates, and together they built their society as werewolves from where Grandma Jan left off. Dymek became the first Lycan King of werewolves while Elena formed the first werewolf council.


    ¡°Stop. If I understand this story, you are telling me that I am a descendant of werewolves... Are you serious right now? No wonder Kalia kept calling me, Wolfie.¡± I said in disbelief. It had been an hour since Selene began explaining this story to me, but it still didn¡¯t feel real. It was a myth. Werewolves don¡¯t exist. At least they shouldn¡¯t, but then again I flew across the world in my little car powered by a sky nymph. I am more inclined to believe that I accidentally fell into a coma and that I am having a medicine-induced dream. Is that what was happening?


    ¡°Korinne,¡± Selene called. Her annoyed tone made me look back at her. ¡°Please pay attention. I am not finished with the story yet.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more? My head feels like it¡¯s going to explode any minute. Is there a cliff notes version to this tale?¡± I asked, massaging my temples. Selene looked at me unamused. She probably doesn''t know what cliff notes are. Ugh. Leaning back in my seat on the stone and moss couch, I tried to relax. My anxiety was ebbing and flowing through me like a wild river.


    ¡°Impatient child,¡± Selene grumbled. ¡°Once Dymek and Elena died, there was a power grab. The society that they created turned in on itself. After many wars, Eron, Dymek¡¯s last living son took the throne, but the damage had been done. The werewolves had divided themselves into different packs kind of like clans. Each pack was ruled by the strongest male called the Alpha. Eron was king of all of them because he fought off every challenger. However, the bloodshed never ended. Towns were destroyed. Eron was the last Lycan King.¡±


    ¡°So how do we get from Eron to me? If he was the last one, why am I here?¡± I asked impatiently.


    Selene clenched her jaw. She tried to readjust in her seat. Whatever she was about to tell me made her uncomfortable. "The werewolves became like Lycaon. Monsters that focused on power and ignored everything their leaders stood for. So many innocents died in just a few short years. I couldn¡¯t stand it! In my rage, I took it all from them. Reducing them to a pitiful human form was the most merciful thing I did. Only Eron''s line remembered anything, but in a way, I cursed him and myself with a promise that his descendants could earn their power back, which is how we got here. You are the last one left."


    My thoughts were spinning. Werewolf¡­ I  come from werewolves, or at least she says I do. I think Selene might be crazy. None of this should exist, yet I am sitting in a cave in Turkey with the woman who controls the moon. My body feels like it''s fighting itself. On one level, I feel all this is true, but on another, it seems impossible. I liked living in a simple world where everyone is human. "I am the last one¡­ so you waited 4,000 years for this?"


    "I didn''t wait. I just failed 23 times. You are just the last. If you fail, we both die. Simple as that." She said nonchalantly. There was no hope in her words or encouraging expression on her face. Selene made her feelings clear at that moment. To her, I am a tool.

 Trial or Death

    Kori POV


    "How do you know we die?" I asked. I felt like I was in over my head.


    "The Fates declared you would die unless you managed to complete the trial. They weren''t specific on the details," Selene shrugged. "It''s not as if any of this matters. You don''t believe  anything I have said." She got up and walked toward what looked like a kitchenette.


    "The hell is wrong with you?¡± I asked, loudly. Selene had me flabbergasted by her attitude and accusation. ¡°Like I would easily believe any of this! I grew up in a time without magic, unlike ancient Greece. You¡¯re supposed to be a freaking myth! A woman who guides the moon across the sky in a chariot sounds ridiculous," I scoffed. To think she has tried this 23 times and failed. How am I supposed to complete a freaking trial to be a werewolf? She thinks I can''t and won''t complete this called trial. I am just a tool she needs to use because someone told her to.


    Without a word, she carried in a tray with water, glasses, and ice. ¡°Have a drink and cool your nerves, child. Your anxiety is so high it feels like it might strangle me.¡± Selene sat down gracefully like she was lighter than air.


    Great. Now, Moon Grandma is complaining about my anxiety. ¡°You just told me that I will die an early death unless I complete some sort of trial to become a mythical monster. How am I supposed to be calm?¡± I felt the sarcasm dripping from my mouth as I said that to Selene.


    She just sat across from me sipping her water as if this whole situation was nothing important. No reaction to my words. Was she ignoring me like a child having a temper tantrum? Surely, she would give me a little more respect than that, right? Judging by the calm expression on her face that would be a big fat no. Why would I want to turn into a monstrous werewolf? Selene just told me that they became power-hungry brutes that destroyed towns. Werewolves descend from a crazy, lycan-cursed king. How can I willingly turn into one of those or even voluntarily bring such a creature back from a Greek myth?Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "You are just assuming you would become a monster, right?" Selene broke the rant prattling on in my head. "From what I can tell, you are no monster. In fact, I would say you are outright boring, a typical human. You could never be a monster or a lycan for that matter. Why worry about something you know nothing about?"


    I grunted at her in frustration. "You just told me I would die soon if I didn¡¯t become a werewolf!"


    Her face stayed on a blank expression. "Technically, I said we would both die."


    "How the hell can a mystical moon lady die? Aren¡¯t you immortal?" My voice began to sound frantic. I could barely control my emotions.


    "Immortal? Ha." Selene had this sad smirk on her face. "I have the title of goddess, but I am only a personification of science and nature at this point. My life as a goddess ended with Rome. I can die just as easily as you if I am not careful. My existence is tied solely to your family. Should you die, I, too, will perish into nothing. At least you will return to the cosmos¡­"


    I guess she does have something to lose after all.


    "Although I suppose I should just accept that as my fate," Selene sighed.


    Yep. She has no faith in me. If she accepts this as her fate, why am I even here? "So you fade into nothing. I get it. If you are accepting it, why do you need me?"


    She cocked her head to the side, surprised by my boldness. "The Fates said we have to do this. So we are going to try, no matter how much of a lost cause it is." Her smile was so fake it almost made me sick.


    "I haven''t agreed to anything, you know," I muttered. Moon Grandma just kept pissing me off.


    "So you choose death then? The little human will probably be upset by that. Perhaps even heartbroken," Selene said, slyly. She wasn''t holding any punches.


    Damn it. Felicity deserves better than that. I can¡¯t not fight for my life with my best friend around. "You are horrible. You know that, manipulative, moon grandma." Her eyebrow twitched at my words. At least, I can still get under her skin. "What¡¯s this trial I have to face anyway?"

 Monologue

    "Wait, are you finally going to talk about the trial?" Felicity asked, astonished as she walked into the room without the sky nymph.


    Selene rolled her eyes. "Oh joy. You have returned."


    Felicity gave Selene an ''Are you kidding me right now'' look before walking over to the kitchenette. "Don''t worry. I am not staying just grabbing something to drink for the cranky nymph."


    I wanted to get up, but Fe waved me down. She is a big girl who could handle herself without my help. Still, why does Selene dislike humans so much? She made my family human a few thousand years ago. Did she dislike them back then? Too many questions remained unanswered for the moment. Right now, I need to focus on surviving this trial that Selene has for me.


    "Has anyone ever told you that you monologue way too much?" Selene spoke curtly.


    Felicity and I turned our heads to look at this crazy woman. "Me monologue? As if."


    "It''s like pulling teeth to find out things about Kori. It took half a bottle of Tequila to find out she liked her ex-boyfriend." Felicity shook her head at that memory. "She shares next to nothing about how she truly feels."


    Selene smiled at Felicity''s words. I guess Selene is having some sort of epiphany. "Are you sure, little human? She is hard to read?"


    "We are sure." Fe and I said at the same time.


    Selene seemed giddy for a moment before squealing, "So you do have a gift! I haven''t seen such an ability since Elena!"


    "Okay. You lost me." I said, slipping back into my seat.


    "You have telepathy!" Selene grinned. "Isn''t it wonderful?"


    "Telepathy¡­ as in mind reading?" Felicity interjected.


    "Sort of. Instead of just reading minds, you can connect and communicate with them." Selene¡¯s sour attitude seemed to fade as she spoke. "See, all your ancestors had these special abilities because they bore my mark from birth. My magic exists in you, making you telepathic although I think Elena called it mindlinking. There''s a better explanation in the book that I created when I made all the werewolves human."If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    She wrote a book... I don¡¯t imagine this woman ever sitting down to write anything, and she took the time to write a book about my ancestors¡­ yep. It''s hard to believe.


    "I take insult to that child," Selene snapped at me.


    "What?" I asked innocently.


    Selene glared at me. "I can hear your thoughts, child."


    Shit. How was I supposed to know?


    "I just told you that you have telepathy! Think child." Selene scolded me.


    Felicity laughed at our exchange and continued getting Kalia something to drink.


    So, only you can hear me, Selene?


    "Nope. I heard that too." Fe responded, nonchalantly.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that none of my thoughts will be private anymore,¡± I huffed. My fingers rubbed over my temples as I tried to process what Selene was telling me.


    ¡°Not exactly. You can control when people hear your thoughts with some practice,¡± Selene answered.


    "So, to summarize, I am a descendant of a magic moon lady and cursed dog people, with a magic birthmark that makes me scream all my thoughts to other people. Is that right?" My hands waved about as I talked, punctuating my sarcastic words.


    Selene¡¯s eyes narrowed looking down at me. "Do you have a problem with that?"


    "Yes. Yes, I do have a problem with that!" I yelled at her. "In addition to being a walking freak of nature, I have to complete a magical trial to become a freaking dog or I will die."


    Selene huffed at my words. ¡°Ungrateful little¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow, you still struggle with your words, Kori,¡± Felicity interrupted, hoping to break the tension. ¡°Either way, you can¡¯t undo what¡¯s happening-¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I fired back. ¡°Why can¡¯t we undo it all? Can¡¯t you just take back this birthmark, Selene? That should make the Fates change their minds.¡±


    Selene gasped at my words. She didn¡¯t seem pleased with my idea in the slightest. How is she not hearing my thoughts right now? Did I accidentally-


    ¡°No, you haven¡¯t figured out how to control it, child. Getting rid of my magic mark won¡¯t change anything. It¡¯s your DNA that connects you to me and my daughter. It¡¯s your blood that created this mess, and now, only your blood can fix it.¡± Selene retorted.


    ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°No, Korinne. You are part goddess in your own right. Hence, the telepathy that you now have. The power as my granddaughter, Elena. Accept your path in life before you kill us both.¡± Selene argued. ¡°I will tell you about the trial in the morning. I must see to my celestial duties. Kalia will help you get settled.¡±


    ¡°Wait-¡±


    Selene vanished before our eyes like a moonbeam disappearing into the darkness. She said there was no way to avoid this trial or remove her mark. I am a walking freak of nature who descends from an irrelevant goddess of the moon. Greek mythology has been nothing but fairy tales to me until today. Hell, I am a walking, talking, piece of Greek mythology, meaning I am proof the myths were true. All of this scares me to no end. My life is destined to become a modern Greek tragedy.


    ¡°Would you quit your damn whining, little wolf? It¡¯s very annoying.¡± Kalia said as she hobbled into the room. ¡°Honestly, you are off to a better start than most of those ancient heroes anyway. You have a friend to join you on your quest. Most of the other guys were alone in their journey. Now, move it or lose because I will force your ass into one of these rooms to rest if I need to. All I want right now is sleep.¡±


    Great. Moon Grandma is mad at me. Nymphie is annoyed by me. Felicity looks exhausted. I guess I have to stay here tonight. Yet, I wish I were anywhere but here.

 Watchers

    Omniscient POV


    ¡°Selene is finally down to just one candidate left. If this one fails, she will die just like the mortals she spared so many years ago.¡± A voice laughed looking down into the water below. An image of the mortal arguing with the ethereal moon goddess appeared in the water like a live video feed.


    The room had become unbearably hot from the computers, servers, magic, and experiment equipment in the dingy lab. There were no windows or ventilation to let the heat escape. It¡¯s possible that the heat may cause the room to implode or melt one day from built up pressure. Everything looked like a mad scientist lab from a science fiction movie from the lighting to the random frayed wires sparking along the metal tables. Random buttons, levers, and screens decorated the room, yet instead of science, the two figures were relying on ancient magic.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°It seems this mortal is blander than the last,¡± a second voice commented. The mortal looked like a washed-out version of the moon goddess¡¯ daughter. The prominent Greek features had become muted after so many generations. ¡°There is nothing remarkable about this mortal at all. I wager the mortal will fail on her own without any outside interference.¡±


    The room grew silent. Even the quiet buzzing of electronics had stopped in this serious moment. The two people studied the mortal like the bubbly vision would give them all the information they needed to subdue the mortal. A flash of moonlight magic forced the image to dissipate in the bubbling water.


    ¡°Still, I may kill the mortal just to be sure.¡± The first voice said without any emotion.


    ¡°No need to waste power on this mortal. Just let this one play out,¡± the second voice assured the first.


    ¡°Fine. What¡¯s the wager this time?¡± The first voice acquiesced.


    The second voice laughed. ¡°I knew you would see it my way.¡±

 Breakfast

    Korinne POV


    Felicity cuddled up to me in the large bed that we slept in last night. The room is a beautiful dark blue with luminescent crystals scattered about the room. The room had its own sitting area with a loveseat and two chairs. There was even a black dresser and tables. It was dark but pretty. Selene may have lived in a cave, but it was like a small underground mansion with all of its space. I had no idea what time it was because of how deep in the cave we were. Last night, I wore myself out with anxiety attacks. So many events in such a short time have been taxing on my mind. In less than a week, I had been heartbroken due to my cheating ex, discovered some mythical beings are real even though I wish they weren¡¯t, and discovered that I must become a mythical mutt to save my life. Felicity tried to help me, but there was no quelling my emotions. So, I just wasted my energy through my anxiety attacks until I finally fell asleep.


    The door flew open, and Kalia stormed in. "Let¡¯s go, Korinne. You have a big day ahead."


    ¡°I do?¡± I mumbled. My eyes blinked away the remaining sleepiness as I pushed myself out of bed. Kalia responded with a loud ¡®yep¡¯ and sat herself down in one of the chairs. I nearly stumbled as I stood up from the bed, trying to make myself wake up. At some point yesterday, Felicity had brought our bags into the room, so I grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Putting my phone on the charger, I began getting notifications from social media and texts. Apparently, Fe¡¯s parents heard about my breakup and were concerned. Marcus, Fe¡¯s brother, repeatedly texted asking if we were still okay even though we had been whisked away to another country. College friends asked if we had made it to Georgia yet. And, even Asher¡¯s dumbass, texted me asking how I was doing since I vomited at his feet the last time we talked. At least the people at home hadn¡¯t forgotten me although I wasn¡¯t sure what to say to anyone right now. How did I have such a good reception in a cave on a Turkish mountainside? I am still trying to figure out how this ancient cave has modern amenities like plumbing and charging outlets.


    "Let¡¯s go, Korinne," Kalia called out to me.


    "Ok," I replied. I did my best to move quickly and threw on my jean capris with my white sunflower tank top. I slipped on my Converse and tied my hair into a French braid after brushing my teeth. My stomach began rumbling from hunger. It had been hours since I had eaten any food. Hunger pains consumed by the body. Ugh. I need to eat. ¡°Kalia,¡± I called out.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Little Wolf?¡± She asked through the bathroom door.


    ¡°I need food,¡± I uttered as I opened the door. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything else until I eat.¡±


    Kalia sighed, ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go to the kitchen.¡±


    Following Kalia toward the kitchen, my stomach began growling loudly. I could feel Kalia rolling her eyes at my hunger. It wasn''t my fault that I couldn¡¯t eat after yesterday''s events. We rushed to the kitchen where a young, male centaur was making something that smelled delicious. Kalia didn''t waste a breath as she had the young man serve us a plate of pastries. Once he handed me the plate, I began to examine this new pastry.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "It''s bougatsa. It has semolina custard inside," Kalia explained.


    Mmm. Custard! I didn¡¯t waste a moment and downed the pastry. The centaur snickered as I devoured my food. I licked the plate clean because the pastry was just that good. The centaur was in full-on laughter at this point because I had fully enjoyed my breakfast. Ignoring the centaur, I turned to Kalia who started laughing at me too. ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Damn. You even eat like a wolf.¡± Kalia threw a towel at me. ¡°Wipe your face.¡±


    My cheeks went beet red. That''s why the centaur had been staring and laughing at me. Ugh. I wiped my face clean with the towel and followed Kalia out of the room. ¡°I am not a wolf.¡± I declared as I caught up to her.


    ¡°Ha, well, you are about to be one.¡± Kalia corrected herself.


    I felt myself melt at that statement. I was still struggling with this whole situation, and these mythical beings were laughing at me for it. If my life wasn¡¯t on the line, I would have walked away yesterday. ¡°So, where is Selene?¡±


    Kalia didn¡¯t answer me. She just sped up walking down the hall. I think Kalia didn¡¯t want me there any more than I wanted not to be there. At the end of the hall, we were met with a set of stairs going down deeper into the cave. ¡°What¡¯s down here?¡±


    ¡°Selene,¡± Kalia responded.


    ¡°That¡¯s a vague answer¡­¡± I said.


    As we walked down the staircase, torches on the walls lit up on cue. The feeling of walking into a creepy, mystic place that could kill me fell over me. Anxiety stirred within me. I agreed to this. I repeated to myself. At the bottom of the stairs, we walked along a stone path that was surrounded by streams of water on either side. Torches kept lighting up the further down the path we walked. On the far end of the path, I could make out a set of tall, wooden, double doors. Selene had to be on the other side of those doors. Was I just walking towards a trap?


    Kalia suddenly turned toward me with an annoyed expression on her face. ¡°Would you, please, stop repeating that you agreed to this!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t said-¡± Oh¡­telepathy¡­ ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t have control over that.¡±


    ¡°Then get some control,¡± she scoffed as she continued down the path faster than before.


    I just followed her. They keep saying I am supposed to be a part of this world of magic that they live in, but I feel even more like an outsider than I did as a kid being bullied for my birthmark. At least then I understood the limits of the world, and I could find my way forward. Here, I am relying on people whom I don¡¯t trust to guide me forward in a world that I don¡¯t believe in. Even though I saw countless examples of magic and felt the pain of resisting this world, I still can¡¯t fully believe it.


    We reached the doors, and Kalia didn¡¯t waste a moment pulling the doors open. Gold light poured out of the room as I walked into the room. It felt like a magical treasure room with the greatest treasure centered in the room. There was water surrounding a podium in the middle of the room with large stones peeking out of the water that someone could hop across to the center of the room. Selene was standing on one of the large stones in the water playing with beams of light shining down from the ceiling.


    ¡°Hey, Selene,¡± Kalia called out. ¡°I brought her.¡±


    Selene releases the beams that she was holding onto and turns to face us. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡±


    ¡°Humans need food too, Selene,¡± Kalia retorted.


    Was she defending me? I thought she was upset with me.


    ¡°Ah. Well, let¡¯s hope we aren¡¯t too late,¡± Selene accepted this situation.


    I waited for someone to explain what was going on, but no one said a word. They both just stared at me, waiting for something. ¡°Um. What do I-¡± What was I asking? I am not sure what is even happening right now. ¡°What are we doing down here?¡±


    ¡°You are here to start your trial,¡± Selene said matter-of-factly.

 Trial Begins

    Starting my trial, huh? How the heck was I supposed to start something that I knew nothing about? ¡°I need more context here. All you told me yesterday was my family history. We never talked about the actual trial. What is the trial?¡±


    ¡°It starts with you reaching that book,¡± Selene pointed to the podium in the center of the water. I could make out an older, leather-bound book, sitting on top of the podium.


    Was she serious? I looked around the room to see if there was a clear path to the book, but the stones didn¡¯t seem to line up in any sort of path. There was no bridge to the center stone. No boat. She could swim straight across, but the book would get wet in the process. I don¡¯t see any other viable way to get to the book. This was already frustrating. Why do I need to swim across this water just to get a damn book when the sky nymph could just carry it on a breeze?


    ¡°Language, little wolf,¡± Kalia scolded. ¡°We can hear you. And, no, I will not carry that book on a breeze. I can¡¯t even touch that book.¡±


    What? Kalia couldn¡¯t touch the book¡­ ¡°Ok. What am I missing?¡±


    ¡°I told you she wasn¡¯t ready for this, Selene. She can¡¯t even remember what you said yesterday,¡± Kalia complained.


    Selene just shook her head, but she stayed silent watching me for a glimmer of hope that I might figure this out. It was then that I realized the trial had already begun. She had given me a history lesson for a reason yesterday, so likely the answer was in our conversation yesterday. She had something about the book, but what was it?


    ¡®There''s a better explanation in the book that I created when I made all the werewolves human.¡¯ The words just sort of appeared in my mind from yesterday. Selene had written a book all about werewolves when she turned the werewolves into normal humans. If Selene wrote the book then it had some magic to it. I have her magic flowing through me from the birthmark, so maybe that''s why Kalia can''t get it.


    ¡°Do you really want me to swim over there to get the book?¡± I look at Selene asking her point blank. ¡°The book will get wet.¡±


    ¡°You have to get to the book. How you do is up to you.¡± Cryptic answers from my moon grandma. Great.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Screw it. I threw off my shoes and socks and jumped into the water. The cold water sent chills down my spine. I swam toward the center stone when things got dangerous¡­ The stones started moving through the water. The stones splashed through the water with speed, barreling toward me. Fear filled my mind as my fight or flight response kicked in, forcing me to cut through the water as fast as I could. How the hell was I going to survive this? I swear Selene was trying to kill me instead of helping me become a magic dog.


    Stones began knocking me around the water as I tried to speed up. The stones were the size of footballs almost. There were larger ones, but they rolled slower allowing me to escape their path. The smallest ones were faster as they battered my body one after another. Was this just a form of torture? Why would any of my ancestors agree to this shit? I wish I could turn back, but I was so close to the podium now. Pushing forward, I touched the edge of the center stone, and the stones froze in place. It took all my strength to pull myself out of the water. My body was covered in welts from the stones hitting my body. I wanted to collapse right there from pain. I was pretty sure at least a few of my ribs were broken. Reaching out, my fingers grazed the leather-bound book, and all the chaos of the moving stones stopped. I let out a breath, I didn¡¯t know I was holding.


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s not dead, Selene,¡± Kalia commented on my progress.


    I could hear Selene chuckling. ¡°Just wait a bit. She still has to make it back over here with the book.¡±


    I groaned at their words. ¡°Boneheads¡­They have absolutely no faith in me.¡±


    Shaking my head, I turned my attention back to the brown, leather-bound book in front of me. It was beautiful. There was a silver outline of a wolf howling to the full moon. I ran my fingers over the cover, waiting to see if any other bizarre magic started. Nothing happened. Holding my breath, I picked up the book. The podium began to sink into the ground and the rocks started rolling through the water again. Shit. I walked to the edge of the little island and watched the rocks speed past me. How was I going to do this? ¡°What does this have to do with being a damn werewolf?¡± I called out to Selene. ¡°Will I be randomly attacked by speeding rocks because I am part wild dog?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± she smiled at me.


    Yep. My Moon Grandma is insane. Her magic is controlling this shit. Maybe, she¡¯s the cause of my early death. I stared at Selene and down at the water. There was no shortcut or simple answer to this task. I just hope I make it across this pond alive. Walking into the water, I swear the rocks picked up speed, rushing past me. I held the book above my head as I calmly swam forward. Small stones started flinging toward me again. Oh, joy. More bruises. The big rocks just rushed past me as I made my way across the water. It took a long time and my body was battered by stones, but I made it back to Selene.


    The moment I laid the book at her feet the rocks stopped in their tracks. I felt myself sigh in relief, but it was too soon. As I tried to climb out of the pond, a whirlpool appeared, trying to suck me into it. Clinging onto the shore, I pulled myself up. I was not about to quit now. My body has already been beaten to hell. A little water isn¡¯t going to kill me now. I forced myself up on the shoreline, and the whirlpool vanished as quickly as it came. Laying on the ground next to the book, I was breathing heavily.


    ¡°Huh. She did it.¡± Kalia commented.


    If I had the energy, I would punch her right now.


    ¡°And she still has an attitude,¡± Selene added.


    With that, I made myself get off the ground with the book in my hand. These two did absolutely nothing to guide me through this trial, and I refuse to listen to their bullshit. ¡°Y¡¯all are horrible!¡± I shouted as I left the chamber we were in. I wasn¡¯t going to give Selene this book nor Kalia, and they don¡¯t care about what just happened. Forget them. It¡¯s my book now.

 New Phase

    I ran up the stairs away from a dumbfounded Selene and Kalia. Returning to the main floor, I did my best to return to the room where Felicity was sleeping, but I accidentally walked into another empty room instead. My body ached all over from the stones that battered my skin during my swim. I was pretty sure some of my ribs were broken too from the pain I felt as I breathed deeply. Exhaustion was overwhelming me, so I collapsed onto the bed in the empty room, clutching the book to my chest. Hopefully, no one will mind that I am taking over this room, but I know I can¡¯t keep moving. I probably need a hospital to fix the damage that my body has endured. My eyes started to flutter closed and everything faded into black.


    Somewhere in the grassy hills of my dreams¡­


    My eyes open as the first rays of sunlight greet my furry face. In the light of dawn, I rise and shake out my fur, and I admire my dark black fur which appears to have golden highlights from the rising sun. I lean back on my back paws to do a big stretch and wiggle any looming remnants of sleep from my body. I scent the air for danger, but most of the larger predators have returned to their homes for a nap. As I listen to the hills around me, I can hear the bubbling stream upwind, and I trot my way over to it. The refreshing water beckons me to it. Its crisp cool taste soothes my sandpaper tongue happily.


    When I finish, I sit back on my haunches listening to nature wake up under the bright sunlight. I can hear my pack members stirring back in the den. My stomach rumbled, reminding me that today I needed to hunt and provide for my small pack. It hasn¡¯t been long since I took over as the Alpha of the pack. My parents, the original Alpha pair, died over a territory dispute a week ago. As the Beta female, I stepped into the role of Alpha female normally called a Luna, and my mate, the former Beta male, should have stepped up with me. He died from heavy wounds during the attack. Now, it¡¯s just me, caring for my parents'' last three pups, and three of my dad¡¯s siblings. I know that death is a part of the circle of life, but damn, this week has been hell.


    I miss the days of running freely through these hills already with the breeze ruffling through my fur and sitting in the low branches of the tallest tree on the biggest looking over the peaceful hills. Watching fireflies dancing under the moonlight used to lull me to sleep at night, but my peace ended when the other pack ran us out of my ¡®former¡¯ territory. Now, I need to hunt something big to keep my little pack alive. The weight of the crescent moon on my shoulder felt heavier with each passing day. Suddenly, I smelt the musk of male deer waft downstream. My mouth watered at the delicious smell. One good-sized deer will feed my little pack for a few days. Fate be kind to me, I whispered in my mind as I set off on a hunt.


    Strangely, I felt myself tearing away from the black, fluffy form as my body was being shaken awake. Forcing my eyes to flutter open, my senses became overloaded with information as I felt someone¡¯s warm hands shaking my left arm hard. Pain from my recent injuries nearly short-circuited my brain as I tried to process what was happening to me and what were these blurry shapes around me. Nothing was making sense at that moment. Where did the big paws and fluffy fur go? A wave of sadness filled me as I realized the fluffy black wolf was nothing more than a lonely figure in my dreams. The shapes began to make sense as pieces of bedroom furniture and hospital equipment. I could hear the beeps of monitors and feel an oxygen tube on my face. Was I still in the cave? Did I still have that damn book? Looking on the bed next to me, I could make out the shape of the leather book. At least, I still had my lame prize for all of my injuries. The shaking continued. The warmth on my arm was familiar, so the person waking me was Felicity. Hopefully, she can fill me in.


    Turning my head slightly, I saw an anxious, exhausted version of Felicity holding onto my arm. There was an IV hooked up to a needle in my arm, which hurt with each movement of my arm. ¡°Please, stop,¡± I uttered quietly. My body ached and the exhaustion had not left me even though I had slept for a while since I had fluids pumping into me.


    ¡°Thank goodness! You¡¯re awake.¡± Felicity sounded like she was crying. What happened while I slept?


    ¡°W-what¡¯s¡­w-wrong?¡± I managed to whisper. My mouth was dry, causing my throat to ache as I talked. Great. Another pain to my already overloaded system.


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    ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for three days! No one could wake you. Selene was ready to send you to the hospital if you didn''t wake by sunset.¡± She answered half crying as she spoke. So, I am still in the cave in Turkey. ¡°Do you know how worried I have been? Kalia told me about your challenge to get the book and how much damage you took to get it. Honestly, you probably should have just walked away-¡±


    ¡°I-I cou¡­couldn¡¯t,¡± I said as loudly as I could. ¡°Y¡­you¡­be¡­begged me t-t-to do th-this.¡±


    Felicity¡¯s panicked expression melted into one of guilt. She knew she was the reason that I didn''t walk out of this damn cave a few days ago. I had wanted to leave. I never wanted to come here. However, Felicity couldn¡¯t watch me in pain and had Kalia bring us here. Felicity didn¡¯t want me to die an early death and begged me to complete this trial to be a monstrous dog just to save my life. So, here we are after the trial has just begun, and she wishes I had walked away.


    Ugh. Fe, I can¡¯t leave now. My instincts are telling me that I have to finish this now. I spoke to her telepathically because my throat refused to work at this point. Yes, I am in pain. Yes, this is dangerous. There will be more danger, pain, and tons of frustration ahead. I just know it. Yet, stopping will do nothing. I will die an early death anyway if I don¡¯t finish this, which defeats the whole reason for coming here. I can¡¯t walk away now. I feel like there¡¯s more to learn and another purpose for doing this.


    Tears streamed down Fe¡¯s face. She was feeling scared, sad, and guilty all at once. ¡°So, we are staying?¡±


    Yes.


    ¡°Are you going to die from this?¡± She whimpered.


    I am going to try like hell not to.


    She wiped her tears. ¡°This is so messed up. I just wanted to save you. I thought I had all my bases covered. This stupid Greek mythology magic crap makes no sense!¡±


    That¡¯s how I felt four days ago when you were just excited to be here.


    Felicity glared at me. ¡°It¡¯s amazing how snarky you are in my head.¡±


    There¡¯s the Fe I know and love. Now that the pity party is over, can I please have a damn glass of water and some painkillers!


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Fe fake bowed to me before getting off the bed and disappearing into the bathroom.


    A knock on the door called Fe out of the bathroom, but all I could focus on was the fact I wanted water and painkillers. Fe opened the door revealing a young, sage-green woman at the door. The woman reminded me of Kalia a lot from the way she moved to her overall appearance. ¡°Healer Min, please come in.¡± Fe welcomed her in. Both of them shuffled toward me smiling.


    ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re awake,¡± Healer Min greeted me. I nodded since speaking was difficult at the moment.


    Fe seemed to have a brain blast moment and quickly returned to the bathroom while Healer Min began explaining things to me about my condition.


    ¡°Selene assigned me as your caregiver since I have the most experience with humans although I am nothing more than a nature nymph who likes medicine.¡± She chuckled. ¡°So, from what I can tell, you have three broken ribs on your lower left side and two on your upper right side. Severe browsing of the epidermis across your whole body, and a lack of good nutrition for the last week. There was also an elevated number of stress hormones radiating in your body. Are you currently in pain?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Using your fingers, please tell me how bad your pain is on a one through ten scale,¡± Healer Min asked. Without hesitation, I held up nine fingers. Nodding, she walked over to the IV and pressed some buttons. The needle in my arm felt cold suddenly. ¡°There. This should take the edge off from the pain.¡±


    Felicity returned from the bathroom with a cup of water and a straw. She brought it up to my mouth, and I downed the whole thing in seconds. My mouth felt relief, but my throat still felt rough from the dryness it experienced while I slept for three days. Healer Min came puttering around looking at all the medical equipment before doing a physical examination of me. I felt Healer Min poke and prod at my skin while examining the monitors for any changes. After fifteen minutes of examination, Healer Min stepped back with a confused expression on her face.


    Fe asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Healer Min?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am still new to dealing with human anatomy and their fancy medical equipment, but Korinne is healing faster than a human should. Are you sure you are just human? From these readings, I would say you have mythical magic running through you.¡± Healer Min answered. ¡°I think you may be completely healed in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Fe responded as she handed me my refilled water cup.


    ¡°I would say so,¡± Healer Min looked back at me. ¡°You are no longer just a human, Korinne.¡±


    Great. My body is already changing to a werewolf type of anatomy. I am not sure if I should be grateful or spiteful to Selene at this point. What¡¯s a demi-goddess descendant supposed to feel like? The crescent moon mark began to tingle at that thought.


    ¡°We should let you rest,¡± Healer Min suggests waving to Fe to follow her out the door. ¡°Try to get some more sleep.¡±


    I nodded before curling up into a ball on the bed. It wasn¡¯t long before my eyes drifted shut again. The beeping faded out of my mind, and before I knew it, I was back in the green hills and running on my fluffy black paws again.

 Spirit Wolf

    Dreaming of the grassy hills¡­.


    The deer got away from me as I bounded across the forest floor. The sun was high in the sky, so the deer would be harder to catch in direct sunlight. I trotted back to the stream in the hopes I might scent another animal to eat when I heard the ruffling of leaves ahead. Slowing to a crawl, I inched forward making myself as small as I could. The breeze shifted and the scent of my prey filled my nose. My mouth began to water from the delicious smell of rabbit. A rabbit wasn¡¯t a lot of meat but it would be something to fill our bellies. The brown fluffy tail came into view, and my tail wagged a little in excitement. Food!


    I edged toward the rabbit quietly, waiting for my prey to look away. Each moment felt like time froze until the rabbit¡¯s head looked away. I pounced on the unsuspecting creature, gripping its throat in between my teeth. It fought back for a moment until I crushed its neck, causing its blood to spill into my mouth and down my muzzle. The blood was the sweet taste of victory. Not wasting a moment, I headed near the den. My pack must be hungry.


    Carrying my prize toward the den took little time. When I arrived, I plopped supper down on the ground, and I ate enough to fill my growling stomach. Alpha wolves eat first then the pups and mid-ranked wolves eat. Before my aunts went to the supper, they greeted me and thanked me for the food by nuzzling my muzzle and neck. My aunts proceeded to scoot the pups out of the way, so they could have their fill. Luckily, there were only two pups to feed. They will reach maturity in a few weeks, so my two little brothers will either stay with me or find a new pack. Maybe, I will take them hunting with me next time. They need to hone their skills over the next few weeks to survive out here.


    By sunset, the rabbit carcass was nothing but bone. Scavengers had come to carry most of the bones away. It was about time for a run. I needed to clear my mind and check the perimeter before settling in for the night. I already had my territory stolen from me once, and I won¡¯t let that happen again. I charge off into the forest, allowing my stress to melt away into the ground that I ran across. My eyes and ears stay vigilant as I explore the perimeter of my small territory. Thankfully, I was still close to the lake where the deer and elk flock to drink from. My view wasn¡¯t as nice as before, and my pack was closer to the humans than I cared to be. The humans took my litter mates from me, so it¡¯s safe to say I consider them a threat. Although humans aren¡¯t the scariest things living around this lake¡­


    I felt myself disconnect from the black wolf once more. My dreams keep connecting us for some reason, but watching her life gives me perspective on mine. Light tickled my eyelids, and I heard someone calling me to wake up. Slowly, I let the light in, but I swear the lights nearly burned my eyeballs. Everything seemed brighter than the last time I opened my eyes. I just wanted to keep my eyes closed at this point. A voice called to me, asking me to wake up again. I wanted to ignore the person.


    ¡°Korinne, come on. We need to talk. You need to eat.¡± I heard the voice nearly yell in my ear. I curled up further under the blanket of the bed.


    A second person entered the room with a mouthwatering scent that made my stomach roar to life. Shit. I do need to eat. I want that delicious food. Opening my eyes just a little under the blanket seems to be okay, so I allow them to open fully. I can hear the two people shuffling and stomping around the room. It¡¯s almost like I have a horrible hangover from a late-night party. All of the information was making my head hurt, which made me begin to feel anxious about everything. My stomach churned from sensory overload.


    ¡°Kori, are you awake under there?¡± I heard a familiar voice say loudly. I think it¡¯s Felicity, but she sounds different to me now for some reason. ¡°Hiding under a blanket isn¡¯t going to fix your rumbling stomach.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    My stomach growled in agreement with her. ¡°Okay, I will come out if you shut off the big lights.¡±


    The next thing I heard was a confused okay as the two people turned off the overhead light in exchange for a soft lamp. Once I saw the big lights off, I started pulling the blanket down. My head peaked out from the blanket to let my eyes adjust to the low light and intense difference of all the objects in the room. Fe looked different too. I blinked my eyes at her trying to make sense of the details I was seeing.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Fe questioned as she observed my odd behavior.


    I covered my ears to minimize the volume of her voice. ¡°The closest thing I can compare it to is a horrible hangover. All of my senses are being overloaded with information that I had never taken in before. My brain is struggling to keep up with all of it.¡±


    Healer Min observed me like the audience of a play trying to understand what the hell the audience was there to see. ¡°You''re squinting and messing with your nose. I would say this is another sign that Selene¡¯s magic is transforming you into a werewolf. All of your senses are being enhanced with magic, restoring your family''s true nature.¡±


    ¡°How long will this ¡®enhancing¡¯ thing take? Because I can¡¯t stay like this. I will go insane or become a damn hermit.¡± Fe gave me a concerned look at my words, but I wasn¡¯t about to hold my tongue. Sure, this magic has healed a good chunk of my body already since I got this book, but it feels like I am trading one problem for another. My stomach began to rumble as the smell of grilled chicken filled my nose. I was trying to wait for Healer Min to speak, but I could feel the drool pulling at the corner of my mouth.


    Healer Min chewed on her lip unsure of how to answer me. ¡°A few days maybe? I don¡¯t know. You are the first werewolf that I have ever met, let alone treated. Your anatomy is mostly human, but the magic is changing things.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Can I have the plate, please? My stomach won¡¯t let me think from all the grumbling.¡± Fe handed me the plate, which had sat on the edge of a table on the other side of the room. I didn¡¯t bother using the fork as I just shoveled chicken into my mouth.


    ¡°Well, at least you are hungry,¡± Selene greeted as she walked into the bedroom. She was in a soft lavender, ancient Greek-styled dress, and her hair was in long tight curls that bounced as she walked toward me. ¡°Korinne, are you still in the same clothes as before? It¡¯s been four days since you took the book, child. What have you been doing?¡±


    I looked up from my clean plate. Moon Grandma was dangerously close to crossing a line. ¡°Healing my wounds from your stupid trial, Selene. Duh!¡±  I could feel my frustration brewing like a monster, trying to break out of its shackles. ¡°What is this? Why are these damn emotions so intense?¡± I felt myself wanting to punch Selene with every ounce of strength in my body. Normally, I have decent control over my emotions, but I felt tears begin to stream down my face involuntarily.


    ¡°That¡¯s your hormones aiding in the changing of your body. Your body is in a state of metamorphosis while healing itself at the same time. If normal humans could see your biology, they would be stunned. They wouldn¡¯t understand a single thing about it.¡± Healer Min giggled at her joke.


    ¡°This is worse than puberty!¡± I exclaimed as I wiped away the tears. ¡°Only a few days like this¡­right?¡±


    Selene walked toward the bed. ¡°Korinne, the process of turning you into a werewolf is nowhere near complete. Your trial has only begun-¡±


    ¡°Wait. You are telling me that I am going to be stuck like this for a long time?¡± I interjected.


    Selene shook her head. ¡°No, child. You will only be stuck in the metamorphosis stage until you bond with your wolf spirit.¡±


    ¡°Wolf spirit? What the heck is that?¡± Fe asked before I could.


    Selene raised an eyebrow at Felicity but chose not to say anything to her. ¡°Every werewolf is a human that lives symbiotically with a wolf spirit in their body. The body draws traits from both sides with the aid of mythical magic that allows the body to switch from one form to another.¡± Selene explained to me. ¡°Until your body holds both a human and a wolf spirit you will be stuck in this in-between state.¡±


    Do I want a wolf spirit? I would have to share my body with it I guess. That could be messy. No one would want to do this, but I don¡¯t have the option to say no at this point. ¡°Would I even be able to communicate with the wolf spirit? Where would I get a wolf spirit?¡± I asked Selene.


    ¡°I am so glad you asked,¡± Selene grinned as she sat down on the bed next to me. ¡°Tell me. Have you been seeing a wolf in your dreams?¡±

 Selenes Visit

    ¡°Dreams about a wolf?¡± I repeated. Well, yeah. I have been dreaming about a wolf for over a month now, but do I want to admit it to them? Selene wouldn¡¯t have asked if it wasn¡¯t important. ¡°You could say that.¡±


    Selene narrowed her eyes on me. ¡°Elaborate, please.¡±


    ¡°Over a month ago, I started feeling claustrophobic from living in a big city. I ran to the nearest park in the hopes of calming myself. I curled up into a ball under an oak tree and sort of blacked out. It was the first time that I experienced being or seeing a wolf¡¯s life. I awoke minutes later with a calm that I had never had during my anxiety attacks.¡± Words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them. ¡°Almost every night since then I dream of seeing through the black wolf¡¯s eyes.¡±


    Felicity looked shocked at my confession while Selene seemed impressed by it. Selene grinned at me. ¡°Your bond with the wolf spirit started before I met you. That has never happened before with the other twenty-three candidates who attempted my trial.¡±


    This had never happened? Great. I am weird among the mythical creatures too. ¡°In the dreams, I see through the wolf¡¯s eyes and hear her thoughts. Normal animals aren¡¯t like that right?¡±


    ¡°Well, only animals connected to mythical creatures can convey what you perceive as human emotions. Likely, the wolf is connected to Artemis, Leto, or me. We all have our own stories that connect us with wolves. We would call this wolf a spirit wolf, which is what you need.¡± Selene hummed as she explained this weird wolf to me. ¡°Werewolves are humans and spirit wolves that share one body that can shift forms because of my magic.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°So, why am I having these dreams?¡± I shifted in the bed trying to sit up taller. The dimly lit room seemed bright to me as I looked upon Selene who was just looking down at me with a fascinated look.


    ¡°Well, child, you have met your wolf spirit in your dreams. Now, you two need to find each other and form a strong bond before the next full moon.¡± Selene answered.


    Felicity cut in. ¡°What happens during the next full moon?¡±


    Selene sighed, ¡°That depends on Korinne and this wolf. Korinne will continue to become more¡­wild as the magic continues to flow through her. Only if Korinne and the wolf bond will Korinne achieve a state of balance under the light of a full moon.¡±


    ¡°This shit gets worse?¡± I mumbled in shock. Yep, not a human anymore.


    Selene nodded. ¡°In fact, your instincts will eventually override your human nature, causing you to enter a feral state.¡±


    ¡°So, I am becoming a monster¡­¡± My head hung low. This wasn¡¯t what I wanted out of life. Who would willingly become a monster? I rubbed my temples to keep a headache from forming. The only people who become something like this are those born into it like I am.


    ¡°Why do you think you are a monster?¡± Selene asked.


    I couldn¡¯t help but glare at Selene. ¡°You just said I could become feral! What am I supposed to think?¡±


    Selene sighed. ¡°I think you need to read that book to understand everything, Korinne. You are more than a human, and you are more than a monster.¡± She gracefully stood up from the bed and looked down at me. ¡°Once you heal, Kalia will help find the wolf.:¡± I nodded. ¡°Min, please help Korinne to get back on her feet quickly.¡± Min agreed to Selene¡¯s request. Selene turned towards Felicity. ¡°Human, please watch over Korinne.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­Yeah. Of course.¡± Felicity said, surprised.

 Stupid Moon Magic

    With that, Selene waved to everyone and left the room. This woman matched what I imagined a Greek goddess to be. She is graceful, aloof, and intimidating, which makes it even weirder that she is my Moon Grandma. Selene speaks in riddles and only alludes to what she is trying to say. I wonder what my mom would have done if it was her instead of me doing this. I feel like she could have handled this better than I have.


    Felicity came and sat next to me. Looking at her, I could see the bags under her eyes and the stress weighing on her shoulder. Her blonde hair seemed deflated even though it was tied up into a messy bun. Her skin seemed pale and dry. This wolf vision allowed me to see details that are hard to pick up on otherwise. My friend thrives on controlling and solving issues that she encounters. She must be drowning in this situation where magic is dictating our day-to-day lives. Maybe, she should go back to the States¡­


    ¡°Fe, do you want to go home? This world that we walked into a few days ago doesn¡¯t have to take over your life like it is mine. I know Marcus and your parents must be worried since it¡¯s hard to connect with anyone from these caves. You need to take care of yourself-¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Kori, stop.¡± Fe groaned. ¡°Just because I am not a magical creature doesn¡¯t mean that I can¡¯t live in this mythical world with you. Sure, I could use some sleep and sun, but I refuse to leave you unless you make me go.¡±


    Damn. My best friend is awesome. ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t push. You can stay with me.¡±


    ¡°Damn right, I am staying. You would drown in this magic crap without me.¡± Fe crossed her arms and smirked.


    ¡°Really, Fe?¡±


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    ¡°Yep.¡± She popped the ¡®P¡¯ loudly. ¡°Now, tell me about this wolf of yours.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s Fe. She is always stubborn. ¡°The wolf? Well, she¡¯s beautiful. She is all black with a crescent moon on her shoulder.¡±


    ¡°Just like you.¡± Fe chimed in.


    ¡°Yeah. She became the leader of her small pack recently. I am not sure I understand everything, but she lost her parents and her mate not long ago. She mourns her loved ones at least once a day.¡± The black wolf of my dreams is a free spirit that has loved deeply.


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Fe questioned.


    How do I explain this? ¡°Umm. Well, when I dream of her, I become her. I watch her make decisions and feel her emotions. It¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°So, you become this black wolf in your dreams. Hmm. I wonder if it will be like that when you two become one. Two beings in one form.¡± Felicity hummed.


    ¡°Yep. It¡¯s all because of the trial and instinct that we will need to become one. Although she doesn''t seem to need me like I need her right now. She has a pack to provide for, so I don¡¯t know what will happen to them. I don¡¯t think she will want to abandon them though.¡± My thoughts just flowed out of my mouth.


    Felicity was quiet as she digested my words. I knew there was gravity to what I was saying because I realized I wouldn¡¯t be able to just go back to my life when this was over. The black wolf has a life that can¡¯t be ignored just because I am human. Right now, I don¡¯t know what will happen with school or where this wolf even lives. Everything will just have to be dealt with one step at a time.


    ¡°I am not going anywhere,¡± Felicity stated. ¡°Wherever you go, I will too. I will do school online if that¡¯s what you are worried about. I am your family, and I refuse to abandon you on your journey.¡±


    I sighed. Felicity is stubborn. ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now, you¡¯ve got a book to read. We need to be as prepared as possible.¡± Fe stood up. ¡°I am going to go get some sun, and I will check on you in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I will get to reading.¡± I replied as I reached for the book next to me. Fe disappeared out the door leaving only Healer Min who wanted to run some tests on me to ensure I was healthy. She gathered her results and left me to read my book.


    Untying the leather straps keeping the book closed, I felt my heart race a little bit. I had a feeling that something might happen once the book officially opened. I lifted the cover revealing a silver wolf on the first page. The wolf started to stand and move, which made me slam the cover closed. ¡°What the hell was that!¡± I immediately covered my ears because my outburst hurt my ears. ¡°Ugh. This is bullshit.¡± I whisper to myself.


    Open the book, Korinne. A voice commanded me, which caused me to leap off the bed. Stupid moon magic.

 Moody Book

    Sitting in the bedroom, I stared down at the leather book in my hands. Selene said that I needed to read it. All the knowledge that she has on werewolves would be contained in these pages. A voice was urging me to open the book. Was I hearing things? Maybe, but I saw that silver wolf move when I opened the cover before.


    Open the book once more, Korinne. We have little time to waste.


    Yep. I am definitely hearing a voice. Magic has made me crazy. I should probably ask Felicity to find me a pleasant institution to live in back home.


    Stubborn child. I implore you. Open the book and everything will make sense again.


    Who talks like that? Is the book cursed? Shit. Moon grandma would give me a cursed book to learn from. My lunch slowly crawled up my throat, threatening to reemerge all over the bed and book. Stupid book. I curled myself up into a ball, trying to pretend that I didn''t exist.


    This won''t work, Korinne. You have to see what''s in the book. There''s so much to learn in such a short time.


    ¡°No offense, cursed book, but I want to keep my life and control over my body.¡± I said, hoping the voice would be silent afterwards.


    Unfortunately, the book was as persistent as I am as it kept commanding me to open the cover. Each time I heard the voice speak, my constitution to ignore the voice lessened. Even in a mythical world of magic a ghost can compel someone to do something. The book was haunted by a werewolf of the past that I was sure of. We argued for an hour at least before I gave into the book''s demands.


    Opening the book, the silver wolf began to move again. I swear it was looking at me. The wolf¡¯s intense gaze made squirm backwards a bit. Yep. I was going insane.


    Finally.


    ¡°Cut the attitude,¡± I warned the book.


    Korinne, you are no different than those who came before you. You are stubborn and in need of controlling everything. Just like Eron, Dymek, and Elena.


    The silver wolf ran off the page. My fingers brushed the edge of the page. Do I follow the wolf to the next page? Also, why is this book so sassy? I am doubting Selene¡¯s magic more and more as I stare at this little book. If Felicity were here, she¡¯d faint from the awe factor of this magic. I waited, but nothing happened. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°What now, book?¡± I asked.


    I am not just a book, Korinne. I am the spirit of Ianou¨¢rios.


    ¡°January? As in, Grandma Jan?¡± I clarified.


    Grandma Jan? I suppose that¡¯s accurate since you are my descendant.


    Stunned, I stammered, ¡°Damn. I thought you were dead.¡±


    Uncouth Child.


    Well, I feel like shit. I just insulted my ancestor out of ignorance. Fe¡¯s right, I need to be more aware of my mouth before I speak. ¡°Sorry.¡± I tangled my fingers into a mess, but the book remained silent. Waiting a bit, nothing happened. Maybe, I should just change the conversation. ¡°Ok, so how¡¯s this work? Do I just read the pages?¡±


    Just turn the page.


    I did as instructed, and a flash of light erupted from the book. My vision was filled with white light, but it didn¡¯t bother my overly sensitive eyes. I felt a tingling warmth in my mind from Grandma Jan¡¯s magic. I wanted to panic, but there was something soothing about the magic filling me up. Was this the moonlight that Grandma Jan bottled for the love spell?


    This is only a fraction of pure moonlight, but it will get the job done. I am going to transfer all the knowledge you need for now into your little brain. Only basic information will be provided, for more in depth knowledge, you will have to come back to the book. Hold on. This might be painful.


    True to her word, my head began throbbing from the intense moonlight.


    Bare it, Korinne.


    That¡¯s when I started to see¡­ I mean know things. Visions of Grandma Jan, the cursed Lycaon, Dymek, Elena, and all of the other lycans and werewolves passed through my mind. I felt the fear, anger, and greed that filled each of them.The transition to Dymek and Elena¡¯s rule, and how they fostered peace bringing a balance to the supernatural kinds around them. Then, the wars and deaths of so many passed through my mind in flashes. I understood Selene¡¯s rage at her grandchildren. They slaughtered each other for the throne. Even Eron was guilty of war crimes. They all fell to greed, hate, and revenge. The werewolves were capable of such passion, but those emotions could be negative as much as they were positive.


    Traditions flashed through my mind of moonlite runs under the full moon. The beauty of family between pack members. Fated mates that kept wolves bonded to the pack.  Pups running in and out of their different forms. The first time a pup would shift was instinctual and painful. Not looking forward to that¡­ The gifts given to blessed spirit wolves like my mindlinking thing. Speed healing might come in handy. There was so much to unpack from this knowledge download.


    Now, we discuss the trial.


    ¡°Right,¡± I sighed. ¡°This life threatening trial¡­¡±


    Korinne, pay attention. You started the trial by retrieving this book from the cave.


    ¡°I figured that out.¡± I muttered to the book.


    The trial is over once you have proven that you are a worthy heir of the last lycan king.


    ¡°Prove myself how?¡± I asked.


    Start with bonding and joining with your spirit wolf.


    An image of the fluffy black wolf came into view. A white crescent moon shined on her shoulder as she bathed in the moonlight. The poor girl was tired. Her eyes blinked slowly as if she might fall asleep. I know she has been through so much lately from losing her parents, her mate, and her pack territory. Maybe, she could use some help although I wasn¡¯t sure what I could do for her. I am a human. She won¡¯t trust me to help her at all.


    You must try, Korinne.


    ¡°Kinda have to, Grandma Jan,¡± I answered. ¡°It seems my life is on the line should I fail this trial.¡±


    Suddenly, the book closed, and I was blinking myself back to reality. I guess that¡¯s all I get for now. Moody book.

 Mindlink & Minnesota

    Kalia came bounding through the door like a bull, stomping around aimlessly. ¡°Selene says you need help locating your spirit wolf.¡±


    My ears ached from her loud voice and heavy feet. ¡°Could you be a little quieter, nymphie?¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± She whined. ¡°Fine.¡± She walked toward the bed where I remained in my burrito of blankets to soften this overwhelming world. ¡°Better?¡± She whispered.


    ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± I pulled my hands away from my ears.


    ¡°I guess they weren¡¯t kidding when they told me you were over-sensitive.¡± She smirked. ¡°All part of becoming a real wolfie, huh?¡±


    I nodded. Kalia skipped any small talk and took my hands in hers. She asked me to imagine my spirit wolf. The fluffy, black beauty came to mind as she whispered to the wind. Small sparks floated around the room as she spoke in a giant orbit around us. Kalia asked me about the environment the spirit wolf lived in. I saw the hills, the big lake, and the night sky. Kalia saw it all with my mindlinking ability.


    ¡°She¡¯s beautiful, wolfie,¡± Kalia said. ¡°Also, I know that lake, but you aren¡¯t going to want to go there.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s beautiful there.¡± I countered.


    ¡°Of course it is, however, the Great Lakes are a hotbed of supernatural activity. Lake Superior has many water spirits that are ruled over by Superion, the son of the Greek goddess Demeter and the god Poseidon. Born of divine parents, Superion possesses the power to control the waters and speak to the animals who live there.¡± Kalia explained. ¡°Superion won¡¯t take kindly to another demigod invading his territory.¡±


    ¡°Superion?¡± I giggled at his name. ¡°It doesn¡¯t scream, beware! I am a demigod.¡±


    Kalia clamped her hand over my mouth and hushed me. Her eyes looked panicked as she looked around. When she had satisfied her paranoia, she turned back to me with a serious look on her face. I was willing myself not to bite her hand because I needed her help to find my spirit wolf. She looked at me as if I had just made the stupidest mistake in my life. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± She chastised me. ¡°You can¡¯t go around insulting gods or demigods like an unknown mortal! You will invoke another god¡¯s wrath like that.¡±


    ¡°But, I am a mortal,¡± I argued.


    ¡°Mortal, yes. Ignorant, no. By all accounts, you would be considered a demigod yourself as a descendant of Selene.¡± She warned. ¡°Your words hold wait now, and you will need to remember that if you intend to keep the human girl safe.¡±


    Shit. Other creatures would see Felicity as a target to get back at me. Kalia might be right this time. No matter how ridiculous the name Superion sounds. The demigod couldn¡¯t help what his parents called him anyway. At least, he has a whole lake named after him. I will just have to stay off his radar while I am there. Felicity can stay in town while I try to find my spirit wolf. The wolf did mention being close to a human town, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    I pushed Kalia away gently.¡°Okay, I get it. Stay away from Superion while I am there and don¡¯t sass other gods.¡±


    Kalia crossed her arms. ¡°You¡¯ll have to research local legends and myths while you are there to ensure you and your human don¡¯t piss anyone off in the supernatural community.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Nymphie.¡±


    She groaned at my nickname for her. ¡°Did you read the book?¡±


    ¡°You mean the moody book that has Grandma Jan stuck inside of it?¡± I said sarcastically. ¡°Yes, I read it as far as it would let me.¡±


    ¡°January is sealed in the book?¡± Kalia looked surprised. ¡°I thought she faded into moonlight a long time ago.¡±


    It was clear Kalia had never opened the book before. Selene sealed all of her knowledge and memories of the werewolf species inside the book, so I was pretty sure she didn¡¯t remember much about her creatures. I understand why Selene had to intervene with the werewolves since their violence was upsetting the natural order of things, however, I am not convinced I should bring back the whole race. What I have decided on is that I will see this through and become a werewolf. I may just remain a lone wolf and die without offspring to keep the monstrous threat of werewolves from truly returning. Will fate accept my terms? Unlikely.


    ¡°Then, you are in good hands, little wolf. We leave for Minnesota at noon. Get your stuff packed up in your little car.¡± Kalia said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to pack the human too. Selene will lose it if she¡¯s left to care for the human.¡±


    Now, I wanted to ask Felicity to stay here just to spite Selene. The all-powerful moon goddess was forced to care for a human since she let us into her cave. That sounds like the kind of gossip the other gods would eat up in a heartbeat. My ears start to burn, and I find myself wondering if the Fates are laughing at my thoughts as well. Is it possible I mindlinked them? In my dreams. I am not powerful like that.


    Kalia left the room, and I made myself get up off the bed. It was time to face the world outside this room even if I spent the whole time cowering at the sun. My senses are so strong now that I don¡¯t need the lights on to see anymore. Sounds might be another problem in a human town. I should have Fe get me some headphones to block noises when we reach Minnesota. With my book in hand, I walk out the door where Kalia had exited a few minutes ago to find Felicity. Next stop spirit wolf.

 Small Town

    Ka-thunk!


    Kalia dropped my car on a dirt road somewhere in the countryside near Lake Superior. Felicity rocks in her seat as the car settles from its long flight from Turkey. I am sitting in the passenger seat this time in my green sweats, sunglasses, black baseball cap, and black earbuds to limit the stimulation clawing at my nerves. If I had occasional anxiety before, it has been a constant state of mind since we left Selene''s cave. Felicity regains her composure, getting ready to drive.


    Kalia hopped off the hood of my car as the sun peeked over the trees. Her dark blue dress flutters in the gentle breeze of summer. ¡°We have arrived in the States, Little Wolf.¡±


    ¡°Where in the states?¡± I ask.


    Fe pulls out her phone and points to the GPS map. ¡°Minnesota,¡± She answers. She squints and taps at her phone. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s a town ten miles east of here.¡±


    ¡°Seems like you¡¯re all set here with the human navigator. You¡¯ll find your spirit wolf around here somewhere.¡± Felicity grinned at the nymph as if she had been given a compliment. ¡°May Fate be on your side, Korinne. I¡¯ll check on you soon.¡±


    ¡°Bye, Nymphie.¡± I wave through the window at the blue wrecking ball. She zooms up into the sky and far off into the dawn.


    Felicity spends a few minutes finding us a room in this little trucking and hunting town called Canis Falls on her phone. She showed me pictures of this little motel that was advertised as the best place to stay in Canis Falls. They have eighteen-wheeler parking in the back, which seems like their best selling point. It¡¯s a run-down inn styled in golds, reds, and browns. She books us a room with double beds for a reasonable price and sets the address on the map. Her phone is set in the cupholder and starts the car up.


    ¡°Well, we aren¡¯t stranded in Turkey anymore.¡± Fe starts. ¡°Although, I never thought I would end up in Minnesota.¡±


    ¡°I never thought I would end up in Turkey,¡± I responded. ¡°From what I can see, this place isn¡¯t super populated.¡±


    ¡°Best place for a spirit wolf to hide, right?¡± She was trying to be encouraging, but my task was hard to complete.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°That¡¯s the hope.¡± I agreed.


    Everything else after that conversation felt like a blur. On the hilltops, we could see the Lake Superior shoreline. If I had to describe this area, I would say it looks like an enchanted forest from a storybook. Nature was fully in control of this area. I could feel on the summer breeze that this land belonged to the creatures of the forest. I was on autopilot as we pulled into the small town in the middle of a wild forest with hills and mountains in every direction. The town was decorated with colorful buildings and small businesses along the main street. I was surprised at how modern everything looked compared to the photos of the small motel on the internet. People were scrambling about the town, but I couldn¡¯t focus on any of the faces we passed. It was a lot to take in although there wasn¡¯t much there.


    ¡°Look, Kori,¡± Fe pointed out my window to the local library. ¡°I bet we can start our search there.¡±


    I nod. Kalia suggested that I spend time learning about this area and the local myths. There was a lot we could learn in the library, but I had a feeling the best place to learn about the Northern Shore of Lake Superior was in a bar where the locals hang out. There has to be a place where everyone goes on a Friday night to shake off the stress of the week. I am betting that will be where we hear the oral history of the town. Talking to random new people wasn¡¯t my strong suit. Felicity would be my saving grace on this one.


    The car rolled up to the motel about a mile down from the town¡¯s center. I was surprised to see an updated-looking cream-colored building as we went to park the car. The sign read ¡®Superior Stay Motel¡± on the front of the creamy building. The single-story building was lined with doors on the side. Each door had a little porch area with potted plants framing them. It seemed quaint for a small motel. No murder happens here vibes were hitting me, so I figured we were safe enough. I pulled my phone off the charger and tucked it into my hoodie¡¯s pocket. One last look in the mirror of the visor to make sure I didn¡¯t look messy or creepierish.


    ¡°Kori, you''re fine. Just leave your earbuds in, so you can function.¡± Felicity said as she exited my car.


    I took a deep breath and put the visor back up. It was time to see normal people again instead of nymphs and centaurs who served a grumpy old goddess. Getting out of the car, I followed Felicity who was walking through the door of the motel lobby. I try to catch up, but she¡¯s already at the desk with an older man checking us in. The man reminds me of Felicity¡¯s grandpa with his worn sweater and white beard. His wife comes and kisses him on the cheek, and she¡¯s overjoyed to see some new young people visiting their small town. Her hair is long and white against her olive skin and her brown dress with a pink rose print on it. Her eyes were full of joy to see us.


    ¡°I¡¯m Betty Sue,¡± The wife introduces herself as I join Felicity at the check-in desk. ¡°And, you met my husband, Tommy Sue. We just want to welcome you to our little town in the north.¡± Her accent was as thick as the forests of Minnesota.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I smile at the overly cheerful woman.


    Betty Sue tells us all about the good people in town. There¡¯s a diner in town with the best burgers on Lake Superior shores according to her. She says we should check out the Mini Soda Bar off 3rd Street where the younger crowd hangs out in the evenings because they have pool tables and country line dancing on Saturday night. Tommy Sue grumbles about a small grocery store on 2nd Street where we can find most of everything. There were a few more small shops near the library on Main Street. They draw us a map to all the places they mentioned and suggest I tone down my dark clothing or I might get some strange looks in town.


    Fe and I made it to our room. There¡¯s two double beds, a small coffee station with a fridge and microwave, a full bathroom, and a small desk where we can set up our computers. A medium size TV is hung on the wall with a few paintings. We claim our beds and unpack a bit. I have a feeling we will be here for a while. Finding my spirit wolf won¡¯t be easy in this place full of endless forests. Being around normal people felt strange in my weird state. I am worried my condition may be a problem in this small town. I almost miss Selene''s cave. Almost.

 Library Research

    The heavy wooden doors of the town library creaked open as I stepped inside, Felicity following close behind. The scent of aged paper and ink greeted us, mingling with the faintest hint of dust in the warm air. Rows of towering bookshelves stretched before us, filled with records of the small town¡¯s past. It was the perfect place to start digging.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Felicity whispered, nudging my shoulder. ¡°Where do we start?¡±


    I exhaled, adjusting the strap of my bag. ¡°Lake Superior myths and the grey wolves. If this town has any legends worth knowing, they¡¯ll be buried here somewhere.¡±


    I led the way to the research section, keenly aware of the stout woman with steel-gray hair sitting behind the circulation desk. Mrs. Dale, the nameplate read. The steely woman peered at us over the rim of her glasses, her sharp eyes narrowing in suspicion.


    ¡°Good afternoon, ladies,¡± Mrs. Dale said in a tone that barely concealed her skepticism. ¡°Can I help you find something?¡±


    I hesitated for a moment before Felicity spoke up brightly. ¡°We¡¯re just looking into some local folklore. Particularly anything on Lake Superior. Maybe, some information on the local environment and wildlife.¡±


    Mrs. Dale¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°Tourists?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± I replied coolly, keeping my gaze steady. I had no interest in small talk, let alone explaining why we were here.


    Mrs. Dale hummed as if she wasn¡¯t quite convinced. ¡°You might find some of what you¡¯re looking for in the town archives,¡± she said at last, pointing to the section in the back. ¡°But be mindful¡ªsome stories are best left in the past.¡± She returned to cataloging her books.


    Five hours later¡­


    My ass is numb from this antique chair. Fe and I are knee-deep in book stacks as we read about the local history of Canis Falls. It is the smallest Minnesota town on the shores of Lake Superior with the weirdest origin story. Marsh Stevens, the town¡¯s founder, was throwing crumbs to birds one morning at his campsite. When he was distracted, a grey wolf stole his loaf of bread. Marsh chased the wolf into the forest until the wolf stumbled over a cliff and down a small waterfall. He watched the wolf run off out of the water deeper into the forest. Marsh followed the creek until he came to a lookout point, and he knew where he wanted to settle down. His whole family joined him in 1833.


    The supernatural lore books about Lake Superior were plentiful in the library. There is a woman who walks the shoreline calling to her lost lover. Nature nymphs dwell within the trees to protect the forests by confusing hikers until they are lost for good. Mishipeshu is a creature who transforms from a lynx to a snake-bodied cat with bison horns under the light of the moon according to the local natives. The most interesting lore I read called Lake Superior the saltless sea where the ¡°lost son¡± of the ocean resides. It seems the son can control the tides and water-dwelling animals. Probably the demigod Kalia mentioned. He¡¯s famous for sinking ships in the lake.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Fe said as she turned the page of some government nature report. ¡°There''s a nature reserve about twenty miles north of here. They specialize in tracking endangered species in the area including wolves.¡±


    Now, that was compelling. ¡°Maybe they know something about my spirit wolf. There can''t be many wolves with a crescent on its shoulder.¡±


    ¡°Oh! So you¡¯ve seen Little Crescent? I suppose she¡¯s the spirit animal of her fans.¡± Mrs. Dale asks as she stops next to our table with her cart full of books. ¡°I know she''s gained popularity through the Wolf Restoration Project¡¯s website.¡±


    Fe¡¯s already on her laptop looking at the nature reserve and the Wolf Restoration Project. What''s the likelihood that my spirit wolf is the same wolf this librarian mentioned? Totally likely, I would guess. ¡°Umm, yeah. My sister and I saw her picture, and we wanted to come see where she lives. I am in school to be a photographer. I am hoping to take some wildlife photos while we are here.¡± The lies were just pouring through my teeth. Yes, I have taken photography courses. Yes, I have seen Little Crescent before. Those were the only bits of truth in my story. Thankfully, I did have my DSLR camera with me. All my nature photos were of shelter cats and Fe¡¯s little desk cactus. Wildlife photos were levels above what I was capable of doing.


    The librarian looks at our book towers suspiciously. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that sweet?¡± She responds without even looking back at me. Her hands run across the titles of Canine Falls history and Lake Superior myths and legends before ending on the stack of information on grey wolves near the Great Lakes. She pokes her head up and studies me closely. My wardrobe screams ¡®careless¡¯ in my sweats and sunglasses. ¡°Still, getting near wild animals without much experience isn¡¯t a good idea.¡± The librarian crosses her arms as if to intimidate us into giving up.


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, ma¡¯am. We are visiting the Canine Nature Preserve tomorrow. My sister and I are not ignorant enough to approach a wild animal. We are a part of a special volunteer program for college students.¡± Felicity said, nonchalantly. ¡°You call Brian O¡¯Connor, the guy in charge of volunteers if you don¡¯t believe us.¡±


    Mrs. Dale thought for a minute before shaking her head. ¡°I hope you girls are being honest. The last thing we need around here is trouble.¡± She turns back to her cart and shuffles on through the library.


    Everything appeared settled for a while as Fe and I discussed a plan of action going forward. Turns out she was able to enroll us in the nature preserve¡¯s volunteer program. My summer would now include mending preserve facilities, tending the visitor center, and a whole education on the ecology of the area. My mom would have loved to volunteer at a nature preserve. She dragged Dad and me out for hikes every weekend when I was in elementary school. Mom would point out the flowers and different leaves along the trails. Maybe, some of that will come back to me while I volunteer. I miss her.


    The bell above the library door chimed. A tall, broad-shouldered man in a flannel shirt stepped inside, shaking a bit of mud from his boots. He moved with quiet confidence like he owned the place.


    Mrs. Dale¡¯s expression shifted ever so slightly. ¡°Linkin,¡± she called, motioning him over. ¡°I need you to do me a favor.¡±


    I tensed, already anticipating another unwelcome intrusion. I shifted my weight slightly, eyes narrowing as the man approached.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he asked, his voice casual.


    Mrs. Dale leaned in toward the man, though not enough to keep me from hearing with my extreme senses. ¡°These two are interested in the local history and lore of our town and seem to be overly interested in our unique wildlife. Especially Little Crescent. Keep an eye on them, will you?¡±


    My jaw tightened, but before I could say anything, Linkin turned his attention to me from across the room. He nodded to Mrs. Dale before sauntering toward us. Linkin approached the table, and his gaze lingered on me. Was he assessing us or just intrigued by strangers? ¡°Mind if I ask what¡¯s got you so interested in wolves and myths?¡±


    I met his stare head-on. ¡°Mind if I ask why it¡¯s any of your business?¡±Felicity snorted, clearly entertained, but I didn¡¯t waver. I had no patience for nosy locals.


    Linkin only smirked, unfazed. ¡°Fair enough,¡± he said, crossing his arms. ¡°But small towns don¡¯t get a lot of visitors asking about legends and predators unless they¡¯re up to something.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we just like a good story,¡± Felicity interjected with a grin.


    ¡°And maybe I just don¡¯t like strangers prying into my business,¡± I added.


    Linkin chuckled, his eyes still on me. ¡°You always this friendly?¡±


    I folded my arms. ¡°Only when I¡¯m being interrogated five minutes into meeting someone.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it an interrogation,¡± he said smoothly. ¡°More like¡­ cautious curiosity.¡±


    I arched an eyebrow. ¡°Cautious curiosity, huh? Is that what you call snooping around strangers?¡±


    He grinned, tilting his head slightly. ¡°I call it making sure newcomers don¡¯t stir up trouble. And, if I get to have an interesting conversation in the process, even better.¡±


    He did not just go there. I could feel my frustration rising, and some of it must have been leaking through my mindlink, causing Felicity to groan. She held her head as if it were throbbing in pain. Shit. I can share my emotions with others, too. I thought it was just thoughts. Mental note, I will need to keep up a better wall to keep thoughts and emotions to myself.  A few deep breaths allowed me to concentrate to seal up my leaking emotion, allowing Fe to relax a little.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± The intruder asks, concerned by Fe¡¯s body language.


    Felicity nods. ¡°Bad headache. My sis and I get them often. My name''s Fe and this is Kori. Sorry if our summer plans put everyone in a bind around here. My sis has this dream to be a nature photographer.¡±


    He looked back at me with amusement. ¡°You love nature?¡± He chuckled as he spoke. ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡±


    ¡°Life is unexpected. I didn¡¯t expect a random cowboy to invade my space, but here you are.¡± I oozed sass with every word.


    ¡°This coming from the city girl with her sunglasses on in the library,¡± he gestured to my sunglasses. ¡°Oh, and the unnecessary long sleeves in the heat of summer.¡±


    Another wave of frustration flooded my senses. This must be part of this werewolf crap because guys like this never bothered me before. Did my ancestors feel this frustration too? I think Grandma Jan mentioned their explosive passion in the book. Still, this guy was bothering me for another reason I couldn¡¯t fathom. It was like there was a string tied to both of us, and he just kept yanking on the string over and over.


    ¡°Hmm. At least, I am not tracking mud across the library, country boy.¡± I said


    His smirk was infuriating, but something about his confidence was disarming. He leaned in just a fraction, lowering his voice. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like someone who¡¯s easily scared. But I¡¯d still watch your step.¡±


    I held my ground. ¡°I¡¯ll take my chances.¡±


    His eyes flickered with something unreadable before he let out a low chuckle. ¡°I like your style.¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to impress you.¡±


    Linkin shrugged. ¡°Didn¡¯t say you were. But you did anyway.¡±


    I opened my mouth to fire back when I heard a giggle next to me. Felicity covered her grin with her hand, clearly enjoying herself way too much. My frustration melted at her amusement. This guy wasn¡¯t worth the effort.


    He finally stepped back, relenting¡ªfor now. ¡°Then I guess I won¡¯t be a bother,¡± Linkin said, watching me closely. ¡°But if you find yourself needing answers, you know where to find me.¡±


    With that, he tipped an invisible hat and strode out the door, leaving me glaring after him.¡°What was up with that guy?¡± I asked when everyone was out of earshot.


    Felicity nudged me playfully. ¡°I think he likes you.¡±


    I groaned. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    Felicity just laughed. ¡°Sure you don¡¯t.¡±


    I shut my computer feeling a little flustered. Her words stung. My heart was still in some form of recovery from jerkface Asher. I couldn¡¯t process what Fe was hinting at because it was uncomfortable and intriguing at the same time. I let the notion go and just shook my head. ¡°He was just a nosy person.¡±


    Fe gave me a weird look. ¡°He¡¯s a protective local, Kori. I am sure the librarian asked him to keep an eye on us. We did act a little suspicious after all.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Really, Ms. Nature Photographer?¡± She raised an eyebrow at me.


    ¡°It worked, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    Fe shook her head. ¡°Only because I am a computer wiz. We are official volunteers for the summer at the Canine Nature Preserve.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good step forward. We¡¯ll be able to learn a lot there.¡± I might learn enough to keep my spirit wolf from biting my hand off when we finally meet. This might not end horribly.

 Nightmare

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 Duo

    Omniscient POV


    The first voice finished counting the cold, hard cash to the bet winner on the mortal¡¯s life. His employee bet the little bland brat would survive the trial in the moon goddess¡¯ bunker. Neither of the men understood why his head scientist would bet on such an unlikely scenario, but the scientist had won in the end. Now, he was off eating an expensive lunch with his earnings, leaving the first voice fuming. The two men had believed the mortal was clumsy enough that she would simply die when she slipped or got hit in the head. They were in complete disbelief.


    ¡°I thought you said the mortal would die in Selene¡¯s cave!¡± The second voice thundered in the electronics lab. The static buzz of machines filled the empty void between the men staring at each other.  ¡°For days, we have watched the mortal struggle to meet Selene¡¯s expectations, but somehow, the mortal managed to avoid being crushed by the rocks.¡±


    ¡°Superion-¡±


    The absurdly sculpted man gripped the throat of the first man and held him in the air.  ¡°Do not call me by that name,¡± he gritted out through his teeth. ¡°Nobody calls me that.¡±


    The man struggled to breathe through Superion¡¯s grasp on his throat. ¡°Sorry,¡± he mumbled, gasping for breath. ¡°Won¡¯t happen¡­again.¡±


    ¡°Damn straight it won¡¯t, Colin Aldonis. If not for me, you¡¯d be dead.¡± Superion dropped the man onto the ground of the lab. ¡°Sometimes, I still question why I pulled you out of the rapids in the river.¡±


    Colin massaged his burning throat. This wasn¡¯t the first time Superion had almost killed him when he got angry. Colin was only alive for one purpose. He was charged with eliminating his entire bloodline until the stupid moon goddess died. It¡¯s the only reason Superion kept Colin around. Superion had a deep hatred of werewolves from ancient times when my ancestors ravaged the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece through turf wars. His adoptive parents were murdered by ruthless werewolves when he was just a boy. His father, Posiden, and mortal mother left him on his adopted parents'' footsteps after they decided they weren¡¯t interested in Superion.


    ¡°I knew we should have eliminated the mortal.¡± Superion rambles as he knocks over several glass beakers in his fit of anger.


    ¡°Lord Ryon,¡± Colin made his voice small while addressing Superion. ¡°Everything is still well in hand. Mishipeshu is hunting down her spirit wolf as we speak, and I have begun my attacks on her dreams. The mortal will not know a moment¡¯s rest until she is dead.¡±


    Superion walked about the humid lab where they had been experimenting on the supernatural creature in the area. The man may be a demigod, but he wanted more than to rule a simple lake. He wanted his father to acknowledge his power and earn his right to rule an ocean. No small feat among the gods of old. The poor guy has lost everything so many times since his adopted parents were left in a blood pile of flesh right in front of him. Superion had tried so many times to move on, but Fate always got in his way.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°She has to die,¡± Superion growled. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Selene¡¯s blessing, I would just kill her outright.¡±


    ¡°Lord Ryon, your life is worth more than the mere mortal¡¯s. Please don¡¯t risk your existence for hers.¡± Colin tried to plead with Superion.


    A demigod cannot interfere with a blessing given by any full god. If Superion tried to kill a blessed mortal, it would result in his immediate death. If Superion died, Colin¡¯s life would end instantly.  Colin has stopped aging because of Superion¡¯s blessing on him. Colin dedicated his life to serving Superion, and he fell in love with Superion¡¯s closest servant, a water nymph named Arissa. It was Colin¡¯s love for Arissa that made Colin swear his eternal soul to Superion.


    Superion huffed as he paced the room. All the liquid in the beakers and test tubes began to bubble over. The lab was turning into a total swamp with foul-smelling bog water. He ruined months of research in a matter of minutes. If Dr. Kale came back from his lunch break right now, Superion would get a full lecture from his lead scientist. Dr. Kale was one of a few mortals who Superion has chosen to trust with his supernatural identity.


    ¡°Selene must pay for the blood she allowed to be spilled. Every drop from each victim counts against her. She allowed her daughter to play with a cursed mortal and inadvertently created a new supernatural species.¡± He rambled on for the hundredth time over his disdain for the moon goddess. ¡°Gods are careless. They easily cause havoc just by turning a blind eye to the ones they are responsible for. She¡¯s one of the worst offenders other than Aries and Apollo.¡±


    Colin cringed at the mention of the other gods. ¡°The vampire age ended with the Enlightenment, at least Apollo isn¡¯t doing any more damage. Aries imps still plague the Earth to no end, but mortals try to destroy themselves.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t much better, Colin. You are one of Selene¡¯s abominations, just as the mortal is.¡± Superion reminded his servant.


    ¡°At least I am no longer under any delusions of Selene¡¯s lies.¡± Colin sighed.


    The two of them had this conversation often. Superion could be merciful, but it was only if he could find a way to benefit from his mercy. Colin Aldonis has murdered his family to please Superion. He has hunted wolves marked with crescents all across the Earth to prevent any other heir from possibly reviving the werewolf species. He wasn¡¯t bitter about his role in Superion¡¯s schemes. Selene had filled Colin¡¯s head with dreams and delusions over what he could create if he was able to pass his trial. He had planned to build a great sanctuary for the supernatural species in North America since they had been hunted to near extinction. Colin was ready to risk it all for his dream, but his spirit wolf rejected him, shocking Selene and her groupies. The spirit wolf went as far as trying to kill Colin a few minutes after the meeting. It was then that Colin fell into the rapids of the raging river. He cried out to the moon goddess, but she turned away from him. Colin would have drowned if Superion hadn¡¯t seen the perfect opportunity to weaken Selene in Colin. Together, they planned to kill the goddess who had turned a blind eye to them.

 Rain

    It¡¯s raining today, but I can¡¯t bear to spend another minute inside. The walls feel more like a cage lately since my sleep has become restless from the reoccurring nightmare. Almost two weeks of nightmares has taken its toll on me. I feel like I am barely here even though I can see and hear everything going on around me. Being outside helps my nerves, so once I finish the work assigned to me by the nature preserve, I walk around the grounds. I find myself watching and hoping to see my spirit wolf on one of the trail cameras or from the lookout points. She hasn¡¯t been in my dreams nor have I found her while hiking through the trails between the nature preserve and Canis Falls.


    The nature preserve has been enlightening for me. Some of the things Mom taught me on the hikes as a kid did come back to me. I could pick out most of the dangerous plants in the area, and a few of the edible ones. Mr. O¡¯Connor, my supervisor, has his daughter, Clara, teaching Felicity and me about the wildlife in the area. This morning, Clara had introduced us to an injured peregrine falcon named Wynn. He was beautiful. Fe and I watched him climb about his little enclosure trying to recover. He had strength and a spark for life that was inspiring. Tomorrow, Clara promised to introduce us to Winter, the oldest wolf on the preserve who has become dependent on humans to stay alive since he has diabetes. I had chills of excitement when she pointed him out through the giant glass window of the lobby. I couldn¡¯t wait to see him.


    The green grass was similar to the lush green meadow that I had seen in my dreams. I felt the urge to roll around on the ground in the soft bed of grass. It had to be one of my new instincts putting thoughts in my head. I let myself lay in the wet grass amid the soft summer rain. Its warm smell envelops my nose. Being stuck in this in-between state has been strange. I can hear the wings of the wasp in the tree over twenty feet away, and I can smell the wildflowers in the field beyond the hill. My sight is stronger. I can see details in each blade of grass over three feet away. Footsteps are crunching the soggy ground on the trail ahead. Everything feels sharper and crisp. All the tension in my body fell away. Out here where there¡¯s no noise pollution scratching at my brain, I feel free.


    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting to find the city girl sittin¡¯ out here in the rain,¡± an odd melodic voice called to me. It was a voice I had heard before, but I couldn¡¯t place it.


    Glancing behind me, I find the cowboy with no hat strolling up the trail with a crate of yummy-smelling food. Most of it was produce that made my mouth water with each tantalizing second. The closer he got the easier it was to identify the smells. He was carrying strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, sweet peas, fresh lettuce, and an array of peppers. I wanted to steal the whole crate from him and gobble down each crumb. My stomach began to rumble once he stopped about two feet away from me.


    He gently placed the crate on the ground next to me and crouched down next to me. ¡°Hungry, city girl?¡±


    I wanted to scoff at him, but my stomach only rumbled harder. He reached into the crate and handed me a carrot. I took it because I couldn¡¯t deny my watering mouth. ¡°Thanks, cowpoke.¡± I took a big bite out of the carrot, and I could taste the gentle sweetness in each crunch. ¡°What are you doing at the nature preserve?¡±


    ¡°My family¡¯s ranch donates food to the preserve every week for the animals,¡± he said, proudly.


    I nodded. ¡°Overstocked on your harvests?¡± I tried to be polite since he gave me food.


    ¡°Yep. The animals here benefit from our overproduction, and we keep from wasting produce all year. Most of the ranchers in the area do the same thing for the preserve,¡± He explained.


    ¡°Very symbiotic of you,¡± I replied as he handed me another carrot to eat. I thanked him and started on the second carrot.


    ¡°Did ya miss lunch?¡± He chuckled watching me down the carrot in a few bites.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± I answered, cautiously. This guy seemed nice and all, but I wasn¡¯t here to make friends with him. I had walked this far out to avoid people for a bit, and let my guard down for a bit.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit careless? If I didn¡¯t give you something to eat, you could have passed out on this trail all alone.¡±


    Was this guy lecturing me now? I wonder if he does to all the strangers he meets. Maybe, he just doesn¡¯t want me causing trouble like he said before. ¡°Anything could have happened although I didn¡¯t skip lunch, uh¡­what was your name?¡±


    ¡°Ah, just a healthy appetite.¡± The guy shook his head, chuckling. ¡°Linkin Park. We met the other day at the library when you were in the middle of your research.¡±


    A vague image of him came to mind and how Felicity had been teasing me about him. I felt my cheeks get hot for a moment as I looked at him dressed in dirty blue jeans and a wet, black t-shirt. His worn brown boots supported him as he remained crouched at eye level with me. His hair was long enough to reach his narrow jaw. It was a bit messy, but it gave his look a certain warmth. I guessed that Linkin wasn¡¯t going to leave until we had an actual conversation.


    ¡°Yeah, I like to learn everything I can about something new before I start doing it,¡± I answered honestly, hoping it might be enough to fulfill whatever he was hoping to get out of our conversation.


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t like surprises?¡± He sounded surprised by my small truth. ¡°I thought city girls loved the thrill of new, unknown things. Is that what makes a novel experience worth having?¡±


    Oh, this guy is like a dog with a bone. ¡°First off, I am not some stereotype, city girl.¡± I scoffed, standing up from my cozy damp spot in the grass. ¡°Second, novelty is well and good for those just looking for something niche to make them look cool.¡± I kept my tone soft and level like Felicity had been coaching me to do. She has noticed my moodiness and ¡®childish¡¯ tantrums since my break up with Asher, and she says I need to work on being kind and patient if I want to stay on good terms with the people of Canis Falls.  Linkin didn¡¯t seem to mind my little snappy tone as he stood up and continued to grin at me. Was this his annoyingly friendly grin part of his overall kindness?


    ¡°And third?¡± He picked at me to continue.


    ¡°Third, I like to be prepared. Situations change all the time, but I like to stick to the plan as much as possible.¡± I answered, and his grin soured a little. Did I upset him somehow? I don¡¯t think I have been rude yet.


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re scared of change.¡± His words held a more serious tone that I didn¡¯t like.


    I was only talking to this guy, so he would leave me alone. Now, I get the feeling that Linkin wants to lecture me about being scared of change. He said the same line a few of my childhood therapists had. I felt frustration spike within me, but I couldn¡¯t lash out at this guy I barely knew. ¡°Who knows,¡± I shrugged, picking the most neutral response I could think of. ¡°But, thanks for the snack, Linkin.¡±


    The rain sprinkled around us like a soft drum. There was a quiet and awkward moment between us as Felicity¡¯s taunting words echoed in my head. My cheeks might be burning again. Ugh. Thoughts of Asher invaded my mind just then, and my stomach felt sick. I had been thinking of my cheating ex less and less, but when it happened, I felt like vomiting. Staying here next to Linkin was causing my anxiety to rise again from all the unwanted thoughts, and I didn¡¯t want that. My anxiety had just melted away for the first time since I woke up from my recurring nightmare. Maybe, I could catch another quiet moment down a different trail¡­  Waving bye, I turned and walked away.


    A split second later he called my name. ¡°Hey, Korinne. Wait,¡± I heard him grab his crate of food and hurry to catch up to me. His face was confused and apologetic when he caught up to me. ¡°Can you hang on for a second?¡±


    I stopped and turned back to him. ¡°Do you need help with something?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I was hoping to invite you and your sister out for a drink at the Mini Soda Bar tonight to welcome you to Canis Falls.¡± Linkin¡¯s face was back to supporting his warm grin that almost made me smile.


    ¡°Um,¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what to say, so I started walking again. Linkin stayed in step next to me as we went back up the trail toward the visitor¡¯s center. Lately, I tried to spend my free time on the hiking trails around town. I needed to find my spirit wolf as soon as possible, but I felt like Linkin was important for some reason. ¡°That¡¯s nice of you.¡±


    ¡°Is that a no?¡± He wanted clarification on something I wasn¡¯t even clear on.


    A nagging feeling was in my gut that this guy wasn¡¯t just someone I could ignore. My instincts insisted that I agree to this little meetup of his. I can¡¯t imagine Felicity saying no although she¡¯s been busy with her new online software proofreading gig. She was earning money to support our Minnesota adventure while I spent my time searching for my spirit wolf. Maybe, I could pick a job up in town to earn some cash too. She can¡¯t be responsible for both of us.


    Linkin tapped my shoulder, pulling me back from my tangent. ¡°I think we could meet you for a drink.¡±


    His bright smile beamed at me. ¡°Lookin¡¯ forward to it.¡±


    Would Linkin know of a place where I could get a job? ¡°Uh, Linkin,¡± I started. ¡°Would you know of anyone looking for some part-time help?¡±


    ¡°I might know someone.¡± He gave a sly grin.


    Suddenly, I regretted asking the hatless cowboy for help.

 Viper Cat

    Spirit Wolf POV


    A slithering noise whispered in the tree above me. My heart began to pound in my chest. How did it find me so fast? The sun just went over the horizon. Stupid nocturnal beast. I don¡¯t have time for this. The rabbit scurried into its burrow before I could snap its neck. I growled at the viper cat in the tree when it suddenly launched itself at me. A brief quiet moment settled between the two of us until a frog croaked. The viper cat slinked toward me and the chase was on. We barrelled our way through the forest.


    My howl rang out into the night to warn my pack to run. Two weeks, we¡¯ve been running from that damn viper. I swear this thing has a vendetta against my pack. First, the Highland Wolves ran us out of our lush green territory, and now, the viper cat chases us every night. Last night it almost got one of my brothers when we were trying to hunt a doe. The boys have been getting better at helping me hunt. All I want to do is keep my pack safe, but living near the lake where the food is abundant comes with a heavy risk. Many wolves have lost their lives to the viper cat, and I vow to keep my pack safe.


    Branches snap behind me as I leap across the rocky cliffside. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t tread such a narrow path, but beggars can¡¯t be choosers. The viper cat struggles to follow along the rough terrain. It hisses as the jetted rocks prick at its scaley belly. I feel myself snort in satisfaction. A little payback for nipping at my brother on our hunt. I don¡¯t have a chance to look back at the feline serpent as I struggle to keep my balance. I hear faint howling in the distance from my pack trying to pull the viper cat¡¯s attention away from me, but it doesn¡¯t work. I stumble on the loose gravel beneath my paws causing me to slide off the narrow ledge and down the slope to the water below.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    One big splash lands me underwater. A hefty current knocks me deep into the lake. The clear water shows the sky has begun to twinkle and brighten from deep blue to orangey pink. I whip and turn my body around to paddle to the surface. My chest has started to sting from the lack of air. Everything feels strained as I paddle toward the sky. My thoughts drift toward the pack. I can see my brothers¡¯ young faces. My aunts lovingly nuzzle up to the pups. Behind them, another creature emerges from the darkness. Blue human eyes stare at me. The human is familiar to me though I don¡¯t recognize her. What is startling about this human is her crescent moon mark on her shoulder. It was just like mine.


    A bright white light enveloped me like a warm nuzzle. The vision ended abruptly as my eyes snapped open. I was suddenly on the shore of the lake. My chest was heaving for air, but no one was around me. The warmth of the white light faded from my soaked body. How did I get out of the lake? Rays of light danced on the stoney shore from the dawn¡¯s rising. Sunlight trickled over my sopping wet body and dried my fur while I got the courage to stand. I shook the remaining water from my coat until I was dry. The more I thought about what I saw in the vision, the more confused I felt. My mind was spiraling with questions, but my instincts overruled other concerns. I was on my feet scenting the area, making sure the viper cat was nowhere around. My stomach growled, reminding me of my failed hunt. The others were likely hungry too. I needed to find my pack. Everything else could wait.

 Mini Soda Bar

    ¡°Remind me why I am here,¡± I said looking at the bar and packed parking lot.


    ¡°Because Linkin invited us,¡± Felicity answered plainly.


    The engine clinked off as I watched the busy front door opening and closing with people scurrying in and out. I took off my sunglasses and placed them in the cup holder. I put on my dad¡¯s old Astros cap to block out bright street lights. The sun had already sunk over the horizon, leaving only a few rays of twilight. I chose my jean shorts and a black hoodie with my natural wavy hair pulled into a ponytail. My legs felt so exposed without my sweats or leggings, but Fe has been trying to push me to adjust to my normal habits in case I end up stuck in this in-between state.


    We walked into the Mini Soda Bar around eight p.m., and I felt my anxiety rise. The putrid smell of alcohol was the first scent to hit me. Country music thumped on the stereos all around the bar. Thankfully, I had my earbuds in to keep the music from paralyzing me from its volume. The smell of the sizzling beef on the grill made my mouth water, which covered up the alcohol scent. I wanted to just go into the kitchen and pull a steak off the grill to dig into it. I was torn between the delicious smells and overly loud music on which sense to focus right now. There were about twenty people around our age in the bar, confirming Betty Sue¡¯s insight about where we might find people our age in town.


    Felicity took my hand and dragged me across the room where she spotted Linkin sitting with a group of friends near the pool tables. He had two guys and a girl with him, and they were already snacking on mozzarella sticks and fried pickles. Part of me wanted to gobble up everything on the table, but it wasn¡¯t my food to eat. I tried to smile instead of focusing on the crunchy sounds of food and warm smells around me. Linkin recognized us as we crossed the bar¡¯s dance floor. He stood up and met us by the bar.


    ¡°Hey, the city girls made it,¡± Linkin grinned. He was wearing clean worn-out jeans with his blue flannel that made his hazel eyes look more blue.


    ¡°City girls?¡± I questioned. ¡°Hardly.¡±


    Fe shook her head giggling. ¡°Thanks for inviting us out, Linkin. It¡¯s hard to get Kori to try places like this outside of Texas.¡±


    ¡°Texas, huh? I guess that makes you guys southern city girls,¡± Linkin gave awkward side hugs. ¡°Welcome to our little town.¡±


    My fingers brushed over his muscular back during the hug, and I felt warmth flood my face. His flannel was barely hiding his jacked rancher muscles. Instantly I looked away to hide my pink cheeks. Maybe a drink will calm my nerves. ¡°I¡¯m heading to the bar, do you want anything Fe?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Jack and coke.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± I answered heading toward the bar. I am not sure what happened after I walked away, but Linkin appeared by my side while I waited for the drinks.


    ¡°Here¡¯s your beer, Link,¡± Sunny, the bartender handed him his drink while he finished making my screwdriver.


    Linkin started being playful asking about my drink of choice as he sipped on his beer. I did my best to keep my emotions in check even though the room was slowly becoming overwhelming. It felt like the music was getting louder and being this close to the alcohol made my nose burn. I was missing the savory smell of steak. I turned and asked the bartender for a shot of rum. I needed to dull my senses if I was going to make it through the evening. Sunny placed my shot on the bar before putting out the rest of my order. Linkin must have taken note of my odd behavior as I took the shot and asked for a second.


    ¡°Everything ok?¡± He asked, concerned.


    I simply nodded and downed the second shot. ¡°Just need a bit of a jump start on the evening.¡± I grabbed my screwdriver burning after the taste of rum setting my throat on fire. ¡°Think anyone would mind if I got a steak?¡± I asked quietly as I grabbed Felicity¡¯s drink.


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    ¡°No, I think some food for you is in order,¡± He responded, watching me carefully. ¡°I can hear your stomach rumbling again.¡±


    ¡°High metabolism, ¡° I said, casually. Being hungry most of the time had become my new normal. It was hard to stay full since I couldn¡¯t cook much in the motel room.


    He nodded and followed me back toward Felicity who was being a natural social butterfly at the table. She usually didn¡¯t socialize like this, but in a strange town where everyone knew each other, it was hard not to talk to everyone.


    Linkin introduced me to everyone while Fe whispered in my ear that she already ordered the biggest steak on the menu for me. I thanked her and handed her the drink she requested. She told me all about Seth, Wylie, and Kat. Spunky Kat is Linkin¡¯s little sister who is home for the summer from her university. Rowdy Wylie is Kat¡¯s boyfriend of three years and Linkin¡¯s friend from high school.  Cool guy, Seth is Linkin¡¯s best friend from childhood who is the local DJ in town.


    The night goes on as we are all making small talk, but I hear Fe snort laughing while she¡¯s talking to Seth. I can see her eyes admiring him like he¡¯s a new way to code she just discovered while building a firewall. The waiter returns to the table with my steak and a burger for Fe. She comes to sit next to me at the table to eat. My steak is so satisfying that I almost want another. Fe giggles at my professed love for beef. The alcohol is flowing through my system and muting my senses enough that I breathe a sigh of relief. I gave Fe the keys to my Focus cause there was no way I was going to drive like this. She gives me a nod of understanding as our table mates rejoin the table with their new drinks. Fe glances over at Seth who¡¯s giving the dorkiest smile as she walks right out of his cool guy dreams.


    I whisper to her. ¡°Go get him, Fe.¡±


    ¡°Who? Seth?¡± She blushes.


    ¡°Yes, the curly-haired, blonde guy is checking you out,¡± I point out, and her cheeks turn a deeper shade of red. ¡°Look, we might be here for my weird personal reasons, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t have a life too.¡±


    Her eyes looked at me with a bit of guilt. ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I shook my head, feeling the intense warmth of alcohol in my head. I looked around and grabbed Linkin¡¯s arm to tug him toward me. ¡°You aren¡¯t leaving me alone. See?¡± I pointed to the confused rancher standing next to me. ¡°Linkin will make sure everything¡¯s fine while you have fun, right cowboy?¡±


    Linkin had an amused expression on his face and then turned to Fe. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Korinne will be here safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°She better be,¡± Felicity warned before reluctantly leaving us alone.


    Linkin and I watched as Seth pulled Felicity onto the dance floor where Kat and Wiley were already line dancing. ¡°Does she know how to dance?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Better than me,¡± I replied, sipping down my water. Fe ordered me water to go with the steak since I definitely had a buzz going on.


    ¡°Does that mean you won¡¯t dance?¡± He asked playfully.


    I rolled my eyes at his corny attempt at flirting. ¡°Look cowboy, the only way I am dancing tonight is if I have more shots, but we both know Felicity will flay you like a fish if you bring me more alcohol.¡±


    Linkin sat down in the chair beside me. ¡°So, no alcohol and no dancing. Any more rules I should know about?¡±


    ¡°No flirting,¡± I said with a sly smile. ¡°I am on a dating hiatus.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± He gave me a charming crooked smile. ¡°Were we flirting?¡±


    I raised my eyebrow at him. ¡°Did I say we were cowboy?¡±


    ¡°Just making sure I am not breaking your rules,¡± He took a sip of his beer cooly.


    I felt like giggling at him. Linkin was trying to be smooth with me in a charming way, and maybe, if I wasn¡¯t only three weeks post-breakup... He started asking about the nature preserve, and how I liked his little town. I told him about Clara introducing us to Winter tomorrow, and he told me about his experience meeting Winter. Winter was an older wolf who was sweet about the people he liked. Linkin told me how Winter would crawl into Clara¡¯s lap when she had treats for him. I hoped meeting Winter would give me insight into my spirit wolf. I almost want to go back to the motel to sleep to make tomorrow come faster.


    ¡°Winter was the first wolf that I got close with at the preserve,¡± Linkin smiled. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for him, I would have had the courage to help this injured wolf washed up on the riverbank of my property. At first, I thought this fella was dead, but he quickly warned me away when I approached him. So far, all I can do is bring food while he heals. I knocked him out with a tranquilizer on the first day to have the vet look over him. We got him on medicine that I stick in the food to get rid of his infection. It looked like the wolf had gotten into it with a pack, and just barely survived. The vet mentioned that he should be better by the end of June.¡±


    I was amazed Linkin had cared enough to help a wolf. He didn¡¯t seem phased when I asked about the wolf eating his animals or destroying his produce. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just call the preserve to come get him?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Linkin explained. ¡°But moving him might have made his aggression worse. All he needs to do is heal, which he can do on my land.¡±


    ¡°Think I could see him some day?¡± I ask jokingly. This poor wolf was alone and attacked by other wolves. It made me wonder if he was connected to my spirit wolf somehow.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Linkin answered. ¡°It¡¯s up to the wolf, not me.¡±


    Linkin chatted with me about his ranch. They worked with cattle the most, but they did grow produce, too. His mom passed away when he was still a kid, but his dad has been there for him and Kat. I told how I lost both my parents when I was young and Felicity¡¯s family adopted me. We shared some nice things about our moms, but the best story was Linkin¡¯s. He told how his mom was the biggest Linkin Park fan, so she knew once she married his dad, Mr. Park, that she would name her son Linkin Park like the band. It was the perfect combination of touching and silly.


    ¡°I wonder if I should stop calling you cowboy then,¡± I hummed as my buzz had taken full effect. All the sounds beyond the table were muted. Talking with Linkin was nice. I didn¡¯t feel anxious even though we were in the middle of a bar where Felicity was line dancing with a stranger.


    Maybe, Linkin wasn¡¯t so bad.

 Winters Words

    Sometime in the early morning¡­


    ¡°Ahh,¡± I gasped, waking up, sweating heavily in my motel bedroom. The aftertaste of alcohol was still present on my tongue from drinks with Linkin only a few hours ago.


    Thud, thud, thud, my heart pounded against my ribcage. My brain felt cloudy as I tried to process what was real and what was a dream. Was it a dream? Snippets of that weird creature bombarded my thoughts, and I hadn¡¯t even seen this cat snake with my own eyes. This was the first time since I arrived in Canis Falls that I dreamed of my spirit wolf. Kalia said my dreams about my spirit wolf were called dream walks. It¡¯s an advanced part of my mind link ability. Lately, it felt like my ability was blocked somehow from my dream walks with my spirit wolf. This whole time she was being chased by some supernatural creature that seemed familiar. I think I read about something like it in the library. I scrambled out of my blanket mess over to my laptop, sitting on the desk. Opening it, I scrolled back through my notes on the research Felicity and I did.


    Endless scanning and scrolling continued until I finally saw my side notes about the local myths. ¡°Mishipeshu is a creature who transforms from a lynx to a snake-bodied cat with bison horns under the light of the moon according to the local natives.¡± That was it. ¡°The viper cat¡­¡±


    At some point, Felicity stirred from her sleep and joined me next to my glowing computer screen in the dark. ¡°What¡¯s this about a viper¡­cat did you say?¡± Her voice sounded tired as she yawned looking over my shoulder.


    ¡°Fe, I finally saw her, but she was being chased by this viper cat called Mishipeshu.¡± I summed it up for my exhausted friend.


    She shook her head. ¡°I have many questions, but I feel like this is an after-a-cup-of-coffee conversation.¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± I admitted.


    ¡°Great. I will start on the coffee, and you continue your frantic computer scrolling.¡± She turned away from the computer and began her routine at the coffee station.


    I gave her space to wake up while I searched the internet for more information on the Mishipeshu. Most sites described the mythical being as a dragon-like cat. This creature likes to drown its victims with its powers to create waves, rapids, and whirlpools. Sometimes the Mishipeshu will even break the ice in the winter to pull victims into the depths of the lake. ¡°This thing is insane.¡±


    Felicity returned to my side with her steaming hot coffee in hand. ¡°Are we still talking about your viper kitty?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I responded, leaning back in my chair. ¡°This beast was chasing my spirit wolf during my dream walk last night. Actually, I am not sure how she survived the rough waters she was in, but she ended up on the shores of the lake this morning.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible the scaly cat is the reason you and your wolf have been disconnected?¡± Fe theorized.


    Another supernatural being able to block my spirit wolf from me? It sounds like a good possibility. There are many supernatural creatures around Lake Superior, so anything is possible. All this supernatural magic crap was nothing more than an impossible concept for me a few weeks ago. Sure, I imagined fantasy worlds full of beings with magical abilities like any other creative writing major. It doesn¡¯t make this fantastical supernatural stuff any more believable. These were beings that could defy the laws of biology and physics at the same time. What kind of animal could transform into another? The answer is a mythical one. Yet, here I am on a journey to become the impossible even though all I ever wanted was to have a normal life.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± I finally answer. ¡°Magic makes the impossible possible.¡±


    ¡°Well, we have to go to the preserve this morning, but we could try walking around the lake later to see if anything looks familiar. You might recognize something from the dream.¡± Felicity looked down at her watch to check the time. ¡°We have to leave in thirty minutes if you want to meet Clara on time.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Right, we get to see Winter today.¡± I cheered.


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    Meeting a wolf was exciting since I started having these dream walks. I hope Winter can help me understand my wolf spirit better. My spirit wolf was being hunted by the Mishipeshu, so I needed to find her before it was too late. Her escape from the creature was impressive, but how long could she keep it up? I wasn''t entirely sure, but I think my spirit wolf saw me in her vision last night. If we meet, will she reject me out of fear? "No," I mutter to myself. We have to bond with each other, or we both could end up dead.


    ¡°Are you still doing okay, Korinne?¡± Felicity asked me as she was getting dressed for the day.


    ¡°I am adjusting,¡± I sighed, getting up from the desk. ¡°Last night was kind of fun.¡±


    Felicity froze and looked back at me as I reached for my duffle bag next to the bed. ¡°Did you just say that you had fun at a bar?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I kept my response short. I didn¡¯t want to make a big deal about it. Yes, I had fun. Yes, we were in a place full of people. Yes, the nosy cowboy did make me laugh. Yes, this was abnormal for me, but I did have a buzz most of the night.


    Felicity stood there in her rainbow, unicorn bra and jeans staring at me like I grew a second head. I kept moving, getting on a green shirt and black jeans. Slipping on my Converse sneakers, I noticed she hadn¡¯t moved, and I tossed a pillow at her. She playfully yelled at me as I switched to braiding my hair. Fe tossed the pillow back at me while she pulled on her dark blue v-neck top. One ballerina bun later, Felicity was ready to go with her second cup of coffee and a Poptart. I followed suit with my Poptart and an apple juice from the mini-fridge.


    We headed off to the nature preserve under the bright sunny morning. In the car, Fe questioned me about my interactions with Linkin. She¡¯s now convinced that I like him, but I told her it was nice just to talk with someone new without feeling overwhelmed by my enhanced senses. I had briefly considered drinking in the evenings just to relax from the day¡¯s stimulus, but that didn¡¯t seem smart when I was living off my inheritance that my parents left me and the possibility of addiction hanging over my head. Fe eventually convinced me to go out with Linkin and everyone from last night again next week. The conversation lasted the whole drive to the preserve.


    Almost an hour later¡­


    Clara had Fe and I just outside the gate as she called out to Winter. A white wolf with a cream-colored patch stretching across the wolf¡¯s back headed toward us. He had amber-colored eyes. His tail wagged happily when Clara was only a few feet away. Winter was about up to Clara¡¯s stomach. He pranced around her like she was a pack member. It was adorable. Clara called us in, so we slipped through the gate and closed the latch.


    We approached Clara slowly. It was only seconds later that Winter noticed our presence. He looked at cautiously, taking a step back from Clara. He scented the air, keeping his eyes on us. Following my instincts, I kneeled on the grass and made myself look as small as I could. Winter sneaked forward sniffing the ground, watching me closely. In an instant, Winter and I locked gazes as he trotted up to me. He gave me a final sniff before rubbing himself up against me. I was in total shock as this big, wild wolf was suddenly tackling me with dog kisses and nuzzles. Fe replicated my motions and Winter greeted her for a moment before knocking back into me like a steamroller.


    ¡°Wow, he likes you,¡± Clara commented. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him try to snuggle with a new person before.¡±


    I was gently rubbing Winter¡¯s belly like a happy puppy. ¡°I am as amazed as you. This is my first time meeting a wolf.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess you are a dog person,¡± Felicity snickered. Winter looked at her and whined like he was insulted by her comment, causing Clara and me to giggle. ¡°Sorry, Winter,¡± Fe apologized to the big fluffball. ¡°I mean a wolf person.¡±


    Meeting Winter was better than I imagined. Would it be this way with my spirit wolf? I thought about her and her pack. Each one of her multicolored, furry family members floated through my mind. I wonder if their fur was as soft as Winter¡¯s. Winter gave me a knowing look like he could sense my thoughts. Could I mind link wolves too? Our gazes were in sync when I felt a connection snap in place like a strumming feeling in my brain.


    Winter, can you hear me?


    Yes, almost human. He blinked at me.


    Almost human? I asked curiously.


    You are and aren¡¯t human at the same time. Winter stated simply.


    I guess. I agreed. How are you so good at speaking?


    It is not me. It is your power that makes my voice understandable. Winter said, coolly.


    Good to know. I have a lot I want to ask you.


    Yes, almost human. I can tell, but our time is short. My human will want to leave soon. She always does. Winter whined a little.


    Right. I looked back at Clara and Felicity talking beside us. We needed to be quick. Winter, have ever seen a black wolf with a white crescent moon on her shoulder?


    Ah. The one my human calls Crescent, right?


    Yes.


    She hasn¡¯t been here for many moons now, but she used to visit. You may still find her near the falls in the forest south of here. There¡¯s less game there, but the caverns behind the falls are ideal for hiding.


    How did you know she was hiding?


    Almost human, the whole community in the woods knows the viper cat has marked her for death. The falls may provide her a haven for a time, but the beast after her won¡¯t stop until she is dead.


    ¡°Hey, Kori, are you ready to head in? There¡¯s a summer camp visiting today, and we need all hands on deck to be ready for them.¡± Clara touched my shoulder to get my attention. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    My face must have been shocked as I processed what Winter had told me. ¡°Um,¡± I blinked, searching for words. ¡°Sorry, I think I zoned out. You need help with summer camp kids?¡± I made myself stand and walk toward the gate.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Clara continued about the summer camp kids.


    I looked back at Winter who watched me closely. Thank you, Winter.


    Be careful, almost human. Many forces are looking to stop you. I wish you luck. With that, he turned on a dime and bolted away.

 So Far

    Felicity''s POV


    It''s been almost a month since summer vacation started, but it feels like I am living a different life. The only consistent things in my life are Marcus and my parents checking on Korinne and me. Only Marcus knows we were in Turkey for two weeks. It''s something I still haven''t been able to explain to him fully. I told him it was one of those schmoozy trips a headhunter took me on with Korinne. Being a coding prodigy has its perks. Still, it was a stretch. Marcus has been skeptical ever since. He questioned Kori and me about how it was absurd that we traveled aboard without our passports. The only truth I gave him was the name of the company I am remotely contracted to for the summer. Lying to him is the last thing I want to do, but even if I told him the truth, he wouldn¡¯t believe me.


    Last night was the first bit of fun that I have had since summer began. Meeting Seth was like the surprising bite of chili flakes on beef fajitas. I walked into the bar, fully expecting Korinne to run as soon as she took in the crowd. I grabbed her arm and dragged her toward Linkin in the hopes he might convince her to stay. Minutes later, I saw this brunette, curly-haired guy who was trying way too hard to be cool. Linkin introduced Seth who looked gaped at me for a second before a warm smile lit up his face. The guy was smitten with me after a few minutes of conversation. He made me laugh over his tales of moving to Minnesota from Florida. It was the funniest culture shock for a twelve-year-old boy. When Kori sent me away to dance with Seth, I was worried she would self-destruct without me there. Honestly, I am not sure what happened between Linkin and Kori, but they seemed comfortable with each other when I left them alone at the table. It was an exciting and refreshing night out after weeks of Korinne¡¯s intense emotions.


    Ever since her birthmark started glowing her anxiety has been suffocating. She snaps at everyone when she is on edge like a toddler missing their nap time. Although I know everything outside of our normal life scares her, she still struggles with changes. Finding out her mom¡¯s family is the center of some Greek fairytale has been a hard pill for her to swallow. When her parents died, she swore off fairytales and happy endings. Can¡¯t say I blame her, but I have been acting as her emotional regulator since we met Kalia. I talked to her about it a couple of times since we arrived in Minnesota. She¡¯s been practicing and getting better with her human interactions. It¡¯s still a work in progress.


    Then, there was meeting Selene. I never thought a person like her could exist who holds such disdain for mortals. Sometimes, she acted like Kori was nothing to her and then tried to convince her she had to face this trial. Kori would have said no if I hadn¡¯t begged her not to forfeit her life to an early death. I am not sure what might kill her, but I know she has endured so much not to have a chance of real happiness in life. Although, Kori won¡¯t see it that way. Her faith in happily ever after ended when she faced those cops about her parents¡¯ deaths. All she wanted was a normal life where she wasn¡¯t bullied for her birthmark or alone because her parents died. She didn¡¯t care about when she might die because it was coming for her like it did for her parents. Korinne won¡¯t fight death unless someone she loves asks her to, and I did. So, I take part of the blame for the road we are on now. At least, I am not the hated human in the moon goddess¡¯s cave anymore.


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    Korinne almost dying in that cave rocked me to my very core. It took almost a whole day to find her after she passed out in pain alone. Korinne is braver than I will ever be because I know I would have died trying to get that ¡®moody book¡¯ as she calls it. I can¡¯t imagine how she found the strength to just endure the rocks pelting her and dodging boulders. Kalia had told me later that was only a taste of the pain Kori would face on her trial. I vowed to Korinne to stay by her side through this journey, but I wonder how long or how many times I will have to watch her suffer.


    The nightmare-filled nights have been tough on Korinne and myself. I hear her crying through the night, so when she was sound asleep for a change last night, I was relieved. She woke abruptly before my alarm, muttering to herself. Once she flicked on her laptop, I knew there was no going back to sleep, so I joined her for her odd morning behavior. It was a blessing to know Kori had a dream walk with her spirit wolf. It mellowed her out. Her endless hikes and frantic research were becoming borderline obsessive, yet I am not sure I can fully grasp what she is going through. It¡¯s not every day an ancient deity summons a person just to tell them that they will die unless they complete some absurd task to become a supernatural being.


    Watching Korinne bond with Winter almost immediately was crazy. She had this wild animal rolling over belly rubs. I could tell when she started mind-linking Winter. Her eyes went dull like it was taking all of her concentration to hear his thoughts. Clara would have noticed if I hadn¡¯t kept her busy by talking about what makes a healthy diet for a wolf. By the time Korinne finished, I knew way too much about the wolf¡¯s digestive system. I mean, it will probably be useful since Korinne will be a wolf one day, right?


    Is Korinne part wolf already? I wonder what her DNA says or if it has even changed. Her habits have been changing. Her sensitivity to the world has been draining for both of us. I often have to feel out of a place before we walk into one. In conversation, I have to play defense, so she doesn¡¯t get too frustrated. She leaves me alone at the motel to scout out the trails for signs of her wolf. I worry about her being alone. It feels like our relationship has been set back to when she first lost her parents, and she needed me to help keep her afloat. This week was a little easier because has been trying to work through her overstimulation instead of running from it.


    All of this has been on my mind lately. I am sitting at my temporary desk in the Visitor Center of the Nature Preserve still reeling from everything. Part of me was hoping that writing down my thoughts might help me feel like the past three weeks were real, but it still feels like a fairy tale. I don¡¯t think I am angry at Korrine, but I can be her lifeboat for so long. It has taken me years to realize she can be independent from me. She¡¯s no longer a broken-hearted child. Korrine is a strong woman in her own right. I just wish she could see it.


    In short, I am not sure if my optimism will be enough to keep us both afloat through this mess or how many times I can bear to watch Kori struggle or have a brush with death. This feels like the calm before the storm. The thought of going home crosses my mind daily. I miss my bed and my baby, the computer I built from scratch, immensely. We are in a strange place, and things are only getting weirder.


    Still, I can¡¯t imagine a world without Korinne in it.


    So, I will stay. I will push her forward like all companions do on insane magical quests, and when she screws up, I will tell her to get back up. Because death isn¡¯t an option. She¡¯s been my sister and best friend for years, and no Fate is going to cut our time short.


    Plus, Seth is cute. He might be worth seeing again¡­

 Mishipeshu

    Winter¡¯s words still linger in my mind. My spirit wolf is in trouble with the viper cat and is marked for death. The whole supernatural community knew it, and now, I do too. I needed to find her, and my best chance was to explore the lake¡¯s shoreline for what I saw in my dream walk. The hard part was convincing Felicity she couldn¡¯t follow me into the woods. Our day at the nature preserve was over, and we got into the car to head back to the motel.


    ¡°Hey, Fe,¡± I started as the car clicked on. ¡°I am going to go down the lake shoreline to see if I can recognize anything from the dream.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, wasn¡¯t that the plan?¡± Felicity looked at me suspiciously.


    ¡°It is, but I think I need to go alone,¡± I said, softly.


    ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± She questioned me. I shook my head. ¡°Korinne, I can¡¯t let you go in the woods alone without protection. A supernatural or a wild animal could kill you!¡±


    ¡°I will be back before it gets dark, Fe. I won¡¯t go into a bear¡¯s den or taunt any other creatures into attacking me. If shit happens, follow my location on my smartwatch to get me. Call Linkin and just tell him that I got lost.¡± I know this won¡¯t be enough to convince her, but I can¡¯t let her take the risk of her getting hurt out there.


    ¡°You¡¯re just going to sneak out at night if I don¡¯t let you go now. I know you. I won¡¯t promise not to follow, but I can try to give you some time to look on your own.¡± Felicity says in an upset voice.


    I know I am pushing her with this, but I can¡¯t let the person I love most risk herself for me. Felicity and her family are all I have in this world since my parents died, and I would never forgive myself if she was put at risk for something that I have to do. She isn¡¯t supernatural. Felicity is every bit of light in my life. She got me through all the darkness before, and I will come out of this alive for her in the end. So, I need to protect her now. No matter how mad she gets at me. I drop her pouting butt off at the motel where she ensures I take the moody book with me and bear spray. We say our goodbyes, and I can see tears falling down her cheeks as I leave for the hiking trails.


    Hours later¡­


    The sun was beginning to go down, and I was losing hope of finding the pebble beach where my spirit wolf washed up. I remember there being this odd-shaped rock that the wolf looked at on the beach. It looked like a giraffe to me. It was about a foot long from what I remember, but it¡¯s all hazy now. The calm waves rolled in from the lake, crashing along the rocky beach. I could see the waxing moon rising above the horizon. I should turn back. I promised Felicity that I would be back before nightfall.


    Walking a little further, I snapped some pictures with my camera of the twilight hour on the lake. Photography has been a hobby of mine since I took a few photography classes at the university. The pictures I took since coming to Minnesota were good enough to sell to stock image sites. It¡¯s only been a couple of hundred dollars, but it was something. Most of it was landscape photos and plant life. There was so much beauty out here on the trails. I was tempted to just lay in the grass overlooking the rocky beach.


    Snap!


    No one was around on this trail.


    Crack!


    A loud, huffing breath filled the space. I moved slowly, knowing there was an animal behind me. Glancing behind me, I saw a panting lynx stalking toward me. Those brown, cat eyes stared at me fiercely. There was something familiar about those eyes. It seemed like the cat was waiting for me to speak. The moon got higher as the sun sank below the horizon.


    ¡°Great,¡± I muttered under my breath. Felicity would start worrying now. I decided to just try to communicate with this cat through mindlink.


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    Can you hear me, kitty? I felt a link between us locked in place as our eyes blurred a bit.


    Kitty? Are you sure you want to call me that¡­ The lynx sniffed at the air. What are you? You look human but smell like a wet dog.


    What? A wet dog smell¡­Really? Was that how I smell to everyone now? It must be a side effect of this in-between state that I am in. Just move on and find your next meal. I challenged the cat. This lynx wasn¡¯t normal. My birthmark began heating up again as if to warn me about the creature. Was it possible this wild cat was the viper cat of my dreams?


    You just might be my meal, or better yet a plaything. The cat licked his chops, stalking closer to me.


    I sighed, putting my camera into my side saddle bag. When my fingers brushed the book from Selene, the book began to glow and floated its way out of my bag. The glow brightened and I watched as the lynx became the viper cat called Mishipeshu. Its body became that of a black snake with a cat face and claws. Its sharpened bison horns stood tall on its head. My lungs froze as if my breath was stuck in my throat. Panic set in as my heart raced like a drum. This wasn¡¯t what I entered the area to find, but now I am standing toe to toe with the Mishipeshu that¡¯s hunting my spirit wolf.


    You must be a demigoddess or something since you can see me. I haven¡¯t had the taste of a demigod in a long time. This will be a treat. The beast grinned and flicked its tongue at me.


    It stood ready to strike, and I felt helpless because the only thing between this beast and myself was a glowing book. My link with the viper cat broke as a new link with my glowing book sunk in.


    Korinne! Open the book. Grandma Jan called from the glowing leather tomb.


    My body didn¡¯t want to move. I feared the moment I did move this beast would end, but I could back down. Not here. Felicity was waiting for me. Grabbing the book, I open it and a huge beam of light shoots out of the book, ending with a glowing pistol sitting on the book. The six-round pistol was an automatic at least, but I haven¡¯t shot a pistol in ages. Why was Jan giving me this?


    This is a moonlight pistol. It shoots supernatural creatures only. It will take two shots to kill the beast in front of you. You only have six rounds of moonlight. Don¡¯t waste it. Grandma Jan instructed.


    She wanted me to end this viper cat¡¯s life although I have never hunted a day in my life. I know my life was at risk and the life of my spirit wolf. Still, I wonder if I can take this beast¡¯s life. Somehow, I felt like the lynx was like me in some way. We both walk around in a normal form, but we have a mythical monster side to us. I had so many questions about what I was capable of doing, but I knew I couldn¡¯t die here. Felicity was waiting for me. My spirit wolf needed me. Selene needs me. There was enough to fight for.


    Taking the gun in my hand, I cocked it like I did when my dad would take me to the range to practice shooting. ¡®Keep both eyes open and on the target,¡¯ I hear his voice whisper in my mind. I readied myself to fire but refrained from attacking the beast in front of me. It took all my control to keep from just shooting the creature outright. I knew shooting the lynx at that moment would be the coward¡¯s way out. Mishipeshu hasn¡¯t attacked me yet, and I should respect that.


    My eyes stared back at the cat readying to pounce with a slightly confused look on its face. It looked down at the gun in my hand with disdain. The cat¡¯s eyes snapped back to mine with a grimace. Our link is locked back into place.


    Stay back, Mishipeshu. I warned the cat.


    Why are you here? The angry lynx questioned.


    Huh. Guess the viper cat hasn¡¯t figured it out yet. You marked a black wolf for death. Why? Does it taste that good? My sarcasm was clear, but the lynx didn¡¯t care about my questions or intentions.


    And if it does? What is it to you? The lynx hissed. Take my life or spare it. Make a choice. I am only doing what is necessary because ¡®He¡¯ asked. I was once a lynx fascinated by the glittery shine of the rocks in the caves near here. One day, a lost son showed up and claimed my cave for his own. I bit his leg when he tried to kick me out, which cursed me for all time. When the sun leaves the sky, I turn into the serpent panther of Lake Superior. A monster driven by an insatiable hunger to eat and destroy all who cross my path.


    So, you are trapped? I felt pity for this creature in front of me. The ¡®lost son¡¯ he mentioned was another local myth. It must be true since the viper cat stands before me, which means I am dealing with a demigod like Kalia warned.


    Cursed. Mishipeshu corrected. I am cursed for defying him. The cat studied me, digging his claws deeper into the ground. You must be the heir ¡®He¡¯ mentioned.


    Heir? I am no heir. I am only me. I stated. This viper cat wasn¡¯t getting any more information out of me.


    The moonlight in your hands says otherwise, daughter of the moon. I will leave you to be his problem. I am only after the wolf.  With that last word, the viper cat vanished into the forest. It must be after the wolf again. I didn¡¯t hesitate to follow the beast¡¯s trail into the thick of the forest.

 Resolution

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 Shot

    Korinne POV


    Outside the den¡­


    The area is pitch black. If it weren¡¯t for my weird new eyesight, I would have been lost by now. I trailed the snaked cat off the trail by the shore deep into the forest. A prick at my heart reminds me that Felicity is likely back at the motel panicking because I haven¡¯t come back yet. As soon as I stumbled on the viper cat from my dream, I knew I couldn¡¯t leave the forest. Something was calling me in the darkest parts of the forest to continue. The trees and plants around me looked sick like they were being drained of life. All the green colors were dulled and choked by the vines entrapping the plants. There was a heavy warning feeling hanging over the area that was trying to scare me away. It was so quiet that my footsteps echoed through the clearings. No animals lived in this dark place. This area had been abandoned.


    The moonlight pistol shined brightly in my arm as I cradled it against me. This weapon handed to me by Grandma Jan was my only line of defense in these dark woods. Out here, I felt vulnerable, raw, frightened, and a little excited by the possibilities of what could happen. Since I met Selene, I found myself slowly changing. My anxiety and paranoia were calmed or heightened by my heightened senses, but I didn¡¯t dread my anxiety anymore. It feels more like a tool or warning system with a purpose. My emotions were still volatile, yet everything was driven by instinct, making it easier to understand and suppress when needed. It all sounds so backward, but I am wondering if I have been missing part of me my whole life. Will my spirit wolf truly balance me as Selene had promised? It was hard to know for sure, but all of my new problems seemed to make the trauma of my old problems bearable.


    Growls and howls filled the emptiness of the forest. A loud hissing noise drew me toward a new clearing where the Mishipeshu was locked in battle with a wolf. I crouched on my knees behind a large dead tree. My heart pounded and my birthmark burned brightly through my shirt. My body was reacting to something in this clearing beside the viper cat. Could it be the wolf? I watched the fight unfolding in front of me attentively. The viper cat whipped around on its scaly belly chasing the dark wolf. Its claws dug into the dried dirt as it pounced about following the wolf¡¯s moves. Hissing and growling followed the clash of beasts in front of me. The dark wolf snapped onto the arm of the viper cat long enough to make it bleed. The cat¡¯s other paw knocked the wolf away with blood dripping between the two bodies.


    The dark wolf didn¡¯t miss a beat, biting into the scaly belly of the viper cat. The Mishipeshu slammed its body down on top of the wolf, but the snake slithered backward quickly. A loud groan from the cat rang out into the night. I could make out a different kind of wound on the belly of the snake, unlike the bite of a wolf. The smell of burnt scales rubbed at my nose the wrong way as I tried to hold back a sneeze. How did the wolf not get crushed by the Mishipeshu, and what burned the Mishipeshu? I saw the dark figure of the wolf stand tall in front of the snake with a white, glowing crescent moon on its shoulder. It¡¯s her, my spirit wolf was facing off with the Mishipeshu by herself.


    In the blink of an eye, I watched the wolf tear off scales from the snake until the Mishipeshu swatted the wolf away. My spirit wolf smacked into the base of a nearby tree whining from pain. The bloodied belly didn¡¯t stop the Mishipeshu from closing in on the dazed wolf in its sights. The moonlight gun glowed hot in my grasp. Was this a sign to shoot the beast? The Mishipeshu drooled with poison dripping from its canines. Murderous rage was shining in the viper cat¡¯s red eyes. It was now or never. I lined up the shot of where I thought the heart might be with the glowing pistol. A single breath clutched in my chest for a moment then my finger released the trigger as I released my breath. It felt like muscle memory from my time on the gun range with the Moshlys.


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    A bullet of moonlight zipped through the clearing like a beam of light, piercing through the viper cat. The bloody lynx serpent spat out blood as it looked back toward me. A guttural bellow shook the trees from the bleeding beast. The blood splattered all over the clearing sprinkling over my clothes. I watched the snake heave as it searched the clearing for me. Why wasn¡¯t it falling over? A vague memory of Grandma Jan¡¯s voice whispered into my mind. Two shots to kill the lynx serpent. I only shot one bullet at the viper cat. The beast must have noticed me because it rampaged toward me like an angry bull.


    I abandoned the log as the Mishipeshu snapped back into action chasing after me. I hear its long body zipping through the forest as I try to outrun the beast. Part of me knows how impossible it will be to escape, but I have to try. This werewolf vision helps me see the roots and pitfalls awaiting me in the dark. I can hear howling in the distance, and I can only hope my spirit wolf managed to get away. The snake cat darts in front of me, forcing me to crash into its brown scaly body.


    All the air is knocked out of me as I tumble to the ground. I try to shake myself out of shock, but I am too late. Mishipeshu coils itself around me with a heinous hiss. I don¡¯t have to mindlink the beast to know how pissed it is. Hell, blood is still dripping from the bullet hole in its belly. A huge lynx paw whacks my face, and I can¡¯t stop the yelp that escapes my mouth. Fortunately, my eyes remain unharmed from the hit. The beast locks eyes with me as blood pours down my face from the gashes left behind on my cheek. My mind is fuzzy, but a link is still formed between Mishipeshu and me.


    Ungrateful moon brat! Its cat eyes narrow on me. Suffer.


    The snake tail wrapped around me tightens, squeezing any remaining breath out of my lungs. No sounds come out as I gasp, trying to breathe. I feel dizzy and disconnected from my body. If only I had fired the pistol twice. I can hardly feel the heat of the moonlight pistol grinding into my skin. It was stupid of me to come out here alone, reckless of me to get between this beast and its prey, and pitiful of me not to shoot this beast twice. All of this supernatural crap just to die at twenty-two in a forest in the middle of nowhere. My vision fades although I hear snarling in the distance.


    Mutt!


    Light returns to my vision as air finally fills my desperate lungs. Gasping loudly, I feel the dirt beneath my body as I try to get my bearings. Coughing hard, I blink a bunch until I see her. My black wolf counterpart is tearing the guts out of the Mishipeshu¡¯s gut. When did she get here? I watch the lynx swipe and claw at the wolf as she fiercely pulls apart the snake¡¯s flesh. Can she finish it? Maybe. My brain remains foggy, but I look around for the one thing that I know will kill the beast.


    The ground has become muddy from the copious pools of blood from all three of us. We were no longer in a clearing as the half-dead trees crowded the area around me. I hear thuds and branches snapping from the brawl between the wolf and the viper cat. Ignoring the desire to watch, I run my hands over roots, thorns, and muddy rock until I feel the heat radiating off the moonlight pistol. I grab it tightly in my hands as I crawl toward the base of a tree. My right leg won¡¯t move, but I won¡¯t let it stop me.


    Leaning against the prickly trunk, I aimed at the hissing cat with the gun. Five shots remained, but I didn¡¯t want to waste a single bullet. My vision wasn¡¯t entirely clear, but the back of the lynx¡¯s head was only fifteen feet from me. I do my best to keep a steady grip on the pistol. ¡°Please hit¡­¡± I whisper into the air. The wolf finally moves away for a second and I take the shot.


    Crunch.


    A branch breaks under the weight of the Mishipeshu falling forward. I did it. Relief floods me as tears stream down my cheeks. I almost lost everything again. The fear that held me still broke and all the pain in my body overwhelmed me. My body wants to shut down, but in a forest like this, that¡¯s asking for death. I must force myself to stay awake. The tears dried on my skin as I kept looking around for something to help me.


    The one thing I was surprised to see was the black wolf limping toward me. My spirit wolf. Her crescent moon mark was glowing hot like mine, and just like that, I felt numb again. The wolf¡¯s eyes locked onto mine, and a link formed. This link felt like something clicked into place. The weight of the link was almost overwhelming as we just stared at each other. Everything was still.


    Can you hear me?