Princess...

Chapter 4

Accalia

I heard plates clattering in the kitchen before I'd even opened my eyes and groaned aloud, I was very much not a morning person. Sighing, I rolled out of bed and tugged on a shirt, eyeing the mess I'd made of my palm yesterday which was now nothing but a faded cluster of crescent-shapen scars. Mentally thanking my inner wolf for being so amazing at keeping me alive, I had more energy today and by the Moon Goddess I was already in a better mood

"Good morning sleepy head!" Janie chuckled as I padded into the living room, plopping on the sofa and offered a tight smile. I still wasn't awake properly yet and my blonde friend knew that. The smell of coffee tickled my senses and I opened one eye, spotting a cup on the coffee table and smiling wide

"You know me too well." I hummed in appreciation as I all but inhaled the brown liquid in the mug. This is what humans do to wake up, and I certainly appreciated the tradition. I glanced up from my coffee to the calendar on the wall and stood up

"It's a full moon tonight?" I asked aloud, walking to the calendar that was taped to the wall, eyeing the small moon symbol next to today's date

"Honestly Ace, I don't get what your thing is with a full moon... It's just some stupid superstition..." She chuckled and I apologized to the Moon Goddess on behalf of my taller friend, she didn't know any better. Luckily, I knew that on full moon's, a group of rogue's who had already found their mates hold a special night for all the human's who are currently dating unmated rogues. This was to protect them in case anything happened, whilst also giving us a chance to shift without human's getting in the way. Janie believed that I spent every full moon with my parents as part of a 'family tradition' which technically wasn't a lie, we did used to do that but it was more as part of a whole pack tradition than just my family.

Feeling more awake after my coffee, I snuggled up with Janie who gave me the other half of her bagel. She flipped aimlessly through the television channels before settling on some reality show and I allowed my mind to drift off, still facing the screen and feigning interest whenever Janie asked me a question about it. This was how we spent most of our days off together, we watched human shows and gossiped about school, the only way humans knew how. Midday Janie went to call Jason and no doubt have phone sex, if my ears weren't mistaken and I rolled my eyes, clicking off the television and strolling into my room, trying my hardest to ignore my inner wolf begging to be let out. I'd have to leave after lunch to make it to the edge of Irvine territory before shifting if I didn't want to piss off Alpha Irvine and his pack. Janie fixed us both a sandwich for lunch and before I knew it, Janie was kissing my forehead with tears in her eyes which only urged me to leave faster as my inner wolf huffed her contempt. 

The full moon had that effect on us, we became stronger for one night a month and it became harder to refuse the urge to shift. I walked normally for around an hour, ignoring skeevy human men (and some rogues) who catcalled after me in my cardigan and short skirt before breaking out into a run as I got towards the shadier side of town. As I sprinted through the streets, grateful for the shorts I'd slipped on under my skirt, I found myself wondering if this is where Jason got all of his money but pushed the thought away when I realized I was only a few miles from the Rogue club. I ditched my clothes behind a large oak tree and shifted, the sun setting behind me towards Irvine and I knew the moon wasn't far away. My wolf couldn't contain her excitement and I sat back and watched as I chased my own tail, missing the feeling of being so free and made a mental note to come here and shift more frequently.

After a few hours of bounding through the trees and feeling the wind through my fur, I heard some wolves howling in the distance, clearly having found the scent of their mate and I felt a pang of disappointment that I couldn't smell anything yet. However as I stuck my black nose in the air to try and find my new mate's scent, I caught a whiff of something else and froze, now realizing I was no longer alone. My wolf form bowed in submission and I panicked internally, questioning why I was acting this way. Had my parents found me? Or Z'ev? I couldn't stop panicking whereas my wolf form remained fully composed, simply keeping her head bowed and I felt that presence in front of me. Alpha Lake. I knew it was risky being out on a full moon, but a small part of me wished that the Moon Goddess would bless me with a new mate, so I shifted every full moon like every other mateless wolf and prayed that tonight would be the night. Alpha Lake growled and my wolf fully submitted to him. After a few minutes, he stalked away from me, leaving my wolf trembling as I recalled what had just happened. He must be looking for someone, but I clearly hadn't been his target. 

My wolf was getting very impatient as she couldn't smell a new mate and I forced myself to shift back behind the oak tree, my inner wolf now surprisingly quiet. We did this every single month for the last 6 years with the same results, nothing ever changed and it threw me around for a few days, unable to control how emotional my inner wolf got at the loss of an old mate and the seemingly unlikely arrival of a new one. I hadn't even processed Z'ev and I's split, too painful to even bring up at this moment in time. I cast one last glance around at the forest after I was dressed, hearing wolves howl in delight that they'd found the one, and took off running back towards Irvine, not stopping until I reached the apartment. I wanted to be alone.