Lunatics

Prologue REBIRTH

She marched home in the summer rain, furious at the world for a reason it didn't know because she wouldn't share it. She didn't see the point in sharing it. It wouldn't help her or anyone else. Her footsteps would still make deep prints in the wet, dusty clay of the cold, hard ground, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Good afternoon, mom." Her voice dripped  phoney chirpiness for her stay-at-home mother as she entered her childhood home.

"Pack your bags. We're going on a trip." Her mother reciprocated the same tone as she stepped out of the kitchen. She had been preparing snacks. Violet could smell the apple residue on her hands as her mother tried to wipe it off with a hand towel.

"Mom--" She was about to say something about her weight but stopped herself because she knew the exact response she was going to get if she did. Her mother wasn't going to reassure her like other mothers might. She wasn't going to say that Violet was beautiful, but she was going to tell her one day she would like the way she looked, as if some magical transformation would just occur.

"Nevermind," Violet muttered, tucking a few strands of black hair behind her ear.

"Honey," Her mother called as she was about to go upstairs.

"Yes ma'am." The hope in Violet's voice couldn't be missed.

"I love you, no matter what, okay?" There was something melancholy in her mother's big brown eyes as she said those words softly.

"I love you too mom," Violet said and meant it. She really did love her mom. She was Violet's only constant outside of the weekly paycheck from her father that was enough for her and her mother to survive comfortably for a year. She'd always believe that he'd intentionally given them enough just so he could stay out of their lives.

"And," Violet's mother paused unsure of herself, just for a moment. This . . . this caught Violet's attention because her mom was strong headed, never second guessed herself, never hesitated to say what she thought, never took flack from anyone, so Violet listened just to see what her mother had hesitated to say.

"You . . . your father loves you very much, even more than me," she said, staring at Violet. Her eyes were wide and wet. Before Violet could utter a word, her mom had whisked back into the kitchen, reminding her to go pack.

When Violet got to her small room, she packed quickly. It didn't matter where she went. She'd dress all the same. She'd been reading a book when her mother appeared in her doorway

"Vi, are you ready," she asked.

"Yea," was Violet's quiet reply as she rose from the bed.

"C'mon then, it's time to go." That look  fell into her eyes again. She seemed dazed as if in a trance. Holding Violets stare, she slowly approached her carefully studying her daughter's dark blue eyes. She gave her a kiss on the head and a long hug that felt like goodbye to Violet.

"I've always loved you . . . to the moon and back" she said as if she was begging for forgiveness.

"To the moon and back," Violet reciprocated the same way she always did when her mom used the phrase. Then her mother was pulling her and her suitcase out of the frontdoor. It was still raining outside, so Violet swiftly grabbed an umbrella before her mom tugged her out into the air that smelt like earth and rain more than usual. Violet inhaled deeply as if breathing for the first time, and her mom noticed shivering.

"Mom," Violet said after a moment of them standing on the porch. "What are we doing?" Her mom immediately turned to face her as an SUV pulled into their driveway, caressing her face.

"Violet you're going to stay with your father for a little, okay?"

"What?" Violet eyes widened. "Mommy?" Violet whimpered hearing her own childish voice, feeling tears pool in her eyes, feeling flushed suddenly. Her mom looked at her watch that read 12:00AM.It was her birthday.

"I'll see you again. Happy Birthday," her mom said to her, enveloping her in a hug and kissing her. Violet began to cough as her mother's smell along with the smell of the earth, rain, and her salty tears all bombarded her. She was beginning to feel nauseous, and the rain felt as though it was drying out her skin, sucking everything from her.

A man appeared in front of her and her mother a moment later. His eyes were dark and familiar, his hair black and glossy, and his skin the same tan color as Violet's. He appeared unnatural to Violet because he was too close to perfection, unreal. This man was supposed be her father, but he looked no more than ten years her elder whilst she was sixteen.

This thought disappeared as Violet's body began to shake with energy, heat. Her world was toppling figuratively and literally as her supposed father caught her and lifted her into his arms. Another smell hit her making her groan uncomfortably.

Her mother's voice sounded frantic and too loud as she began to talk. "Please be careful, she gets really emotional sometimes and won't admit it, and every once in awhile if she's feeling a bit lost or if she gets uncomfortable, she might have a panic attack. Her inhaler should be in her bag, and she likes to eat her feelings, but that's okay. She's a girl. She'll grow out of it and she doesn't like her apples whole ever, but she loves apples, and she's lactose intolerant so buy lactaid instead of normal 2%, okay? She'll be cranky, but don't let her eat chocolate, the doctor--"

"I know Natalie," was all Violet heard before she was placed in the vehicle. They talked for a moment longer before Violet's mother was hugging Violet's supposed father, and he got in the car. Natalie waved her daughter and the mysterious man goodbye while standing out in the cold rain. Violet instantly felt the need to run to her and protect her from it, because that's what they did, protect each other. Tears dripped down Violet's face and dried against her hot skin.

"I'm hot," she cried softly, feeling warmer and warmer by the second.

"I know. I have the cool air on, Violet, but I doubt it's going to help that much in your predicament." She'd barely heard the words before she slipped into unconsciousness.

Ω

When Violet woke up, it wasn't raining outside anymore, and she had survived a night of pain. When she woke up, she was surrounded by a cult of wolf and man alike. Violet was in the middle of all of them, bare for all to see in what she thought would be her feminine glory, but when she looked down, she saw the dark fur of a paw. Her paw she realized as the paw transformed into her human hand. She looked over her body as her fur painfully receded into her skin causing the ground to soak in newly shed blood and tears. She wasn't overweight anymore. She was shapely and a matured woman.

She looked around the crowd. Her eyes catching on a pair of blue eyes. Blue like the sky on a winter day. She inhaled deeply scents immediately swarming her senses, but one outriding all the others. Mate, she heard something call out deep within her, and visibly shuddered when when he took a step towards her. He was stopped by a few men though, saying he wasn't allowed to get her. Mate, she surprised herself when she whimpered like an animal some place deep in her body. What was happening?

That was the beginning of Violet learning that everything lycans thought about themselves was a lie, because she was the Alpha's daughter and her mate was an omega.