Death Metal Luna

Temperance

 Temperance's POV

"The demon's rise will be the fall of man's reign," I screeched into the microphone as the song ended. I took a deep breath and looked back at my bandmates. "Good practice, guys," I told them. We had been practicing hard the last week as we prepared to audition for a record producer. My best friend and the guitarist Jefferey Starsky had somehow arranged for the audition.

My three friends and I had started Blood Ritual three years ago. We all dreamed of making it big, or as big as a death metal band could make it. We wanted to tour with other bands and turn out sick records. I am the lead singer. I can go from serene heavenly singing to sick twisted growls in a beat. My best friend Jeff is the guitarist. Lenny, the omega son of a warrior, is on bass, and then there is Gilbert, the wolfless omega is on drums. The four of us have been tight since we were young pups. Lenny and Gilbert were bullied for being omegas. I was pretty much the only ranked wolf that defended them. Jeffery and his grandmother are not wolves. Granny Witch was allowed to live on the edge of the Erie Lake Pack territory with her grandson Jeffery. In exchange, she helps maintain a magical barrier that keeps rogues and other intruders out. Granny Witch is, well, a witch. Jeffery calls himself a warlock, and his grandmother has been training him for years.

"Shall we practice that last one again?" I asked my friends.

"I think we should try Flesh Eater again," Gilbert suggested. "I think that will be our ticket to success."

"You are only saying that because you wrote it," Lenny snorted.

Gilbert shrugged. "So?"

"Guys, let's not argue," Jeff interjected. "We can't end up like those bands that break up over creative differences."

"It's not a creative difference, Jeff," Gilbert argued. "It's a suggestion for our success."

Jeffery rolled his eyes, and he looked at me. "TJ?"

"I think we should try Flesh Eater again. I have a good feeling about that one." I smiled at Gilbert. He smirked as his brown eyes sparkled at me.

"Thank you, TJ. At least one of you is on my side," Our short drummer smiled at me. Gilbert spent so much of his life being bullied by others for being short. Gilbert stood only five feet tall. He was also a bit on the chubby side as he never got a wolf. Most omegas never get their wolves. Our pack's future alpha Gideon Kreel made it his mission to make the omegas feel like scum. Gilbert and Lenny were his favorite targets.

"Okay, let's try it from the top guys." I picked up the microphone again. We were practicing in the basement of the small house that Jeff shared with his grandmother. She was the only one of our parents that would let us practice in a house. "One two three," I counted as the guys banged out the music. I closed my eyes, waiting for the moment I joined in, first singing clean before switching into guttural growls.

Ten minutes later, we played the last notes of the song. "Man, that was awesome," Gilbert declared. "TJ, you nailed it." He said to me.

"Of course I did."

The wooden steps leading into the basement creaked as Granny Witch stepped down slowly. She had a tray of snacks in her hand. Jeff set his guitar down and went to help his grandmother. "I thought you kids could use some refreshments," She said as Jeff took the tray from her hand. "Thanks, Jeffy." She smiled. For an older woman, she still held a lot of beauty. She was slender with smooth skin with long white hair, and icy blue eyes. Today, she wears a blue cotton dress adorned with several necklaces and lots of bracelets on her arms.

"Thanks, Granny," Lenny said as he grabbed some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies off the tray. "You make the best cookies."

I grabbed a couple of cookies as the guys joined in.

"How is your practice going?" She asked. Granny Witch is one of the few adults that supported our ambitions in the pack. She wasn't a heavy metal fan, but she didn't discourage us or ridicule us like other pack members.

"I think we have a real shot on Wednesday," Jeff said as we sat on the dusty old couch. I sat on Jeff's lap and leaned against his slender frame. Jeff is about six feet tall and skinny. He is made fun of for appearing weak to the muscle-bound werewolves he was forced to tolerate. I liked his slender build. What he lacked in physical strength, he made up with magical prowess and music talent. His father had been a powerful warlock that was feared by many. Or so Granny Witch had told us. I ran my hands through his long silky blonde hair. His startling golden brown eyes beamed at me. We weren't an official couple though I would often tell people he was my boyfriend.

"Well, I can only hope you kids achieve your goal," Granny Witch sat on a wooden chair in front of the couch. "Even if it makes this little old lady more deaf than she already is."

We all laughed. "We'd play somewhere else, but you are the only one that lets us play here." Lenny shot in. "My mom is thoroughly convinced I have sold my soul to the devil."

Granny Witch snorted. "The Devil has better things to do." She stood up. "Well, you kids enjoy those cookies. I have other chores to attend to." She waved as she ambled back up the stairs.

'Temperance, where are you?' My mother suddenly mind-linked me. I looked at the clock.

"Oh s**t. I am late for dinner," I mumbled. Every Sunday, my mother insisted our family eat dinner together. My father, Paul, is the pack Gamma or third in command under Alpha Clifton Kreel. My mother is Luna Melissa's best friend. Then there is my older brother Hayden. He is the typical big brother and will become the next Gamma when my father steps down. I am the rebellious middle child, and then there is my picture-perfect younger sister, Autumn. 'I'm still at Jeff's house, Mom.' I replied to my mother.

'Well, get home. Dinner started five minutes ago. It's bad enough your father and brother are late.'

'Mom, we need to practice some more. Can I take a raincheck on dinner?'

'Temperance, get your ass home now.' My mother replied in her most stern mother voice.

I sighed roughly. "I have to go, guys. My mother will not relent on the Sunday night dinner rule." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, we should all get home too," Gilbert responded. "Good practice."

"Hopefully, that record producer will think so," Lenny sighed.

"Don't be so negative, Len," Jeff said to our friend as we all climbed the stairs out of the basement. The guys waved at Granny Witch, who was cursing something in the kitchen. "Granny is working on some new potion for Luna Melissa."

"What kind of potion?" I asked.

Jeff shrugged. "Hell if I know. Granny, I am going to walk TJ home," He yelled before we walked outside. The house was at the furthest reaches of the territory deep in the woods. It would take ten minutes for us to reach my home. Gilbert and Lenny's houses were a little closer. The four of us walked in silence.

We reached the street that Gilbert and Lenny turned down. Their houses were across the street from each other. "Goodnight, guys," I said to them.

They waved back. "Night, TJ. Night Jeff."

When they were out of sight, Jeff grabbed my hand. I liked the way his hand felt in mine. Part of me hoped he was my fated mate. But I knew that was highly unlikely as he was not a wolf, and it was exceedingly rare for a wolf to be mated to a warlock. Still, a girl can hope. I wasn't keen on the whole mate, but I would choose Jeff if I could choose. The last thing I needed was some hot-headed possessive werewolf male. Jeff would let me be me and not try and change me like the wolf males.

"What are you thinking about TJ?" Jeff's voice broke my thoughts.

"Wednesday," I quickly lied. Well, mostly lied. I was worried about the audition. If we secured a contract, that meant we could leave this place and go on tour. I was going to leave this pack after I turned eighteen anyways. Right now, I planned to just move to the nearby human town and get a job.

"I'm pretty sure we have that audition in the bag," Jeffery reassured me.

I sighed. "I hope so," I breathed out. "I just want to leave this place so bad I can taste it."

"You know you don't hate it that much," Jeff laughed.

"Well, I'd rather be long gone before asshat Gideon takes over as alpha," I snorted. If there was anyone I hated the most in this pack, it was Gideon. He was the most arrogant and condescending person I knew. He always had an answer for everything. He also liked sicking his whores on me. I tried to ignore him, but he is one of my brother's best friends. The sooner I got away from him, the better.

'You won't hate Gideon for long,' Tarja, my wolf, suddenly spoke up.

'I doubt that,' I snarled at her. My wolf liked Gideon for some stupid reason. She purred whenever hews near. Sure he was a handsome male, but he made my life miserable.

'Just wait,' She said before retreating into my mind.

Sighing, I shook my head. "Damn wolf."

Jeff laughed as we finally made it to my house. My father chose to move the family to one of the houses away from the packhouse. A two-story modest house with four bedrooms, so we all had our own space. We stopped in front of the door. I clasped Jeff's hands and looked into his gold eyes. He leaned into me. Our lips connected, and I moaned into him. Tarja growled as she didn't like it when I kissed Jeff. I released his hands and wrapped them around his slender neck as the kiss deepened.

"Get a room, you two," My brother's voice cut in as I heard my father growl.

Jeff pulled away from me, and I saw my brother and father standing beside us. They were both dressed only in shorts. They had been out on patrol. My father had his arms folded as he glared at Jeff. My brother had a smirk. "Get in the house, Temperance." My father snarled.

I rolled my eyes. "Jeff and I were just saying goodnight."

My brother brushed past me and opened the door. "You are wasting your time with this loser, Tempe." He said before walking into the house.

I snarled at my brother. "f**k you," I yelled after him.

"Temperance!" My father barked at me.

Jeff sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, TJ." He leaned in to try and kiss me, but my father growled. "Sorry, Gamma. I'll go now." He sighed and walked past my father.

I folded my arms and glared at my father. "Did you have to be a jerk to Jeff?"

He stepped towards me. "Temperance, you need to face reality. There is no future with that orphan. The sooner you realize that, the better. Now get in the house. Your mother is going to have a conniption if dinner gets cold."

I stomped my booted foot and stormed into the house. My siblings were already at the table as my mother was setting our dinner down. "It's about time you made it Temperance," She looked at me. Her eyes traveled up and down my body as she sighed. "Why do you insist on dressing like that?"

I looked down at my outfit. Today I was wearing a pair of black jeans full of holes with a baby doll style Cannibal Corpse t-shirt. I had on my beat-up black boots, and my red hair was hanging down my shoulders. "What's wrong with how I am dressed?"

"You are the daughter of the pack's Gamma. You need to present yourself better." She scoffed as my father kissed her cheek. She pointed at my younger sister Autumn. "Look at Autumn. She knows how to dress."

I rolled my eyes and sat in my seat in a huff. No one in my family understands me. I don't want to dress like my sister. She grinned at me. Autumn is the epitome of perfect. She always wore the latest styles and the top brands. She looked the most like our mother and walked around all poised and elegant. Then there was me. I inherited my father's red hair and green eyes. I had pale skin and a thin frame. I liked dressing in black clothes. I had several tattoos on my arms and legs that had gotten me grounded when I got them.

My brother Hayden was the typical male werewolf. He is tall and muscular with short dirty blonde hair. He has blue eyes like our mother. My father is an inch taller than my brother, with red hair and green eyes. Then there is my mother. The quintessential beauty queen. Long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes with an impeccable fashion sense. I was nothing like her. She was always trying to get me to wear dresses and girly things. That was never going to happen.

"So, how did practice go today?" My father asked me. He was the only one in my family that pretended to support my ambitions. He is the one that got me into heavy metal as a pup.

"I think it went well. We tried a new song." I smiled at him as I piled food onto my plate.

"Paul, must you encourage her with that pipe dream?" My mother interrupted.

My father glanced at her. "I don't see the harm in encouraging our children, Maddie."

"The harm is Temperance thinks she and her little friends can make it as rockstars. She should be focusing on something worthwhile."

"Music is worthwhile, Mom," I argued. "It's what I love. I don't want to do anything else."

"Why not prepare yourself for your mate? You will be eighteen next Saturday," She pointed at me. "You have to be realistic Temperance. You can't keep kissing that weird Jeffery."

I folded my arms, suddenly not hungry. "I don't want a mate, Mom. I don't want some asshole male to try and make me into a broodmare for his enjoyment."

My mother dripped her fork. "Is that what you think I am?"

"No. I didn't mean that." I mumbled.

"Not all guys are like that," My brother joined in. "You don't see me treating Tasha like a broodmare, do you?" He referred to his mate he had just met a month ago. They were taking things slowly as Tasha lived in another pack. She was still in high school and wasn't ready to leave home yet. Hayden visited her on weekends as much as he could while learning to be the next Gamma.

"Whatever. I just want to play my music."

"That's not music, Temperance." My mother snorted, which caused my sister to laugh.

"Mom, I can't wait to meet my mate," Autumn said with her sweet-sounding fake voice.

"At least one of my daughters gets it."

I pushed my food back and stood up. "I have homework to finish. Goodnight." I started stomping out of the room.

"Don't be late for training in the morning," My father called to me.

"I won't." I never forget training. Every morning for an hour, I trained with the warriors and guards. If there was one thing I liked more than music, it was training and becoming the fiercest warrior I could. A lot of the males hated sparring with me because I beat them all of the time. Only the alpha's youngest son Theodore would spar with me even though I often beat him. Theodore, or Ted as most called him, was the more tolerable of the alpha's offspring. He was still a conceited douche like his brother. But I got along with him. I often thought he would be a better alpha than Gideon. Ted didn't bully omegas like Gideon did. Ted actually respected our pack members and didn't look down on others.

I reached my room and flopped on my bed. I picked up my phone and saw several texts from Jeff. I kicked off my boots and lay down. Jeff and I texted back and forth for an hour. I then took my nightly shower and got ready for bed. I climbed into bed and fell into a dream-filled sleep where Tarja, my wolf, chased after some mysterious wolf.