The Wicked Alpha's Star-Crossed Luna

0.2 | SENSE OF TIME

We greeted several pack members in the common area; older she-wolves gushed over our outfits and the pups that were too young to shift gathered around, asking us all kinds of questions. The older teens who had already shifted were either meandering around the pack or loitering in the game room further down the corridor, as the pack run at midnight wasn’t mandatory.

“Carina, Serena!” My sister and I spun around in time for me to catch one of our friends, Callisto, the eldest son of Beta Dione. Carina laughed until Tara, only daughter of Gamma Ophelia, collided with her. The pups cackled and cheered, hopping all around us until we righted ourselves and ran from the common room and into the main hall.

“Where have you two been?” asked Tara, her arms crossed over her chest. Or rather, under her chest--as the eldest of our group of friends, Tara had already shifted and was developing in ways my twin and I had yet to experience. “Our parents asked us all to gather in town square. Moonrise was ten minutes ago!”

Carina gasped, exchanging a swift glance with me. Her eyes conveyed a level of panic that I could only perceive through our connection, reminding me that her feelings were not mine. We might have been twins, but we were still our own people, individuals… We just so happened to be individuals who preferred to do everything together, in spite of our polar personalities.

I threw her a smile, my confidence pouring through our link, and I could see the tension being whittled away as my calm aura washed over her. “It’s our time to shine,” I told her again, adapting the mantra our parents said whenever one or both of us was about to take part in something big. Usually, it just meant a school play or a football game, not meeting our other, beastly halves and experiencing what was said to be the most excruciating pain of our lives.

Carina nodded, adopting my resolve as her own. “It’s our time. We’ve got this!”

Callisto chuckled at our attempts to pump ourselves up. “C’mon, princesses. Let’s go!”

The four of us weaved our way through the crowded main hall and bolted down the front steps. Tara wasn’t kidding--the moon was rising still, yet already visible from the center of the pack. It was large, closer than normal, and its fullness allowed more light to shine down on our festivities.

Our packhouse was situated at the center of the pack, facing the short road that acted as a perimeter for our town square. While the square itself was an open plaza, the opposite side of the surrounding road was lined with shops and eateries, allowing our group multiple options for afternoon hangouts on our way home from school. Most of the shops were closed for the night, though a couple of the restaurants had stalls open inside the square. The omegas who weren’t watching the younger pups were assisting with the catering, carrying trays with a variety of finger foods.

Callisto gasped and stopped by one omega, halting our procession as he swiped a few white and yellow balls off the tray. “Cheese balls! Hell yeah. Thanks, Leda!”

Leda giggled and offered the rest of us hors d'oeuvres. Tara turned her nose up at it, while Carina muttered a “No, thanks.” I, on the other hand, grabbed a few as well, thanking her before stuffing the chewy treat into my mouth. I was so busy getting sucked into my story, I actually forgot to eat. I was so hungry that I went in for seconds, my hand colliding with Callisto’s.

“Hey! Either share or find your own tray!” He chastised me, a grin on his face. “The festival’s barely started, and you’re eating all the food!”

My face grew hot. “I skipped dinner!... And lunch.”

“Moon goddess, help us!” Tara huffed dramatically. “Rena, you can’t just skip meals! What were you doing all day, anyway?”

Carina rolled her eyes. “She was reading.”

Tara’s brow furrowed in disbelief. “All day? You walked around all day and read?”

“What? Who does that?” Callisto asked her. “This isn’t some human movie. She’s not walking through town with her face in a book, dodging people and livestock.”

“No, she sat in our room all day, reading,” Carina explained, ignoring Callisto. “When I came home a bit ago, she was in the exact same spot that I left her in! Who sits as still as a statue all day?”

“Better than running around like a chicken,” I grumbled, my mouth full of cheese.

Callisto snickered and palmed a few more cheese balls. If the girls heard me, they didn’t say anything about my comment and just gabbed about all the things they could get done in a day that weren’t reading. As we made to leave, Leda leaned down and whispered, “Miss Serena, Mister Callisto--Mrs. Perdita wanted me to tell you that she made extras of all the snacks. We always bring out a second wave after the first shifters start returning, but she had us make a third round just in case.”

Callisto and I gasped. Perdita was the head omega, always found in the kitchen and was my mother’s go-to food encyclopedia whenever she wanted a recipe. She was the sweetest old wolf, and I knew that no matter what happened tonight, I definitely owed her a hug when I returned to the packhouse.

“Thanks Leda! We’ll see you later!” We told her, waving as we walked away. Callisto and I stopped a few more omegas on our way to the stage, much to the chagrin of my sister and our friend, tasting goodies here and there and telling one another what foods we wanted to see next year.

By the time we reached the stage at the far-side of the square, the full moon was high above us, shining down on the assembly. Beta Dione was the first to see us, his lips upturned as we approached.

“Good to finally see you kids,” he boomed, his playful tone counter-acting his hulking, intimidating mass. As my father’s second in command, Beta Dione was one of our best warriors, and he paired newly shifted wolves with a warrior trainer and a training schedule. His mate, Estelle, hugged his bulky arm, chortling at his macho display.

“My love, can’t you see the pups were famished?” she teased, winking at me. My face felt hot, and I’m sure my ears were pink from how flustered I was. I’m only hungry because I haven’t eaten all day. What’s the big deal?

Gamma Ophelia came forward and fussed over Tara’s appearance while Tarak, the gamma’s mate, frowned at his daughter’s outfit. “Why’s your neck exposed? It’s winter! And why is your skirt above the knee?”

Tara scowled at her father. “Pita, what century do you think we live in? I’m old enough to choose what I wear!”

“Sutara…” He said, his tone rising in warning as he called her by her whole first name.

Tara turned to her mother, her hands clenched together as if in prayer. “Mom! Tell him, please!”

Gamma Ophelia shot her mate a look; both of their eyes glazed over as the gamma pair duked it out via mindlink, before Tarak finally sighed, caving. “Fine, fine… But you are shifting behind a sheet with the other underage shifters.”

“Of course! Thank you, Pita!” she gushed, throwing her arms around her father’s neck. He chuckled and returned her embrace, a gentle smile on his face. Her older brother approached just as the two of them parted.

“Finally! What took you kids so long?” he all but shouted, scowling at us. “Don’t you guys have any sense of time or responsibility?”

I didn’t bother hiding my annoyance as I scowled back. “You’re only sixteen, Ravi. Don’t act like you’re old and wise just because you have a wolf now.”

The beta and gamma pairs laughed quietly, amused by our back and forth. Ravi’s already warm complexion darkened as his earthy eyes honed in on me. “Don’t act all uppity just ‘cause you’re the alpha’s brat.”

I gritted my teeth and stepped forward, but Carina grabbed my arm, holding me back. Don’t! Ravi is the best warrior in his age group, and you don’t have a wolf. You wouldn’t stand a chance!

Before our encounter could escalate, a familiar voice asked, “What’s going on here?”

Carina’s fear spiked, matching my rising aggravation. Alpha Rigel.