Alpha's Last Howl

3. The Tour Guide

Nessa’s family were the betas of the pack, which meant her life was better than the omegas and less stressful than the alphas. When Nessa was young, her grandma would tell her tales of when she was young--of how the pack lived together in one place, a big pack house. The harmony and peace that existed, but she would also soon shift to talks of fights and bloodshed and that was Nessa’s cue to pretend she had fallen asleep. Her grandma did not like how the modern world had changed the ways of how packs worked, even though the Silver Crescents never failed to celebrate their pack event every month. They would gather in the holy temple of the luna, sing and eat together, as discreetly as possible.

The sun was high up in the sky, blazing down at Nessa. It was a good day, she tried to convince herself, pretending to think that the incident in the classroom never happened. The waves rose high and crashed on to the irregular rock bed and sandy shores. The sight made her want to draw out her surfboard and spend hours in the sea. But that was barely something she could do that evening.

The Martins ran a small hotel business in the island of Bellpond, providing lodging facilities to the tourists. It was not only an efficient way to blend in but it also provided a good source of income for them since the island had too many eye-catching spots. The seafood was served hot and delicious in the restaurants and the locals sold items made from seashells along the shore.

Nessa marched into the hotel longue, turning the ring of the surfboard keychain around her index finger as her eyes swept across the place in search of her mother. The hotel wasn’t grand, but to her, it was beautiful and more like a second home. She knew the staff well that consisted of betas, omegas and humans.

“There she is!” A familiar voice called across the room. Nessa recognised immediately who it belonged to. She took quick, large strides and halted right beside her mother, garbed in a flower patterned dress, her cheeks flushed in the bright lighting.

“Sorry, had an extra class,” She passed a quick lie, enhancing it with a shrug. Her mother pursed her lips and waved a hand at her before she left to caress her garden roses placed in the vase at the reception.

The group was waiting for her at the door, a small one—two boys and two girls; none much older than she was.

Nessa approached them with a wide, warm smile.

"Hello, I'm Vanessa. You may call me Nessa. I'm your tour guide this evening,” she said confidently. As much as she would like to be doing something else, Nessa liked meeting new people, especially those that didn't live here.

The tallest guy in the group was first to introduce himself. "I'm Cole," He greeted her with a handshake, a glint of mischief in his dark eyes. Nessa's smile widened. "This is Carol, my sister and Megan and Dan, our friends."

"Welcome to Bellpond, all of you," She said with a cheerful tone and began leading the way out.

Cole began, stepping beside her as they reached the exit, "I had no idea this beautiful place existed. You live here?"

"Yes, I'm the daughter of the hotel manager," Nessa said and his eyebrows inched closer.

"Oh, well, it was obvious from the glare she gave you. You're in high school?" He questioned, lifting a corner of his mouth. As they stepped out into the sun, his blonde hair glowed golden and his cheeks gained some colour.

"Junior year, yes. What about you guys?"

"Graduated high school a year ago. On the move for now."

"Interesting…" She commented, not really feeling the conversation like the usual times. Jordan's handsome face popped into her mind and she sighed.

"More people should know about this place," Cole said, his eyes watching the shoreline, then darted to fix on Nessa's face. "It's really beautiful."

"Ah, thank you," She managed, now turning the keychain around her pinky finger, her eyes glued to the sand under her feet. "Actually, it's the off season. The island is very crowded otherwise."

She turned her head and Cole smiled at her and then snickered, looking away.

"What?" She asked, feeling her lips widening.

"Nothing," He assured her, shaking his head.

Nessa halted and looked behind at the three watching them with odd expressions. "So, you guys wanna sightsee today or try some fun activities?"

"What fun activities?" Carol spoke for the first time and from the way she sounded, she seemed to be imitating Nessa's voice. The beta let it slip, nodding her head at the blonde girl with a tanned body.

"Snorkeling, swimming, er–shopping from the stalls. Or surfboarding, my favorite?"

Carol frowned at her while Dan and Meghan looked at each other.

"Wait, you know how to do that? Surfing?" Cole asked, his eyes wide as saucers.

Nessa nodded at him.

"That's cool. I'm scared of water, actually."

"Really? Well, then we should go visit some good places. You can try to get rid of your fears tomorrow," She winked at him and began walking again. The tourists followed behind closely.

By the time they were done, the sun was long hidden under the horizon. The skies were lined by clouds of shades of pastel pink and blues and Nessa found a few stars twinkling overhead.

"My legs hurt," Carol complained to her brother who only rolled his eyes. They were at a local stall. Megan was trying out necklaces made from seashells while Dan was taking pictures of her.

Cole leaned against a wall engaged in a deep conversation with Nessa about the tales associated with Bellpond.

"That's not really possible!" Nessa held a hand over her flat stomach and laughed at his words. "You won't find any werewolves jumping out at you if you walk through the woods."

"But I've heard so much. It's fascinating. The very reason why I wanted to visit this place, not because of the beaches and the water sports," He shrugged at her. His dark eyes watched as the waves rose and fell along the dark sandy floors. The half-moon overhead glimmered its light on the water, giving them a silver glow.

Her eyes instinctively swept from his face and moved to Meghan, clad in seashells only to get stuck on a figure approaching from a distance. It was only a silhouette but as the person moved forward, the moonlight illuminated his face.

Jordan.

Nessa felt her body tensing, her mind recollecting what had happened that morning. Her feet grew restless and she struggled to keep her eyes away from him. Jordan was walking with his eyes lowered to the sand, occasionally kicking a handful of it as he walked leisurely, his eyes drifting between the sea and the sand.

She was sure Cole had noticed the change in her but he did not make any comment. His eyes even watched Jordan as he walked past them, but made himself discreet.

"There's a temple here, I've heard. Of the moon goddess?" She heard him ask all of a sudden and silently appreciated his attempt at distracting her mind.

"Yes, but it's deep in the woods. You want to see it?"

Cole sighed at her, running his hand through his golden blonde mane. "What if a werewolf attacks us?"

She patted his shoulders, holding back a laugh. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."