Luna Rising

ONE

Present-day...

"Lippy? Lippy!"

I open my eyes wide to see his glistening pale blue eyes of Camila seeing face to face.

Pushing my head back from her surprise, I sigh and brush a strain of my raven hair back. I fold my arms over the table as I rest my head on it. "What is it, Camila?"

"Are you okay?" She asks.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit tired," rubbing my face and yawned. "Why?"

"Just making sure because you didn't answer my call like ten minutes ago?"

I lift my head and rub my face again.

"You've been dozing off lately," she sat on the chair across from me. "Last night, did something happened during the patrol?"

Squeezing my face between my arms, I let out another sigh.

Last night was the demon twins patrolling the forest, hunting down ferals and me.

Ferals are monsters that lurk in the forest and come out at night. They are victims of those who get close to the mysterious miasma that appeared two months after leaving the pack.

Glad I won't turn that way, knowing I'm wolfless and I broke up with that prick a year ago.

I had hoped I wouldn't see any of the Blue Moon members, but last night I did.

His name was Wallace, Leah's brother. One year younger than me and hated my existence for making his sister's life miserable. I recognized him behind all his body decaying from the miasma. He has turned into an absolute beast with no emotions or humanity left in him. I tried calling out his name and had asked him if he recognized me. His response was to attack first and kill me soon. If only there were a way to save him; consuming the miasma goes to your heart and brain. It's too late.

I did what any feral exterminator does. With the black-blue flames, I've learned I could do burned Wallace and the other ferals as they engulfed in flames. It was to ease their pain and suffering. It was too late to save them.

It saddens me that I had to kill him, but if I were to stop him, I would, but he is no longer sane. Since the miasma controls your life force, you are dead the second you are contacted with it. The area of the black fog covered most of the forest. Luckily, it's in the swamp region. But what the hell is Wallace doing there?

I need some answers, and the first step is to trace back to the one place I hate to go.

I groan.

"No, nothing," I lie, not wanting to bring up the subject about my life in the Blue Moon Pack. Camila and Takkar are the only ones who don't know I was in a pack. "Tonight, I'm taking the twins with me. You, Takkar, and Shadow stay here."

"Oh, why can't I go?" She whines. "I'm getting the hang of killing them thanks to your special fire." Camila held up a dagger that I had made with my magic as it had my black-blue flames embedded in it strong enough to kill a feral.

"I understand you wanted to use the feral as combat practice in human form, but you can't do that forever, or else you might forget how to shift."

"I won't forget," Camila protest and push a strain of her dark brown short hair behind her ear. "I was born in the Amazon, and we were trained not to forget who we are."

I like her enthusiasm and smile.

I met Camila around the same time the miasma appeared. I was on an expedition with Saye and Arlo, twin demons who I had unleashed from their slumber.