Wolf (Werewolf Story - On Hold)

Chp 1

Freedom Darnet (Picture above):

My name is Freedom Darnet of the Dawn-Riser Pack based in Yosemite, CA. The wolves in our pack either loved or hated my family. My parents, Farah Willow and Ralf Ferno Darnet, grew up together in the same pack. By the time they shifted they were in love, hoping they would be each other's mates. You see, you couldn't find your mate until your wolf was born. They spent years struggling to stay apart, but seeing each other in the pack house every day didn't help. Since neither had found their mate, they came to a decision that would finally let them be together. They got the local shaman to perform the Azfydic. The Azfydic was a ceremony that breaks the mate bond. This was usually performed when an Alpha's Luna passed away. The separation from the mate caused by death is the most unbearable; many have wasted away and taken their own life as a result. Alphas need to lead and we couldn't have them be mentally unstable. My parent's tore the bonds with their mate, hoping to save everyone the pain of broken heart. Their decision was seen as romantic by some but others saw it as rejecting the goddess's gift. My father is the Beta of the pack, and a very good one at that, which is what saved us from being exiled. To make matters worse my birth wasn't the most welcome.

When a baby is born, the goddess names the baby in a ceremony called the Nomiato. You take the baby to the shaman's sanctuary and leave the baby for the night. The goddess graces the newborn with her presence. It is believed that she looks over the child finalizing who the child is to be and with whom. The goddess would leave either an object or a script in the room which would suggest a name for the baby. As per tradition, on the 10th day after my birth, my parents left me in the sanctuary for the Nomiato. In the morning they found nothing but a piece of paper with no script. The goddess had visited me and not named me. When my mother was born, the goddess had left a Willow flower, and for my dad there was a Fern leaf. For me, there was nothing! The whole pack confirmed what they had believed; that the goddess had turned her back on us. My mother, however claims that the goddess did leave a message, a blank note, hence my name was Freedom. She chose to make it my first name instead of a middle like most others did.

Worst of all, any hope I had left in the goddess was fading away. I turned 18 two months ago and still no sign of my wolf. I had once wanted to be a warrior in the pack, but I was now choosing to be a healer. Even if I never shifted, at least I can learn about the werewolf anatomy and treat injures.

Here I am staring at the mirror hoping to catch a glint or glisten in my eye of a wolf that probably doesn't exist. Dull brown eyes stared back at me replying for the millionth time 'nope no wolf here'. I undid my braid releasing my unruly black hair, grabbed the stack of clothes before heading out to meet my friends. It was nearly 10 and I knew my friends would be coming back from their run. As I placed each of their clothes behind a tree, Marc, the Alpha's brother shifted back to his human form. I turned to walk towards him but myself tripping on the earth as I realized he had chosen to wear only pants. Instead of heading toward him, I decided to steady myself on the swing in the porch He sat on the seat next to me, pulling me closer to his naked torso. "You always smell so good Ree, I really wish you could have ran with us. We saw a family of foxes and their cute little cubs," he nuzzled his face into my hair. Marc was a good friend but in the past 6 months, he had shifted for the first time, started to look really good, and was getting more personal. I still wasn't used to seeing him shirtless, let alone having to stop my mind from wandering into dirty perversions. Before I could respond to him, Asher, Olivia, and Nyra had arrived quickly changing into their clothes. Marc pulled his face away from my hair but let his arms drape across my shoulder. He also bought up his other arm inviting Olivia to sit on the other side of him. I got up and hugged Nyra using her as my excuse to leave his side.

"What was that for?" She asked giggling at my sudden need for physical contact.

"More importantly, why no hug for me?" Asher pretended to have heart ache. I wrapped him under my free arm for a hug as well.

"Do I need an excuse to be friendly?" I laughed at them both hoping Nyra wouldn't catch on. Nyra was my best friend and the first person to accept me for who I was. She looked past the identity I had because of my parents. She was also too smart and could read me like a menu, all recipes included. As if on que, Ms. Genius made an excuse to pull me into the house."Is it Marc?" She asked cocking her head dramatically to one side causing her blonde hair to flip in the air. She had cut her hair short recently and was loving the lightness when she moved her head. We couldn't call her Rapunzel anymore.

"Um, yes...no, I don't know! I don't want to like him, but I think I do. What's worse is that he seems to be interested too, but then you saw what he did once Olivia came..." I let my shoulders droop thinking about how ridiculous I was being. I knew better than to like someone that wasn't my mate. I had to make up for what my parents did even though I do understand their side of things. The universe doesn't want change. I needed to forget and nip this feeling I had for Marc in the bud.

"But what if he likes you back?" His smooth voice traveled from where he was leaning in the door frame. I froze and it didn't help that Nyra froze with me too. Why'd I have to start liking Marc?