Whispers From the Moon (Complete - Editing)

Chapter 2

Six months later...

"Aaaargh!!" The female lunged at me, her claws and teeth extended as was customary in one on one sparring. With surprising agility, I ducked to the side whilst simultaneously sweeping my leg round. I swiped her feet out from under her and she crashed to the ground. In the blink of an eye, I was straddling her, my legs pinning her arms to her sides with my hand wrapped around her neck.

"Well done, Nyra. Five opponents today and you remain unbeaten." My instructor, James, nodded approvingly as I got to my feet and helped her up.
"Well done..?" I held my hand out to her.
"Becca." She smiled and shook my hand firmly. Her honey blond hair had fallen out of her bun during the fight and now reached halfway down her back. Warm amber eyes, wolf eyes, twinkled brightly when she smiled.

Thats where I was different. Everyone in the pack had wolf eyes, gold, silver, amber, but I had green. Depending on my mood, they could go from a dark, shadowy forest to as bright as the fresh spring grass. But my point was, I was abnormal, a freak; and that was only backed up by my uncanny strength and agility. And there was my looks. Werewolf females were naturally beautiful: Flawless skin, silky hair and perfect bodies.

And there I was. Sure I was tanned and in excellent shape, but that's where it ended. My dirty blond hair refused to grow past my shoulders and hung in greasy strands around my face most of the time. By werewolf standards, I was way below average, I was ugly.

"Hey! Nyra!" I was pulled from my thoughts by Chris, he was basically the brother I'd never had. His eyes were gold dotted with silver flecks that danced in the sunlight. His hair was a dirty blond, like mine, but he made it look good.
"Hey Chris!" I made my way up to him and he wrapped me in a bear hug.
"You continue like this and you'll be training with the males soon." He chuckled and I smiled.
"Come on, we need to get ready for the party. It's four hours till my Birth Hour." I reminded him. The hour a werewolf turned 19 was know as their Birth Hour. This was because when they turned 19 they would be able to find their mate, their other half. It could take anything from three seconds to three years to find your mate, which was why packs had monthly gatherings to see if any wolves could find their mates.

An hour later, I examined myself in the mirror. I wore a simple dress that fell just above my knees. It was different shades of blue and turquoise that faded into each other, making it seem like a rippling pool of water when I moved. I wore a pair of black flats because I couldn't walk two steps in high heels. My hair was freshly washed and blow dried and hung loose around my face. As usual, I wore no makeup.
"Nyra! Hurry up!" Chris called from the hallway.
"Coming!" Chris's parents were the Gammas, the third in command of the pack and they had basically took me in as their own when I was a terrified young wolf, newly shifted with no clue what was going on.
"At this rate we're going to miss our own Birth Hour party." Trinity remarked sarcastically. I smirked and looked myself over once more just to annoy her before heading downstairs.

Chris was standing by the door in a crisp suit, but his hair was tousled as always, giving him a boyish appearance.
"Finally ready to go?" He grinned and offered me his arm. Smiling brightly, I took it and we set off for the party.

There were several gazebos set up in the field beside the lake, with fairy-lights hanging left right and centre. The smell of barbecue filled the air.
"There'd better be pork chops," I murmured to myself. Chris overhead and chuckled to himself quietly. I blushed and looked away, embarrassed, but before he could make a comment, we arrived at the party.

Alpha Thorn greeted us, his features as blank as always. He was here to see if he could find his mate, the future Luna of the Blue Moon Pack.
"Alpha Thorn." I nodded respectfully.
"Nyra." He acknowledged me with a dip of his head. We entered and soon Chris ditched me for some of his friends. I wandered around, chatting with a few wolves, but mostly feeling anxious about my rapidly approaching Birth Hour.

And finally it came, I froze as a wave of heat washed over me, obliterating and drowning out all other sensations for what felt like an eternity before fading. I stood there, waiting for something to happen. Several wolves were watching me expectantly.

Then I felt it, a tingling sensation crawling up my spine. I shivered, searching for the source. Finally, my gaze landed on Alpha Thorn. The instant our gazes met, my heart leapt in my chest and Trinity yipped happily. Just as he began to make his way towards me, someone grabbed my hand. Tingles erupted from their touch. I whipped round and found myself face to face with Chris.
"Mine." He growled possessively.

Suddenly, we were ripped apart by none other than Alpha Thorn.
"Get your hands off of my mate!" He snarled at Chris.
"She's my mate!" Chris snarled back just as aggressively.
"Actually, she's mine." A horrifyingly familiar voice sounded behind me. I whirled round to face the man of my nightmares. The Texan drawl was unmistakable. And from the dominance radiating off of him, I knew he was an Alpha.

By now, every wolf at the party had gathered to see what was going on. There I stood, between three possessive wolves, two of which were Alphas claiming that I was their mate. Trinity whimpered uncertainly, clearly as confused as I was.
"H-How?" My voice was barely above a whisper, but all three heard and Chris and Alpha Thorn's expressions softened. The Texan just gazed at me coldly. Tears of fear and confusion slipped down my cheeks. All I wanted was a mate, my second half, and now, even though they stood before me, I couldn't have them.

I could tell that Alpha Thorn and Chris were hurting seeing me like this, but whenever one made a move to comfort me, the other two stopped them. In the end, it was Becca who finally came to my aid. She wrapped her arms around me, ignoring the glares and growls from my mates as I sobbed into her shoulder. I could feel my heart being torn three ways the longer they stood there and watched.

"I-I need to get away." I rasped, already beginning to shift. A ring of females formed around me, protecting me from my supposed mates.
"Go, Nyra. We'll sort things out here." I nodded at Becca before bounding away into the forest. Each step hurt more and more, like my soul was being torn apart.

When the pain became almost too much to bear, I stopped in a moonlit clearing. Then, I did something I'd never done before. I sat down, lifted my face to the moon, and howled. It was a raw, gut-wrenching howl full of pain and fear and heartache. When it finally ended, I curled up in a hollow in the roots of a tree and fell asleep.