The Path of the Moon

Introduction

Jason...

The crunch of the leaves under my paws and the smell of my prey a few yards ahead of me was invigorating. I had been tracking the buck for the past two hours. His scent filled my nose. I could see his rhythmic pulse through the arteries in his neck. Their rising and falling gave his fear away. He knew i was near.  

I felt my muscles tighten as I leapt from the brush and dug my claws into the buck's back. My jaws instinctively inclosed around his throat. My teeth sank into his flesh, severing the buck's artery and ending his life. I tasted his blood in my mouth and howled, letting the pack know their future alpha had ended his first solitary hunt in success.  

"Congratulations Jason" said a low voice out if the darkness. The voice of my father echoed in my mind. Why did he follow me?  

"thank you Alpha" he laughed and licked my cheek 

"Jason you can call me dad every once in a while. I am your father first and your pack leader second. Congratulations, you have taken the first step towards your coronation as the Alpha of our pack. The Black Dawns could not wish for a more worthy leader."  

I wagged my tail. It always pleased me to hear my father talk about my coronation. This was the first step in the long process. Although there was only two steps there still was a long journey ahead of me. The next step was going to take a while. I had to find a mate. A person to share the position of Alpha with me. my father found my mom two years after completing his first kill. the realization of this fact made me sad and i lowered my ears and tail. my father noticed this.  

"You'll find her Jason. I know you don't think so, but you will. She will come to you. The spirits gave me your mother, and i am positive they will lead you to your mate." with those words he turned towards the pack house.  

"Dad, can we stay here just one more day?"

"Jason, you cannot run from your human life forever. You have been out here for two months. This is your last year of high school, and i wont have you starting a day late." and with that note, we started towards the pack house.  

It was true, school was starting Monday. We would be going back to our house right outside of Birmingham, Alabama in the morning, and the next day I would be back in the prison know as high school. I was going to miss these night time runs. The cool summer night air whistling through my black fur. The shimmer of the moon in my eyes and the smell of Alabama pine in my nose. It wasn't safe to shift near people. To much risk of exposure. Dad aways reminded us of the fact that we were regarded as myth in the human's eyes, and we needed to stay that way if we wanted to survive. The last time a wolf was exposed in the streets of Paris, my entire spices was almost whipped off the earth. Now we hide in plain sight. We live amongst the humans, but we remain hidden.  

To my human friends, i was knows as Jason Smith, the son of the cardiologist, Dr. Smith. I played football in order to keep my legs in working order, but running up and down a field was nothing compared to the open air of the forest that surrounded the pack house. Here there was no fear of being seen by humans. We were 50 miles from the nearest town. Here, we could run in packs, hunt, howl, and be our selves all we wanted.  

*****

As we neared the pack house, i saw Brent and Andie running from the woods with their dad, Jack, dad's beta. They were my best friends. We were inseparable. The twins had blonde hair and sky blue eyes. The eyes came from their father. And the blonde hair from their deceased mother, Caroline. Brent was my height at around 5' 7" and Andie was a meager 5' 2".  

"You ready to go back to our asphalt paved prison tomorrow Brent?" I called to him. 

"HELL NO"they replied in unison. 

All three of us went to the same high school. Brent even played on the same football team. The coaches always wondered why we were so in sink. They didn't know that we were basically brothers. He was to become my Beta. The only wolf of my pack that could lead in my absence. We knew everything about each other. We knew what the other was going to do before they even thought about doing it. We were literally the same person.  

"We're still going to go by Starbucks on the way right?"Andie said as she jumped on my back.  

"Yes, we are still going to star bucks." God I swear she is addicted to that place. These past few weeks without her hit from the green fish goddess was killing her.  

"They always relapse when given the chance." Brent chimed in. He loved teasing his sister about her fondness for coffee.  

We all laughed and agreed to drive back tomorrow together so we could discuss the plans for our senior year. i said good night to them both before returning to my family's room.  

I opened the door to see my mom weeping on the couch with my father consoling her.  

"Hellen it will be ok, this is something to celebrate." 

"My baby is growing up. He's going to leave me soon." She dove into my arms and hugged me with strength only a she wolf could posses.  

"Mom it's ok. I'm not going anywhere." I said consoling her. My mom always reacted this way when the topic of my coronation came up. She insisted that Andie was my mate after we dated for a while. She still insist it even though it has been almost 5 months since we broke it off. Andie was great but she never really could make me happy. i mean she was a friend, but she couldn't satisfy my need for a companion nor could she make me absolutely lust filled. i mean sure she was hot, but i just couldn't lose myself with her. Sex with her was just simply that sex. Not the passionate love making that two mated wolves would enjoy. Mating was another question with me. Most of my older friends had found their mate in the pack and were already with cubs. Even Brent had found his this summer. Charlotte was a slinky, slim grey furred wolf with blue eyes. Her human form was no less striking. She was truly Beta material, HOT AS FUCK and sassy.  

I pushed my mom off and handed her to my dad. I was dead tired and wanted to sleep. i kissed mom goodnight and gave my dad a quick hug. I snuggled up to my pillow, with my black hair draped over my face. When am i going to find my mate? What will she look like? i toiled with these questions as I drifted off to sleep.