Project Hybrid

Version 3 | Chapter 1: Mating Day

BARRELS OF FOREST FOLIAGE grazed the bottom of my paws. The gentle breeze left my thick, white fur billowing. My pulse raced against my chest, echoing like the fast rhythm of a drum. 

The sun flickered through the canopy of leaves at the top of the forest. Birds sang above, soprano enough to make my ears twitch. In the background, I heard the sound of foliage crunching, and it echoed in a sequence like a choir. 

Then, a chorus of howls scared sent the birds flying out of the forest. I raised my snout to the sky and joined the group. It's the last day of school. 

As the air of early June filled my lungs, relief swelled against every cell inside me. I wanted to howl for joy. When the final bell hollered through every inch of the academy, I would no longer be a student at Howl Falls High. At midnight, we graduates would become full-fledged members of Howl Falls.   

The moment didn't last long. Before I could soak in the joy of the moment, the crunching of foliage drew closer and closer. The sound then disappeared. I could feel the warmth of someone's breath against my neck. A voice gently navigated through every cell of my brain: Happy Mating Day. 

My gaze shifted to the side. There Rylan Castilla, with his sun-stricken eyes, watched me. His tawny-brown fur danced in the air. 

I pried my eyes away as years of upbringing screamed to not let others onto my infraction. According to the Elder Scrolls, romantic affection towards someone who isn't your mate is prohibited. To break the commandments would mean harsh punishment. To break the rules with the future Alpha was a suicide mission.

There was something fearful about having the pack deem you a rogue and banish you out of the pack. No one wanted to end up like Wynne Gayoso. No one. 

Even saying her name could've ended with the bad omen of crows following us with their beady eyes. Before the incident, we all knew her as the perfect schoolgirl. White blouses. Plaid ties. Black pencil skirts. Then, one day she came to school as an unrecognizable person. A white crop top accentuated her bust. A plaid miniskirt sat on her waist, barely concealing her hips. Fishnet leggings painted her legs. 

That night, the Elders, on their late-night patrol of the town, found the wiry beauty entangled with a chalky white stranger against a tree. This happened to violate another rule of the Elder Scrolls: no consorting with the cold ones. They were the enemies. 

So, her father, Seff, slapped both her and her notorious seducer. Then, he scratched the shoulder of the cold one and sent the shame of a daughter outside the protective boundaries of Howl Falls. 

I glanced at the forest floor strewn with foliage. My tail rested between my legs. May the Moon Goddess have mercy on you. 

You, too. When I glanced up, Rylan appeared yards ahead of me, his legs shifting up and down. The leaves crunched under his paws. His long tail swayed in the green hues of the forest.