CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED

Chapter 5

It was a long drive to Luca's packhouse and I fell asleep for most of it.

I'll just ask him the address later. I'd be in a lot of trouble if I couldn't find it later.

I wake up to the feeling of Luca lightly nudging me. He'd already freed me of the seat belt and was patiently waiting for me to wake up.

"It's been ten minutes since I've been trying. Didn't realize I was mated to Snorlax." He grinned and stepped out of the car.

I got out of the car drowsily and stretched. I caught Luca watching me with a small smile on his face.

"What is it?" I blushed.

"Nothing. That was just such an unflattering angle." He laughed.

I frowned at him and went to stand beside him to look at the scene in front of me. We were standing in a cul-de-sac with a row of four houses on either side of the street with people streaming in and out, walking freely into each other's houses as if they were all related to each other.

Luca entwined our fingers and I looked up at him.

"Luca I'm a little nervous. I don't know much about werewolves. I REALLY want this to go well. It's my first impression as their luna."

"It'll be fine. Keep your head held up high. Stay confident. Just show them your real self. They'll love you. We'll figure this out Ember. We're in this together." He rubbed circles on the back of my palm and led me to the house at the end of the cul-de-sac. It had one story more than the rest of them.

"Why is there an extra floor Luca?" I asked.

The layout of the houses was in a grid, with a lush lawn out front and rows of trees behind the houses. The greenery seemed to close the houses away from the rest of the block, except the entrance of the street that led to the city.

"This is the alpha's house. We have an extra floor that serves as my office and also as an assembly hall for pack meetings."

With my hand still held in his, Luca walked me into the packhouse. I was more packed than I expected, with people of all ages bustling about.

"We have eight families living on the same street as us and a few more around the town. All pack members are allowed to hang out at the alpha's house, they can even stay if they want to."

I nodded my head, looking around the house from my position. Everyone seemed lively and energetic, although there were also a couple of teenagers sitting in different corners with their noses buried in novels or their phones.

I hear a clambering of feet on the stair right beside the door and see an attractive guy with a face that was almost like Luca's. His jaw was a little offset and his hair shorter than Luca's, but they had the same dark grey eyes. He looked me up and down as he descended and came to stand by us.

"Hey! I'm Nicoli. Luca's twin." He smiled politely at me, yet seemed a little weary.

"Hey. Ember Zane." I extend my arm towards him.

"Luna." He says, nodding his head at me.

"Alright Nic, as I mentioned we have some important work to do. So let's head to the office. Come on Ember." Luca heads up the stairs and I follow him, Nic trailing behind us.

Luca and I settle down on a comfortable grey couch and Nic pulls up a chair to sit in front of us.

"So basically, we need to locate Ember's pack. It's essential so they know they have an alive leader, as well as to identify which pack we'll be merging with."

At this, Luca gives Nic a meaningful look.

"Am I missing something?" I ask.

"We'll get to that in a bit. But for now, tell us everything your grandmother has told you about your pack." Luca encourages.

"Yes. Leave out no details Ember. It'll help us find your pack much faster. Is there anything of hers that you might have at home? Letters of correspondence? Maps? Trinkets with strange symbols?" Nic pressed.

"Well, there isn't much she's told me. All I know is that she mentioned some "great destiny" that I'd have after I found your pack. The Bloodmoon pack. Now that I've met Luca, I think she knew he was my mate. Although I'm not sure how..."

Luca and Nic both sat up straight and moved closer to the edge of their seats.

"Okay, Ember...Is there anything more?" Luca asked.

"Um... she only said this one thing about how only the women of our pack can protect the family...It was something she mentioned in passing... On the phone. Not sure what that was about."

Luca and Nic give a whoop of joy and high five each other.

"GUYS, WHAT'S GOING ON?" I exclaimed.

"Okay, Ember. We need to tell you something. So there's this curse an-"

"Hey guys, the pizza is here!" A handsome guy with blond hair barged into the room.

He had beautiful greenish eyes and I couldn't help staring at him. He had a very boyish face.

"Oh. Am I interrupting something?" He grinned shyly.

"No. Come in Cal. Cal is our delta." Luca said.

"And my mate," Nic said.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Suspense is real.

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