*Five days after the events of the previous chapter*

*5/3/90*

"From the looks of it, the deer passed through last night. The tracks are less clear, and the places where they nibbled the trees are brown instead of green, so it definitely wasn't more recent than that," Coraline said as she examined the deer path.

Ellora nodded. "Good. I won't have to teach you much about tracking."

"Many humans who live in small villages hunt to get extra food for those who can’t. We don't just fight monsters." As soon as those words left her mouth, Coraline quickly shut it. It was easy to forget that the nice girl who cared for her and tended to her wounds was one of the "monsters" she used to fight.

"I know it's hard to adjust," Ellora fought to ignore the ugly feeling that rose in her stomach at the mention of the word "monsters."

"It's just… you're nothing like what you're supposed to be."

"And what are we supposed to be like?" Ellora asked though she already knew the answer.

Coraline looked guiltily at the ground, aware of her mentor's sharp, green gaze. "Monsters. People who act like the Shadows. Unholy things that can't control their hunger for human flesh."

Ellora shook her head with a wry smile. "I'm sure that humans would taste quite awful." A thought occurred to her. "Coraline, have you ever met a werewolf who wasn't transformed then?"

Coraline paused, pondering the question before shaking her head. "No. Raids always happen at night. That's also when the werewolf hunts are."

"Really?" Ellora's brows furrowed. This was new information. "Why wouldn't werewolf hunts occur during the daytime when we're weaker?"

"It's so we can easily tell the difference and don't shoot one of our own by mistake," Coraline promptly replied, remembering her training.

But wouldn't you be able to tell who's who in the daylight?"

"I…" Coraline paused. "I guess that's true," she shrugged. "It's just how we were taught to hunt."

"You were taught to hunt us when we look the least like you," Ellora thought grimly. "It's easy to see us as beasts that way.” Out loud, she said: "Well, since you seem to understand tracking, I will show you the borders of our territory."

As they walked, Coraline rubbed her arm, where one of the bites was. Unlike other wounds, the bites on her left arm, left thigh, and right ankle left ugly red marks that would remain on her skin forever.

She couldn't help but notice that Ellora didn't have a single bite mark on her body. So, she was born a werewolf. Yet, for some reason, she was much kinder than the werewolves in the pack that had once been human. Coraline thought the latter category would be more understanding and welcoming of a newly bitten person. Instead, most of the pack gave her untrusting glares and didn't speak to her. Ellora, Bandit, and Scarlet were the only ones who were openly nice to her. She counted herself lucky to have any friends in the pack at all. She could have been left alone and afraid.

Every nerve seemed to be charged with lightning. Coraline couldn't tell if that was due to her new nature or her constant nervousness from being surrounded by her former enemies. Though Ellora assured her that the pack had accepted ex-Huntsmen before, she was still on edge. Also, she didn't like being referred to as an ex-Huntress. "I am a proud er… unlicensed Huntress of the Dead Rabbits clan," she told herself. "I just need to get mom away from Scar. Then, we can…”

They could what? Kill themselves heroically the way they were supposed to? Despite everything Coraline had been told, she wasn't sure she could do that. The thought of one of her friends killing her wasn't much better. She imagined Hunter holding his sword to her neck, eyes cold as he plunged the blade through. Coraline shuddered at the thought.

Ellora noticed Coraline's discomfort and paused. "Are you okay?”

"Huh?" Coraline jumped before nodding. "Y-Yeah. I'm just…just thinking," she placed her hand over the brand of a rabbit head with XX's eyes above her heart. Her clan's symbol was the last thing connecting her to them.

"You miss your home?" When Coraline nodded, Ellora touched her shoulder. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but this can become your home in time. A pack is like a large family," complete with several dysfunctional relationships, she added silently.

Just that morning, Lightning snidely asked if Ellora was training her future second-in-command. When she didn’t respond, he kept harping on her. She knew she had the right to use her alpha powers to force the beta wolf into silence. She knew that was what he wanted. Lightning is always doing Ember's dirty work.

"I guess that would be fine if I could tell everyone I'm okay," Coraline gripped her bitten arm. "I don't get it. I don't feel too different from how I was before. I don't feel unholy or evil or anything. Then again, maybe I'm not supposed to notice."

"There is nothing inherently evil about werewolves," Ellora explained patiently for what was probably the hundredth time. "We are people first. It just so happens that our powers come from an evil source."

"Shadows," Coraline muttered.

"That's right. However, the source isn't important. What matters is what we do with our abilities.” When Coraline didn't say anything, Ellora continued. "In a way, isn't it extraordinary that we can draw goodness from something like the Shadows?"

Coraline looked at Ellora again. She wanted to agree. She opened her mouth to respond but closed it again without uttering a word.

Ellora sighed, deciding not to press any further. "She won't change the beliefs she's held throughout her life overnight," she reminded herself. "If she didn't need me to help her mother, she likely would have run away at the first opportunity. Still, she's not the first human to be turned. There's time for her to understand."

Putting aside talk of religion and morals, the young alpha wolf focused on showing her new charge the borders. Besides the mountain base that held most of the dens, there was also an expanse of forest to the south, ending a few miles away from Castell Henllys. To the west was a rocky area that didn't hold much but was still marked to make their territory seem bigger. To the east was a vast field that could hold Shadows or deer, depending on the day. Today, it held Shadows.

Coraline's fingers itched with the urge to draw a weapon she did not have. The pack shunned regular weapons, electing to create simple tools from bone and rock. Stones, or Crystals as werewolves liked to call them, were forbidden due to their poisonous nature to werewolves. Being unarmed in this land made Coraline even more on edge. It was well-known that despite her skill with a knife, she was practically useless without some kind of weapon.

"At least I'll be able to fight with claws as a wolf," she quickly beat down the thought. That was the complete opposite of what she was supposed to think!

"Um, is it okay to be this close?" she asked.

"Yes. Just keep your emotions neutral," Ellora replied.

"I know that, but can't they smell us? We're upwind of them."

"They smell us, but they won't attack. We share their scent.” As soon as Ellora spoke, she realized she shouldn't have. She turned to Coraline in time to see her companion's stricken look.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"So, it's true… We are like the Shadows. Even the Shadows think so," Coraline stared at a nearby Teddy, a beast she would normally be running through with a Stone-tipped point. Now, she was walking near it as if she was just another Shadow. The Temples had been right. Maybe it was better to kill herself quickly and hope that her mother had done the same.

"Coraline!" Ellora hissed, moving back a few paces. Several pairs of red eyes turned in their direction. "Keep your emotions neutral!"

Coraline saw the Shadow's increased attention and quickly tried to reign in her thoughts. Part of her training as a Huntress included many lessons in meditation. One of the main methods involved putting one's thoughts into a metaphorical bubble and imagining the bubble floating away on a black lake. She had never been very good at it.

The nearest Teddy stood on its hind legs and roared. All the Shadows were looking in their direction now.

"Run!" Ellora shoved Coraline into the trees before following. The sound of crashing logs and breaking branches followed them closely. "Head for the dens!"

"What?! Are you crazy?! We can't lead them to-!"

"Trust me!" Ellora glanced over her shoulder only once during their retreat. The skull-like face and blazing eyes that pursued convinced her not to look back again. As they drew closer to the dens, she let out a wordless, piercing cry. Nearby, several voices answered. "Coraline, keep running."

As the cries of her packmates drew closer, Ellora stopped running and spun around to face the Shadows. Taking a deep breath, she locked eyes with the closest Bear and focused. She glared at the monster with a single-minded intensity that caused it to halt. It shook its head, growling in confusion but unable to look away.

Around her, Ellora could sense the other pack alphas gathering. Ember stood next to her, staring down three Hounds. The group glared at the Shadows with a single message: "Get out."

Slowly, the Shadows moved back. After a few more tense seconds, they turned around and retreated into the woods. The alphas continued staring at the darkness for a little while, just in case a straggler had any ideas. When Ember turned away, the others took it as a signal to relax. Ellora, however, remained tense as her leader turned to look at her.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ember asked coldly.

Ellora bowed her head submissively, not looking at Ember's eyes. So soon after using her powers, direct eye contact would be seen as a challenge. "I'm sorry," she didn't offer excuses. There was no point.

"I accepted this whelp because she's something Scar wants and could be helpful to us in the future," Ember growled. "If she turns out to be more dangerous than-"

"I understand. I take full responsibility for her. Please have mercy," Ellora begged, bowing her head even lower. She flinched when a warm hand touched the back of her neck.

"I will for now. Keep an eye on her when she has her first transformation."

"Yes, leader. Thank you," Ellora whispered, lifting her head only when she heard Ember walk away. As she straightened up, she noticed some beta wolves, mainly Lightening and Sage, smirking at her. She allowed her eyes to flash at them, feeling some satisfaction when they averted their gazes.

When she entered the den, she was greeted with a hug from Coraline. She stiffened in surprise. Just that morning, the small whelp had flinched whenever she got too close. Seeing her face down a Shadow should have been terrifying. "Coraline…?"

"I'm so sorry!" Coraline whimpered. "You got in trouble because of me! I can't believe I made such a stupid mistake! Are you okay?" Her arms tightened, and tears leaked from her eyes. She honestly thought that Ember was about to kill Ellora.

"I'm fine, Coraline," Ellora assured her, lifting her arms to hug back. Despite the situation, she smiled at the closeness of someone else. Werewolves were highly social animals, and Ellora didn't get hugged nearly as often as she would have liked. "At least it happened during the day, so she couldn't bite or claw me."

"She'd do that?" Coraline sniffled. "That's horrible."

"She's our leader. She has to keep order," Ellora gently stroked the younger girl's hair. "It's okay. That wasn't my first time being scolded; it won't be the last. It was my fault for taking you so close to the Shadows when your emotions were unstable." She nuzzled the top of Coraline's head, readily allowing her motherly instincts to take over. "Don't cry. It's okay," she reached for her brown cloak and wrapped it around Coraline, rubbing her back soothingly.

Coraline sniffed a few times, resting her head on Ellora's shoulder. In the back of her mind, she wondered what her friends would think of her crying over a werewolf. Reactions would probably range between angry exclamations concerning Coraline's stupidity and gentle pats on the head with fond smiles at how naïve and compassionate she was.

To distract herself from her battling thoughts, she asked: "So, what did you and the others do just now? How'd you make the Shadows leave?"

"Well," Ellora explained, loosening her grip on Coraline but not letting go. "All werewolves have some sort of ability relating to what kind of wolf they are. Alphas can make creatures submit to their will by staring at them. I used it on you when you first arrived."

Coraline frowned, remembering when she tried getting up despite her injuries, only to suddenly feel sapped of the will to move. "That seems like a dangerous power, especially for a leader. Couldn't they abuse it?"

"Even though a leader traditionally has the most powerful stare, enough alphas together could overpower them," Ellora explained. "And strong-willed creatures can if they fight hard enough. For the most part, it's used to keep order and as a last resort in conflicts because it’s mentally draining.”

"What can the other wolves do?"

"Well, betas have the best tracking abilities. They usually direct the hunts and create battle strategies. Omegas can sense emotions and calm others down with their presence."

"That sounds useful," Coraline thought about Ember's angry face and shuddered. Something told her it would take a thousand omega wolves to slightly affect the cold-eyed leader.

"Finally, there are lunar wolves, the rarest of all werewolves. They can temporarily transform during the day." Ellora explained.

"What determines what kind of wolf you are? What will I be?"

"For born werewolves, these things are usually inherited," Ellora explained. "Both of my parents were alphas, for example. For bitten wolves, it really depends on personality. We won't know until you transform for the first time."

Coraline tried to imagine what changing into a werewolf would be like. "Does it hurt?”

"In a way," Ellora murmured thoughtfully, closing her eyes as her mind drifted to the familiar sensation of transforming. "Though, it's a good kind of pain, like cracking your back or pulling a thorn out of your hand. The first time can be a bit jarring, but I'm sure you'll do just fine."

"Okay," Coraline realized that she had curled up in Ellora's lap throughout their conversation. The older girl's warm arms were wrapped snugly around her. For Coraline, it felt like she was a kid again, being comforted by Rose, Hunter, and even her father. More tears sprang to her eyes before she could stop them. Ever since her first day with the pack, she had been determined not to think of home. Thinking of what she had lost was too dangerous. She had to focus on her mom and her determination to get her back. She tried reining in her emotions, but her resolve shattered when Ellora tightened her hug and started making those soothing, animalistic, rumbling noises in her throat. The situation was so familiar and alien, like and unlike being held by her loved ones. She realized that she'd probably never see her clan ever again. Sobs shook her small body as she cuddled closer to Ellora. "I… I'm sorry," she murmured. "I just…I just…"

"I know," Ellora said, as she rubbed the young girl’s back slowly. "It's okay." Nothing else was said as she held her young charge in her arms. Even when Coraline calmed down, they stayed close, drawing comfort from the close presence of a friend and packmate.

~o0o~

Two nights later, Ellora and Coraline sat together at the spot where the dens stopped and the forest began. The rest of the pack was preparing for a hunt.

The small girl was shaking as she watched the sunset. Even Ellora's warm hugs and whispered reassurances did nothing to help. This was it. She would transform into the very thing she had been taught to fear all her life. If there was a moment for her soul to be doomed and her mind corrupted, this was it.

"The Maidens will understand, right?" she wondered. "I'm only still alive because I need to save Mom. Then, we'll… We'll…" Even now, she couldn't complete the thought. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she was making excuses and if she still would have allowed herself to live if Emma hadn't been a factor.

Ellora watched the sky, her skin already beginning to tingle with anticipation. Though the change was always exhilarating, it was particularly so on the full moon. She truly hoped that Coraline would finally get over her fears and flawed beliefs once she experienced it for the first time. It would be the first full moon in a long time, during which Ellora wouldn't be running with the pack. There was almost always a hunt on those nights. It would be quite liberating to run with only one other person.

Both women grew tense when the last traces of redness faded from the sky. Coraline's knuckles were white with how tightly she gripped Ellora's hands. Ellora's green eyes were fixed on the darkening sky and began to glow with the first signs of the change.

The moon was completely visible now, shining down on the world in an unbroken orb. Its light cast a white-silver glow over the trees, grass, and waiting werewolves, sapping them of their color and making them look like ghosts.

Coraline stared at the moon, her eyes widening as Its light was filling her in a way that the sun never had. It was like she was drawing it into her body through her eyes and hands, which were stretching skyward. Then, she felt the light turn into something more. A feeling akin to an electric shock traveled from her unblinking eyes and down her spine. Her toes dug into the ground hungrily as she tried to make herself taller. She reached for the moon, whining in the back of her throat.

As she stretched out, her fingers grew. Her nails extended and hardened. She felt her bones shifting and cracking and winced at the sensation. The moonlight was soaking into her skin now, tugging insistently at her, drawing out waves of thick fur. She groaned, cracking her back and extending her spine. As she did so, she felt a tail grow from her base. She shook her head, scratching irritably at her ears, which suddenly felt very itchy. They grew longer as she scratched, moving to the top of her head. She tilted her head back fully, trying to touch her face to the moon's too-distant brilliance. Her nose twitched, extending into a muzzle. She sniffed the air, mouth-watering as traces of deer blood, moonlight, and her fellow packmates filled her senses.

The shifting and cracking stopped, and she shook herself out, grunting a little with relief. The moon sent pulse after pulse of beautiful energy through her blood, and she couldn't get enough of it! She had to run!

The smells of the forest beckoned her, and she lunged forward, only to be stopped by a firm set of jaws closing on her scruff. She struggled, yipping in annoyance, but was silenced with a hard shake. Sensing the superior power of a stronger wolf, she let herself go limp and ears went flat against her skull.

When she was put down, she spun around to see a bright chestnut alpha she-wolf grinning at her, green eyes reflecting the moon's light. The name "Ellora" rose to mind before slowly fading again. Names aren't important right now. All that mattered was running. Coraline looked toward the forest, letting out a pleading whine.

Ellora let out an amused whuff. She had forgotten how enthusiastic whelps were during their first transformation. Sometimes, she envied how easily the younger, inexperienced wolves could slip into their animal forms, often forgetting things like names and thoughts. Ellora was too old and too practiced to lose control like that.

She took a moment to admire Coraline's wolf form. The younger wolf was a small, lithe, black creature with just the slightest touches of red around the shoulder, back, right eye, and paws. Her already beautiful baby-blue eyes were like miniature moons on her lupine face. She would blend in well on hunts and definitely had a fast build. Most importantly, she looked like she was finally ready to surrender to her new nature.

Ellora beckoned toward the trees, flicking an ear before running into the shadows. Coraline bounded after her, overtaking her. She barked sharply, calling her charge back to her side. She gave her a reproachful look, silently commanding her to stay close.

Coraline rolled her eyes but didn't dart ahead again. She instead focused on the dirt and bracken beneath her paws, moonlight in her fur, and the scent of prey. At that moment, she was the ruler of everything around her. Nothing dared challenge her!

Unable to resist, she stopped running, threw back her head, and let out a long, piercing howl that echoed through the trees for miles.