*The morning after the events of the previous chapter*

*5/6/90*

"She attacked you!"

"I was attacking her friend!"

“We shouldn't consider any of those beasts to be her friends, you idiot! It just goes to show how much her mind has been corrupted!"

"But what if she's still in there?"

"If that's the case, we should kill her now while her soul still can be saved!"

Hunter listened to Rose argue with everyone, nursing the beginning of what promised to be a horrible headache. He hadn't said much since the hunt and wasn't sure if he could think of anything coherent now. His entire world had been turned on its head, even more so than before. Coraline was alive but as a werewolf. Weirder still, she was with the same wolf he had saved years ago. He had little doubt it was the same creature. The green eyes and chestnut fur were all too familiar, and the way it stepped back told him it had recognized him. “It remembered me. And Coraline remembered us. This is all wrong…”

After the hunt, Hunter's group returned empty-handed. A few other groups had been luckier, dragging in several wolf corpses to be carefully drained of blood before being skinned. Looking at them made Hunter queasy. "What about mom? Is she out there too?" He thought.

"Why didn't she kill herself, though?" Garrett spoke up. "She knows that people who are bitten have to die. Why'd she let herself turn?"

"Maybe she didn't have a choice!" Rose said, throwing her arms in the air. "Maybe she's being held hostage by them in some way! We need to find her."

"And do what? Give her bones and keep her in a doghouse in the woods?" Brianna shook her head. "There's no hiding from the truth, Rose. We need to end this."

"I just… I don't…" Rose clutched her hair, scrunching her eyes shut. She desperately wanted a drink but didn't want her mind to get foggier.

Jade placed a hand on Rose's shoulder. "I know, Rose," she said gently, her voice cracking. "I don't like it either, believe me. I just don't want her to suffer."

"I don't know if I can do it," Rose admitted. "I lost her once already."

"She's still lost," Mason said firmly. "That hasn't changed. The only difference is that her soul is in our hands. We must do this for her sake."

"I need some air," Hunter muttered before leaving. He walked down the streets, clutching his head. All around him, villagers were in good spirits, as they usually were after a hunt. Kevin was bragging about the giant beast he took down with his bare hands. One of the pelts had been cleaned and was drying in the sun. It was gray and white. Hunter found himself thanking the Maidens that it wasn't black and red.

"Don't be stupid," he scolded himself. "Mom is probably dead, and Coraline might as well be dead. Stop seeing things that aren't there."

The problem was that he had seen things that had been there. He saw the horror in Coraline's eyes, the sadness on the face of the chestnut wolf. Most of all, he reflected on that none of the group had truly been attacked. The werewolves had done nothing besides a defensive headbutt followed by a slash from Coraline. They should have lashed out like cornered animals, but they hadn't.

Hunter came up short, yelping in surprise as he walked into something resembling a Mutt's face. He realized that it was a werewolf skull put on a stick. He looked around, noticing that he was at the entrance to the Albino District, and kicked the stick over, giving the skull a look of disgust.

"They killed their werewolves. Why can't they just leave the albinos alone?" He walked down the path until he reached where the Albino community worked diligently on one of the burnt houses. "Hey," he called.

A few of the albinos glanced up and nodded before going back to work. Ada ran over immediately. "Hunter! How was the hunt?"

"Not too bad." Hunter decided not to mention the wolf skull. "Are repairs going well?"

"They're a bit slow today," Ada admitted. "Everyone's celebrating the hunt.”

Hunter felt a sad smile coming to his face. "Well, hand over some tools. I'm not really feeling like celebrating right now."

~o0o~

A few hours later, Rose knelt at the altar of the Spring Maiden, the one she associated with Coraline, the one who had always comforted her when the booze couldn’t help. The gentle, smiling face of the Maiden offered no solace. In fact, it almost looked mocking at that moment. "Why can't I just mourn in peace?" she whispered. "Why do you feel the need to test me now of all times? Haven't we all suffered enough?" The Maiden, of course, said nothing.

Rose bowed her head, staring at her knees. She couldn't stop thinking of her beloved baby sister's eyes on the face of a monster. She wasn't entirely certain if she'd be able to deliver that final blow, especially if Coraline was in her human form.

After Hunter left, everyone agreed to go into the forest that night. There might still be signs in the woods to follow, and it was best to get this done as soon as possible. One way or another, Coraline would be given the peace she deserved.

But what about Emma? Rose's gaze traveled to the serene face of the Winter Maiden. The candle she had lit for her mother on that altar was almost a stub now. If Coraline got turned, is Emma out there somewhere?

She scrunched her eyes shut, willing the rising tears back. Of course, the beasts hadn't had the decency to leave Coraline and Emma's corpses behind. Now, none of them would be delighted until they had two bodies. That was the only way to be sure that both souls would be saved.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The Hymn of the Maidens was being hummed by a few templegoers near the back of the pews. Its melody washed over Rose, giving her a momentary feeling of peace. She took a shaky breath and started to softly hum along. When the Hymn ended, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see the same orange-haired priestess who gave Hunter the sage sticks staring down at her. "You're more troubled than usual, Rose."

Rose nodded. She wasn't about to tell the priestess what had happened, but she couldn't stop asking: "Priestess, do you think the Maidens ever test us?"

"Yes," the priestess replied immediately. "Every day, we are tested. In our interactions, in our hunts, and in our everyday lives, we always have choices. Making the right ones brings us closer to the Maidens."

"How do we know what the right choices are?"

The priestess pondered the question for a moment, looking at the portrait of the Spring Maiden. "Well, one can always read the sacred texts for guidance, but they can't account for every situation. I think that we should do what feels right inside. Everyone has a sense that tells them when something is right or wrong, even if the answer isn't clear. It's the same part of you that lets you know when you're in danger and the same part that judges the characters of others. The Maidens don't expect us to be perfect. If we always try to listen to what we know is right, they will forgive us any mistakes we make."

Rose listened to the priestess's words, her heart relaxing as she took in their meaning. She thought of Coraline and took a shuddering breath. This would be a hard decision, but she had to be ready to make it when the time came.

"Thank you, priestess," Rose stood up and briefly bowed once to the altars before exiting the Temple. The priestess watched her leave, a confused frown on her face. Rose hadn't lit any sage for Coraline or Emma during her visit.

~o0o~

"Coraline, you need to eat something," Ellora said, holding a piece of meat from the previous night's hunt. "You always need to eat after transforming. It takes a lot out of you.”

"I'm not hungry," Coraline muttered. "You can have it."

"I've eaten my share," Ellora replied firmly, her eyes flashing like green flames. "I don't want to use my powers to make you eat, but I will if you force me."

Coraline shot her a sullen look but finally accepted the meat. She continued to glare at Ellora as she took a bite. She felt a moment of satisfaction and exhilaration as the mantellic taste of raw meat and blood flowed in her mouth. Then, she hated herself for feeling that way. She hated every part of her disgusting monstrous self.

"Coraline, you did better than most would have done," Ellora told her. "Most werewolves have absolutely no control when changing for the first time. Another whelp would have at least bitten someone before snapping out of it the way you did." It looked like, in this case, Coraline's fear of werewolves had worked to her advantage, acting as a form of control, even when in the depths of the moon's powerful spell.

"I still attacked her," Coraline mumbled through a mouthful of meat. She ripped off another chunk, inwardly wincing as she imagined what her friends would say if she could see her. Another pang of grief went through her, and she sobbed, clenching her teeth to keep food from spilling out.

"Yes, and you probably saved my life," Ellora studied her small friend momentarily. "You don't…regret that, do you?" A trace of unease entered her voice. If Coraline were given a choice again, would she defend Ellora from her own sister?

"Mmph!" Coraline swallowed hurriedly, nearly choking on her meat. "Of course, I don't regret that part! You're my friend, werewolf or not!" A small part of her mind getting smaller over the past few days scolded her for saying such a thing to an unholy abomination. She pushed the thought aside. "I know now what I was taught is wrong," she looked at the ground. "I'm just worried about what'll happen next."

"Do you think they'll still try to kill you if they see you?"

"More than that," Coraline said. "They'll probably try coming after me specifically now that they know I'm like this."

Ellora let out a horrified gasp. "They'd do that? But they're your clan!" Her thoughts drifted back to her human. She vividly remembered the young face and blue eyes, the younger and older versions melding into one picture. She kept going over the way he looked at her that night. He looked scared and confused but not angry or murderous. He called out to Coraline, probably keeping the smaller wolf from doing something she'd regret. "He wouldn't kill his own sister, would he?" She thought.

"You don't understand," Coraline urged. "In human civilization, werewolves are seen as being as bad as the Shadows. A person who is bitten gets killed immediately. Everyone believes that a werewolf's soul is damned. Now that the others know I'm one, they'll be determined to kill me. In their eyes, they’ll be saving me."

Ellora stared at the ground, a creeping sense of dread coming over her. "If that's true, they may track you here."

"I know," Coraline finished her meat, chewing slowly before swallowing. "That's why I'm leaving tonight."

"What?" Ellora gasped. "Coraline, no!"

"You've been so nice to me, Ellora. I'd feel awful if you and your pack were hurt because of me," Coraline insisted. "It's better for you if I go, anyway. You've spent all your time with me instead of your own people."

Ellora let out a humorless laugh. "Coraline, during these past few days, you've felt more like 'my people' than the rest of my pack ever has."

Coraline tilted her head. "Huh? Why's that? Don't they like you?"

Ellora sighed. "Some do, some don't. Some of them like me too much," seeing Coraline's confused expression she proceeded to explain. "You see, Coraline, I was born on a full moon night. That's considered very fortuitous for werewolves. However, Ember was born under the moon before the Summer Solstice, the Fire Moon."

Coraline nodded. "We call it the Summer Moon since it's the full moon before Summer. We have a festival for the Summer Maiden during the Solstice."

Ellora smiled. "That's interesting. You'll have to tell me what you humans call the other moons."

"But what does being born under these moons represent? Does it mean something?”

"It shouldn't have," Ellora's voice became bitter at this point. "But I was born to two alphas who disagreed with many of Ember's ideals. They were positive that I would grow to be an even stronger alpha than they were. That, combined with the fur color on my spine, prompted them to name me Ellora. My name is attached to a dead human faith that dyed their hair silver and worshiped the moon. My parents were convinced I would grow up to lead the pack myself from the moment I was born.”

Coraline frowned, brows furrowing thoughtfully. "I guess Ember doesn't like that, huh?"

"On the contrary, Ember generally seems to be the least concerned out of the whole pack." Ellora looked toward the outside with sad eyes. "But everyone else came up with their opinions. Those who are loyal to Ember look at me with distrust. Those who don't like the way she leads the pack give not-so-subtle suggestions on how they'd help run things if they were my second in command. Even those I'm somewhat close to act submissive around me without realizing it," she thought of Bandit and Scarlet. They would always avert their gazes if she looked at them too long.

"I'm either seen as a threat or a savior. Since I was born, some have placed me on pedestals before getting torn down by others," she smiled at Coraline. "That's why I was so eager to take you in. You aren't part of these pack politics, at least not yet. With you, I'd at least get to have someone know me as a person rath symbol of one thing or another.”

One thing was clear: If she let Coraline go off to be killed, she'd regret it for the rest of her life. This young whelp had become Ellora's most trusted companion in just a few days. She wasn't about to let someone like that go. She couldn't. Entering that numb, lonely state she had known for most of her life would likely drive her mad now. There was only one thing she could do.

Coraline listened to Ellora. When it was clear that the older girl was done talking, she scooted over to hug her with one arm. "Well, I think you're a good person," she thought of how she'd have to go soon, leaving her friend in this lonely state. "I wish you could’ve been born a human. My clan would have liked you a lot.”

Ellora returned the hug, closing her eyes. "I'm flattered by the sentiment, Coraline. However, one thing I'll never regret is that I was born a werewolf. There are times when the transformation and the hunts are the only things keeping me sane," she was quiet for a few minutes. Her mind was jumbling as she thought about Coraline, her pack, and the blue-eyed human.

In a resolute voice, she spoke. "Coraline, if you leave the pack to confront your friends, I'm going with you," her tone left absolutely no room for argument.

~o0o~

Hunter packed his supplies as quickly as he could, keeping an eye on the setting sun. He knew his plan was crazy and immoral and would never work, but he didn’t care.

"We go tonight," that's what Garrett had said to him a few hours ago. Translation: “We’re killing Coraline tonight.”

No matter how many ways Hunter tried to justify it or how many times he tried to comfort himself, the idea made him sick to his stomach. He couldn't stop the all-too-human expression he saw on Coraline's face and the face of the chestnut-furred wolf. They knew what was going on. They weren't just savage, Shadow-like animals. On some level, they were still people.

Of course, Hunter already knew that. He remembered that night ten or so years ago when he made a deal with a supposed avatar of evil. He didn't know if it kept its end of the bargain. For all he knew, it was part of every attack and raid on Castell Henllys, and he never saw it specifically. Still, the more he thought about it, wanted to ask it personally.

"You really are going crazy," he told himself as he slung his bag over his shoulder and left the house, pausing briefly to check his armor. "Talking with werewolves, warning them, making deals. You're lucky you haven't been slain by the Maidens themselves." He took a deep breath before going into the woods, glancing at the clear sky as he walked. "No lightning. I guess that's as good of a sign as any."