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FTR or RR??

~~

Years later. 

AFTER she was allowed to grow up.

The sky was an intense blue with no cloud disrupting its infinitive magnificence, while the wind was battling with the trees surrounding the gigantic rock where Elena sat peacefully, enjoying the view of her mountains enclosing the concave valley with their wildness and immortal power. With the sun being consumed by the horizon, the girl was admiring the magical change of colours and the incoming arms of darkness.

Lounging in her pack's backyard since she could crawl, she was raised in a paradise for wolf pups, surrounded by endless woodlands and open fields, with a family that spoiled her to the tips of her fur and a squad of friends so loyal, you would think she was already their official Alpha. The only danger ever faced was the occasional tick or rogue attack —and even those were more like playful chases than true danger.

Elena knew who she was and she was gearing up to unleash her inner alpha.

"Patience is bitter, but its victory fruit is worth the hunt. A true Alpha can't lead without it," the Alpha of Full Moon, also known by some as her dear father, would constantly remind her in front of others. 

There was no point in reminding him that he didn't even eat fruits. 

When they were alone, he would change his tune, comparing the art of mastering patience to chasing a squirrel. "Frustrating at first, but when you sink your teeth into it, ah, that victory tastes sweeter than the juiciest deer. Master it, and we can go hunt together in No Man's land."

Little did he know, Elena had already ventured into that unclaimed land nestled among claimed territories more times than the hair he had on his alpha head.

Black Devil was a neighbouring pack, notorious for the legendary 'Black Alpha', the feral Killing Machine, the Beta and the Cunning Fox, their sly Gamma.

It was like a distant presence, a name spoken but never manifested.

Ever since Elena was born, she had been warned about that pack. 

By her teachers. By her parents. By other werewolf packs.

Black Devil was the reason why they couldn't leave their territory or even inch closer to the borders, why she couldn't explore as her nature demanded. Elena had to sneak around and risked her neck for a taste of the wind, and the smell of free lands in her nostrils.

Ah, even their nursery, rhymes were about fearing Black Devil...fearing them.

The stories of their evil ran rampant for centuries: the pack with mateless wolves, that conquered and destroyed. 

Elena was proud of Full Moon, recognised for its rich territory, cheerful members, compassion and respect. Its history wasn't perfect. But whose was?

After all, it is a rough world where respect is gained by violence and blood shed.

Her father always had zero tolerance towards trespassing and didn't believe in second chances. But when people were in need, Alpha Giacomo and the Luna Elisa, Elena's mom, gave warm shelter and furry protection.

Black Devil was a different beast entirely.

Elena shivered thinking about their inhumane training.

The higher the rank, the harsher the trials. She remember tales whispered in hushed tones under the cover of darkness.

How their Gamma at the tender age of 10 was sent to slaughter rogues, bears and other lesser predators sniffing around the borders. And how the quiet Beta, with a marked skin that told a tale of its own, had a red-eyed wolf that could silence a whole pack out.

And then there was the Alpha's heir, groomed to rule, abandoned for years before shifting in the heart of the Alakasian Mountains - the wildest, most dangerous and inaccessible place. 

There, storms and ice were ever present among starving beasts lurking in every sun-less corner. Every superstition in the werewolf world - or at least the ones Elena'd heard, converged in the rocky slopes of the Alakasian, like some sort of voracious vortex. 

Stripped of any tools, weapons or a piece of fabric, the Alpha son was tossed there with his instincts and Alpha blood alone.

When this so-called father returned years later, he found his son in his wolf form as leader of an odd pack formed of rogues and real wolves. The boy's wolf was already as massive as the rogues' ones, at such a young age.

The black beast had a mammoth set of fangs and cold dark blue eyes, like the colour of the icy storms thrashing in those remote territories forgotten by the Goddess.

The tales of the Black Devil Alpha's son had continued during her childhood, becoming increasingly stained with blood. Some lunatic elder of her pack declared that he was only eating raw meat from creatures still breathing, and parents referred to him him as the boogeyman to scare the children that weren't behaving well.

Elena figured the rumors might have been exaggerated to prevent her and the pups from sneaking over to the Black Devil pack's border to spy on their savage offspring.

Especially after Elena's little cousin had mysteriously disappeared. There were rumours that Black Devil patrol had killed the little girl simply because she crossed the border accidentally. Some folks were sure they had eaten her alive.

The Black Devil Alpha at the time had always denied the horrid act and clarified that nobody cared about a little pup. The most plausible truth was that rogues had kidnapped little Marica and god knows what else those rats did to the poor soul.

Marica, her beloved cousin and an innocent child, was always following Elena around as children.

The pain was still alive, burning almost, within Elena.

Silently crying for the umpteenth time, the memory and wounds felt fresh, even after several moons had passed since her disappearance.

The wind picked up, rustling the trees and disturbing the bird. It was almost like the world was reacting to her emotions.

When more tears stung her red cheeks, Elena picked up the familiar, comforting scent of Herculi, pet/lone wolf that she had adopted.

Or he had adopted her, it wasn't clear.

At first, it was hard for her dad to let her to hang out with this giant wolf who refused to shift back to his human form, and with whom you couldn't communicate in any language, not even through mind link.

It was like he had completely rejected his human. Elena couldn't shake the feeling that something really awful must've happened in his past, something so cruel that shut down his human, letting his wolf instincts take over... maybe putting his human side to hibernate for good.

Elena buried her face in his sandy fur.

"Hey, my friend.'' She whispered.

"These mountains always bring back bitter memories.''

Herculi licked her face.

She laughed softly, scratching behind his ears. "Thanks, big guy," she sighed, her voice a mix of gratitude and sorrow. "I needed that."

Herculi barked at some movements in the nearby rocks and disappeared suddenly with a huge jump. Elena did not even bother, knowing that Herculi had always been hyperactive. Some moments later he returned with a huge rabbit on his mouth, she chuckled softly, imagining her own mate in his wolf form bringing her animals to eat.

"You know, I was just thinking about how much I wanted to eat a rabbit right now."

Herculi dropped the catch at her feet, his tongue lolling out in what she could only describe as a wolfish grin.

Brushing a strand of mud-streaked blonde hair from her face, she glanced down at her hands, nails caked with nature's finest dirt.

"Who's he? How could he look like? What would he think if he saw me like this?" Like she'd just wrestled in the mud.

Two things were for sure: he definitely wasn't from her sprawling territory or her school.

Speaking of school, hers had been turned into a refugee camp.

Rex called it a giant sleepover, but with way more drama and way less fun.

So, it was decided that Full Moon students had to relocate.

"Temporarily," the Alpha announced a week ago, "Redwood High stands in neutral lands."

With only a few month left before graduation, it didn't matter to Elena.

And tomorrow just so happened to be the very first day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*The image above is not mine. Copyright not intentional

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