Chapter 1 - Astrid

I watch quietly from the empty front row as she quietly sings:

"We who run towards the sun;

We who beckon to the moon;

We the Mighty Five in one;

Our strength in unity."

The band behind her starts to accompany her on the next verse as she rocks back and forth, her bouncy blonde hair shrouding her in a golden cloud.

"We who never lose the fight;

We, ferocious, strong, and true.

The Mighty Five will seize the night;

The children of the moon.

Midnight Shadow, Violet Moon,

Golden Heart, Crimson Storm,

Silver Bow, the five in one;

Our strength in unity."

Bianca Greywood begins the song anew, this time tapping into her diaphragm and singing with more gusto. She is my best friend, the Alpha's daughter, rehearsing for tomorrow night's gala dinner where all of the Mighty Five wolf packs of the East Coast are meeting.

This year, Silver Bow is hosting the event.

As she draws out the last word and the last note, the drums end on a crash cymbal and she looks down at me expectantly.

"That was...okay" I unwillingly give my feedback.

In fact, I lied. Bianca was great.

"Come on, Astrid! Stop busting my balls," Bianca throws her hands up in frustration, eyeing me intensely with her piercing green eyes. "At least, give me something to work with. Anything!"

I sigh. "Fine, work on your breathing in the chorus. You're slacking."

She smirks. "Oh, so you are a credible music teacher."

I roll my eyes and shrug.

I am Astrid Lee, 21-year-old music teacher of the pack school, a 5th generation tiger in Silver Bow and best friend to Bianca Greywood.

It was an accidental friendship of sorts.

When Alpha Gilbert Greywood, Bianca's father, decided it was time for his one and only daughter to begin combat training, he thought it an opportune moment to pit his young and inexperienced daughter against an opponent who would put her at a disadvantage. That opponent was me.

Among the deplorable things in her training included me chasing her in tiger form and scratching her up in hand-to-hand combat. I hated hurting her and she hated getting hurt. Over time, that builds a certain unbreakable bond and camaraderie between two people.

So, you could say I was more than utterly shocked and angry to hear from Bianca that she was engaged to be the chosen mate of the young Lycan Alpha, Rio Xenakis of Midnight Shadow.

The Lycans are as close to royalty as it gets in the supernatural world. With their roots in Ancient Greece, some say the Greek Gods were legendary Lycans, whose vast power and influence caused laymen to make up such fables in their awe and wonder.

But to me, the Lycans have always been arrogant and condescending leaders of the Mighty Five. They lead and instruct the other four packs of the Mighty Five in administrative policies and other business, meanwhile leading secret lives in their island territory that is said to be magically sealed off from any visitors. For all I know, the Lycans could be squandering their money away and be living in absolute poverty.

But there's no way of knowing any of this because they hardly mingle with wolves, and the few who are whisked away by the bonds of destiny, never return to tell tales of their new home.

"Let's take it from the chorus," she commands the band behind her.

First, the synth starts, then the drums join in. Soon, Bianca keeps up with her breathing, taking note of my little feedback and I'm thoroughly impressed, but, still, won't so much as smile in approval.

She pants as the music ends and asks, "How's that?"

"Better," I respond reluctantly.

"I'll take it," she smiles. Bianca turns around and claps her hands twice. "Okay, guys. That's enough for today. Let's go replenish our bodies and come back tomorrow for final rehearsal." She points at the sound guy in the left wing. "Cut the reverb just a little, we're in an auditorium, not a bathroom stall." She points at the drummer. "Astrid may be right about my timing, but, buddy, I gotta follow you too, okay?" Finally, she says, "The rest of you are just amazing. Thank you so much for putting up with me. Let's rock the show tomorrow!"

Now, that I'm always impressed with. Bianca's natural charisma and command over an entire room has always left me in complete awe and respect of her Alpha heritage. She may be conventionally attractive, but her magnetism is what draws people in. She was gutsy when we were kids, now she's the embodiment of confidence.

And the thought of that makes me reluctantly realize that she will be the perfect mate to a Lycan Alpha.

I stand in place by the first row of the auditorium with the sternest expression I can think to muster up. Bianca jumps off stage and walks over to me.

"Come on, Astrid, cheer up." She shoves my shoulder gently. "We're best friends for life. No stupid Lycan rules will keep me away from you."

"Will they even allow you to leave?"

"Of course! I have the power to change the world." She nudges me in the rib playfully. "And so do you. We all do."

I can't help but smile at her optimism. It's deluded and completely unrealistic. And if Bianca ever thinks otherwise, she hides it well.

"Now let's go see what's for dinner," she says cheerfully.

I grab my denim jacket and look at the time on my phone, which reads 9:15 PM. And when the phone turns black, I catch a reflection of my tired brown eyes that have a faint yellow ring around them from hunger. My black hair, which was neatly tied up before we started rehearsal, is now in a mess. And I wasn't even dancing.

Cool April winds greet as I step out of the pack hall. In the parking lot, the band members pack up their gear into their van.

And soon, only Bianca and I remain, walking towards the packhouse. Mostly Bianca chatters away about the excitement of tomorrow night, the glitz and glam, the dramatic red carpet entrance her mother, Luna Catherine Greywood, is planning. I just quietly listen, attempting to dive into her words, but only coming up with and empty sadness.

The large packhouse comes into view. It looks a bit odd surrounded by all this nature, but its mirrored windows reflect the woods around us in a way that doesn't make it look like too much of a man-made eye sore in nature.

The dining hall is located at the heart of the building, while its upper floors serve as administrative offices.

Bianca parts ways with me, heading over to the Alpha's table where her parents have just started eating by the looks of it.

Alpha Gilbert is quite a stern looking man with brown hair and grey streaks running across the sides of his head. He's not the most intimidating looking Alpha standing shorter than both his wife and daughter, but he is the smartest, savviest and more cutthroat business man I've ever met.

Then there's Luna Catherine, who smiles dazzlingly as her daughter approaches. She towers over her shorter husband being a manicured and sophisticated woman with straight blonde hair and dripping in gold jewellery. You would never find her underdressed as she comes from Golden Heart where the people are lavish and extravagant.

I walk over to my usual spot where my older sister, An, has her head bent down over a book. Usually, it's just two of us sitting together for dinner. Our parents are functioning members of the wolf pack, my father, Augustus, being the Delta, and my mother, Mai, an Omega working in the kitchen.

As the pack librarian, An is currently researching the history of the Lycan War of 1886. However, the resources she has at her disposal are few and far between. She's even coordinated with the other packs and their libraries for any historical literature to aid in her quest. Most of the wolf packs reply amicably, save for the Lycans, who seem to jealously guard their people and things.

I serve myself a plate of steak and potatoes and set it down not-so-gently at the table when An jumps up startled, clutching her book to her chest.

"Goddess have mercy!" she gasps. Her wispy bangs are all messed up and her glasses rest crookedly on her nose. "When did you even get here Astrid?"

Unlike me, An's hair is an ashy dark brown and her eyes are also a lighter brown, traits she inherited from our late grandmother. And that's all she got from dad's blood because her soft, round features echo that of mom's. On the other hand, I am her polar opposite: dark hair and eyes from mom, angular features from dad.

"A few minutes back," I tell her. "Aren't you eating?" I take a bite of the juicy steak and almost moan in satisfaction.

"In a while," she replies, fixing her glasses. "I found this really old journal in the library belonging to a man named A.T.S." She shows me the initials on the front of the cover. "I couldn't believe it at first since it's been so well-preserved. Now I just can't put it down."

"Mmm, please don't recount any gory details while I eat."

"I won't because this one is a love journal," she trills. "And he is just so descriptive about it. It makes me feel a little hot." She fans herself and has this dumb look on her face.

Ugh. Love. Romance. Relationships. All they do these days is remind me that my friend is leaving in just a few days. The irony is, they're also things that could tremendously help me move on from my premature grief and general moodiness.

Almost as if in response, I get a text from Bianca that reads, "Oscura. Tonight. Pick you up at 11." I groan audibly at the prospect of having to socialize at the supernatural night club later tonight, but I guess I owe Bianca for the way I've been acting.

"Oh, quit being a baby," An remarks at my groaning, probably thinking I was reacting to her reading sexy stuff in public. She waves her hand dismissively and goes back to her reading.

As I quietly chow down on my plate of creamy mash potatoes, I hear An's heartbeat picking up.

"I'm trying to eat here, An," I tell her and pretend to gag.

She takes off her glasses and starts rubbing the bridge of her nose between her eyes.

"You're in a mood."

"When am I not in a mood these days," I grumble.

"I'm surprised they even let you teach kids with that sunshine demeanor of yours."

"Then, thank Goddess it's just music and not the more important subjects."

After graduation, I volunteered to replace the old music teacher, Ms Cadenzia, who was retiring after 20 years of teaching. She refused at first, telling me that I should pursue higher studies like Bianca was, but I insisted. I never revealed to her that she inspired me with her lessons, first in elementary school as the general music teacher, later in band in middle school, and finally as my mentor in high school.

I want to tell myself something awfully cliche like "music inspired me to find myself", but the truth is, I've always been afraid to step outside of Silver Bow, my home. My parents have assimilated as Delta and Omega and have given An and I the choice to do so at any time. An is too busy living in his imagination to give it a thought. But I equally fear being held down by joining the pecking order. What would I gain from it?

So, I distract my days by teaching music to a bunch of rowdy kids.

My phone vibrates again.

"You have to come. No excuses," reads the string of texts from Bianca.

I solemnly sigh and try to enjoy my mother's cooking.