Each day follows the next in a comfortable routine. Every day, the sun grows a little weaker, and more leaves fall from the trees. As the wind becomes colder, Master begins to put on thicker clothing and takes a little longer to leave the house.

“I can’t wait until the cart comes,” he mutters. “I hate walking in the cold.”

“What happens when the cart comes?”

“It means I don’t have to keep walking to school like this in the cold. You know, like the one we took from the market. It’s covered and you can feed the horses.”

“When will it come?”

“Soon. Probably when it starts snowing.”

“Will there be school even when it’s colder?”

“God, no. We get a break for a few weeks during the worst of the winter. There’s no market at that time. But we still need to visit neighbors to exchange our stuff.”

“What else do we do during the time without school?”

“Sit around and then go in the woods, then sit around again.”

“I see.”

“You’ll probably still be doing work, though, right?”

“I suppose.”

It is quiet all the way to the grove. Master turns around. “Kai, I need you to hide from the other kids. I don’t want them seeing us together. I think after the break, I don’t need you to follow me around.”

“Okay.” I force my ears to keep still. “I understand, Master. Please let me know when I should stop walking with you.”

“’Kay.”

“Have a good day.”

“Mm.” He walks through the trees and walks quickly to the schoolhouse. There is no one around in the clearing. His arms are wrapped around him, his breath making clouds in the air.

I turn and begin walking, feeling nothing but a cool breeze against my face.

- - - - -

The sharp forest scents fill my senses, the crunch of the leaves under my feet. I close my eyes and inhale deeply. How much longer until I found them? My waiting clan? How long was their journey here? I look around at how thick and old the trees are and how lush the underbrush is. I had smelled healthy rabbits and mice as I entered the forest. A worthwhile journey, I suppose.

I turn at a rustle in the bushes. A ghostly shape of a small wolf pads out. He makes a soft noise and lopes ahead.

The forest grows darker and darker until not a sliver of light remains. There is a small clearing beneath an extremely thick cover of trees. On the ground is a circle of mushrooms. The wolf pads into the center of the ring and stares at me. I bow to him and step into the center of the fairy ring.

I catch the laughter of other wolves and watch them step out from the trees, growling and cackling. There, the most beautiful of all wolves, at the entrance of the ring. The alpha female. My mother. I sink to my knees and lick the soft fur of her front paws, then raise my head slightly. As I do, my mother dips her head to touch her nose to mine.

“Hello, my dear omega,” she purrs. Her voice has always been so smooth, like the river on a calm summer day. “I am pleased that you have found a home and master for yourself. We have been thinking of you quite a bit, lately.”

The alpha male steps forward. My father. “We almost miss having you,” he says. His voice has always sounded like a winter storm. “But now that we have settled here, we shall see each other in this forest every full moon.”

“Yes, my father.”

My mother speaks. “Omega, you know that you are now bound to your master through blood, oath, and collar. This power he has now means he can use it however he wants on you. He may give you order and punishment as he wishes. But you know about his soul.”

“Yes, my mother. His soul is vulnerable. With power, it corrupts much faster than other human souls. It is also my duty to make sure that he lives with a pure soul for as long as possible.”

“And you will not know how much it has rotted until every full moon.” She swings her head towards a ghostly human shape.

I grit my teeth at what I see: his bright form growing darker and darker, his eyes growing larger, his mouth gaping in pain as his limbs stretch across the ground. It is what could happen if I neglect his soul for too long. “Yes, my mother. Yes, my father. I understand.”

“Now,” Father says. Excitement sweeps through the clan. “Until you die, you will always be the omega, no matter how far you advance in human society.” He smiles, revealing large, pointed teeth. A restless energy stirs from each wolf. “On the night of the full moon, you will arrive here after sunset, wait until dark, and we will play until sunrise. This ritual is to remind you of your rank and your role in our clan.”

“I understand, my father. I will serve my master and my clan until my last breath.”

“Good.”

The sky grows dark in what seems like a few blinks of the eyes. The rest of the others emerge from between the trees, tails lashing, eyes narrowed, jaws stretched into smiles. A warmth runs through my veins, despite knowing that I will never be able to change into a full wolf. I take a deep breath and let the others tear into me, their howls filling my body.