Since the mall trip a week ago, Regina had felt more open and ready to explore. As long as Aisha was with her, of course. Together they had gone out for ice cream, to the park, and even bowling. Regina met pack members by having breakfast in the pack kitchen instead of in her own. It was nice, going outside of the house. Still, Regina knew that she wouldn't be able to go anywhere without Aisha.
"Please! It's Friday night, and we don't have anything planned tomorrow. The pack will be there, and I can introduce you to my family. Please, Regina."
Regina turned from the girl, knowing she wouldn't be able to handle Aisha's puppy eyes. They always seemed to sparkle and shine no matter where the sunlight was. If she looked, she would be convinced, and Regina really didn't want to go.
This morning, Aisha had skipped into the kitchen and told Regina all about a pack party that night. Apparently, it was for the start of summer and the end of school. Everyone was invited; it was this huge thing everyone went to.
Regina did not want to be one of those people. It would be dark, crowded, and she would somehow end up losing Aisha. The girl blended into the dark; Regina wouldn't take those chances.
"This will be fun; we get to make S' mores, have candy and junk food, telling scary stories!"
Regina was not going, never.
"And we have glow sticks we wear or wave around. Some may even have sparklers. Last year they had glow in the dark paint, and we played hide and go seek. It's so much fun, it's the most I ever interact with the pack kids, and I want to go, with you."
Regina turned to face her friend and let out a heavy sigh. If Aisha had glow-in-the-dark items, she wouldn't lose her, right? And she didn't want to take Aisha from the rest of the pack.
Finally, Regina nodded, and Aisha let out a cheer. She started dancing and waving her arms around like a fool. Regina couldn't help but smile.
"Is there a reason why we are screaming Ai?"
They both turned to see Mavis in the hallway.
"Yes! I finally convinced Regina to go to the end of school party tonight. It's gonna be awesome!"
"Just be careful and don't go too far into the woods. Glow-in-the-dark doesn't mean you won't trip or get lost. And make sure you two don't lose each other, Mable would kill me if you didn't come home in perfect condition."
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Regina and I will be careful, Mavis. Let's go get ready!"
Regina was then dragged out of her own house without a choice. She was going to regret this.
****
The sun was just starting to sink when Aisha took Regina outside. Regina hadn't expected to see hundreds of teenagers surrounding several tables and firepits. Regina thought the party would be smaller, quieter. That was not the case at all.
It was loud. Everyone was talking, loudly. Someone was even singing with several other bad voices following along. It was chaotic everywhere Regina looked. She didn't like this at all.
"Come on; I want to introduce you to my brother!" Aisha was practically yelling as if they all didn't have super hearing.
Regina didn't resist as the girl pulled her along. It wasn't worth the energy. For someone so young, Aisha was strong. Or Regina was weak, that could work too.
"Aken!"
A boy turned and beamed at Aisha.
"Aisha!"
Regina's hand was dropped as the two siblings ran to each other. They hugged and then leaned their foreheads together. Regina assumed they were mind linking, so she just stayed quiet.
"This is Regina, the one I told you about."
Regina gave a shy wave as Aken and Aisha walked over. They were defiantly siblings, same dark skin and dark hair. Aken was lighter than his sisters, but his smile was the same.
"Hi Regina, I'm Aken. You already know that. Sorry."
He then bowed his head and red coating his ears. He was cute.
"Regina doesn't talk much. Sorry for taking you from your friends. Go have fun."
Aisha lightly pushed her younger brother, and he skipped back to his circle of friends.
And that's how the night began. Aisha dragging Regina to the fire pits, snack table, or other people she knew. Regina noticed Aisha didn't have a lot of close friends but seemed to know everyone.
The sky grew darker, and it was almost time for the fires to be lit. On the porch, there was a small stand where the Alpha and his family were standing.
'Quiet, please.'
The words ran through the crowd like a wave. As pack members heard it, silence followed. No one could disobey the Alpha, even if it weren't a command.
The Alpha then stepped back, and a young woman stepped forward. She had the same power as the Alpha, most likely the Alpha daughter.
She stood still, regal. Then, she threw her arms out and yelled, "School is over!"
The teens all let out a cheer toasting her with their cups. Regina just watched, unsure of what she was supposed to be doing. She didn't go to school, and she didn't have a cup. So, she crossed her arms and watched.
Once they quieted down, the Alpha daughter continued. "I know you don't want a great big speech. So, let me just say this." A torch was handed to the woman, and she raised it high. "Enjoy the celebration and let the summer sun never set!"
She threw it to the fire pit in front of her, and it went up in a brilliant blaze. Fires were lit all around Regina, making the dark night bright once again.
Teenagers let out a yell, and the talking continued. Regina almost liked it better when the Alphas were talking; it was quieter.
"The cool thing about the celebration is that it really does go all night. They keep the bonfires lit until the sun rises. By then, the party is more of just tired kids watching the sunrise. But it's cool, let's go find a spot to sit!"
And so, they did. Aisha dragged Regina again to a random fire and sat down at the group.
"Hi there, I'm Aisha, and this is Regina."
She got small waves and hellos from those around them.
"Regina? Like, Mavis and Atta's daughter?"
They both turned to see a girl, looking at them with curious eyes. Regina just tried to fold into herself. Why did they know her? She didn't want anyone to know her.
Aisha turned to Regina, and when Regina nodded, Aisha spoke for her. "Yeah, how do you know Mavis and Atta?"
"Atta's my uncle. My dad is Atta's older brother." The girl turned to the two next to her, and they turned to Regina in unison. The fact that they turned at the same time and looked the same made them even creepier.
"I'm Della, and these are my sisters Belle and Kelly. So you are the one we were supposed to meet last week."
Aisha looked over at Regina, who could only shrug. She didn't know anything about these creepy girls.
"I'm just assuming. Mama and Papa told us Atta had a girl, but we only saw Atta that day. You probably got overwhelmed by the crowd."
"Understandable, there are thirty or so of us. You would be overwhelmed too, Dell."
Dell? It was probably Della who faced the other girl. Regina couldn't tell; they all looked the same.
"Don't assume things, Kell. You and Bell always do that."
"I don't do that."
"Shut up, Bell."
"Maybe you should shut up, Kell, before you scare our new friend off."
"Me! Scare her? Della, you are always the one that scares people."
"Maybe we should just talk to her."
"Shut up, Belle."
"Yeah, Della and I were talking, Belle."
The three turned to each other, caught up in their blooming argument. Regina didn't know what was happening. Three identical girls said they knew her, and they were arguing about something she didn't understand.
Regina glanced over at Aisha, getting a shrug from the girl.
"Elle!" All three jerked around, and there was another girl. How many of them were there!
"Angel, tell Kelly and Della here that I do not assume things."
"You tell Belle and Kelly, and since I'm the oldest, I'm in charge!"
"No, you aren't Della! Not everything belongs to you!"
"Well, I'm the original!"
Angel rolled her eyes and sat down on the other side of Regina.
"Sorry about them, they are always fighting like this. May I ask who you are?"
"Regina." Four voices said at once, and Regina scooted to the back of her chair, away from everyone.
"Ah, Regina, daughter of Mavis and Atta. I'm Angelica, younger sister to these squabbling babies. Just ignore them; if you say anything, they will only end up fighting more. I feel bad for the person Fated to them."
"How do you deal with them? I have an older sister, and she alone drives me crazy."
"I actually have seven sisters in total. What's your name?"
Aisha hesitated before saying her name. The two started talking while the three triplets continued arguing.
While the five were occupied, Regina stood and crept away. She didn't like being alone, but it's better than being ignored. She'd rather be in the forest then sit between two friend groups.
There were a lot of teenagers in the field. They all seemed to be around Aisha's age, some younger. Still, Regina didn't fit in.
She had only been a part of the pack for a week. She wasn't even introduced to them. She didn't go to school, didn't know what to do in summer or anything at all. She knew she shouldn't have come.
Night had fallen entirely, and the stars were out. The forest was dark, but Regina knew she would feel better in nature than with them.
Walking away from the light of the fires, Regina entered the forest. She let Speranza come closer to the surface, increasing her ability to see in the dark.
'Are you sure we should be out here? We don't want to get lost.'
'As If we could get lost in a forest. I know how to navigate, and with your senses, we will be just fine. I just, can't stay there.'
'I don't think they meant to make you feel alone, Regina. Aisha likes you.'
She let out a laugh and sat on a fallen tree.
'Sure she does, because she totally wants to hang out with the loner mute that flinches constantly and has nightmares.'
Speranza didn't reply, and Regina tilted her head back.
She loved the forest, and out here, the stars shone so brightly. The trees are dark against a bright sky, a beautiful masterpiece. Life was simple out in the woods when wolves weren't chasing you.
Wolves, that's what she was running from. Sharp teeth and angry eyes flashed before her eyes, and Regina threw her arms up to protect herself, falling back in the process.
She could hear the howls; they were getting closer. Blood on their teeth and fire in their eyes. They were going to kill her; she had to keep moving!
Someone reached out to touch her, and Regina slapped the hand away. Eyes still closed, Regina scrabbled back, begging to be left alone. She hadn't done anything wrong! Why were they chasing her?
"REGINA!"
She paused in her struggle against the attacker. Only pack members or friends called her by that name.
"It's Aisha; we need to leave. Now!"
Aisha, a friend. She wasn't under attack; Aisha came out to bring her back.
"Regina, please." Her voice was trembling, and when Regina opened her eyes, she noted that Aisha kept looking around. "We really need to get out of here."
Aisha was pulling on her, her hands trembling. Aisha was terrified of something, which wasn't good.
Regina stood with trembling legs, and Aisha immediately started to push her back to the packhouse.
That's when Regina heard the howls. They were real, not just a dream. And they were coming closer. They were coming for her.
"It's rogues; they got past border patrol. We need to get to the packhouse now."
Regina shifted without thinking and started to run. Keep running; keep moving. If you stop, you'll die.
A dark brown wolf was soon at her side, and Regina knew it was Aisha. The two ran from the howls that were coming from right behind them. They were on what they thought was the path to the packhouse, but the woods grew denser.
Aisha stopped first, and Regina followed. She pawed at the ground, unsure why Aisha stopped. They had to keep going.
Aisha shook her head and turned in a circle. She didn't know where they were. The howls were going in a different direction, and they were lost.
Regina shifted first, uncaring about her nakedness. Aisha turned away before shifting too.
"Regina, I have no idea where we are, I've never been out this far. I can't get us home."
They were alone in the woods, away from the packhouse with wolves attacking them. Great party this was.
A wolf was near, Regina could hear with Speranza close. They were growling, a branch cracking the silence.
Regina and Aisha shifted again; they could protect themselves better in wolf form. They stood together, facing opposite sides.
Yellow and green eyes shined through the darkness from all around them. They were surrounded. One wolf stepped forward, growling and baring his teeth. They were wolves ready to attack, to kill.
Regina froze, past and present, mixing together once more. Wolves surrounding her, howling, and ready to strike. She couldn't move, barely even able to breathe. It was happening all over again, wolves were attacking, and they would kill her and her family.
The lead jumped out, aiming for Regina. She didn't even flinch, too focused on her inward struggle. Before he could even land a hit, another wolf came from above. Other wolves came from nowhere, and the fighting began.
Regina watched with blank eyes as pack members fought the enemy wolves. She didn't know who was fighting who, or what was happening. Fear was coursing through her veins, and she started to panic.
A black wolf turned to Regina, eyes like gold. Pain flared through Regina, who quickly passed out, falling to the forest floor.
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