8

The full moon.

Henley

Tonight is the first full moon since I found out that Parker is my mate.

Everybody in the pack is going out for a run. Even though wolf shifters don't have to shift on the full moon, apparently it's exhilarating to do. They always make a big deal out of it and use it for pack bonding.

I have never felt less like part of the pack than I do right now. Everybody is excited, even my dad. Meanwhile, I'm going to be stuck in the house, not able to go with the pack.

I'm not a shifter. Whatever I can do with my wings isn't shifting. My wings are always with me, they just come and go as I will them to. From what I understand, a shifter's magic is completely different than mine.

Maybe Will was right when he told me I don't belong. Even if I am Parker's soulmate, how am I going to fit in with the pack when I can't even participate in runs on the full moon?

Parker, sensing my bad mood, attempts to cheer me up.

We're having an early dinner tonight. It's tradition for the pack to have a cookout before everybody shifts, so there is a line of grills as Parker's dad and a few other men from the pack grill hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, and a variety of other meats.

"I'll stay with you as long as I can." Parker holds my hand with one hand and holds his plate overflowing with meat with the other. He leads me toward an empty picnic table.

I look at the one hotdog on my plate feeling a little nauseous. I'm not really that hungry, we just had lunch a couple of hours ago.

"I'll be fine," I tell Parker, putting my plate down on the table. I don't even attempt to eat.

"I can tell you're bummed out." He takes a huge bite of a hamburger.

I push my plate forward, leaning my elbows on the table. "I'm fine."

But he's right. I am super bummed out. I've always been different than everybody else. And even when I meet a group of supernaturals, I'm still not the right kind of different.

I wish the guy that was coming onto pack land wasn't such a creep. It would be nice to talk to somebody like me. Does he know what I am? He must, right?

A sigh escapes my lips and Parker turns to face me.

"I'm sorry." He brings a hand up to my lips and gently kisses my fingers. "You know I wish you could come with me, but I can't watch you close enough tonight—not with that other supernatural skulking around. Once things calm down, I will make a way for you to be included."

I shrug. "I told you, I'm fine."

He gives me a look but doesn't argue further.

Having a soulmate is incredible, but having him know everything that I feel is a little annoying. I don't need him to be in my head right now. I don't want Parker to feel bad.

Another person joins us at the table. I look up to see Blaine sit down. He smirks when he sees me looking.

"Hey, Vixen."

Parker growls. "Do you have to flirt with my soulmate?"

Blaine gives Parker an unamused look. "I've been calling her Vixen since long before you two found out you were soulmates."

"And I hated it then too."

I grin at their banter. When I glance off to the side, I spot Will sitting a few tables down from us. He's sitting with other members of the pack, but my chest aches. I know the only reason he's not sitting here is because of me. The smile slips off my lips.

What can I do to fix this?

Parker and Blaine are too busy bickering to notice my somber mood. I chew on my bottom lip as I consider what to do. If only I could talk to that other supernatural. Maybe he knows how to control his powers. I never want to accidentally read Will's thoughts again. The absolute last thing I want is to start reading pack member's thoughts. What I love most about being with the pack is how quiet it is.

Quiet—I nearly laugh at the thought. Everybody is talking loudly and laughing with one another. There is nothing remotely quiet about the pack, but it's still so peaceful. This is what I've wanted for so long.

"Are you going to eat that?" Blaine asks, motioning to my plate.

I scoot it toward him. "Have at it."

He grins and stuffs half the hot dog in his mouth.

Parker frowns. "Are you not going to eat?"

"I'm not hungry." I told him that earlier, but he insisted that I should get something.

Parker opens his mouth, presumably to argue, but Blaine cuts him off with a wave of his hand.

"She's fine, Parker," Blaine says. "She's not a wolf shifter—the full moon doesn't make her hungry like it does us." He stuffs the rest of the hot dog in his mouth. "Do you need me to take Henley home?"

Parker's eyes flash gold as he looks at Blaine. "I will take her myself."

"I was just offering." Blaine winks at me, letting me know that he's teasing Parker.

I laugh. "Blaine, we both know you're not actually interested in me like that. Let's not tease poor Parker, he's having a rough night."

"He doesn't want to leave you while the pack goes for our run," Blaine says.

Parker frowns. "I wouldn't go if my father hadn't commanded me to."

Wow, he really is torn up about this. I didn't realize it was going to be so hard on him.

I grab Parker's hand beneath the table, squeezing it. "I'll be fine. I never get time alone anymore. I'll knit while I read a book or something."

Blaine snorts. "Maybe you shouldn't knit any more socks. I'm pretty sure you have enough."

I stick my tongue out at him, which makes him laugh harder.

Parker stands from the table. "I should take you home. The pack will be leaving for their run soon and I want to make sure you make it home all right."

I stand up beside him. He laces our fingers together.

"I guess I'll see you later, Blaine." I wave at him with my free hand.

"Later, Vixen."

Parker growls, which only makes Blaine chuckle.

"It's cute that you're jealous," I tease, as Parker leads me through the crowd.

"Blaine should know better than to flirt with my mate," Parker counters.

"He's not flirting." I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "He's just a charismatic guy and it can sometimes come off as flirty."

Parker raises an eyebrow. "He calls you Vixen."

I nod. "Because it bugs you. Blaine gets great joy in life from teasing you."

"I wish he'd tease a little less," Parker grumbles.

When we get to Parker's red Jeep, he opens the passenger side door for me. Before I get in, he leans closer to kiss me. Before he can, I hear a group of young girls giggling. I look behind him to see Parker's younger sister, Gemma, and a group of her friends. They're very clearly watching us as they walk past.

Parker growls but backs up. "Siblings are annoying."

"You love them," I counter.

He narrows his eyes. "Debatable."

But I know Parker. He does love his siblings—all six of them.

As soon as Gemma is gone, Parker leans forward and gives me a soft kiss. My heart races as it always does when we get close which makes Parker grin as he pulls back.

"I better get you home. The moon will be rising soon—I can already feel its pull," Parker says.

My stomach sinks at his proclamation. Of course he needs to go. This is what he does. He's a wolf shifter. But it's another reminder of how different we are. He can feel the moon—I can't. Not even a little. I will be at home, locked up in my house.

"There will be guards watching outside your house tonight," Parker tells me, as he gets in the driver's seat of his Jeep. "I will be watching, as will Blaine and Will. We'll make sure that other supernatural can't get close to you."

I smile. "I know you'll protect me."

He grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together. It's a short drive to my house, about half a mile, but I know that Parker would always hold my hand if he could.

When we get to my house, Parker quickly shuts off the Jeep and gets out. I open my door, but Parker is there to help me out. My soulmate is a gentleman—it's one of the things that first attracted me to him.

My heart aches a little, thinking about the time before we knew we were soulmates. Yes, right now is hard. I barely get to see Parker. But at least I know he's mine now. I'm not stuck pining after a guy that I can't have. What's happening now is just a blip in our lifespan.

Before I can head inside, Parker grabs ahold of my hand, stopping me outside the door. I look at him as I realize he's not coming in. Of course he's not, he's in a hurry tonight.

"I know that you can't come tonight," Parker begins, his blue eyes carefully studying me. "Our entire lives, we will spend the full moon apart. But I don't want you to feel like this changes anything for me. It doesn't. You are my soulmate. I don't care that you're a different species than me. I like the parts of you that are different."

"The parts of me that are different make life more complicated." I can't help but sigh, thinking about how much I complicate Parker's life. He'd be better off having a wolf shifter as a mate.

He shakes his head. "No."

"So your life wouldn't be easier if some wolf shifter girl was your mate?" I lift an eyebrow, challenging him to say it wouldn't be.

He runs his free hand through his hair. "Maybe. But I don't want a wolf shifter as my mate. I want you. Besides, even if my soulmate was a wolf shifter doesn't mean my life would be less complicated."

"She'd be part of your pack," I argue.

"You are part of my pack." His grip on my hand tightens. "I hope you realize that, Henley. It doesn't matter that you can't shift and run with us tonight. You are just as much part of my pack as anybody else. And you're important, not just to me but to the entire pack. Someday, when I take over as alpha, you will be the pack's luna. You're just as much of a leader as I am. The pack can't exist without an alpha but it equally can't exist without a luna."

My stomach twists.

All I've wanted my entire life is to be accepted. Parker is accepting me, flaws and all. But when he reminds me of his role in the pack, I can't help but feel a little sick.

How am I supposed to help him lead the pack? I know nothing about being a wolf shifter and I certainly know nothing about leading.

Parker leans forward and presses his lips against mine. All other thoughts melt away.

I shouldn't worry about the future. A lot can change between now and the time Parker is old enough to take over his duty as alpha. We're still in high school, still teenagers. It's not like Parker will become alpha overnight. We'll have years to prepare.

He pulls back, his hand gently cupping my cheek. "You're beautiful, Henley Stone."

I swallow hard.

Sometimes, I wonder what fate was thinking when it chose me to be Parker's soulmate. But when he says things like that, I realize nobody else could be better suited for me.

"I've got to go." He leans forward and kisses me one last night. "Good night."

"Good night," I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Lock your door," he commands, then turns around and walks to his Jeep. I stand there, watching him walk away. When he gets to his vehicle, he turns around and watches me. I know he won't leave until I lock myself inside. I wave at him one last time before shutting the door. I lock the door, as Parker instructed.

When I hear the gravel crunch beneath his tires as he leaves, I sigh. Looking around the empty house, I wonder what to do now. All of my homework is done—Blaine made sure I finished it during study hall. I just finished reading a book series last night and I'm not sure that I'm emotionally ready to start something new.

I sigh, sinking onto the couch. As I settle in for a long night, I can't help the deep ache in my heart. No matter how much Parker says I am a member of the pack, I can't help the part of me that screams I don't belong. No matter what I do, I'll never be a wolf shifter. We don't even know what I am and the only guy who knows isn't allowed on pack land.

The next morning, I wake up on the couch. There is a blanket over me, which must have been my father's doing when he came home this morning. I stretch and look at the clock screensaver on the TV—it proclaims that it's just after seven in the morning. I groan, wishing I wasn't such an early riser. The rest of the pack won't be up before noon, which means I've got several hours of boredom before anybody comes over.

Will I even see Parker today? Or will Blaine—or worse, Will—be forced to babysit me?

I make myself breakfast before heading outside. Even though most of the pack is sleeping, I'm sure Parker didn't leave me completely without guards. I decide to take a walk to clear my head. Maybe later today, I can have Parker take me up the mountain so I can let my wings out.

As I walk down the well worn path, I note that the cool mountain air isn't as bad as it was when I first moved here. Either I'm getting used to it or my supernatural abilities are kicking in. What else about me will change? If only I were allowed to talk to the other supernatural who is like me. Why won't he just approach Parker or his dad and ask for permission?

I hear the sound of rustling leaves behind me. I turn around, expecting to see a wolf shifter following me, but instead, it's the other supernatural—the one who is like me. I know that I should probably run or scream, but curiosity pins me in place. Other than coming on pack and without permission, he hasn't done anything wrong.

"You are one hard girl to get ahold of," the guy says. His brown eyes glow as he carefully watches me. He doesn't move to step closer, which I am thankful for. Just because we're the same species doesn't mean I trust him.

"Hi, I'm Henley," I say, introducing myself.

He nods. "I'm aware of your name. I did my research before I came here."

"Oh." I put a hand to the base of my throat, not knowing what to say.

"I'm not here to hurt you—I only want to help you," he says, as if feeling my unease.

"Help me how?"

"I know what it's like to be overwhelmed by the voices, but I also know how to control it. I know how to block them," he says.

My eyes widen.

Right, of course he would know. He actually knows what we are.

"If you really want to help me, talk to Parker or his dad. You can't just come onto pack land. They don't trust you," I say. I start to tell him that I don't trust him, but we're alone right now. I don't want to make him angry. "Why do you run from them? They aren't going to hurt you."

He snorts. "I don't need permission from the wolves to talk to you. Why are you hanging out with the pack anyway? You're not a wolf shifter. You don't belong with them."

I shake my head. "No, you're wrong. I may not be a wolf shifter, but I do belong with them. I'm part of the pack."

He frowns. "What?"

"Why can't you just come talk to Parker? His dad is the alpha. If you explain to him that you want to help me, he'll let you," I say, trying to reason with him.

"I don't want anything to do with wolf shifters." His face turns red and he clenches his jaw. "Wolf shifters have not been kind to our species. They're part of the reason we were hunted down until almost extinction."

"Maybe that was how things were in the past, but trust me when I say nobody in Parker's pack wants to hurt you." I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. "And the pack is a good one. They accept me. I know they would do the same to you."

"No." He basically growls the word. "If you want my help, it won't be with the pack around. I will give you a few days to decide where your loyalties lie."

My loyalties? Does this guy really think I'd trust him, a complete stranger, over my pack? I was wrong last night to think that not being able to shift made me not part of them. I'm just as much a part of the pack as Will and Blaine.

The guy turns away from me.

"Will you tell me what we are?" I ask.

He turns around and smirks at me. "Maybe next time we talk."

Before I can open my mouth to respond, he is gone in a puff of smoke.

Well… clearly these conversations are getting us nowhere. I can't believe he thinks I would talk to him without Parker. Does he really believe I would trust him over my soulmate?

Unless…

Maybe he doesn't know that Parker is my soulmate. I've never mentioned it to him, but I assumed he knew.

I'll just have to change his mind and prove to him that he can trust the pack.