Page 51 of Chasing The Alpha's Son
A couple of Rocky Pack wolves shuffle sideways to let us into the circle.
“It’s a Rocky Pack tradition: we all gather in the base of the valley—like our ancestors before they conquered the mountains—and we make a plea with the Moon Gods to protect us from the blood wolf.”
The blood wolf.
I have no idea what this is, but Morven mentioned it at dinner the first night we were here. I thought wolves all shared their superstitions, but maybe this is Rocky Pack-specific.
“What’s a blood wolf?” Katie asks.
“You don’t know?” Mason replies.
We both shake our heads.
Our circle has formed around a large, flat boulder in the center of the valley, and as Mia steps forward, the group goes quiet. She steps onto the surface of the boulder to the sound of fire crackling and nothing else.
“Wolves,” Mia says, flames glinting in her eyes, the same color as her hair, “in three nights we will encounter a blood moon: this is a signal to remind us that the Moon Gods are watching us.”
The circle is watching Mia, enraptured by whatever this is. I find Jasper on the opposite side, of course, with Clayton, but he’s watching Mia intently, his expression as stoic as ever.
“Yes, they are watching,” Mia goes on, “and during the blood moon they will pass judgment. Should you be judged worthy, you and your family will be blessed. But should you be judged unworthy…”
Mia spins with her arms outstretched, making eye contact with every member of the circle. A suspenseful silence holds the crowd in its grip; a chill runs down my spine as her gaze meets mine.
“Should you be deemed unworthy by the Moon Gods, you will be cursed.”
Um, excuse me?
“For on the blood moon, it is said, one wolf will be transformed.” Mia has stopped spinning and gestures like a witch conjuring a spell over her cauldron. “This wolf will be haunted by a million voices, driven to madness, bloodthirst, and a hunger for violence. This is the blood wolf.”
Fire cracks and I swear the pyres burn a little higher. Everyone is staring at Mia, their mouths drooping open, as if frozen with fear.
“It is said that in times gone by,” Mia continues, “the blood wolf, crazed and wild, devoured entire packs, destroyed ancient bloodlines, and colored the earth with the blood of wolves.”
It’s Christmas Eve, so why does this feel like a Halloween story?
“Why does it want our blood?” someone calls from across the circle.
Mia turns to them, grinning wickedly. “Because the only thing that will calm the madness of the blood wolf”—she spins, once again eyeing the crowd until her gaze lands on me—“the only thing to quench his insatiable hunger, is the flesh of another wolf.”
Gulp.A few people gasp, others bury their faces in their scarves. Some people are giggling nervously. Katie glances at me with concern.
“Is this for real?” I whisper to Mason.
“What? Nah, it’s just an old superstition,” he says. “Like Krampus or something.”
I’m glad that Mason doesn’t seem to have bought into all this, but from the petrified looks on some of the pack’s faces, not everyone is so chill.
“There is one thing we can do to stave off the curse of the blood wolf,” Mia says. The eyes of the group watch her eagerly. “Howl to the Moon Gods! Ask them for your blessing. Beg for their mercy!”
Some dude to my right immediately lets loose an earsplitting howl.
“Yes!” Mia cries, her face alight. “Howl with me now! Howl so you escape the curse of the blood wolf! Awoooooooo!”
Mia howls and the group explodes into a symphony of wolf cries. A couple of people even start to shift a little: one girl on the left has sprouted wolf hair, making her look like something out of a B movie, and another guy has extended his claws.
To my right, Mason lets out a massive howl, and I grin at Katie, who’s finding this equally as silly as I am. Never one to not join in, Katie shrugs and releases a cry. She probably needs a bit of tension relief anyway.
Across from me, the only other person not lifting their chin and wailing to the moon is Jasper. Amidst the howls, our eyes find each other’s, and it should be a sweet moment, where we smile knowingly because of course we’re the only two not joining in; and of course we’ve found each other in the crowd. But I’m too annoyed to find this moment adorable, so I send my best scowly vibes his way. In return, Jasper furrows his brow questioningly.
