Changed.

I close my eyes as another wave of pain passes through me. What is?happening?to me?

A loud scream rips its way from my mouth before I can think to stop it. What's worse, I'm home alone and no one is here to help me. It feels as if I'm on fire, every piece of my body singing in pain.

I begin to cough, feeling something thick and sticky flying out of my mouth. The smell of it is what really hit home; I know what I am coughing up. Blood.

Tears slide down my face from the pure agony my body is going through. I lift my hand to wipe away the mess?and immediately regret it. The burning shoots up my arm; it bites at my muscles, intensifying. I quickly make a mental note not to move before setting my arm back down into its original place.

My stomach screams at me in hunger, but I ignore it. I don't want to even begin to think how much that would hurt. This weekend is a three-day weekend. If I'm lucky, I will be over whatever this is by then. It started out with a simple headache at the beginning of the week, along with some uncontrollable sneezes. I figured that it was just a bug going around. People at my school had been sneezing, having runny noses, even a few coughing fits. The typical flu virus, but had everyone else gone through this sensation I am feeling right now?

Pity flows through me as I realize one of my friends had gone through the headaches. Did she have this burning pain that I have right now?

I quickly decide that I'm going to call Bri; the one I had blamed for the sickness. I lift my arm and grab my phone, attempting to ignore the pain and burning that shoots through my arm. Tears spring to my eyes rapidly and blur my vision. My fingers touch the keys that bring me to her name and I struggle to make my hand work well enough through the pain to press "call."

"Hello?" Her voice asks after an instant, "Katie?"

"Bri.." My voice trails off. It sounds so hoarse, like I haven't spoken in months, though I talked to her yesterday.

"Wow, you sound like shit." She says honestly, "Want me to come over?"

"No, I just have a few questions." I whisper. A cough shakes my body and I flinch in pain.

"I'm coming over." She says with finality. I know better than to argue with her, this is a woman who has come to my house simply because she wanted to. With no notice. In the middle of dinner. I'm sure she doesn't need much of a push to get here here. She never does. Me telling her not to come will do little to change her mind, anyway.

"Okay, just be careful." My voice is weak now, like it simply doesn't want to work. Meanwhile my mind is rampant with thoughts of what could be happening to me. I hear the line go dead and know she's coming over. I hear a knock at my door not ten seconds later. Bri lives farther than that from my house...

"Who is it?" I call out. Are my parents home? They're not due back until tonight.

"Someone that's here to help." A deep, masculine voice says through the door. My brow immediately furrows. The voice is completely unfamiliar, which is odd because I know just about everybody in my small town. Also, how did this person find out where I live? I mean, I'm not exactly "in town." Most people get lost just thinking about where I live. I hear the click of the door opening and my stomach twists. I didn't invite him in? Why is he coming in? I think of how helpless I am in my current position. I literally wouldn't be able to protect myself.

"Katie? I'm here. And who is this adorable guy out here?" I can practically taste the flirtation in Bri's voice. I can picture the way her eyes scan his features. I roll my eyes as I realize she is the one coming in, not Mr. Mystery.

"Come in Bri." I attempt to shout, even though she's probably already indoors. I glance at the clock and realize my mental tirade had gone on for ten minutes. That guy stood out there for ten minutes? "Persistent" is the first word that comes to mind. Persistent is usually followed by creepy, stalker, or something of the sort.

"He's cute. Who is he, anyway? I haven't seen him around. Is he a possible boyfriend that you haven't told me about?" Her eyes sparkle with mischief before she takes in my form on the couch. It is then I am aware of the sweat beading on my face and how my hair is practically soaked. Bri frowns at my condition.

"Hell if I know." I say a little louder and my voice cracks. The burning is now somehow stretching to my vocal cords, making talking a lot harder to talk than it should be.

Not three seconds later, a tall man, around two years older than me with deep brown hair and tanned skin walks in. He has a smile on his face that looks caring yet has a dangerous edge to it.

I see what my friend is saying, though. He is definitely attractive; I wouldn't put him under, "My type, " though. He seems too, "overly protective bad boy who could kill a man for looking at him the wrong way." My parental approval seeking mind wouldn't allow the mere thought. Plus he kind of just walked into my house uninvited. Who does that.

"Who are you?" I ask, trying my best to seem intimidating despite my condition. My dogs must have sensed the tension because an immediate rumble of paws on linoleum moments later and three crazed animals marching in to see the stranger proves my point. Immediately barks fill the room as a small smile spreads across the man's face and he bends down to begin to pet them.

"He's a dog person too? I think I'm in love.." Bri whispers. I send her a skeptical glance but say nothing. Of course she would find him drool worthy. A small curve of his lips tells me he heard the remark and I sink further into the couch.

"My name is Aaron Nanuk." He answers. He stands up from petting my dogs and makes eye contact with me. I do nothing to respond other than keep my gaze on him.

"You said you were here to help. Help with what?" I hear Bri shift in her seat on the couch. She leans close to me and drops her voice to an incredibly low whisper.

"Probably help with stealing your virginities." My face flushes as all of my blood simultaneously drains and fills my face completely. Please tell me he didn't hear that.

"You feel sick, do you not? Can you stand up?" His voice doesn't acknowledge what my friend had said, and relief flows freely through me. Yet the thought of moving made me flinch.

"I'd rather not..." I murmur.

"Very well." His gaze swings over to Bri's. "May I talk to Katie alone?" I gave her a look that pled don't-you-dare-leave-me, but she seemed to have either ignored or not gotten the hint because she quickly stood up.

"Since you have Aaron here I don't see why I'm being a third wheel." With that note, she leaves out my front door. I make eye contact with the remaining person in the room. Something in me screams that he should leave. That my world is about to be turned upside down for either the better or the worse.

"What's wrong with me?" I demand.

"What moon were you born under?" Aaron asks me, completely ignoring my question. I squint, making a face that could be described as tasting something extremely bitter. I hate being dismissed.

"What? Do you mean like a moon phase? I don't know. Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" My eyes search his for any sort of answer. Why does he want to know what moon phase I have? Does it really matter? I mean, I was born at night; but still, I do not find this necessary.

"I suppose I can try to explain." His voice breaks off and his face blanks in thought.

I stare at him in annoyance. My voice is slightly less raspy with use, but not by much. It still hurts to talk, but finding out what's wrong with me seems higher up on the list than worrying about how much pain I'm in. I motion with my eyes to the small crack beside the couch I'd slept on last night. That's where my laptop lays.

"You can look it up on my laptop if you want." Maybe the couch is why I'm sore. I must have just slept wrong. This isn't really a sore feeling, though. More like I have been dumped in gasoline and set on fire every time I attempt to move. Aaron reaches over me to grab the computer. I absentmindedly wonder how bad I look, remembering the way I am soaked with sweat, when his skin brushes mine.

"Holy shit!" I yelp. Not only were my nerves on fire, but it seems as if he was a hot curling iron. "What the hell are you, a sun?" My recoil from touching him sent my body into another painful episode. I close my eyes to keep tears from falling, but one slid down my cheek anyway. Is he sick also? No, he can move. Maybe he's sick with something else. No one is naturally that warm. Aaron looks at me and sighs.

"This is your first day feeling like this?" He asks as he grabs a napkin from the kitchen. My face scrunches slightly as Aaron dabs at my cheek, careful not to make skin-on-skin contact again. When he pulls it away I feel my eyes widen. The napkin is stained red; I've been crying blood? Is that even possible? I shiver and silently curse as the pain hits me again.

"Shh, don't move." He says delicately. I was going to answer with some snide remark, but his eyes showed that he just cared about my well-being, so I kept my mouth shut.

"Yes, " I answer his question. "I woke up like this about an hour ago." He nods as if this meant something and opens my laptop, pressing the "on" button.

"How were you feeling earlier this week?" He raises his brow and gives me a small smile. There was slight knowledge in that smile of his, something a twenty year old shouldn't have. I choose to ignore it for the time being.

"In the beginning of this week, it was just a few headaches. The next day it was headaches and sneezing." I pause when I hear him tapping on the keyboard, cheeks slightly burning when I think of what my password is. "My password, is, uh.."

"Iris. I know." He interrupted. "Like the song by Goo Goo Dolls."

I tried to look less freaked out than I was, and I also try to keep the burning in my cheeks from becoming too visible and stop its spreading to my whole body, though this burn is for a different reason.

"How did you-" I began, "Wait, I don't even want to know."

Lie. That was a complete lie. This stranger, who I haven't even seen around my tiny town, just waltzes into my house and somehow knows my computer password, (Something my mom doesn't even know!) and also acts like he has a clue as to why I'm feeling like a lit candle. Not to mention that his own skin is like he's a damn stove top set on high. Why is he here and why does he know so much stuff about me? The fact that he's not even answering any of my questions just aggravates me even more!

"When's your birthday?" He asks me. Oh, so there's something he doesn't know about me.

"March 11, 1998." I say, eyeing him warily.

"Waxing gibbous." His answer was almost immediate. My face is completely blank. I remember something about the words from science class in the eighth grade, but my mind simply doesn't put the pieces together. "It's the moon phase before the full moon. Directly before." He says, sensing my confusion.

"So it's not even a cool moon? It's the fat one before the full moon? I, at least, wanted a crescent moon or something like that." I frown, somewhat disappointed at the news. Aaron gives me an amused smirk. The smirk is attractive, the way his eyes seem to light up while a ghost of a smile plays on his lips. My eyes widen at that thought and I quickly slap it away. No. My parents would never approve. He has that Bad Boy feel about him. Idiot.

"You don't even know what you're saying." His eyes are lit up with happiness, making his face glow. "Anyway, I'm called a seeker. I smell out new shifters.." Immediately my brows furrow.

"Seeker? Shifter? What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to take you back to my... House and we'll stay there for awhile. Okay?" Who is this man? I'm not going anywhere. I voice that with a few choice profanities. I mean, I'm not particularly fond of school, but being pulled out to go to some stranger's house is definitely not the route I want to go on. How exactly would I get a diploma? Continue on with my future? Especially when I have all of two weeks left until graduation!

"I'm going to teach you in whatever way we will need you. I can't really go into detail now, I don't want to overwhelm you, I'm sorry. I guess you can call me some sort of tutor, teaching you about a different kind of history." His voice breaks me out of thought and I notice he's holding out some kind of pink smoothie for me. This brings my mind to my burning limbs and growling stomach, but I just stare at it. My mind immediately goes defensive, the way anyone's mind would when there is an older stranger in front of you trying to give you something that you know nothing about.

"Are you trying to drug me? Because I will tell you right now that no matter how drugged up I am I can still-"

"That's some tough talk for someone who can't even move." His voice is firm and he's beginning to sound irritated. "Drink up, the burning should go away and you might even be able to get up and walk around." I keep my stare at him for a solid minute, trying to see any hint of a lie on his face. When I fail to see one, I shut my eyes and reach out for the drink, doing my best to ignore the painful spasms burning their way through my muscles.

I grab the straw of the smoothie between my teeth and drink, the effects come almost immediately. "Well I'll be..." I trail off, leaning up into a sitting position. I close my eyes as if I were preparing to be zapped with the burning again. I was shocked when it only felt as if my muscles were sore, like I had been working out the day before. "Wow, what's in that thing?" I look up at Aaron with curiosity.

"That is one of the things I plan to teach you. Here." He hands me the entire smoothie and I take another gulp, then test to see how much my muscles have loosened up.

"That stuff is amazing." I take out the straw and drink once more, now noticing how surprisingly good yet unfamiliar it tastes. I've never tasted something so different.

"So, you don't plan on teaching me Calculus?" I ask. This time his laugh is so genuine I find myself with a small smile as I watch his head tilt back and he let it out.

"No, I don't plan to teach you any typical school courses, you may continue to go to school of you please. Though it may interrupt when I want to teach." He seemed to go off in thought, which caused me to do the same. What's happening to me? And why is he here to be my "mentor?" What is he even mentoring me in?

I look at the drink in my hand and bring it back to my lips, finishing it off.

"How much longer will this work?"

"It should last until tomorrow morning. Hopefully you'll be at the house by then." He answers almost immediately.

"Can't you just tell me how to make it?" I ask.

"Now what's the fun in that?" The boyish smile that holds his face makes him look more sixteen than twenty. "Besides, how would you get up and make it?" I hadn't thought about that. I sigh and stand up, taking the cup with me to the sink and washing it. My muscles were still a little sore, but it wasn't a sharp pain. I grab my glasses and put them on.

"Would you like anything to eat? I'm starved." I look at him and he gives me a smile and a nod. I look at the clock to see what time it is and what I should make: 11:00.

"Is breakfast okay with you?" I ask.

"Anything is fine. I'm not picky." I smile and grab some bacon and eggs from the fridge. I turn on the stove and get two pans out, placing the bacon in one and then eggs in the other. I spin around and grab a plate to put the bacon on and set it on the counter. I place a few layers of napkins to soak up the grease as they finish. I'm incredibly methodical about how I cook, taking care of every step almost thoughtlessly.

"You're like a machine." Aaron mutters, more to himself than to make conversation. I turn to look at him, only to see that he's watching me carefully. Interest flickers in his eyes. Does he enjoy watching me work? I grab a spatula from the drawer, attempting to ignore the thought.

"I'm very serious about my cooking." I say, then flip the bacon and stir the eggs. Usually I hate the thought of food touching; I'm not much of an experimenter. My mother always makes these two dishes this way so I suppose I figure that it should taste fine. About ten minutes later the food is done and I place a plate in front of Aaron.

"You know, my parents will be home later today, " I speak. "How do you plan on sneaking past them tomorrow morning to give me this smoothie? They aren't exactly too keen on guys." My mind wanders to the fact that I've never had a boyfriend, let alone kissed a guy, and yet here one is inside of my house. Uninvited. Cute. Bad boy.

Not to mention the fact that his pitch black v neck t-shirt spans across his chest, almost looking a size too small if it weren't for the fact that it falls loosely everywhere else. He's wearing a leather jacket on top, giving him that edgy look I had been so cautious about earlier. My eyes roam to his well-worn jeans with a small rip in them on the thigh. His sock clad feet make me wonder absentmindedly what footwear he would choose to wear with this. Probably combat boots, maybe even a pair of Converse? Though I doubted that; he doesn't come across as the "Converse" type. I smirk at what my parents' reaction may be.

"Oh yes, parents." He says as if they were a burden. "Where are they now?"

"With my sister visiting some college." My mind struggles to place which college that she had chose to make the trip to go see. Cincinnati? Ohio State? I can't remember.

"Has this ever happened to her?" I turn to look at him with confusion causing my brows to lower. I rack my memory for anything that might be a hint.

"Not that I'm aware of." I say to him. I mean, she would get the sniffles every now and then but I don't recall her ever telling me that she felt she'd been lit on fire. I hope I would remember something as dramatic as that. "Oh, I forgot about drinks. Milk, apple, or orange juice?" I ask.

I stand up and suddenly feel very dizzy. The entire room seems to spin out of control around me as I feel the need to sit back down. I stumble a bit backwards, trying to find my seat. "Aaron?" I squeak.

Luna? A quiet voice whispers.

~*~

I open my eyes and I'm on my kitchen floor with Aaron standing over me. What the hell? His eyes are full of concern, whereas mine are just confused. Why am I on the floor? Why is Aaron less than a foot from my face? My spine tingles in awareness of the position, but neither of us make any hint of moving, though I can see the knowledge in his eyes as if he hears the way my heart is pounding in my ears at the moment. No guy has ever been so.. Close. Our eyes are locked.

Awkward. Oh god, this is so awkward.

A large, disgustingly wet tongue comes out of nowhere and begins licking my ear.

"Agh, Brutus." I whine and wipe the damp area. Ear-licking was one of my dog's weak spots, and also an incredibly disgusting one. My Doberman Pinscher whines and licks my face again, this time on my cheek. My face scrunches in response and I try to sit up, but Aaron pushes my shoulders back down.

"Woah, not so fast." I look around to see my other two dogs keeping a distance, watching me. I glare at Aaron, painfully aware that he is straddling me, his hot skin searing straight through my clothes.

"I don't wanna lay down." I growl. Wait, growl? Did I just growl at somebody? My face burns at the realization but I do as I'm told, despite the fact that I absolutely cannot stand to be ordered around. "And I want some orange juice." I try to lean up so that I'm sitting.

Aaron doesn't protest, unless you call him giving me a murderous look protesting. He climbs off of me and I almost sigh in relief.

Stay put! An angry voice rings in my head, completely unlike my own. I didn't think that, did I? That wouldn't make any sense.. Why would I tell myself to stay put?

I let out a loud yelp in surprise. I grab my head, immediately pressing my fingers into my temples. "What the hell was that?" I shout.

"What?" Aaron asks, "What happened?" His eyes are alight with confusion and.. Excitement?

"A-a voice." I mutter, suddenly feeling foolish. I think I'm hearing things. Inside of my head. God, I'm crazy. "Never mind. Just help me up." I lean forward a bit more and stand up with a little help and support of Aaron.

"So, " I decide to voice my thoughts, which have been going crazy since he had knocked on my door. If I didn't start talking now I fear even more for my sanity. "Why did you come in my house talking crazy and ask me what moon phase I was born under?"

"I needed to know what moon you were born under to be sure of, uh. Well, your title. I can explain later." Title? Am I some sort of wrestler now?

"What moon were you born under?" I wonder aloud.

"Crescent." His eyes are scanning over my features, and I feel like he knows me too well for a person that I had just met not even a two hours ago. I get a small feeling of self-consciousness, but I push it back and attempt to put a bit of a lighter tone to the conversation.

"Why do you get a prettier moon than me?" I ask. I had always liked crescent moons. I had always been fascinated with how something in our sky could be so perfectly round, but change shape in such a way just because of a little sunshine.

"You'll find out another day." I groan in answer to that. I need information, not short and clipped answers.

"What's a Luna?" I decide to change the subject, getting my orange juice out of the fridge and nudging the door shut with my hip. My mind wanders back to the voice that quietly nudged into my mind before I lost consciousness.

"A female leader of a pack. A foreign word for moon." His answers are turning vague. I raise my eyebrow in answer to that.

"Want to be more specific?" A pack of cigarettes, a pack of animals? What about a pack of people? Too many blanks.

"A group of something." My eyes narrow at that particular response. Would it kill him to elaborate?

"Well you don't say?" I say sarcastically. "What is this supposed Luna a pack leader of?" My words had gotten snarky, and I realize how rude that probably is, but I choose to ignore it for the time being. If it got me answers, what does it matter? Oh yes, maybe because if I pissed this person off I no doubt would lose to him in a fight. I roll my eyes at myself. He hasn't been hostile yet.

But that doesn't mean he couldn't be. My mind whispers to me.

"Uh, that part is a little hard to explain, you see. You probably won't believe me." He says, distress skirting into his voice. I glance into his eyes and take a gulp of my juice.

"Try me."

"It's a wolf, sort of. I mean, it's really hard to explain without you seeing for yourself, but technically I don't even know if you're a Luna. I won't know until you're finished.. Uhm, your moon phase is a helping factor, I mean-" His voice abruptly stops, probably finding out that he's blubbering on without control. A wolf? He wants me to lead a pack of WOLVES? He said I was supposed to do this? Why can't he just go to a wolf farm or something. They seem to be doing just fine without "Luna's, " which I guess I am? A laugh rips its way from my mouth, almost sounding hysterical.

"You're saying that I'm going to go off to lead a pack of wild dogs because of a moon I was born under? Please." I scoff, disbelief lacing my words. He's staring at me as if he truly believes what he is saying, and that freaks me out. Actually, this whole situation freaks me out. I don't even know him. I met him a few hours ago, and he's basically asking me to run away with him. "Thanks for the relief from whatever the hell I was feeling, but you're insane. I think it's time for you to leave." I go to the door and open it, giving Aaron his cue to leave. His face twists unhappily, but he walks briskly out of the door with my eyes following him. This insane person wants me to run away with him to lead a pack of wolves. That makes me stop looking and slam the door shut, locking it for good measure. My dogs whimper when he leaves and I roll my eyes.

"So he's the one y'all decide to like." I mutter. It took weeks for them to tolerate Bri or any of my other friends. "Unbelievable."

I walk back into the kitchen, texting Bri to come back over, mentioning that I have a completely crazy story to tell her about Aaron. I see my half empty plate and one clean plate sitting beside it. Well, at least I don't have to throw his food away. I pick up my plate and set it on the floor for the dogs to eat, which they did. I absentmindedly wonder if they even tasted anything I've ever given them. I take the now empty plate off of the floor and place both Aaron's and my plate into the sink. I'll wash them later.

I let the dogs out and they take off, sprinting across the rolling hills of my land. My family and I don't bother with leashes, we have too much land for our dogs to bother any neighbors or anything like that.

I hear a dog paw at the door. At the same time the sound is made, it feels as if I had been shot on the stomach. My eyes widen as I wrap my arms around my midsection, doubling over.

"Oh my god!" I shout, the feeling was comparable to being cut open. The pain worsened, as if someone was attempting to move around my internal organs. Tears fly to my eyes as I wrap my arms around myself even tighter.

I hear a banging on the glass door and look up to see Aaron there. He got rid of the pain last time, could he do it again? The pain fades slightly, then comes back impossibly worse. I scream as loud as I can, hoping that might somehow scare it away. Aaron wraps his arms around me and I try not to push him away. He didn't leave? I try not to think about that too much. I also try to ignore how warm he is, though now he doesn't seem quite as warm. It's more like the heat you get from sitting around a bonfire. He sits down on the couch, pulling me with him. Despite how much pain I'm in, I can't ignore how? much care he seems to be putting in his actions.

"Hold on, it's almost over." He whispers. I'm shaking from the pain I'm in. I have a feeling that he's lying.

"It's not really.. almost over. Is it?" I accuse quietly, my words choppy.

"For the moment it is." He tries instead. And his words rang true. The pain quickly faded and he released me. "If you still want me to go, I can." He says, looking as though he said it just to be polite and he really didn't want to go.

"No, it's okay. You can stay." I say. The smile he gave me after that lit up the entire room. My dogs scratch at the door, telling me they want back in. Aaron walks to the door and opens it, the dogs surrounding him and showering him with their wet dog kisses as he pets them and gives them attention. How did it get unlocked? I quickly let it go. No need to focus on the less important questions when I have so many other ones to answer.

I move to get comfortable on the couch. One of my dogs, an adorable mutt named Pari, jumps up and lays next to me. She lays her paws lazily across my stomach and sighs, closing her eyes. I lightly stroke her head and grab the TV remote and flip it on. Aaron gets up and sits next to me. The two remaining dogs get comfortable on the floor and I browse through the channels.

"Criminal Minds okay with you?" I ask.

"It's no football." He says, looking at me.

"We're not watching football." I say flatly. That's one of the sports I can't stand. I click on Criminal Minds and relax into the couch.

"Hey, so did Aaron come over and romantically take all of your virginit-" Bri halts at the door and looks at who I'm on the couch with. Her face gets beat red and she gives a little smile.

"You remember Bri, right Aaron?" I ask him. A small smile plays on his lips.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Welcome back." He looks up at her and his smile spreads so that he's showing his teeth.

"Uh, hey. I thought you would've left by now..." She says awkwardly. My bad.

"No worries, come in and have a seat." He welcomes her, though it's not his house. I smirk at his hospitality and realize how utterly tired I am.

"My parents should be home in a few hours. So you guys can't stay too long." I say, a yawn following. My eyelids start to feel heavy.

"Go to sleep." Aaron's voice whispers soothingly in my ear. "I'll be here when you wake up." I give in and shut my eyes, feeling a blanket get wrapped around me. I halfheartedly wonder if I'm gonna regret keeping when I wake up. I hear a muted "aww" from Bri before I finally drift off to dreamland.

When I wake up, the dogs are barking and Bri is gone. I reach over and look at the watch I had taken off last night. The watch said 6:00 pm. So I'd slept longer than I thought I would. The dogs are all at the door, waving their tails excitedly in anticipation of something. I get up to go check what's out there. Sometimes it's a person, sometimes it's a deer. I never really know. I step towards the door but Aaron is blocking it, peering out the glass while the animals go crazy around him.

"Your parents and sister are home." He announces, making no effort to move.

"What?" I ask, tensing up, "you need to go."

"Why?" His brows knit together in confusion.

"Because my parents don't know you're here."

"So? I'll just tell them why I'm here. They'll understand."

"Oh yeah? What're you going to say? 'Hello, your daughter here is a Luna. She was incredibly sick this morning so I gave her this mysterious smoothie that made her feel better and afterwards she fell asleep. I told her she has to come with me to lead a pack of wolves in some place I haven't even told her about. Then I decided to stay and watch her sleep to make sure she doesn't have another episode.'"

"Actually, yes. I was."

"You can't do that!" I groan out in pure frustration.

"Why?"

"They'll never-"

"Katie!" My sister's sing song voice entered the room. Her eyes went immediately to Aaron, back to me, then back to Aaron. "Who's this?"

"I guess it's time to meet my family.." I mutter. He gives me a confused look and I roll my eyes.

"I'm Katie's... Boyfriend." He says hesitantly. My head whips around to stare at him incredulously. What? My mother and father walk in just in time to hear the sentence. Wrong choice. I think immediately as I see my dad's face go from "friendly" to "stern."

"Boyfriend?" He asks, "I don't remember you asking if he can come over, or really mentioning his existence." He stares at Aaron, locking eyes with him. Aaron meets his eyes, shifting a little so he'd seem bigger. I grab his arm, making him break eye contact and dissolving some of the tension. What is he doing?

"Not good to stare back." I mutter. He looks down at me and raises his brow. My mom shifts and coughs lightly, bringing the attention to her.

"Who is this young man?" My mom asks as if the previous event had never happened.

"Aaron." I say quickly before the boys could say something else. "His name is Aaron Nanuk." For a second I saw my dad's face change. It changed so quickly that if I hadn't been watching for his reaction, I would've never even seen it. The look was of recognition. How did my dad know him? I look up at Aaron, looking for some sort of help, only to find his gaze had fixed upon my dad again. I elbow him in the ribs and give a slight motion to my mother.

"Uh, hello." He says clearly while sticking his hand out to shake hers. My mom gives him a friendly smile and clasps her hand with his. She grabs him and leans close to his ear, whispering something too low for me to hear. He backs away with a wide smile on his face, teeth showing.

"Your mother told me you used to have braces?" My face changes from awkward to horrified.

"No!" I shout a little too quickly.

"I think I still have a picture of her old teeth somewhere..." My mom trails off, disappearing into a different room. My sister is watching me carefully.

"Boyfriend, huh?" She sounds incredibly skeptical. I feel Aaron's arm wrap around me and I try to ignore how warm it still feels. His arm rests lightly on my hip and I lean into him to add to the charade. My dad sighs, sends Aaron a look, and walks off to his room.

"Aaron sweetie!" My mom's sugar-sweet voice is back, a photo album with?Kaitlyn?written in delicate cursive on the front. My eyes widen. No one should go through the horror of pre-braces me, and DEFINITELY not the horror of pre puberty me. I don't even want to think about the baby pictures. When I was little, I hated wearing clothes. There's no doubt that in three fourths of the pictures I had no clothing on.

"Aaron, " I say, trying to sound urgent, "uh, I think you should get going. It's late and you're probably going to miss dinner with your family."

"Nonsense! He can have dinner here! Now would you please take a seat? I would like to show him something."

"Of course I'll stay for dinner Mrs.." Oh no. I've never told him my last name. Panic runs through me. I will the information to somehow reach his brain. My last name is Cole!

"Cole." I visibly relax. He hadn't missed a beat, but how'd he know my last name? Is he a mind reader of sorts? He looks down at me with an uncomfortable fake smile. "I must inform my pac-family. Please excuse me." Pack? Is that what he was going to say? How do you inform dogs that you won't be home for dinner? Does he have some sort of dog sitter to tell? Aaron snatches his phone from his pocket, gliding out the door and into the garage, not closing it all of the way.

"Bravo." My mom whispers to me. I throw her a sideways glance and strain to hear his conversation with his "pack" that was taking place just on the other side of the door.

"-just won't listen. No, she doesn't know what we are." A pause, "yes, I realize that can make it difficult." Another pause. "She's not twenty. You know we don't get mates until then." Mates? "No, but it's her first day into the change and it seems like she's a week into it." Change? What kind of change? "Yes, she's been connected with me already." Could being connected mean the voices that I hear in my head? "Yes. Listen, I won't be home for dinner. I'll tell you more tonight when I make it back home, Alpha. I'll bring her over sometime this week." I could hear gruff yelling on the other line. "Bye." He touches the screen, ending the call.

"Eavesdropping is bad." My mom scolds. I sigh. The door slides open and Aaron strolls in, a neutral look on his face, but as I glance up into his electric blue eyes, a feature I hadn't noticed earlier, I could see the pure knowledge that was in them. He knew I had heard. I feel a little guilty and move to wrap my arms around his torso, trying to avoid his gaze in a not-so-subtle way. He envelops me in his heat immediately and I feel like I shouldn't be doing it. I second guess the thought as soon as it came, but his arms wrap around me loosely and I dismiss it as I hear a faint "awh" followed by feet skittering away.

I close my eyes and realize how different he smelled, temporarily forgetting the conversation I had overheard and the pain I'd felt this morning. The fact that I had just met him this morning, even when he told me that I was a Luna and that it was my job to rule over a pack of wild animals. I begin to pull away but a flash penetrating through my closed eyes make me snap them open. My mom was standing there with a camera and a smile. I pull away fully from Aaron, putting about two feet between us.

"Mom.." I trail off. I remember that I haven't seen a mirror all day. "Can I see the picture?" I say a bit too frantically. She hands me the camera. I quickly pull up the picture and fall into a stunned silence. My face is practically glowing, completely clear of acne. I look as if my eyelashes have grown, a natural layer of mascara coating them. Aaron is looking down on me, his eyes open and watching me protectively. I blink down at it.

"I need to see a mirror." I say, quickly shoving the camera into Aaron's hands and going upstairs so I can marvel at myself. I make it into the bathroom where there is a mirror that falls a bit below my hips.

I slowly move up my body, which doesn't look any different. I still have a decent amount of chub on my bones;?I look like I always do in that department. My thick thighs giving way to my best asset, my tummy still hanging a bit too big over my sweatpants but giving way to my mostly flat chest. My curly dirty blonde hair, which reaches just barely to the bottom of my breasts, now glows with health and shine. I reach up to stroke it and am shocked at how soft it is. I continue up to my?face. Not much had changed there except for a bit thicker?lips and my jaw is more defined. My acne scars are completely gone though, my face looks as if I have a layer of foundation on it.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Aaron whispers. I hadn't even noticed he had come in. "Our goddess gifts us with beauty and strength." He smiles down at me as I turn to face him. He carefully keeps his distance at the doorway.

"I don't really look that different. I still have all of this extra weight." I touch my stomach unhappily. "You'd think she would get rid of that too if she was going to get rid of my scars."

"I know you have questions about the the conversation you overheard." Aaron chooses to say instead, changing the subject.

A nagging pain, nothing like what I had experienced earlier, spread across the surface of my ribs. It was as if it were on the skin.

"Ow.." I mutter, placing my hand on my right side. Aaron eyes light up in excitement.

"What is it?"

"My ribs..."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but can you lift your shirt a bit?" I glance cautiously at him, but pull the edges of my shirt up. What I saw terrified me, yet intrigued me. A tattoo of a wolf was placed there. It was howling at the moon with winglike designs on either side. Aaron smiles at the design as if it confirmed something in his mind.

"It's a symbol for Alpha and Luna. Regular pack members don't get a tattoo." Wait, so this is permanent? What will my mom think? I know she despises tattoos... Yet I find my hand reaching out and gently tracing over my tattoo, impossibly black in contrast to my lighter toned skin.

"I'm guessing an Alpha is a male leader of the pack?" I say hesitantly in attempt to keep the conversation going.

"Yes. Very good." He sounds like a school teacher praising his student and I have to stifle my laugh.

"Can we go to the basement? I have a lot of questions, and that's the most discreet place I can think of. My parents won't let us stay up here long." I mutter, remembering that my sister is upstairs and more than likely listening to us in confusion.

"Sure." He smiles and follows me down the main floor, where my mom was making dinner, and then down another flight of stairs to the basement.

*~*

I relax into the love seat as Aaron does the same. He's sitting a pretty good distance from me, and I try to ignore the woodsy smell he seems to emanate. I quickly think of all of the questions that have gone through my head over the entirety of today.

"What am I?" I ask after a few moments. Aaron looks down at me with a complicated glint in his eye and sighs, as if there was an incredibly long story to tell.

"Well, you see. It's hard to explain." He presses his lips together, as if deciding whether or not to soften the blow.

"What's happening to you, Kate, it's not average." He pauses for a moment and shakes his head, "You knew that, of course." He mutters, more to himself than to me.

"You don't have to sugar coat it." I try. It seems as if he's battling himself; his face contorting into different emotions. He seems to settle on a single thing and gives himself a small nod, as if for motivation for what he was about to say.

"Werewolf." He says simply and suddenly, then smiles as if he has accomplished something. "You're a werewolf." My mind draws a blank and I try to gather all of the information that I had heard on werewolves, which was mainly just things from TV shows and movies. Disbelief clouds my mind.

"You mean I'm going to turn into a half wolf creature every full moon? I'm going to have grossly scraggly hair and I'm going to stand on two legs with disgusting claws? I'm gonna eat human hearts and kill people?" I feel horrified. I could never dream-wait why is Aaron laughing? I glare at his face as he throws it back. "What?" I growl.

"You think that? Do all humans think that?" He asks, tears in his eyes. I frown as his laughs slowly come to a stop. The amusement in his eyes remain and I find myself feel a twinge of annoyance.

"Kate, you're not one of those.. Things." He tells me. "You're, at a lack of better words, a shape shifter. A lot of us prefer to be called Shifters, actually. We shift into wolves whenever we want. Our moon goddess, our Ay Tanr??as?, She would never be so cruel." He looks at me seriously. "She has decided to create a new bloodline."

"Am I this new bloodline? Why me? I'm not special." A look of rage goes through his eyes but quickly disappears.

"Don't say that." Anger passes once again on his face, but this time it doesn't go away. "Our Goddess chose you." He hisses, as if I were offending him and everything he believes in. "You said your sister hadn't gone through this?" His teeth grind and I have to stop myself from cringing.

"No." I confirm.

"Well then let me tell you something about new bloodlines. They're always different than the way us wolves are now, whether it be they shift smoother or they're better fighters; we never really know. It's the way Ay Tanr??as? introduces new genes." I nod at this, following along. It feels as if he were telling me a story. A legend of some sort; I find it hard to wrap my mind around the fact this is happening to me.

"Can you tell how the wolf's different when they're changing?" I ask.

"No, they'll find what it is, or rather, we'll find out, when they are finished changing. The wolf that's different can't usually tell the difference."

"Why am I changing so fast?"

"I'm not sure. It may be one of the differences, Ay Tanr??as? must want it. There's a reason behind all of her actions."

I press my lips together and nod. I feel lightheaded and my stomach begins to spin.

Oh, great.

My eyes open and I'm curled in Aaron's lap, face pressed into his chest and the back of my head is supported by his large hand. I feel waves of excitement roll through me and it makes me feel antsy.

"Who is it?" Aaron asks. I look at him in confusion. He has an intense focus on my face.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Who did you connect with?"

"What-" I feel so jittery and happy that my sentence cuts off. "I feel very.. Excited." I say. I want to bounce off of the walls. The only thing stopping me was Aaron's firm grip around me and his hand is still on the back of my head.

Hello! A man's happy voice yells in my head and I jump a little in response. Welcome to the pack!

Uh, hello. I think. Who is this, may I ask? Why am I being so polite? This guy is in my head. If anything, he should be overly polite towards me.

Eric. The voice continues, the excited feeling is still there but somewhat fades. My name is Eric Stoic. Tell Aaron it's Stoic, God, I'm so glad we got another member.

"I've, ah, connected with Stoic." I say. Annoyance fills Aaron's features and I feel red-hot anger flow through me. It fills my veins and I cringe under the intensity of it. I whimper and immediately it fades, Eric is quiet.

"No one has ever connected with two people in one day before." Aaron says approvingly. "Eric is one of our younger fighters. He's eighteen."

"Can you hear what we're saying in my head?" I ask. I hear Eric laugh maniacally and I furrow my brows. "How do I make him go away?"?Aw sweetie come on. I'm not that annoying am I? He says.

"Why? What's he saying?" Aaron says strictly.

"Nothing... Weird. I just feel uncomfortable with people hearing my thoughts." I say honestly. Aaron presses his lips together.

"I'll tell you another time."

So, when are you coming to the pack house?

I-I don't know.. I reply. What's a pack house?

"Stop talking to him." Aaron growls lowly. "I can't hear it and I don't like it." I shrug and try to restrain from hearing Eric's voice and not let him hear mine. I feel something somewhat like a shutter come down in my mind, as if I were closing a garage door.

"What's a mate?" I ask, getting back to interrogating him. Aaron's eyes furrow and he looks as if he's concentrating completely on something. "What?"

"I can't hear you." He says. "What did you do?" He's squinting slightly and glares into my eyes. I shift uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Nothing.. Just what you said." I say curtly. "Now answer my question."

"Well, do you believe in love at first sight?"