"How is it Thursday already?!" Luna says confound by how fast the week has gone by already while I'm sat cradling a mug of coffee in the break room — lost in my thoughts staring at an apple in the fruit bowl in front of me.

She's stood by the kettle with her elbows on the counter, resting her head in her hands — I assume trying to decide if she has time to make tea before she gets ready for her presentation to the head of department that I know for a fact she just remembered about but will pretend she has known about this whole time.

"I'm so tired", "Every no moon day I always underestimate how lifeless I'm going to be… and it's only 11am now"

"Mhm" is the only form of agreement I have the strength to muster. On days when there is no moon, for every half wolf, it feels like we're being drained from everything inside of us – completely running on empty. All the coffee in the world couldn't help. I can barely keep my eyes open, my bones ache, my head hurts – everything hurts. All I want to do is sleep.

"Lydiaaaa? Would you be ever so kind and make me some tea while I quickly, or as quickly as I can, go sort out what I need and mentally prepare?", she asks with overexaggerated doughy eyes, and giving me a puppy dog look.

"Hmm, let me think — is no an option?" I say sarcastically

"Ugh how dare you" She replies imitating a valley girl

"Of course, go on" I say, taking the last gulp of now no longer hot, coffee I had left. Even lifting a teabag feels heavy today and I've almost forgotten how to even make tea.

Half the time we take it in turns to call in sick or request a day off when we're feeling this drained, sometimes together, but we can't have someone noticing the pattern so we have to stick it out and come to work sometimes, even if we don't get much work done.

Luna comes back in.

"Ah thank you so much", she picks up the teaspoon that was resting on the side of the sink, giving the tea one last stir.

"Only for you" I give her a wink and point like the ones twelve—year—old boys or older men trying to act cool do.

"I can't wait to get home and sleeeep" I whinge.

"Do you want to come stay at mine tonight? We could order some pizza once we've gotten some energy back?"

"Sounds perfect" Luna says taking her second sip of tea.

"I really don't know how you make such a good cup of tea" "One of these days I swear I'm going to catch you putting in some weird magical ingredient that makes it taste this good".

"Well, what can I say, it's a gift" I smirk. "It's just tea. Two sugars and a dash of milk, just as you ask for"

She squints at me suspiciously.

"Oh I almost forgot!" I grab the container beside me and slide it along the counter, stopping it in front of her. "Dried apricots soaked in rabbits' blood with parsley – same as always"

"Yes!" "I forgot about them too! They taste so awful but they really do help, thank you" She pauses, holding the container in one hand.

"Your mum would be proud you know" a soft smile grows on her face, which quickly turns to grimace as she opens the container and gets a sniff of the contents.

My mum was one of the healers of the pack, before she died. Healers are not supposed to share their secret recipes to anyone else in the pack but she had taught me a few that she knew would come in handy, like this one, just to add an ounce of vitality us on days like today.

"I have to go continue writing that article about sustainable beauty, you're going to do great with the presentation — have some faith in yourself." I pull four cubes of dark chocolate wrapped in foil out of my pocket hold them in front of her.

"This is for after you eat both of those!.." I look at the container of apricots, "…To help with the taste". She takes them from my hand.

I go to leave the room, but stop in the doorway —

"And you better not think of ordering pineapple on the pizza tonight"

"How did you –"

"I'm psychic remember" I say smirking and letting out an evil chuckle as I walk out the door.

We've both worked here for two years now. I write articles for the magazine and Luna manages the social media platforms.

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"You did not get olive and pineapple?!" I say fakely sobbing.

"Just try it!" "Stop saying it's disgusting when you haven't even tasted it".

Luna is basically a sister to me. We've been best friends since we were three years old and her dad got assigned as the second beta in the pack, alongside my father, so she used to come round a lot.

"Think I'm in the mood to do a face mask, wanna do one with me?" I ask Luna who's laying on my bed scrolling through her phone.

"Ooo sure"

"Do you want the hydrating mask or a clay one? I think I'm going with the clay. I feel like I need the cleanse" I say, doing a shimmy emphasising the word "cleanse".

"I'll go with the clay one too please".

I turn to look in the mirror I have in my bedroom.

"You know, writing this article is making me realise how I rarely see people who look like me in magazines"

"Hm you have a point" she looks up only momentarily before turning her attention back to her phone.

Specifically, my red—toned ginger hair and my freckles. For years I wished I had blue eyes, but I've grown to think green eyes are pretty great and I wouldn't change them for anything. Unlike Luna who had medium— length blonde hair like half the models out there.

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It's Saturday, which means lunch in the garden with the whole pack. Since my dad is one of two betas, it usually happens at our house since it's most convenient as we live more or less in the middle of everyone — also my dad is one of those overly friendly people that's always inviting everyone here anyway. We live in a small estate just outside the woods. All our gardens have wooden fences that goes to an alley, connecting all the houses.

"No one can resist a garden lunch once the weather starts warming up" Luna says looking out the window.

"Yep" I say lost in my thoughts while I rearrange my hair, taking more notice that I probably would normally.

I overheard my brother on the phone with one of his friends yesterday, and he mentioned that Aryan is probably going to come today. He never used to come round often since he's from a different pack, but he's been over for a few weeks now.

Until a few generations ago, people from different packs were enemies, but nowadays they can be friends — but dating is forbidden.