Ashlee’s birth was a shock to many people within her pack. It wasn’t because they hadn’t planned for her, but because of how Ashlee looked when she finally decided it was time to be born.

Instead of having a normal healthy baby girl, Ashlee’s mother had birthed a wolf-pup instead. Such a thing had never happened in the history of their pack before, or any other pack they knew of. No one could figure out why, either. No matter what form the mother takes during childbirth, a child is always born in their human form.

A werewolf never learns how to shift until they turn twenty.

Funnily enough, that was true for Ashlee as well. She couldn’t shift into her human form at all yet, given she hadn’t turned twenty. Her parents knew it was only a matter of time to see what might happen when she finally became of age.

Right now, Ashlee was only nineteen, so if she was stuck in her wolf form or not, she would have to wait two more years before she could ever find out.

Yet despite the strange happenstance of her birth, Ashlee was a healthy werewolf and one the pack adored completely. This included Ashlee’s parents, who were the leaders of their pack, making her the future luna when she was old enough.

Ashlee’s parents had taught her everything they could, including being cautious when dealing with any humans that she might come across. Most won’t ever see her as anything more than a wolf in this form, and although she could speak, it wasn’t as though she could tell them she wasn’t an animal. The humans would just freak out and either try to kill her, put her in the circus, or even do experiments on her.

Thankfully, the pack lived far enough away from any towns or cities that they didn’t run into humans as much as other packs did. As such, the pack was safe here and resources were plentiful. That also meant other packs never competed with them over land or food. Not that they didn’t have issues here and there, but there were no constant fights between them.

Looking out into the forest, Ashlee knew this was one reason she was out patrolling the borders right now. To scout for trespassers. Though if she was honest, she needed a break from her pack, too. Ashlee thought her pack was wonderful, but sometimes, she just wanted to run and be free from their ever-watchful gaze.

In many ways, her pack acted as though she was a special gift from the Goddess, and when she was finally old enough to shift, she would become some sort of prophet.

Ashlee had tried everything to convince them otherwise, but the attention was just too much sometimes. There wasn’t even anything to back up their claims to say she was a prophet, so she thought it all rather silly. She couldn’t argue they weren’t kind, but sometimes she wished they would treat her as any other person.

As she slowed down her hastened pace, Ashlee allowed the earth to shift under her paws. It felt fantastic to be out in the forest rather than on the pavement and cement of the town. It was much cooler out there too, and for one constantly covered in fur, she was thankful for the shade.

As Ashlee perked her ears forward, she listened out for the sound of any rivals in the area. The only sounds that surrounded her were the chirping of birds overhead, the shuffling of rodents on the ground and the rustling of leaves both above and below her line of sight.

Everything was so tranquil that she took a moment to stand still, merely taking in the surroundings with each of her senses. The sights, the sounds, the smells, everything made her feel so at peace with herself. There was nowhere more perfect and homely than when she was in the woods.

A sudden how rang out from the direction of the town, alerting Ashlee that she had to return to the pack. With a long sigh, Ashlee closed her eyes for a moment. It wasn’t a warning sound, so she didn’t think this was too important. It was probably something minor that her parents wanted to talk to her about.

Another howl filled her ears.

“I suppose I don’t have a choice,” she muttered under her breath. “I need to go home, and now,” she added bitterly. Opening her eyes again, Ashlee ran back the way she had come. She was positive she would get back there before her parents stressed out, so she didn’t bother responding to the call with a howl of her own.

When Ashlee arrived, her parents’ beta met her on the edge of the woods. He was a fairly burly man and was older than her parents by a couple of years. Ashlee was sure he should have retired by now and allowed someone younger to take over his spot as the beta.

“Hey,” Ashlee said, keeping her tone calm and collected. “What are you summoning me for?” She then asked. Despite being born different, I had no trouble communicating with others.

“Your parents have something to tell you,” the man told Ashlee as he set his gaze down on her with a critical look. “Don’t ask me what that is. I didn’t bother to question it. Knowing them, it is a family matter.”

For a moment, Ashlee sat down and peered up at him. He had always been standoffish, but faithful to her parents. She just wished he was a little more friendly to others.

“Okay,” Ashlee finally replied as she stood up again. As she headed towards the packhouse, she didn’t bother rushing there. All she could do was mutter, “I swear to the Moon, if they ask me to babysit again, I’ll not be pleased.”

The twins were young, but that didn’t mean Ashlee could look after them that well. She obviously had no hands, so they needed to ask someone else to help, anyway. Having Ashlee there wasn’t helpful or needed, and she thought it was just their way of being overly protective. They just hated her being out on patrol on her own. Or that was how she felt.

As Ashlee arrived at the packhouse, she headed through the door made especially for her. She felt a little embarrassed, given that the ‘door’ had been crafted similarly to a dog or cat door. However, Ashlee had little choice if she wanted to have the option to come and go as she pleased.

“Ah! You’re back! Ashlee, my dear,” her mother called out from the kitchen to her. “Thank the Goddess! I was thinking I might need to send out a search party.”

If Ashlee could have rolled her eyes, she would have. “I was only out scouting, and not even for an hour or two at most. You worry too much, mother,” she replied as she sat down near the table.

“But you’re our firstborn, and future luna of our pack. Be more aware of your actions!” Ashlee’s mother retorted. Giving her mother a long look, Ashlee made sure it became increasingly uncomfortable enough that her mother finally got to the point of why she had called for her. “We’ve had word that a rival alpha might pass through our borders soon. He won’t be here for violence, but one can never be too cautious.”

Ashlee nodded slowly. She understood the dangers rival packs could be if they started a fight.

The sound of crying from upstairs told Ashlee the twins had just woken up from a nap. They hadn’t long fallen asleep when she had left, but she had hoped they would have stayed asleep a little longer. Soon after, Ashlee heard her father rushing to tend to them. His stomping from one room to the other was enough to inform her of this.

Ashlee then turned her attention back to her mother. “What has he come here for?” She asked. “Trade deals? Looking for his mate?” She continued thoughtfully. “Which pack is he from?”

Ashlee’s mother laughed lightly. “Calm down, Ashlee, dear,” she said, shaking her head at her daughter. “I don’t know that myself yet. All I know is that he asked for permission to come into our land. We have a day or two to go yet, but I wanted to let you know. Please do not go out on patrols on your own for now. I’d rather you stay in the packhouse entirely but…”

Laughing softly, Ashly shook her head and said, “yeah, that will not happen. I’ll not leave on my own though, if that makes you happy, mother?”

Ashlee’s mother nodded once, then took out two bottles of milk. As she made her way out of the kitchen, she paused and with a brilliant smile on her face said, “oh! One last thing, dear. I need you to babysit tonight for me.”

Ashlee lifted her head back, letting out a low, whining howl of, “noooo!” She knew it was too good to be true, that her mother hadn’t asked her yet.