A young woman leaned against the backrest of a white painted wooden bench, staring at the blank first page of a beautiful leather bound journal with gold edged pages. A gift from her mother for her 18th birthday today.

Her mother said to fill the pages with all of her thoughts and dreams.

Perhaps… Should she introduce herself to the journal first? Was that weird? After all, inanimate object or not, it was a special bond when she would be pouring her heart out to it, right?

She shrubbed and clicked her pen to bring out the ink tip. It’s not like anyone else was going to see it, so she could write whatever she felt like.

‘My name is Luciana Rivers, I am human, but I was raised by werewolves.

From what I have heard, I was rescued as an infant from a home ablaze with fire in Montana’s ‘Middle of nowhere’ region… the only neighbors for miles and miles to see the smoke rising into the air were those living in the opulent homes within the golden gates of ‘Silver Moon Haven’, a vast community composed of three different powerful werewolf clans.

Most of the werewolves who took notice of smoke curling ominously into the air of that cold December night couldn’t care less about the fate of a small family of humans who had no business living so close to them in the first place… except of course, for the Rivers family of the Earthdancer clan.

Kyle Rivers had been rescued from a hunter’s bearclaw trap by a resourceful hiker when he was a young boy and had ever since held a soft spot in his heart for humans with good and noble hearts.

By the time Kyle and his luna, Melissa made it to the house, they found my biological parents already dead on the upstairs staircase… likely trying to get to me before it was too late and unfortunately fell prey to the thick smoke instead.

How I managed to be alright in my crib with the house filled with that black smoke, no one really knows… but as if by some miracle, Kyle and Melissa found me and immediately removed me from the home to get some clean clear air into my lungs.

Mom as I call Melissa now, tells me that the moment we were all safe and she was standing there, holding me in her arms and looking at my smoke smudged face… she knew that this was coincidence that they were the ones to save me, she said she and dad fell in love with me right away and decided to adopt me.

Mom says fate in lieu of great tragedy had decided to be kind in the end… Mom, after an accident as a young woman, was unable to become pregnant and Dad refused to ever abandon his beloved luna. Wolves mate for life after all.

Even in the darkness, if you look, there is a flicker of light to be found, that’s what Mom always says, you just need to reach for it. I was my adopted parents' light in the darkness and they were mine.

Growing up, I was never quite accepted by the majority of the werewolf clans, but… that’s okay. I have my parents, who I love more than anything and who I know love me more than life itself.

I have Ryan too. My sweetheart since kindergarten. He’s from a lower class Earthdancer family too, we started as best friends since kindergarten and into our early teens, we realized we felt more than just friendship towards each other.

In one week, a very important ritual hunt will take place. It is archaic in a way, but a revered tradition that the clans are not yet willing to let go of even in these modern times.

On the night of Halloween, unmated females will run into the dark forest and after allowing the female a ten minute head start, the unmated males will enter the forest and hunt for whichever female it was that held their heart.

If a male captures a female, she must accept that he had proven his worth to her and accept him as her mate. He will then bite her at the base of her neck, his scent forever embedded in the scar that would permanently adorn her flesh, this mark served to warn any and all other males that this female had a mate and to not get any bright ideas.

My parents, knowing that Ryan and I love each other and there is no danger or another male setting sights on a human female, have agreed to let me participate in the hunt.

Even now my hearts beats wildly with anticipation, I cannot wait to begin my happily ever after with my sweet Ryan.’

The sound of shoes stepping on plush grass caught Luciana’s attention then and she looked up from her journal, fully expecting that Ryan was here for the picnic they planned for this afternoon… but it was not Ryan standing in her mother’s flower garden…

The man standing there, staring at her with piercing golden eyes was unmistakable. He looked so much like his father with his lush black hair and chiseled features.

Xavier Roseclaw, the eldest son of the Earthdancer clan Alpha... what on Earth was he doing here? Far Luciana knew, he rarely ever wandered over in the direction of the lower class family homes...

"Mr. Roseclaw" Luciana said respectfully, rising from her seat on the bench "How unexpected to receive such an honor like a visit from our future Alpha. Did you need to speak to my father? He's just inside, I can get him for you."

Surely, he had to be hear to speak to her father. Kyle Rivers was one of the most talented woodworkers in all of the united clans, it wasn't uncommon to have upperclass folks want to commission him for a furniture piece.

"I'm not here to speak to your father, Miss Rivers..." He said, his voice deep and rich voice drawled, a clear hint of sophistication and superiority in his tone "I am here to speak with you"