She Who Bears The Wolf's Mark

Monsters

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Monsters

My heart skipped a beat at the dark sight that seemed to have been ripped out of some fantasy book.

In the middle of a vast clearing surrounded by trees and covered entirely in snow with not a dirt patch or plant in sight, a bonfire made out of logs and broken branches-the biggest I'd ever seen- sat burning, its red, yellow and orange flames reaching to the sky like grabbing hands, hungrily devouring the wood below, the heat emitting from it radiating all the way to me. Surrounding the bonfire was a very large group of people which I estimated to be almost a hundred, all standing at attention, tense and vigilant with their shoulders squared and their chins raised in what I assumed was pride, staring directly at me with intense, inquiring eyes.

I felt like disappearing underneath their intense scrutiny, but something told me to stand tall and strong or there would be consequences to bear.

The flames's orange hue was reflected on their faces, which I noted were all quite beautiful and handsome, all looking like they were top Abercrombie models. How all of them could bare standing in the open like this while the temperature was subzero with so much flesh exposed was beyond my understanding. All the men were clad in nothing but shorts and torn jeans, proudly exposing their tan, rock-hard chests which practically begged to be caressed -though none of them could hold a candle to Xander. Most of the women were dressed in clothes that, though not skimpy, were simply insufficient for this freezing weather.

What I couldn't help but notice about all of them was that same tattoo of a wolf's face they all had itched to their skins at various parts of their bodies, so very like the one I had tattooed onto my back. But neither the group of suspicious half-naked strangers that possessed tattoos similar to mine, nor the blazing bonfire were the reasons why my eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

Standing midst the pack of scarcely dressed strangers were my mother and father, staring at me with blank expressions, their eyes hooded and their faces paler than the snow below their feet. My heart beat as fast as a galloping horse and my hands grew clammy despite the cold weather. A gust of icy cold wind blew by the clearing, sending my hair flying into my face and eyes. I pushed the erratic strands away, and then blinked a few times to clear both my vision and mind, thinking something was messing with my mind and my parents couldn't possibly be among these strangers.

"What's happening?" Surprisingly, I didn't stutter. I couldn't think of one possible reason why my parents were out here in the middle of nowhere amongst people I didn't recognize at all. The first -rather stupid- thought that sprouted to mind was that this was my surprise birthday party, but then again, these were people I had never ever seen before in my entire life, so I quickly eliminated that ridiculous notion. I even doubted it had anything to do with me turning eighteen today. Heck, I bet no one remembered -oddly enough. Not even Trey had remembered.

I found myself looking to Xander for answers. He had been standing nearby the whole time I was caught up in my thoughts. Why did he bring me here? My parents didn't look surprised to see me with him though, so did they put him up to this?

As if noticing my questioning eyes on him, his golden one met mine. I realized with a jolt that he knew something about this. The look in his eyes confirmed it. But what exactly was he up to?