Beyond the Curtain

05 | rule 48

As I said before, werewolves were a hot commodity in the circus business. Working a circus, the life of a lone wolf, was not a popular one. Take the unpopularity and pair it with the locations many circuses frequented—towns that looked the other way when it came to the supernatural—and werewolves had more than enough reasons to stay clear of my occupation.

Werewolves, by nature, were pack animals. Strip a werewolf of its pack, and it's said they're simply a glorified human with a few extra abilities.

I had never known the luxury of a pack. Miss Nymphadora, back when I had yet to grasp the reality that Miss Nymphadora was not my mother, had told me the circus was my pack, and I had no reason to think otherwise.

The natural Alpha of our pack was Miss Nymphadora, and her Beta was her loyal companion, Bones. Dugg, her top henchman, could be classified as her Gamma—if it was a good day—and everyone else was ordinary members of the pack.

While the circus and the family it provided were not conventional, my wolf never wanted something greater. I had never yearned to be among my own kind, because, over twenty years ago, my own kind had been the ones to abandon me to a fate filled with death. Miss Nymphadora, by a sheer stroke of luck, had found me, and ever since, I hardly ever mulled over what my parents would have been like, what a life we could have led.

They hadn't wanted me, and that was enough reason for me to keep my distance both physically and mentally.

Parents who had the intention of sending their infant daughter to death were not parents worth fretting over.

Closing my eyes, I wrung my hands together. An hour had passed in the dressing room, and I had yet to begin on my makeup.

I knew I could carry the routine off without a hitch, but the audience, one sure to be filled with wolves, left my insides turning. Never before had I wondered if my routine would be a disgrace to werewolf kind, but now, the thought was at the forefront of my mind.

"Olive," Julia squeaked. "Are you insane? You have less than an hour to get ready. And, not only is the Alpha of Moontera going to watch your performance, but so is Miss Nymphadora."

"Shit." I opened my eyes with a start. "But my performance review is—"

"It doesn't matter," Julia huffed as she slid into the dressing room, the curtained door closing behind her. "She's coming."

"Wait." I turned around in horror. "Is she telling people about tonight? Like, is she making it a big deal?"

Julia nodded her head. "She's making it a colossal deal, Olive. We've never had an Alpha watch one of our shows before, and you know Miss Nymphadora would sell her own arms and legs to get in with an Alpha so the circus could have more werewolves than just you."

"Shit," I murmured, putting my head in my hands as I turned back round to face the vanity.

"I'll pray for you," Julia said, and I could feel her hands at the back of my hair. "Now, what do you need help with?"

"Everything," I exhaled. "I need help with everything."

"Well fuck."

Julia made quick work of helping me get ready. She didn't typically aid me before my shows, but she did often watch. I usually liked to tune into the electric buzz of the crowd. I would hear the buzzing from inside the dressing room, and it would send a wave of serenity over me.

Today, however, the sound made my nerves jitter and my heart soar.

Quickly, I learned that my nerves had almost rendered me useless. I tried to comb my hair, but I was not fast enough for Julia's liking, so she demanded I stop trying to get ready at once and leave it for the professionals.