Hunter's Moon

Seventeen: Riley

I blinked. Were they talking about me? I stepped forward, finally deciding to make my presence known. Which should have been obvious. You'd think that five werewolves would notice at least one more, right?

"Excuse me," I said, "but could someone tell me what the hell is going on here?"

Nothing. They continued with their conversation, as if I weren't even there. I glanced back at Eddie and Drew, more confused than ever. They were still sitting on their bench, hands gripping the edge as if it was the only thing keeping them from floating away. Their heads were bowed, but while Eddie kept his eyes downcast, Drew was glaring up at the alphas through her eyelashes. Neither of them acknowledged my presence.

"But how?" Simon asked. "There hasn't been a Silver Wolf in almost four hundred years, not since the last werewolf trials."

Donovan shrugged. "It's rare," he said, "but it can happen. No one knows how or why, but it's likely a sign of difficult times to come."

"And Astrid's sure of this?" Sierra asked. "How confident is she in her assessment?"

Donovan scoffed. "Seeing as how she's been around since the appearance of the first Silver Wolf, I think she has the most authority in recognizing it. Aside from the Elders of the High Council, who were also there in the beginning." He let his eyes flick over to the two omegas in the corner, leaning forward so he spoke only to the twins. "She could be a threat to us once she learns she can start her own pack. She could take our wolves, making them her own, and there would be nothing we can do about it."

Sierra snarled. "We'll make her join," she vowed, looking to her brother for support. He nodded and she turned back to her father. "We'll make sure she—"

I gasped as Drew pulled away, holding her arm to her chest as if she had been burned. I stumbled back several steps, my back slamming against the wall of lockers. The loud, crashing sound echoed down the hall, causing several people to stop what they were doing and look up. I tried ignoring them, heat flushing up my neck and into my ears.

"Riley! Are you okay?" Nadia grabbed my elbow, helping me straighten. Eddie put a hand on Drew's back, steadying her as she swayed in her spot.

"I'm fine," I said, keeping my attention on Drew. "What the hell was that?" I asked.

She bit her lip, looking up at Eddie. He nodded, and she sighed. "A memory."

"What?" Nadia frowned, her head rearing back slightly in surprise. Drew nodded, her eyes flicking over to Nadia before returning to me.

"How was I able to see into your memories?" I demanded. "And what the hell is a Silver Wolf?"

Eddie shook his head. "We don't know," he said. "We've only heard the name a couple of times, but no one in the pack thought we were worthy enough to learn about it."

"And the memory thing?" I asked, turning to Drew for answers.

She shook her head as well, her brows scrunching together as if she were trying to solve a difficult calculus equation. "I don't know," she murmured. "I've never heard of any werewolf having that ability."

A frustrated snarl tore through my teeth. What the hell was going on? Not only was I a werewolf, but apparently I was some kind of freaky, mutated one. Just something else to add to the list of "How To Fuck With Riley's Sanity."

"So what now?" I demanded.

"We're still under orders to convince you to join the pack," Eddie answered. "Though, if I'm being honest, I don't think that's ever going to happen."