Bloodlines

Anna

I'm out past curfew... again. I'll probably get caught... again. But I have my camera. And I have a vision. I have to capture it. My aunts got me a Cannon a few years ago for my birthday. They wanted to make sure I was serious about my newfound hobby. They didn't understand that I could be the Peter Parker of the pack. And tonight was clear with a chance of seeing the Super Moon.

I'm meeting Sara for the best shot of my life. This photo will be send to National Geographic and they might possibly take me on. I'll be sending them my whole portfolio and over the years I've acquired a beautiful one. If they do take me, they'll send me to school and I'll finally be free of the pity looks I receive from my pack. Sara doesn't know this, and I'm not quite sure how to tell her.

Sara's scent gets stronger as the wind picks up. I follow the musty smell until I see her wolf standing a few meters from me. Her light brown ear twitches in my direction, acknowledging me without looking. Her other ear is focused on something in the forest behind.

I shift on my feet but wait patiently for her to look for me. I'd rather not anger her wolf. She once snapped at me because I tried to rush her.

She doesn't keep me waiting too long. She pants as she trots towards me, passing. I spin around and get on my knees. I turn on my camera, turning off the flash before it turns on and I look through the lens to focus on the moon. It's large and glows a soft, but fierce yellow.

I try to get Sara in the shot so I back up some, crunching leaves under my knees. I lose the moon this time so I get on my stomach and prop the camera on my knees. I get the moon and Sara in this time. I mess with the lens, making the moon blurry and taking a shot of Sara, and then I make Sara blurry and get a shot of the moon. I try different angles, trying my best to get just a silhouette of her against the moon. I get a few and totally zone out of all my surroundings. It's just me, the camera, her, and the moon.

But she's a wolf, so of course she's tuned in with nature. I don't notice her bazar behaviour until the wolves are already upon us. Immediately, Sara jumps in front of me, baring her teeth and emitting a low growl from her chest.

The black wolves circle us and fear drops in my stomach. I knew I'd get caught, but the patrols shouldn't show their teeth to Sara. Not with her being next in line for the alpha. Dean won't be happy.

The leader of the patrols, a black wolf with a brown spot on his back, shifts back into a human. I look away and Sara growls deeper.

"You two," he says, "c'mon."

The leaves rustle and I look back to the black wolves. Sara looks back at me and stalks towards them. I sigh, getting to my feet and wiping the dirt and leaves from my jeans.

We walk back to the neighborhood, which isn't far from the forest. I check my photos, not even caring about getting disapproving looks from Dean again.

All the black wolves, save for one, leave us. They go out to do more patrols. Maybe they'll actually catch someone that gives a damn.

He leads us past my house which just so happens to be next to the alphas. But we don't stop at his house. We continue on to the house-like building at the front of the neighborhood where Dean spends most of his time: the office.

Sara stays in her wolf skin the whole way and her scent fills the room we enter where Katie stands, printing documents. She looks at us and then the black wolf, making the connection.

"Dean's through here." She leads us to the usual meeting room where we sit at once every few months to talk to the other alphas.

Dean doesn't even look up. His uncles are also there. They both glance at us, shaking their heads when they see Sara.