Dark Moon Ch. 02

Passion Moore was shopping in the local convenience store when she heard the news. She and her best friend, Spectre Oaken, were preparing for a fun evening filled with watching videos and pigging out on pop corn and enough candy to rot their teeth.

"Ooh we so have to watch Titanic." Spectre said, brushing her blonde fringe out of her eyes, which were a light shade of amber.

Passion's own light brown eyes glinted with joy as she located a box of Oreos.

"As long as we get these I'll be happy." Passion said, throwing a whole box into the trolley.

They continued down the aisle, piling it high with as much fatty food as possible. Passion knew that her diet was shot to hell but she didn't care, her best friend was home for the summer and they had so much catching up to do.

Most wolves never left their packs but Spectre had been given a scholarship for medicine and managed to cajole her parents into going to Yale. It helped that her uncle was Alpha an Alpha that was as liberal as they came.

The Oak River clan were fully integrated with humans living side by side in Oak Falls. This wasn't an unusual process but nor was it common practice. When Passion had first arrived in Oak Falls and joined the Oak River clan she had been surprised and irritated at their stupidity but in time she had learned that not all humans were bad.

"Have you heard? Zachariah Oaken is dead." Passion heard the harsh whisper from across the store stopping dead in her tracks.

She turned to Spectre whose eyes were wide with shock, glazed with unshed tears. Spectre had been close to Zachariah, closer than she was to her own father.

Forgetting their groceries they rushed out of the supermarket climbing hurriedly into Passion's pickup truck. With her foot on the accelerator they raced through the town, passing many other Oak River pack members who appeared to be going in the same direction as them.

The Oaken house was sat high on a hill. It was an old Victorian house, modified in the simplest of ways over the years. Passion had been in love with the Oaken house since the day she had arrived, despite those who had inhabited it and she guiltily admitted that one of the reasons she had allowed Spectre to befriend her was so that she could one day enter the building and experience it in all its glory.

Standing outside the front door was Claw Oaken, Zachariah's younger brother and Spectre's father. He was a formidable man, tall and muscular with an angry scar slashing through his left eye. His blond hair was cut short to his scalp and if not for the permanent scowl on his face he would have been handsome.

Passion left the car, holding Spectre's hand. Whether to comfort her or comfort herself she wasn't sure but they both drew strength from one another.

"When did it happen?" Passion asked Claw who continued to frown, he looked down at Passion with something akin to a sneer.

"Who told you to speak Omega?" He spat, anger sparking like lightening.

Passion felt Spectre's grip tighten, warning her to keep her mouth shut. Passion smiled to herself, she wasn't that dumb and it had been a school girl error to think of speaking to a Beta without permission.

The only people to ever make her feel like she was worth something were her foster parents and Spectre, everyone else took great joy in putting her down and making her feel like nothing.

"Papa what happened, I thought uncle Zach was getting better." Spectre said as both women entered the house.

Passion couldn't help but gasp in awe at the beauty of Oaken house, a crystal chandelier shone in the foyer, spectrums of light glistened against the cream walls. The house was filled with mementos and ornaments on every surface, showing a house well lived in and loved.

They entered the living room with purple velvet couches and a large TV that she and Spectre had been planning on using for their night in, now all thoughts of relaxing and recalling events they had experienced without each other were out of the question.

"He died a few hours ago, just yesterday he was up and shifting." Claw said, covering the crack in his voice with a cough, he turned to them with a fierce determination that unnerved Passion.

"So you are Alpha now?" Passion asked, ignoring Claw's gimlet stare.

"No, Zachariah has a son." Claw said, walking towards the library.

Spectre had the same look on her face as Passion, utter surprise. Passion had no idea that Zachariah had any children and as far she knew he had not ma either, but that couldn't be true for if he had a son then he surly had a mate. How could he have survived without either? Her question was soon answered.

"Ever since Naomi left his health had taken a downward spiral, one day they were here the next they were gone. Zach almost killed himself trying to find them." Claw said, rifling through a sheaf of papers.

Passion sat on the armrest of the leather sofa in the library absorbing all Claw had said.

"Actually it's a good thing you are here Omega, since you are battle pack leader you are needed to retrieve him." Claw said.

Passion head shot up in surprise. Battle pack leader? Since when was she battle pack leader? She was a warrior for their clan but was nowhere near to becoming leader.

She was lucky she was even part of the warrior pack, if not for Zachariah's fondness of her she would still be sneaking along on missions. The thought of kind Zachariah dead and lifeless sent pain through her eyes and she willed herself not to cry.

"But I'm not battle pack leader."

"Zach told me he was planning on making you leader, even I have to admit you are a fine warrior." Claw said and Passion wondered how hard it must have been for him to tell her that.

Spectre gave Passion a reassuring pat and thumbs up, her black eyeliner streaking down her cheeks.

"We need you to get him. He's from the Stillwater clan." Claw said, handing Passion a folder.

In it was a picture of a small boy of mixed heritage with blonde hair and crystalline blue eyes. Passion was taken aback by his resemblance to Zachariah who also had blonde hair and blue eyes, the only wolf with such characteristics within the Oak River clan.

At the bottom of the picture, his name was written in a tidy scrawl. Joshua. Also in the folder were vague directions to the Stillwater community, it was a plane ride away and a few days journey through the forest.

If there was one thing Passion hated it was travelling when she had to shift, shifting always made her uncomfortable especially when she was with her other pack members. She wasn't a grey wolf like them but an Ethiopian wolf originally from Africa.

Her parents had moved to the states when she had been a baby and subsequently they had paid for their actions through death. When Passion shifted her deep red hair covered her entire body. She was lithe and fox like in appearance, which only further drove a wedge between her and the rest of the Oak River pack.

Passion rubbed at the droplets of perspiration that beaded on her ebony skin, lifting the dreads that lay heavy at her nape. Her ears twitched when she heard the front open and shut, she could smell the other wolves of her unit as they entered the library.

There was Lucas, a tall and slim brunette with dark amber eyes, he worked at the convenience store and was still dressed in the green uniform. Standing next to him was Alyssa, she was wealthy, pampered and spoiled but a vicious fighter and if Passion had to choose someone to fight alongside her it would be her.

Alyssa was in her last year at high school and it was apparent that she had been summoned during her cheerleading practice as she was dressed in the Oak Falls cheering outfit of green and gold, her hair parted in two blonde braids. She chewed pink gum, occasionally blowing bubbles and twirling the ends of her hair between her finger and thumb, with a look of utter boredom on her face.

Lastly was Brent, Spectre's older brother and local bad boy. He wore a black biker jacket with a silver hoop in his left ear, his hair was dyed a pale blond and left to grow below his shoulders. Passion averted her gaze from his as he smiled lustily at her, but she knew better than to see more into his gesture. She had learned the hard way, why she shouldn't entangle herself with anyone.

"I'm sure you know why you're here." Claw said looking at the group of assassins.

"What I don't understand is why there are only four of us." Lucas said sitting in one of the chairs opposite Claw.

Passion hid a smile as Claw clenched his jaw, obviously irritated by Lucas's disregard of pack law. Until Joshua was retrieved, Claw was Alpha.

"This is an undercover mission, I don't want a whole army going to Stillwater. I only want the best."

"Stillwater, you have to be kidding! We're going to that deranged place?" Brent growled, his face turning a mottled red.

Passion looked at Claw inquisitively, not truly understanding where this anger stemmed from.

Claw noticed Passion's confusion and almost felt sorry for the Omega. She was ignorant of the Oak River clan ways and as an Omega she was behind last on social structure, more like a pinprick in the distance, and he wondered how the other wolves would react when they learnt that she was to be battle pack leader.

"That is why I want only the four of you, Stillwater is as matriarchal as ever and if we are to bring back our new Alpha its best not to alert the Stillwater Alpha."

"New Alpha?" Alyssa asked her gum popping over her glossed lips.

"You might not remember him but yes, Joshua Stillwater, son of the Stillwater matriarch."

"And who will be leading us?" Brent asked, unsheathing the claws on his left and running them along his throat.

Oh goody, Passion couldn't wait for this, she wondered if it was possible to sneak away. She really didn't want to be any more of an outcast than she already was, if that was even possible.

"Omega." Claw said, grinning as the other wolves began to object, using enough expletives that would make a sailor blush.

Passion tuned out their words learning long ago that it was their ignorance and prejudice that made them say what they did.

"She is below us, she will always be below us." Lucas said, his hair standing on end as he became close to shifting.

"Enough!" Spectre yelled, surprising all of them as she was usually so quiet and timid. "She is a supreme fighter and loyal to all of us, although I don't know why when everyone treats her like shit. If Zachariah believed in her enough to claim her battle pack leader then you should honour his last wish." Spectre settled back down equally surprised at her sudden outburst, her face was ashen and her hand trembled as she folded them neatly in her lap.

Inside Passion felt warm as her friend stood up for her, Passion planned on buying her enough Ben and Jerry's to start her own franchise. Realising that the group were no more placated Passion made to leave the house.

"You leave tonight!" Claw yelled as the door slammed shut.

...

Passion hurried to her pickup, driving home as quickly as she could. She turned the van into a long winding path, the cottage secluded within a grove of trees. Smoke bellowed from the chimney and from the car she could smell beef stewing on the stove, her stomach grumbling angrily.

"Ma, Pa!" Passion yelled slipping off her shoes. She walked into the living room and found it empty.

"Ma!" She yelled again, a feeling of dread settling in her stomach, she willed her heart to slow but instead it beat faster.

Quickly she shed her clothes and felt the usual sensation of the change. Her hair began racing down and over her body as her bones morphed and shrank, her spine curving and changing shape, with a quick sharp pain in her back she fell to the ground and felt a rough shudder pass through her as her face elongated.

Her mouth and nose merged creating a muzzle, her ears became pointed and covered in fur. In her wolf form her coat was a rusty red, the tips of her ears were black as was the tip of her tail while her under belly was white. On her cheeks she had white spots as well as a white ascending crescent below her eyes.

Unlike the grey wolves she was not as big or as stocky but was small and nimble. What they didn't know nor needed to know was that she was an Alpha among her own pack, although it didn't matter when her pack was extinct.

Passion soon found her mother and father's scent which meant that they were close, treading carefully she made her way to the kitchen. The stew called out to her but was unable to deter her from her mission. Her ears picked up the faint sound of voices which led her to the large garden over looking Oak Falls Lake. There her parents sat on a garden swing suspended from a maple tree.

Clifton, her foster father, leaned back against the painted wood, his arm resting lazily on his wife's shoulder, nuzzling her neck lovingly. Martha giggled at his ministrations and Passion couldn't help but smile at their display of affection.

Even with both their brown hair littered with grey and crow's feet bracketing their luminous brown eyes, they were still madly in love. Passion wondered if she would ever feel like that, have a mate to cherish her with his body and with his heart.

Passion chided herself on having such thoughts, she would be alone all her life. As Omega she was bottom of the heap and there was no wolf willing to go so low as to mate with an Omega.

"Baby P." Clifton called, sighting the red wolf on the deck. Passion walked towards the people who loved her most. They had found her weak and incoherent on the roadside.

They were unable to have any children of their own which alienated them from the rest of the community, but they had taken her in despite the protests of the other wolves.

It was Zachariah who had allowed them to keep the adolescent pup and since then Zachariah had been her hero.

"There are some clothes behind the tree." Martha said.

Passion gave a canine smile before shifting into human form. Although shifters didn't feel the need for modesty, Passion wasn't as comfortable with her nakedness as the other shifters, the one time she had shifted before a group of pack members she had been ridiculed for her fox like appearance.

Since then the only time she had ever shifted was when in battle while everyone was fuelled with adrenalin and blood rush, that they didn't blink twice when she changed.

"We heard the news about Zachariah, and the mission to bring his son home." Clifton said, scooting so that Passion had a place to sit.

Declining, she sat on the grass like she used to do when she was younger as Clifton told stories from his past. As if locked in the same memory Clifton smiled roughing her rouge locks with affection.

"Do you remember him, Joshua I mean." Passion asked.

"Oh yes, he was such a lovely boy so shy and withdrawn but so sweet. He used to sneak into our back garden and play in the lake. I remember baking in the kitchen and seeing this white fur ball jumping into the lake." Martha said, chuckling as she recalled his antics.

"Well we're set to take 'the beast' to Colorado and from their trek on foot." Passion said.

'The beast' was the packs private jet, stationed in Oak Falls airstrip. Shifters, especially wolves and bears hated confined spaces and 'the beast' was their mortal enemy, but even they had enough common sense to know that a jet plane was far faster than four legs.

"Be careful. The Stillwater pack is not to be trifled with, Naomi and her ancestors have forged formidable warriors and loyal males." Martha said, her eyes wide with worry.

Passion had never seen her mother this upset before.

"They can't be that bad." Passion said.

"Oh they are, think about what a woman's position was a hundreds of years ago then swap women with men, expect the Stillwater clan take it to the extreme." Clifton supplied also worried for the welfare of his daughter.

They spent the rest of the day doing the things they took for granted. Passion and her mother baked cookies, and then joined her father out on the lake to fish. For dinner they ate their catch, reminiscing about shared memories. That night they saw Passion off, hugging each other with the knowledge that they may not see each other again.

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