The air is static with anticipation and I can hardly keep still. Bryn stands opposite me, but I can see her through the leaping flames of the bonfire. The burning pile of logs sends glossy waves of heat into the night sky. Above us the blood moon is bathed in ochre and crimson.

Voices join the smoke and flames that leap skyward. First Nev. Then Sabine. I haven’t heard this song before. It’s nothing like Nev’s tunes when he plays at the Burnout, or favors the pack with an impromptu, exclusive acoustic set. The minor key of this melody is old, but it feels familiar. Already I want to howl-to lend my voice to the ancient song that speaks of loyalty, honor, courage. But it’s not time yet.

My eyes meet Bryn’s in the flickering light.

I love you, I mouth. I see her eyes brim and dimples appear on her cheeks when she smiles at me.

It’s almost here. The moment where we’ll be together. Living together. Our future.

The song ends, though Nev and Sabine’s voices linger in the air, filling the forest a moment longer.

Without a word, we shift. All the wolves. I lift my muzzle, staring at the blood moon, and howl with all my being. My call is a hundred calls. I’ve never heard all the voices of the Nightshade and Bane packs united. It sends electric waves beneath my fur. We are the night. We are power.

In his wolf form, Ren steps from the shadows, dark as the smoke rising from the bonfire. He stands before us. The only wolf not joining in our song. He waits, alert and unwavering. Our alpha.

I continue to sing, though I’ve drawn my eyes from the moon to search the edge of the trees for my sister. I think of how her white wolf will look like a ghost materializing from the dark. How her light will contrast the shadow gray of Ren’s coat.