|42|~Intro into a New World~

                                    

                                          
Claire Pov. 
Unedited.
                          
The northern packhouse is warm and full of life. Younger werewolves (male and female alike) are walking around, laughing, and talking—unguarded. The children are running all through the house with no care in the world. Older she-wolves are in the massive kitchen, cooking and gossiping about who's mated to whom.
                          
At first, I felt self-conscious about walking into a kitchen full of wolves. But every single one of them offered warm smiles and talked about fattening me up. It made me feel welcomed as if I belong here even with me being human and all. 
                          
This place is sort of Utopia, a completely different world. I have never seen anything so loving and carefree as they are. They are like one big family, which is completely the opposite of the savage beasts they are rumored to be. You would think that they're not even at war like they didn't just bury so many of their kind. It's astonishing, to say the least. And I am caught off guard. This isn't what I expected. 
                          
After breakfast, Beta Rendell offered to show me the rest of the packhouse. I said yes because Alec and his girlfriend are still asleep, and Mecca is still doing God knows what with Alpha Maddox, who has just explained to me about the world of the werewolves. 
                          
Beta Rendell takes his duty as a beta seriously. He tells me that he spends most of his time traveling between the other territories.
                          
There are several territories of werewolf packs that are around this mountain. According to him, before the Awakening—the Luna Blood Moon of 2081, as he called it—there were a total of fifty packs in North America, who were constantly at war with one another. Now there are only four left: the Northern Pack, the Eastern Pack, the Western Pack, and the Southern Pack. Pack members who had lost their alphas joined in one of the remaining packs, so most wolves who live around the territories originated from a fallen pack. Alpha Maddox gave them their own settlement and still offers his protection and loyalty. 
                          
It's amazing how these creatures who were once at war are now united as one. I have a newfound respect for the werewolves. I'm truly impressed.
                          
If humans were smart enough to come together instead of allowing another species to tear us apart, things would be so different. The werewolves are living proof of that theory. One thing that I have noticed is that the hatred of the werewolves—Beta Rendell included—for vampires runs just as deep as the vampires' hatred for humans. 
                          
Beta Rendell has been asking me questions about my life as a slave, which is kind of unsettling. The way he speaks about Nicklaus and Xander bothers me, but I honestly can't blame him. Perhaps Mecca is right about me. The vampires may have lost the war of breaking my courage, but maybe they do have my mind. 
                          
I should be happy that I'm surrounded by people that hate leeches. I mean this place is amazing, right? So why do I feel like a traitor?
                          
"We're going to have a bonfire tonight in honor of Luna Mecca's return," says Beta Rendell, as we continue to walk through the hallway. 
                          
He's giving me a tour of the wing dedicated to the lost Luna, Mecca. I still can't believe that Mecca is a Luna? She's so, crazy. 
                          
"It's a miracle that she survived those monsters for all those years. She has always been strong, but damn."
                          
My lips curl into a smile. That's exactly how I felt when Mecca first told me her story. 
                          
"Yup. Crazy ole Mecca is tougher than a box of nails. I'm glad she has returned to her mate. They look great together," I confess, smiling like a maniac.
                          
"Crazy ole Mecca." He laughs, his dark eyes glowing yellow. "You really are something special. I have never met anyone that has the balls to call a Luna anything but Luna."