The warm Annapolis air lingered with the scent of wood and silver, at least, that's what Luka Perez thought. He truthfully never traveled down south often, most times never even daring to go below Pennsylvania. Today, however, was a special occasion. Then again, for every Scavenger with the file, it was a special occasion. A new alpha was to be birthed tonight.

   Not every day did the Scavenger community get the chance to even see an alpha. On second thought, most who did catch a glimpse at the beast were slaughtered mercilessly. Granted, the scavengers tonight would only be scouting; the chance of this Lycan having a ravage moment was more than fifty percent. Apparently, it is a young one, hot-headed and unruly. That's what Luka's cousin had told him, word for word. He knew when this file came to their office that his cousin would be the first one to jump on it. A chance like this was one in a lifetime.

    Putting one foot in front of the other, Luka entered a small, local diner. A young waitress greeted him and brought him to a table. He opened his satchel and pulled out the folder. The black exterior reflected with what little light there was shimmering from the lamp; it mocked him. He so badly wanted to see this alpha now, but he had to wait. He ached to witness the first moments that someone slowly loses their humanity as they turn into a prisoner bound to the moon. Luka wasn't sure why it intrigued him so badly, perhaps it was that he had been brought into this environment since he was young. He had always been taught how to aim a knife in the heart rather than proofs in geometry.

   "Are you ready to order, sir?" Luka turned his head to the waitress as he placed the folder down. Glancing to the menu and letting out a soft sigh; he had always been one to get lost in thought.

    "I'll have a coffee, black, and a side of hashbrowns." The waitress jotted down the order on her notepad and took up the menu; meanwhile, Luka continued to glance back to the folder. Before too long, he heard his phone ping with a notification. He pulled out his phone and saw it was a notification from his father telling him to call him as soon as possible. 

   With a fast shake of the head, Luka walked outside and dialed his father. After three rings his father picked up, and immediately tension had flooded Luka's senses.

    "What's up, Pops?" Luka pondered as he reached for a cigarette and lighter. He lit the cigarette as his father was quiet on the other line. He held it to his mouth as he caught glimpse of the moon, full, basking in its beauty. 

    "I don't want you goin' tonight."

    "What?!" Luka snapped as the cig in his mouth became crushed in between two teeth.

    "After a lotta talkin', I don't think it's safe. Call it a gut feelin' or whatever." 

    "No, Pops. I'm going and you ain't gonna stop me! I have waited my whole life to see an alpha in its transformation night, and I ain't gonna let your 'gut feeling' stop me!"

    Luka was never a person to show emotion, fake or raw. However, he could feel small tremors run down his spine from both fury and desperation. He could tell his father had a scowl on his face just by the heavy breathing on the other line. Rule number one in the Perez family was simple, don't piss off the big guy. 

   "Listen, Lucas," Luka was quiet as his breath hung in the air. Cars sped by on the highway as a layer of stars glistened in the monotone sky. 

    "I would never tell one of my boys to not go unless I had a real bad feelin'. I don't want any of my guys going out today, especially my own son. We need a few guys out, and I'm only trusting my top four right now. You are talented, boy, but I'm not risking your life. You're still my son." Luka scoffed at the last statement; he could smell bullshit a mile away. 

    "Okay, so what's the truth then? Cause I know you're not telling me the whole thing ere'." Luka dropped the cigarette and stomped it out. Glancing from the highway to the high beams coming his way, the fury inside his stomach grew as he knew the bastard himself was here.

    "Lucas, don't give me any shit. Be quiet and stay the hell away from the sighting." The line dropped dead as Luka tore the phone away from his ear and smashed it into the concrete. A frustrated scream escaped his chest as he decimated the phone underneath his foot.

    "Fucking bastard! Think he can stop me! Mother-!" 

    Stomp!

    "Fucking"

    Stomp!

    "Asshole!"

    Stomp!

    "Don't think that phone can take much more, Luka." Luka followed the voice as he stared into those piercing blue eyes. Shudders ran down his back as he could see the soulless emotions swarming through their pupils. Deception, delusion, and distortion. Luka hated him with every bone in his body.

   "Ari."

-

    The wind chilled down Katrina's spine as she awaited her impending doom. Whimsey had already been fed, all the lights had been powered off, and all the doors were locked. Katrina packed like she was heading to the Antarctic for a week's vacation. But my god, she was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Whether it was by terror or the biting cold, she couldn't decipher. 

    The infamous Carson was exactly ten minutes and forty-two point three seconds late, according to Katrina's calculations. She counted every second as time seemed to both slow and fly at the same exact moment. Nerves drowned her body, but she was unable to throw up anymore as she had already vomited every inch of her stomach out half an hour before.

    "Can that arse get here any slower? I swear to god he is being late on purpose," Katrina mumbled under her breath. Her foot tapped up and down on repeat as the migraine that lingered throughout the day continued to persist onwards like a pest hanging by the windowsill.

    Then, as if on cue, Carson's raggedy old pick-up truck appeared. The first thing out of Katrina's mouth was,

    "God, you look horrible. Worst than me, and that's saying a lot."

    "Ha ha ha." Carson let out dryly as beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. Katrina wondered how the hell he was sweating in this bitter forty-degree weather. Hell, she was frozen. Literally, she was an iceberg on land. 

    "Alright, let's head over. We only got an hour before the shift or the start of it. The plateau is only a few miles out so we won't be far. Any questions?"

    "Many," Katrina hopped in the truck, her duffle bag swinging around to under her feet. The warm air conditioning greeted her frozen face as a shudder ran down her spine. Carson plopped over to the driver's side as he readjusted the radio to let music flow quietly in the background.

    "Shoot," Carson ushered as Katrina looked out towards the sky. Colors started to fade as the depth of the night started to take over. 

    "Am I going to kill someone?" As soon as the words left her mouth a crack of laughter lit up the truck. To Katrina it sounded like a reasonable question, so why was this maniac laughing? 

    "The chance of that happening is about as high as a meteor striking the earth and causing a mass apocalypse. So, in simple words, no. Remember, you'll be surrounded by multiple other lycans, and, believe it or not, some of us are stronger than we look. "

    Silence rang through Katrina's ears as she noticed her vision started to blur. No matter where she tried to focus, her eyes simply refused to cooperate. She rubbed her eyes vigorously as her vision refused to stay steady. Frustrated, Katrina slammed open the sun visor and took a deep look at her eyes.

    " I can't focus my eyes at all; it's like I have constant triple vision. Is this normal?"

    "Well - that is a sign that your - your - well," Carson stumbled through his words before Katrina gave him a simple death stare," it is a sign that your transformation is starting. This is probably the easiest part. From my experience, it gets worst."

    "Easiest part? Are you fucking with me? I've been violently ill for the entire day to the point where I just wanted to go to the hospital and sob. I've had awful bouts of vomiting and never-ending nose bleeds. Don't get me started on the migraines that feel like a hammer and nail are being stabbed through my head. So, easy, right. You're absolutely right, this is the most painless thing I've gone through yet." 

    "Are you done yet?" Carson scoffed as the car's engine roared with everlasting life. 

    "You're the biggest prick I have ever laid eyes on!" Katrina snapped as sharpening pain started to radiate in her eyes. She clutched her face as tears found their way down her cheeks. Katrina's vocal cords were strained as the pain only seemed to worsen. 

    "My job was to be honest and answer all your questions. Believe it or not, I'm here to help you and make sure that you don't go on a ravage streak. I don't want you to kill anything or for anyone to kill you." 

    "Just help me with my eyes!" Katrina screeched as she leered at Carson with blazing rage. Carson looked taken aback as he glanced over to Katrina. His foot slammed on the gas pedal and the engine roar louder, urgency flaming through the rickety machine. 

    "What's wrong? Don't look at me like that!" Katrina roared as Carson's eyes remained on the road, thankfully no cars were on the road or else they would have seen the raggedy, old pick-up truck going roughly a hundred miles an hour. 

    "Do me a favor and look into the sun visor again. Keep your fury, keep the rage, and just look."

    A soft growl was released from Katrina's throat as she sharply turns to look into the sun visor's mirror. Her breath was rushed out of her chest as her eyes were different. They were always different, heterochromia isn't something normal any way, but now she knew things were wrong. 

     Katrina's eyes were bright, scintillating gold.