Chapter 1 One
'Everything is ready.'
The irritating words flashed across the screen of Danica's phone, reminding her that tonight was the night she dreaded the most.
It was Danica's eighteenth birthday, and her friends had insisted she needed to celebrate it in style; after all, it was her emergence into adulthood. At least that was what they insisted despite her protests. If it were left up to her, she would simply stay at home and bring it in with her stepmother like all her other birthdays until this year.
Huffing, Danica got up from her bed and walked over to her vanity, allowing herself to study her reflection.
A pale face with curly black hair surrounding it and golden eyes that were shrouded by thick lashes stared back at her with a look of irritation in them, mirroring the emotions that swirled within her.
From behind her, her bedroom door burst open, allowing Amy and Heather, her two best friends, to come charging in. Amy had her long blonde hair up in a ponytail, and her blue eyes bore pure excitement as her lips curled into a smile. It seemed she didn't come to just hang out.
Beside her, Heather's usual bored expression was in place, a total opposite to the overly excited Amy beside her.
Continuing to compare the two, Danica noticed that Heather's dyed blue hair had been freshly shaven on one side, and the long portion that hung down on the other side covered one brown eye from sight, but the one that watched her seemed to hold a hint of sympathy.
"Why are you two here?" Danica asked before her eyes zoned in on the makeup box that Amy clutched in her hand. "No," she gasped, holding up a hand. "I agreed to the party, but I didn't agree to being your toy to play with makeup on."
Amy pouted her petite pink lips. "You're the hostess of the evening," she whined. "You have to stand out."
Danica could feel herself inwardly cringing. She absolutely hated dresses and makeup, finding them to be just superficial hindrances that were too much to deal with.
"Come on," Amy begged, stepping forward. "Just this once, please!"
Danica looked to Heather, who had sat on her bed and was now engrossed in her phone, for help. Not even glancing at her, Heather shrugged in a 'You're on your own' manner, leaving Danica to fend for herself.
"Traitor," Danica grumbled as Amy began making her way to her.
"Amy will do what she wants no matter what," Heather chuckled, beginning to scroll through whatever it was she was reading. "The best thing you can do is just let her do what she wants."
Huffing, Danica crossed her arms over her ample chest. "Just this once," she conceded. "After this, never again."
Squealing, Amy rushed forward, grabbing a hold of Danica and sitting her down in a chair before swiveling her around so she couldn't see her reflection.
"You aren't allowed to see until I'm finished," she clarified as Danica gave her a questioning look. "I want this to be an absolute surprise."
The helpless Danica remained seated as Amy began her onslaught of makeup brushes and tools. Even though they were meant to beautify a woman, to Danica they seemed more like a means of torture.
When Amy finished with her face, she moved onto Danica's wild curls, determined to tame them, but from the sounds she was making, it was easy to tell that she was on the losing side of the battle.
After what seemed like hours to Danica, Amy finally finished her work. She wore a satisfied smile as she clapped her hands.
"Now for the reveal," beaming, she swiveled Danica around so she could see her reflection. "What do you think?"
Shock rushed through Danica as she examined the woman staring back at her. Was this... her?
Amy had managed to make her look like a fierce beast with smoky golden eyes and tumbled black hair that scattered around her perfectly concealed face.
"Well?" Amy urged expectantly. "Do you love it or do you love it?"
Rolling her eyes Danica couldn't help but smile and say, "I don't hate it."
Clapping happily, Amy jumped up and down, "now to get you dressed."
Settling on a pair of black leather pants and a white t-shirt that Amy modified so it was more edgy, paired with a pair of black combat boots, and topped with a black leather jacket, Danica headed out with her friends.
They arrived at a clearing at the edge of town just as the sun was beginning to set.
Tables for food and drinks were set up on one side. In the middle sat large pieces of wood, ready to be set ablaze for a massive bonfire. Two large speakers were set up on either side of the clearing to play music so the partygoers could dance.
Again, Danica had to commend Amy on her handywork; the girl truly was a miracle worker.
Looking around, Danica managed to spot Greg and Chase, Amy's two twin older brothers, busying themselves with setting up a few kegs. Raising an eyebrow, she turned her gaze to Amy's.
"What?" Amy asked simply. "This is a party; of course alcohol has to be present."
"What if the police end up showing up?" Danica asked, worry flaring. "We are underage, you know."
"You need to learn to relax, girl," Amy huffed. "We are celebrating all the way out here, so there won't be any noise complaints."
Still not so sure, Danica tried to calm herself as the first couple of party guests began to drift in.
Within an hour, the party had begun to rage as many people Danica recognized but barely knew from school gathered in the clearing.
Danica’s eyes scanned the troves of people who danced, ate, and got drunk, feeling terribly out of her element.
She had never been the social butterfly, instead enjoying her space and tranquility away from irritating social gatherings.
That was why she had been confused when Amy had insisted they should throw her a birthday party and invite all their classmates.
As she continued to take in her surroundings, she heard the sound of a snapping twig from behind her.
Turning, she squinted into the woods that lay along the edge of the clearing, spotting what looked like glowing red eyes.
She couldn't quite explain it, but she didn't feel fear as she stared into the red glowing orbs; instead, she felt curiosity and then an indescribable need to move towards them.
Allowing her feet to begin moving, she inched towards the forest's edge as a large black figure began to form.
As she drew closer, the figure that had taken shape to look like some strange animal had begun to back away as it purposely drew her further and further into the woods.
When Danica finally snapped from her trance, she was standing a good three hundred feet in the woods, and the creature that had been temptingly drawing her had disappeared from sight.
She looked around, shaking her head to clear her mind. Confusion as to why she was in the woods and no longer in the clearing where her so-called birthday party was still going strong consumed her.
Turning, she prepared to head back but stopped as movement sounded just to her right. Shifting her gaze in its direction, she once again found red eyes.
As she stood frozen, they began to draw near, allowing her to finally see the large black wolf that they belonged to.
She knew she should turn and run; standing there like a sitting duck was a terrible idea, but she just couldn't move her legs.
With lightning quick speed, the much too large wolf lunged forward, its mouth open wide, ready to sink its razor-sharp teeth into Danica's neck.
Closing her eyes, Danica waited for the pain that was sure to come once the creature's mouth found her, but to her surprise, it never came.
Opening one eye to see what was going on, she found that she wasn't alone anymore. Standing in front of her was a large, golden wolf.
Eyes widening, she took in the scene in front of her as the two wolves locked in battle, snarling and biting at each other. It didn't take long for the golden wolf to overpower the black one.
Sinking its teeth into the black wolf's throat, the golden wolf jerked its muzzle, ripping the black wolf's throat open.
Once the golden wolf was sure that the black wolf was no longer a threat, it turned its green gaze to Danica, who had remained in place due to fear and shock.
Realizing she was now the golden wolf's soul focus, Danica began to slowly back away.
The sound of bones cracking filled the forest's eery silence as what was once a wolf was beginning to contort into a humanoid creature.
Pinching herself, Danica tried to wake from what had to be a dream as a naked man occupied the place where once stood a wolf. Not any man, but Mason Thompson, the local playboy.
He sniffed the air while examining the area to make sure there were no more threats before finally turning his attention to Danica.
"I finally found you," he smiled as his green eyes, which had locked onto her face, filled with joy and longing.
"What..." Danica tried, only to find that she was unable to come up with words. "How.."
As her vision began to blur, she could see Mason coming closer to her. Reaching out a hand, he attempted to touch her.
As his fingers grew nearer, her ears began to ring, and a white-hot pain ripped through her skull. She could just barely make out Mason's mouth moving to speak before her entire world turned black.