"There's a moon over Bourbon Street tonight

I see faces as they pass

Beneath the pale lamplight

I've no choice but to follow that call

The bright lights, the people,

The moon and all"

-Sting

My name is Anya. I'm a normal teenager. I have a B average, I'm blonde, with blue eyes, and I know that I'm not bad looking. When I walk through the halls in school all eyes are on me, all the guys anyhow. So I'm normal. That is, if you discount the fact that I'm a werewolf. I live in a small town with my pack. We live in a secluded area where humans never venture. There are only a few around my age, three of the males, and one female are my only friends.

Our leader, Alex, is one of them. He's just old enough to be a leader. We haven't chosen a head female yet, and Haley and I are two of the only ones who are the right age who aren't officially mated but Haley is dating Deke, Alex's brother and I don't want to be mated to Alex. When I was five my parents took off leaving me alone without a pack. I was living on the street when what I now call my pack came into town. They took me in, and after a while Haley's mom and dad adopted me. She and I became close, like sisters.

This year was a hard one for us. We lost the leader before Alex. He was shot while in his wolf form. It was a poacher. Another pack member killed the poacher, which left us to cover both deaths up. But our leader's death was really hard for us. He was the best leader that we had ever had. After that, the fight for leadership took away a few members.

"Hey. babe," Justin called walking in and lazily dropping to my couch. He looked completely all-American from his wavy brown hair, and sky blue eyes, to his tan. Deke and Haley were right behind him.

"Hi. Anya," Haley said brightly. Deke and Haley seemed made for each other. He was only a few inches taller than she was; they both had dark brown hair and green eyes. People who weren't in the pack confused them for brother and sister instead of boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Hey, guys," I said smiling. It was a perfect night, the moon was full, and I could feel its call. I knew that they were there to pick me up for our monthly hunt. It was a tradition that we had had since our parents had allowed us to hunt by ourselves. They all sat on the couch; I sat across from them on the sofa. "What's up?"

Then Alex walked in. Like always he was a shock to my system. He was four years older than Deke at twenty-one. Like Deke his hair was dark brown but he wore his long so it hung in his eyes. His eyes were a golden brown. His features were perfect, that's the only way I can describe them. His lips were perfectly sculpted and looked inviting. "Alex," I said surprised that he had come to my house with them.

"Hey," he said leaning against the doorframe and looking me over slowly. I crossed my arms looking back at him evenly. Alex may have been the hottest guy in the pack but he knew it. He was probably the most arrogant man that I knew. "We were just stopping by to see if you wanted to hunt with us."

"Yeah you haven't hunted with us in the longest time," Justin said pouting. Haley and Deke rolled their eyes at the same time. I sighed and shifted my position awkwardly. I knew that Justin had a thing for me but I just wasn't into it. Alex's expression had darkened slightly as he looked at Justin.

"So?" Haley asked.

"I'll go," I said finally.

"Cool," Alex said lazily. "Let's go." We followed him into the woods. Haley and I ducked behind some trees and stripped. We laid our clothes in a neat pile then shifted. I relished the feeling of power that came over me as I traded my human form for a wolf.

We ran out wrestling like cubs. The boys had also shifted. Deke and Justin were wrestling also. Alex lied down seeming bored. He, Haley, and Deke were black wolves, Justin was gray, and I was a snow white. I triumphantly pinned Haley.

Alex stood and lifted his head to the sky and howled. All motion stopped at the leader's call for order. Unable to stop myself I joined in his song. Soon the others also joined in. The haunting sound filled the air. Alex stopped howling and stretched beginning to lead us on the hunt. He kept glancing at me, which was making me slightly nervous.

.

"The night is young

And the moon is a mother to both of us

We both understand this"

-Splendid

.

A few hours later

We walked back. Haley and I went back behind the trees and shifted back and got dressed. When we walked out the guys were already dressed and waiting for us. We all walked into Haley and my house. There we sat down and watched a few movies. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know I was being awakened by a quick kiss on the lips. I sat up quickly. Alex sat beside me looking amused. I punched him in the arm as hard as I could.

"Jerk," I said moodily. This only caused him to start laughing even as he rubbed his sore arm.

"We were trying to wake you up for the last five minutes," Haley told me. "Alex said he knew a way that would get you up." She gave him a dirty look. "Although he didn't say what it was."

"Well it worked," he said in midst of a stretch.

"Where's Justin?" I asked yawning.

"He took off," Haley said.

"Why?" I asked trying to wake myself up.

"He was jealous," Alex said.

"Of?" I asked looking at him suspiciously.

"Paranoid?" he asked with a smirk.

"Only when it comes to you," I retorted becoming slightly annoyed.

"Okay," Haley said slowly. "You two need to get back in your corners."

"What time is it?" I asked. She checked and winced.

"Ten," she told me. "Which means we're late." We got up and rushed to

get ready. After we finished we ran outside. Deke drove up with Justin in the passenger side.

"And I can only fit one more," Deke said mainly to me. Haley looked at me.

"Go ahead," I told her. "I'll just be forced to stay home, darn." Haley got into the middle of the two men and Deke sped off. I took out my cell phone and called my adopted father's work.

"Catch a ride with Alex," he told me after I had explained what had happened. "He has off today."

"But, dad," I protested.

"Anya," he said his voice hard.

"Okay," I said reluctantly. I walked to Alex's house. His place was the safe house of the pack. It sort of reminded me of Ponyboy's house in The Outsiders. If anyone was in trouble or just needed a place to stay they went there. Because of this I just walked in.

Alex was working out, shirtless, I noticed quickly. He sat lifting two hundred pounds not straining at all. He sat the weights down then, to my shock, added another hundred pounds and began lifting again; he strained a little now. I knew he was strong but damn. I cleared my throat.

"Hey, baby," he called not turning around.

"Haven't I told you before not to call me that?" I asked crossing my arms. He sat the weights down and turned so I could see the smirk on his face.

"I believe your exact words were: 'do it again and I'll hurt you'," he smiled. "Care to try it, dear?"

"Not right now," I said re-crossing my arms. Truth was I couldn't and we both knew it. He looked up at me.

"Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Missed the bus," I told him. "My father told me to ask you to drive me."

He stood stretching I noticed, unwillingly, how his muscles moved as he did so. He

was hot.

"Okay," he said. "Let me take a shower."

"I'm already late," I protested.

He smiled. "Then it won't matter if I take a few minutes," he said. He left. I sat down on his couch and waited for him. In about fifteen minutes he came out looking, as much as I hated to admit it, perfect. "Let's go." I followed him out. Angela came out of her house and saw us.

"Alex," she purred smiling when she looked at him. "What are you doing here?"

"It's my parking lot," he said raising an eyebrow.

"Yes of course," she said. "But shouldn't you be at work?"

"I have off," he said with a shrug.

"You should come over later," she offered with a smile.

I knew what she was really offering and for some reason that ticked me off. "Can we go now?" I asked crossing my arms. He looked at me and smirked.

"Problem, sweetheart?" he asked. Angela crossed her arms glaring at me but I pretended not to notice.

"I would like to get to school," I said.

"Okay," he said raising his arms as if surrendering. "I'll see you Angela."

"Goodbye," she said. "Please think about my offer." She looked at me pointedly before she went back inside. I glared at her door. He took my backpack and put it in the baggage compartment of his motorcycle.

"I thought we'd be taking the car," I protested.

"Why would I do that?" he asked seeming surprised.

"`Cause I hate riding with you," I said.

"Scared?" he asked a challenge in his voice.

"Of the way you drive?" I asked. "Yes." He chuckled putting his helmet on. I was the only person who could get away with talking to him like that. "And you only have one helmet therefore it is unsafe." He rolled his eyes at this.

"Just get on and shut up," he said as he started it. I did as ordered only because I wanted to get to school sometime that day. I slid my arms around him. He took a deep breath as I did this.

I had lied about why I didn't like riding with him. It wasn't that I didn't like his driving; it was that I didn't like how being that close to him made me feel. I laid my head on his back relishing in the feeling of the wind over me. We were on a back road when someone jumped in front of the bike. Alex was forced to slam on his breaks, which spun the bike out of control and left both of us on the ground. I sat up looking around me feeling dazed.

"You okay?" he asked standing shakily and taking off the helmet.

"I think so," I said standing. "My pants aren't though." He looked me over and saw the torn thigh of my jeans and lightly rolled his eyes. We couldn't see who we had almost run over. I looked around for some sign of them. Then about fifteen people came out of the woods, our type of people.