"Norah, are you paying attention?"

Norah lifted her head from her notebook, the world rushing back in. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was telling you about this new vampire book I read, and you completely zoned out," Wendy complained.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to sort something out." Norah glanced at her book again, tapping her pen on the paper.

She'd been stuck on this chapter for a week now. Since Rylan had unofficially moved in with her and taken her knife away, her writing had taken a dive. Every time she tried to write, her brain came up with nothing and her frustration wasn't making it any better.

To be fair to Rylan, he wasn't the problem. He kept out of her way when she was writing, and didn't bother her. She only ever saw him at night and he spent a lot of time watching TV - something he had dragged into the house on the second day. The block she was experiencing, she didn't know why it was happening, but she didn't think it was over something as simple as Rylan invading her personal space.

"What's the problem, Norah?" Madison leaned over the table, looking at her notebook.

Norah glanced up, sighing loudly. "I don't know, I'm just stuck in a rut."

"That sucks, don't worry, I'm sure you'll overcome it."

Norah smiled, hoping Madison was right. The day at the cemetery had strangely brought them closer as friends. At Madison's begging, Norah hadn't mentioned anything to Wendy yet. Madison wanted to be the one to bring it up when the time was ready. Wendy was still dealing with issues with her ex, and Madison didn't want to pile on her problems.

They were sitting in the Twilight Cafe and Olivia came over with a bottle of water, taking the seat next to Norah. "Hey, can you tell remind Rylan about dinner tonight? Mum will kill him if he doesn't show his face. You're invited too of course."

Norah's death glares were lost on Olivia and she braced herself, feeling two pairs of eyes beaming into her skull.

"Why do you have to remind Rylan?" Wendy asked slyly.

Olivia winced, muttering something about dishes before running off. Thanks Olivia, she thought sourly.

"I thought I saw Rylan's bike in the distance at your house the other night," Madison whispered excitedly. "Are you two -"

"No! There is nothing going on, he's just staying there since the break in. As a favour to Olivia."

"But there's only one bed!" Wendy jittered on her seat. "Where is he sleeping?"

"I have a couch, Wen," Norah muttered, sinking further into her chair.

Madison and Wendy looked as though this was the most exciting thing to happen in years. "Have you ever caught him coming out of the shower?" Wendy asked.

"I hope he doesn't track grease through your house,' Madison worried. "Bikers are notorious for grease stains -"

"You could always shower together, save water. We need to be more environmentally friendly -"

"Enough!" Norah snapped loudly. She felt a few heads turn their way and leaned forward. "There is nothing going on between us. He is just a friend doing another friend a favour!"

Wendy frowned. "You should at least get some sexual favours -" she closed her mouth at Norah's glare. "All right, I won't pry any more. I'm just saying, if a fine looking man like that was staying in my house, I would be dropping hints left right and centre."

"Oh god," Norah's cheeks flamed.

"You should at least let him sleep in the bed with you, isn't your couch tiny?"

Norah shook her head. "The couch is fine." She was having enough trouble sleeping lately without having a distraction like that lying next to her.

Since the knife incident in the bathroom, her dreams had been plagued with wolves and Daniel. He was always chasing her and no matter how far she ran, she couldn't escape. Then Liam would appear before her, his cold eyes freezing her feet and Daniel would catch up. Just as he killed her, the dream would end and she would wake, covered in sweat.

She hated feeling so weak. It was bad enough she felt pathetic in real life, but now she was worse in her dreams. Madison knocked on the glass and Norah jumped. Brad was walking by and he smiled at the girls. When his gaze drifted over Norah, the smile faded and he walked off, his mouth in a hard line.

"Wow, Brad is pissed with you," Wendy sipped her iced coffee. "What crawled up his bum?"

"Nothing, I just snapped at him last week and he's still sulking I guess." Norah had been right in thinking Brad was like her past boyfriends. They knew how to hold a petty grudge. She had tried to apologise for snapping at him, but he brushed it off, using work as an excuse and Norah gave up, not in the mood for his immaturity.

Norah could see the girls weren't going to give up their line of conversation so she quickly excused herself, using her writing to escape. Walking back home, she moved slowly, looking at the plotted chapter again. She'd written it and rewritten it so many times in the last week, her notebook was nearly full with just this chapter plot alone. Reaching the house, she made it to the veranda and sat down, chewing on her pen.

She was writing a scene with the gypsy woman in the past and her research had left her unprepared for this chapter. She knew the basics of what she needed to write, but her mind couldn't wrap itself around it. She kept trying to make it harder than it should have been and in the end, the never knew where to begin. She continued to stare at the page, trying to create different scenes and openings in her mind when a foot kicked her leg.

"Shit!" Gasping, she clapped a hand over her mouth.

Rylan stood above her, a wry look on his face. "Hello to you too. Didn't realise I was that scary."

"You're not," she said defensively, "you just snuck up on me, that's all."

He glanced back at his bike. "Kind of hard to sneak up here on a bike, Norah." He grabbed her paper. "What's got you so sucked in?"

"Nothing!" She jumped up, trying to grab the paper but he put it out of her reach. "Give it back!"

"A gypsy?" He frowned, pushing her away by her forehead. "Why would you want to write about gypsies? Aren't they all mysterious?"

"Dammit, Rylan, stop being an ass and give it -" Her sentence ended on a shriek as she jumped and landed on the edge of the top step. Her ankle bent and she started falling backwards. Her eyes shut as she anticipated the pain to come. Arms wrapped around her and she was shoved against a firm chest before she hit the ground. Her legs hit the bottom step and she winced. The pain was jarring but it would only bruise at most. A hand rested behind her head so the fall hadn't hurt that much but the weight on top of her was crushing.

"Ow."

"Christ, Norah are you alright?" Rylan shifted, leaning over her and she opened her eyes to his concerned face. They were rather close and unconsciously she held her breath.

"Yeah I'm fine, thanks." A moment passed; Norah could hear her heart beating in her ears and she didn't know what to do. Rylan stared at her and she lost herself in his blue irises. She felt his fingers move in her hair, tense and hesitant. She wondered if she should say something when Rylan's phone rang.

The moment shattered and Rylan rolled off her. Norah quickly sat up, inhaling deeply. Rylan frowned as he looked at the screen and let the phone ring.

"Who is it?" she asked, trying to sound normal.

"No one important," he stood up and held out his hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. He passed the piece of paper back and she quickly smoothed the crinkles.

"Uh, Olivia said to remind you about dinner tonight."

He nodded. "I remembered. You'll have to change your clothes. We'll head off now."

She looked down at her dirt covered pants. "I wasn't really planning on going -"

"Yeah you're going, Cassie wants to meet you."

"Who is Cassie?"

Rylan walked inside and she followed. "Cassie is Liv's mom. She's been nagging me all week to bring you by so you have to come or I won't hear the end of it."

Norah went into her room to get changed. "Why does she want to meet me?" she called.

"Well, she's heard a bit about you, and I think she feels guilty about what's been happening with Liam and the others. She might try to bring it up, if she does, can you not make a big deal out of it?"

Norah walked out in a pair of black jeans and a loose fitting white dress shirt. "Of course. I'm sure she's probably stressing herself out enough with everything that's going on with her sons. I wouldn't add onto that. Is this too underdressed?"

He shook his head. "No, you look good. It's only a casual dinner."

"Are we taking your bike?"

"We can take your car if you want." he offered.

She was slightly disappointed, she had been secretly hoping to go on his bike again, but she didn't want him to know that. "Sure."

Norah tied her hair up quickly and grabbed her wallet before reaching for the wine cupboard. "Does Cassie like red or white wine?"

"White, why?"

She reached up on her tip toes, grabbing a bottle of Riesling. "I can't show up with nothing, it's rude. It's good wine, she should like it, I hope."

Norah came back down, making sure she had the right bottle and froze when she felt Rylan standing behind her. His hand moved over her hair, pulling it out.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"You missed some hair." His voice was soft and she didn't move as he pulled her hair gently into a ponytail and retied it.

"I could have done that myself," she tried to sound annoyed but she liked it when other people did her hair.

"I know. Come on, we better head off."

Heading out to her car, she quickly adjusted the towel which hid the blood stain. Rylan climbed in, adjusting the seat for his long legs and lifted the towel as she turned around. "Do you want some money to fix the upholstery?"

"And where would I take it?" She rolled her eyes. "I think Brad would be pretty suspicious of a blood stained car seat, don't you think?"

"You could take it out of town, Brad isn't the only mechanic around, you know."

She started the engine and reversed out. "Let's just pretend it doesn't exist like I have been for the last few weeks."

"I can take it up to -"

"I think car time should be quiet time," she demanded. "Don't distract me while I'm driving."

"I can distract you in other ways." His fingers brushed her arm and she jumped, slapping his hand away.

"Do you want me to crash? Just tell me where to go and keep your hands to yourself." she stuttered.

She hoped he wasn't looking at her and didn't see the red tint warming her cheeks. She could feel his gaze every now and then kept her eyes on the road. Her emotions had been scattered over the last week and Norah wondered if maybe it was Rylan's fault that she had writer's block. Rylan didn't say anything else, other than to direct her to the Montoya's home.

Norah finally turned onto a dirt road and Rylan shifted in his seat. "All right, we're nearly there. There's a few things you should know before you go in."

"Why are you only telling me now?" she demanded.

"You wanted quiet time," he said innocently.

"Tell me," she seethed.

"Okay, well because there is a bit of a division at the moment, some of the family have split as well. Aston - who is Olivia's uncle - his son, Nick has sided with Liam. They haven't talked to each other in months, so don't be upset if Aston isn't in a good mood. He hasn't been since this mess started."

"Got it," she tried to remember the names. "Who else?"

"I don't know how much Olivia has told you about her family, but you know that her father recently died which is why this started. Her grandfather, Holden is still alive but because of his age, he is in no condition to lead the clan anymore. He comes across as a gentle old man but don't piss him off, and don't mention Liam."

"Okay, don't make the scary grandpa angry, anything else?"

They reached the house and Rylan shook his head. "The others will fill you in on the other stuff, but those are the main points so far. Liam is pretty taboo at the moment so if someone brings him up, try to change the topic before people start throwing their plates."

Norah looked at him, trying to determine if he was joking and he shook his head. "Gone through four sets of china in the last two months. Cassie has not been happy about it."

"Okay then," she said weakly.

Rylan surprised her and reached out, squeezing her hand. "You'll be fine. If things get to hectic I'll get you out of there, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay. Do we need a codeword?"

He smiled, his fingers moving against her palm. "How about, gypsy?"

She removed her hand from his and slapped his knuckles. He chuckled and opened the door. "Gypsy it is."

Norah got out as well and slammed the door shut. The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow through the forest. The Montoya's home was massive. Made of large grey stone, a white railed set of stairs led up to the veranda with matching railing and arches. The roof was a darker grey and the large windows on the left side of the house caught the rays of the setting sun, casting a shadow over the rest of the house. There was no extravagant garden, only a few rose bushes and some Daphne creeping along the right side of the house.

"How many rooms does this place have?" she whispered.

"Thirteen, the place isn't completely full at the moment, but there are many houses on the land Holden owns so they get used as well when people decide they need some privacy."

The front door opened and an older woman stepped out. She had bright golden wavy hair which was cut in a bob. Her green eyes shone brightly as she sighted Norah and Rylan. "You're here! I thought you had forgotten."

Rylan walked forward and caught the woman as she jumped at him from the top of the stairs and gave him a hug. "I never forget when you're cooking dinner, mom. Highlight of my week."

She beamed as he put her down and she shoved past him towards Norah. "You must be Norah, I can't tell you how thrilled I am to finally meet you. Between this guy and Olivia, I feel like I already know you."

She crushed Norah in a hug and she bit back a yelp. It had been a long time since she'd been hugged by a mother but she figured it was like her dads. There was the occasional squeeze, as if assessing if she had been eating enough, something her father used to do all the time.

"Norah, this is Cassie, Olivia's mom." Rylan grinned.

"And yours, Rylan," she chided. She stepped back and looked Norah over. "Aren't you a pretty thing. I hope Rylan hasn't been giving you too much trouble?"

"Just a little, ma'am," she said calmly and Rylan winced as Cassie turned on him.

"What did you do to her? The poor thing probably isn't eating because you're stressing her out with your silly ways."

"I'm eating -"

"She's so thin, don't you check to make sure she's been eating?" Cassie demanded, ignoring Norah's protest, hands on hips.

"She can feed herself," he mumbled, which earned him a smack across the head.

"Don't talk back like that," she snapped. "You look after her properly, after everything she's been through because of us -" she broke off, her voice quaking and she looked away from Norah. Rylan squeezed her shoulder and Norah quickly stepped forward.

"Cassie, would you mind showing me around your home? It looks lovely -"

"Of course," she smiled, wiping her eyes. "Come on, Rylan can go and hang with the men while I show you around. Olivia is helping Annie in the kitchen, she'll be so happy you're here."

Cassie linked her arm through Norah's and dragged her away. Norah looked back and saw Rylan watching them, he grinned giving her a wave and mouthed, 'Gypsy' before heading inside.

Cassie showed Norah around the outside of the house first before stepping through some open French doors that were painted a pine green. The room they stepped into was painted much the same with light brown furnishings and a small fireplace. Herbs hung from the ceiling and Norah's nose wrinkled as she fought a sneeze.

"This is my room," Cassie smiled. "The men don't generally come in here because I don't want them breaking anything. Olivia uses this room when she needs to study too. If you ever stay with us, feel free to use this room too."

 "Thank you, I love the colours, it's beautiful."

Cassie smiled. "Roger's mother, Jenna picked out the colour scheme. I'm quite fond of it myself. Sadly she's in New Orleans at the moment with Meegan, Luke's fiancé."

"Oh, I didn't know Luke was engaged."

"It was only recent," Cassie said quietly. "Luke sent her away until this situation has been sorted out. He didn't want her getting caught in the crossfire. He tried to make Olivia leave too but she refused. I know my daughter, she would have worried herself sick if she left."

Norah nodded, sensing they were heading into dangerous territory and tried to change the conversation. Cassie took the hint and led her through the rest of the house. She didn't see the bedrooms, though Cassie seemed to find it important to point out which room was Rylan's - the first on the right at the top of the second floor.

There was a large sitting room on the second floor, painted in the same green with the wooden beams contrasting for a natural feel. One wall was covered in old photographs of the family and Norah tried not to spend too much time looking at them. She saw a photo of Olivia and the twins, and Cassie was hugging a man two times her size who had dark hair.

"That's my Roger," she looked at the photo, touching the glass fondly. "He passed away nearly six months ago now. It's scary to think so much has happened since he's been gone."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Norah said quietly. Cassie looked at the photo, her eyes filled with sadness and Norah tried to change the topic again. "Should we go and help Olivia in the kitchen?"

"Soon, I still have so much to show you!" Cassie showed her the rest of the house, the dining room was on the bottom floor with large open windows letting in the light and another sitting room in the front which they didn't enter. She could hear men laughing and Cassie rolled her eyes.

"They always make so much noise, rowdiest bunch of creatures I've ever met."

"We can hear you mom!" A male voice called that Norah didn't recognise and Cassie grinned.

"The fun of being a werewolf - you hear everything."

"Wouldn't that get frustrating, with so many people living in the house?"

"No, the bedrooms are all sound proofed and so are the dining room and top sitting room. We do have privacy when we need it and everyone gets along very well. If we start to tire of one another, some move to the cottages ten minutes down the road."

They walked down a corridor and into a large kitchen. The stone work from outside lined the outer wall and white and cream beams and doors matched off perfectly. There was a large island in the centre of the room with a black stone bench top that was covered in food and dirty bowls. Olivia sat on a stool, mashing a large bowl of potatoes. There was another bowl next to her, just as large and Norah's eyes widened. The amount of food she could see was terrifying.

"Hey, Norah!" Olivia waved a masher in her direction. "How did you like the tour?"

"It was good, you have a beautiful home."

"It's not bad," Olivia kept mashing. "Pull up a stool. Sorry about today too. I didn't know you hadn't told the others that Rylan was staying with you."

"That's okay. I just didn't want them to get the wrong idea."

"I guess you can't tell them the truth."

"No," Norah sat down and watched Olivia. "Can I help?"

"No, you're the guest! If I made you help, mom would chuck a fit."

"I would not chuck a fit," Olivia, her mother said from across the counter. "I would just be very disappointed."

"That's how she chucks her fits," Olivia muttered.

Cassie glared at her daughter and Norah smiled. A woman sat beside Cassie and she guessed this was Annie. She had similar blonde curls to Cassie but they were longer and Annie was more curvier.

"Norah, this is my sister, Annie." Norah reached over the island to shake her hand. "Her sons Aaron and Logan live with us. Her daughter Chloe lives in town though."

Olivia rolled her eyes at the mention of Chloe and Norah guessed she wasn't a fan. Annie smiled. "It's nice to meet you Norah. We have something in common already." Norah looked at her confused and Annie grinned. "We are the only humans at this dinner."

"Oh! I thought you were a werewolf."

"No, believe it or not, I'm actually the younger sister. Perks of being a werewolf, you don't age as fast. One thing that bugs me about Cassie."

"But your children are werewolves?" Norah asked.

Annie nodded as she tossed the salad. "It was their choice to be turned and I wasn't going to stop them. I'd been through it all with Cassie, and I knew the risks and choices. Roger's family have been good to me and the children since my husband passed. I know they'll take care of them."

"You didn't want to?"

Annie shook her head. "I'm happy as I am."

Cassie smiled and hugged her sister. "Annie keeps us all grounded, I'd be lost without her here. There's too many men in this house!"

"You've got me mom!" Olivia protested.

"Yes, but you won't be here forever, your life is only just starting. Soon it will just be me, Annie and the men. I need another woman to help keep the men in check."

Norah listened as they spoke about silly things, avoiding the big elephant in the room that was the feud and she joined in as they prepared dinner, speaking of her own family and her parents. When Cassie heard that both her parents had passed, a look crossed her face and she came to stand beside Norah, resting her hand on her shoulder from time to time.

Soon dinner was ready and they moved all the food into the dining room. The table was large but all the dishes still couldn't fit and Cassie placed the extras on the long table against the wall. Then she whistled a large shrilling noise through the door and Norah jumped.

"Dinner's ready!"

The reaction was immediate. The door opened down the hall and the men filed in, talking loudly amongst themselves. Norah recognised Rylan, and Luke, from his similarity to Liam, but his face didn't have the same hardness as Liam's. His eyes were softer and his features showed that he smiled often. Two older men walked in and then a large man came in last. He was large compared to the others, his peppered hair was the only thing that signified his greater age. There was a slight limp to his walk and Norah tried not to shrink into Olivia.

"Norah," Luke stepped forward and grasped her shoulders as the others took their seats. "We meet at last."

"Hi," she smiled awkwardly. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner."

"That was all mom," he smiled at Cassie. "I was a bit concerned you might not want anything to do with us, but she was adamant about meeting you and no one says no to Cassie Montoya."

"Damn straight they don't," the younger man of the group said. He had light brown hair and his hazel eyes sparkled. "I'm Aaron. You probably don't remember me, but I came to your house that night."

Norah didn't have to ask which night he was talking about. "Well it's nice to meet you officially."

They took their seats and Rylan directed Norah between himself and Aaron. Olivia sat on the other side of Aaron and she sent Norah a wink as she sat down. Holden and Luke both took the heads of the table and Norah noticed another woman sitting opposite her.

"Hi, I'm Emma," the red head introduced herself when she saw Norah's confusion. "I was in with the men. My talents are wasted in the kitchen."

"The only talent you have is poisoning everyone," Rylan teased and Emma stuck her tongue out. "I don't know how you haven't killed Peter yet."

Norah looked down the table at the other man, wondering if that was Peter. He had black hair and familiar blue eyes.

"That's Aston," Rylan murmured and Norah nodded. "Peter is out on watch, tonight."

Now that she knew everyone's names, she had to remember them. Everyone grabbed at the plates and bowls, piling their plates with everything they could reach. If they couldn't, they shouted down the table for bowls to be passed. Annie walked around the table, offering gravy and dressings which were all gone by the time she did one full round.

Norah could only sit back and watch in amazement. She had never seen something like it before. Unsure of the protocol, she waited patiently for everyone to finish grabbing their food.

"Help the poor lass, Rylan," Holden's deep voice rumbled down the table. "She'll starve if she doesn't grab something soon."

Norah sent Holden a smile of relief, and Rylan grabbed her plate and started piling on food. She tried to stop him when it became a small mountain. "I won't eat all that!"

"Don't worry about it." He put the plate back in front of her and Norah sighed. There was silence as everyone ate quickly, desperate to put more food on their plates. Norah watched them with a strange fascination as she ate slowly. Annie saw her looking across the table and shot her a knowing look. She had a normal amount of food on her plate and Norah wished Annie had dished up her serving.

It didn't take long for the food to vanish and Norah didn't even consume a quarter of hers. She noticed that Rylan was finished and quickly swapped plates with him, hoping no one would notice. Groans sounded across the table and she jumped. Aaron stared at her plate with longing.

"I was going to ask you for that."

"Oh, sorry." She turned to give the plate to him but Rylan had nearly demolished it already. She turned back, shrugging her shoulders. "Sorry, Aaron."

"It's okay, I'll know to be quicker next time. So, Norah how old are you?"

She frowned. "Twenty four...why?"

"Just curious, I thought you must have been closer to Olivia's age."

"How old are you?"

"Thirty two. Still look in my early twenties though, don't I?"

She bit back a smile. "I was going to say late thirties but I can say early twenties if it makes you feel better?"

"Ouch," he laughed. "Way to kick a man down."

"Please," she scoffed. "You're a werewolf, right? Like I could kick you down."

Rylan finished her food and she jumped when his hand rested on her thigh. Something passed through Aaron's eyes and he chuckled, turning away. Norah turned to glare at Rylan but he was taking a drink of beer.

Everyone started leaving the table and Norah looked around, confused. Luke smiled. "We'll move into the sitting room now. It's a bit more comfortable in there."

"Oh, okay."

Everyone left and Norah started grabbing plates to take them back to the kitchen. Rylan grabbed her hand. "You don't have to do that. They'll clean up later."

"I've done nothing all night," she whispered. "I have to help clean up at least." Shaking his hand off she kept piling on plates.

Rylan sighed and started grabbing plates and bowls too. He followed her into the kitchen and it took them three trips to clear the dining room. Norah started filling the sink and searched for the detergent. Rylan passed it to her and she frowned at him.

"What was that back there?"

"What was what?" He grabbed a tea towel.

"I was talking to Aaron and you grabbed my leg. Why?"

"He was flirting with you."

"No he wasn't," Norah laughed.

"Trust me," Rylan said seriously. "He was."

"He wasn't being serious though," she protested. "I think he was just trying to make me feel more comfortable."

"He was being an ass," Rylan muttered and Norah turned the water off.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

They did the dishes in silence. Rylan stood close, their hips brushing against each other and Norah didn't say anything, not wanting to break the silence. She tried to focus on the dishes and not the hidden meaning behind Rylan's actions earlier that her brain demanded she over analyse.

She was saved from analysing when Olivia came looking for them. "Here you are! I thought you must have snuck off home. Why are you doing dishes?"

"I felt like I needed to do something." Norah explained. "You all made dinner so you shouldn't have to clean up."

Olivia came over and pushed Norah out of the way. "Let me at it."

"Hey! Did you not hear a thing I said?"

"I did," Olivia passed a plate to Rylan and bumped him with her hip so he would move away. "But you are still the guest so your argument is invalid."

Norah took the tea towel from Rylan and told him to start putting everything away. They worked quickly and had the kitchen clean in record time. Olivia grabbed the tea towel from Norah and threw it on the bench. "Come on, Gramps said he was going to tell you a story."

"A story?" She looked at Rylan who followed behind, shooing her on.

"Yeah, I asked him to tell you about our origins, since you don't know much. It's a good story."

"It's your favourite story," Rylan pointed out and Olivia turned to glare at him.

"So what?"

They walked into the sitting room and Olivia plopped down on the floor, dragging Norah with her. Rylan took the seat behind them, next to Aston and Norah leaned back against his leg.

"We're all here, you can tell the story now, Gramps," Olivia said.

Holden smiled down at his granddaughter. Emma and Aston weren't in the room and Norah was going to say something but she figured they had their own things to do. She got comfortable and ready to listen.

"You know you could tell this story yourself, Olivia," he said calmly.

"Yeah, but you tell it the best," she waved her hand at him. "Tell it!"

"Very well...

In the beginning, the only creatures to roam this earth were man and beast. Those who possessed greater power lived in the stars, observing those inferior beings from above. Many knew of their existence, praying for a healthy crop or to survive the next Winter. If they were worthy enough, the Gods would answer their call, if not, they were left to perish.

This story is of seven men who worshipped Lupa; Goddess of the moon and wolves. Those who hunted in her forest, prayed for her guidance and protection. Amongst these hunters were seven men, who craved to be more than their worth. They planned a gathering on the full moon, begging for Lupa to bless them with her presence, to prove that she was protecting those who loved and adored her. They lied, crying to the heavens that many were losing faith, as food was sparse and so many prayers were left unanswered. We know now that this ceremony was during winter, which is why food was possibly sparse, but back then, everything came down your God's will, and they believed they were punished for something they had not done. So, they felt Lupa must be punished also.

Lupa, unable to bear the cries of her followers no more, descended from the stars and appeared before them, wanting to assure them they had her love. Many tales have been told of Lupa's beauty; of her white hair, white than the moon that flowed about her body, her alabaster skin which drove mortal men into a frenzy of desire. Her eyes though, that is something everyone remembers. They were a perfect black, the moon reflected within them and if you stared too long, you would go mad.

"I have not abandoned you," she spoke, her voice soft and pleading. "The seasons grow harsher with each year and alas, I have no control of that. You are strong, sturdy men, for I have helped you be so, and when the ice thaws and sun shines once again, there will be food for all."

As she spoke, the seven men put their plan into action. They had created strings of silver, for it was said to be Lupa's weakness and they wrapped them about her, holding her taut on the ground.

The surrounding men who knew of their plan, cheered and celebrated their success. The oldest stepped forward to face his Goddess. "We cannot wait that long, our people are dying and the only way to save them is with your power. Grace us with your light so we may provide for our families for aeons to come."

Lupa, shocked at this betrayal, looked at him sadly. "What a fool I am; you have never worshipped me, only my power."

As she spoke,  seven tears escaped her eyes. As each fell to the earth, they morphed in the light of the moon and shaped into seven different coloured stones. "You crave power?" she cried. "Then you shall have it but know this; I shall never heed your call ever again."

She looked amongst them all, eyes defiant. "No longer shall I be your guardian! I shall be your curse!"

She stood tall, the strings snapping beneath her power and in a flash of light, she vanished from this realm, never to be seen again.

The seven men grabbed a stone each, disregarding her final warning and as they gazed at their treasures in wonder, a strange thing happened. Pain ripped through their bodies, their bones cracking, causing them their spines to bend, their nails to grow.

They collapsed on all fours, their hair growing rapidly and their screams of agony becoming howls of anguish as they cried to the moon. Lupa did no listen to their cries but she had listened to their pleas. Her curse would provide for their families for aeons to come.

Holden sat back, finished and Norah glanced at Olivia. "Is that true?"

"Of course," she said. "Each pack is named after a certain stone, remember? Our clan belongs to the Bluestone Pack."

"So, do they still have the stones?"

Holden nodded. "Aye, I have seen the Bluestone for myself, when I was a young lad. The Whitestone pack died out in the early 1950's and the there are only thirty or so members left of the Bloodstone pack. They live in Greece now, away from the politics."

"Whitestone..." Norah looked at Rylan and he grinned shaking his head.

"No relation."

"So, it's passed down each family line, or something, but then what about those like Rylan, they are just turned?"

Cassie leaned forward on her elbows. "The curse is passed down from the oldest child, no matter if they are girl of boy. If Olivia was to bless me with a grandchild, it would not be born a werewolf. Only Luke's would....we think."

Holden growled and Cassie quickly moved on. "Olivia was born a wolf because Roger was first born, but she can't produce them herself, does that make sense?"

"Can we stop talking about me having babies?" Olivia muttered.

"I get it, thanks Cassie. So you can, 'turn' humans though, right?"

"Yes, but we never do it unless it is their decision. If someone is turned against their will, then it is taken before that pack's council. For instance, our council now resides in New Orleans."

"Where Meegan is?" Norah bit her lip, wondering if she should have said that.

Luke nodded. "That's right, that's why I sent her there; it's the safest place for her to be right now."

Norah nodded. "Okay, I think I understand everything...maybe."

Cassie smiled. "It's a lot to take in. If you ever have any questions, feel free to drop by and ask me."

They said their goodbyes not long after that. Many of them had to work in the morning and Rylan took Norah's keys. "I'll drive."

Cassie caught her in a bone crushing hug as she said goodbye. "I meant what I said before. Come by anytime. I'm happy to have you."

"Thanks Cassie, same to you."

As the house faded in the night, Norah turned to Rylan in the car. "Did you ask to be turned?"

He nodded. "That family has done right by me since I was little. I'm going to do everything I can to protect them in return."

Norah closed her eyes, feeling tired and sent a silly prayer out to Lupa that her dreams wouldn't be plagued by werewolves that night.

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A/N: Just a little reminder that I have created this history of werewolf origins, so if anyone tries to correct me, prepare to face my wraith (or the delete button)