I sat at my table with Selene on my right and my sister Danielle on my left. My parents were across the room, busy with David and socializing with guests. I had to admit—I hated how crowded the place was. If it weren't for my brother's wedding, I wouldn't have been here at all.
Danielle kept giving me her shit-eating grin, knowing full well how much I despised crowded places. Selene just smiled awkwardly, caught between our sibling antics.
After a while, I noticed something on Danielle's wrist. She was wearing a silver bracelet engraved with two words: Blue Moon. Selene's expression flickered—alarm flashing in her eyes for just a moment before she smoothed it over. I wouldn't have even noticed if I hadn't been watching her so closely.
Selene leaned forward. "How long have you been a werewolf?" she asked casually, though I could hear the weight behind the question.
Danielle froze, then shot her a suspicious look. "And how would you know that?"
Selene tapped the bracelet lightly. "The Blue Moon pack. They run the hospital in your city, don't they? And they don't hand out charms like that to anyone."
Danielle exhaled slowly, then glanced at me. "I didn't want to get Daniel involved in this."
Selene shook her head. "Too late for that. He's already tangled up in something very similar."
Not wanting to make things more awkward, I just nodded to confirm her claim.
Danielle frowned. "It's been five years for me." She hesitated before asking, "Where did you get attacked, Daniel?"
So I told her. The campsite, the shotgun, the night everything changed. Danielle's eyes widened.
"There was a werewolf who came into the hospital claiming he'd been shot by a hunter," she said slowly. "He had buckshot lodged in his chest—he made me take it out after his flesh started healing over the pellets. He swore it was an accident, that he'd been mistaken for an animal."
I shook my head. "No accident. He tried to kill me. I put those rounds into him myself."
She pressed her lips together, then nodded firmly. "Give me the location of your camp and whatever's left of your tent. I'll bring it to the pack. They'll handle him. He won't be hurting anyone else again."
Danielle paused, guilt flickering across her face. "I'm sorry I wasn't there that night."
"You're a nurse," I said simply. "You're busy saving lives. You don't need to babysit me."
The party went on. I zoned out through most of it, ignoring the crowd except for Selene and my family. The food was good, the coordinator had done his job well, and the DJ kept everyone entertained with music that had the dance floor full. My brother was officially married now. Nicole was his wife, and I was genuinely happy for him—for finding someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
When the night ended, I left with Selene. Tomorrow would be the last day of my leave before I returned to work. The long drive back gave me too much time to think.
As the highway stretched on, I asked her, "How did you know Danielle was part of a pack?"
Selene leaned back in her seat, her eyes on the road ahead. "Because I know their leader. We go way back. Old friends, though we haven't spoken much in years."
Her voice carried something I couldn't quite place—regret, maybe, or nostalgia. Either way, it left me with more questions than answers.