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âSantiago, got it.â confirmed Selin. Crossing her arms, she stood up straight and chuckled softly at his response. âIt truly isâŚGah, I used to find the moon pretty, but now itâs like my literal lifelong enemy.â Nights was where she found her serenity, especially when it was a full moon. Now, that was all taken away from her in a blink of an eye. It was an unfortunate thought, but she chose to tuck it away as she wasnât here to complain. âAh, I understandâŚNo rush really, I had no plans of leaving despite my poor first impression of this place.â It was simply an obstacle at this point and if she wanted to get better, she had to grow accustom to both the good and the bad of the supernatural life. She took another glance at the view and soaked it all in. Although what had happened was unfortunate, things were somewhat back to normal. At the end of it all, NP on the whole still stood tall and kept going.Â
âThatâs really kind of youâŚBoth yourself and Zoey have been really welcoming.â replied Selin with a sincere tone. Her jaw clenched slightly at the mention of family. She never understood that, despite having her mother and Sara. They were probably the closest to a family that sheâd ever had, but the notion of it still seemed foreign to her. âI see, well I appreciate the clarification and sentiment. It does put things into perspective, especially knowing that Iâm in good handsâŚI trust you, I do.â She nodded once more to confirm and listened attentively to what he had planned. âRight, next full moon. Iâll keep that in mind.â She paused to ponder on her response before finally saying, âYes, we canâŚI guess itâs justâŚthat whole concept of how you gained such control. Like how did you even get there? Iâm stillâŚstruggling in that departmentâŚI just donât know how to live with thisâŚâ
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âI think... most bitten wolves have this sort of relationship with the moon.â Granted, he couldnât assume it was a rule, and even if it were, there were always exceptions to it, right? "And, I guess that giving you the whole speech of the bite being more of a blessing than a curse wonât cut it, but, not everyone survive it. So, being alive is already good enough. I mean, in my opinion, that is.â Because, Alpha or not, Santiago had always favored life over death. Whenever someone would tell him about horrible full moons were, he wouldnât try to change their mind with empty arguments, but being alive trumped changing once a month.Â
The mention of Zoey made the werewolf smile. âYeah, Zoey and I go way back. Sheâs a great woman, even greater Alpha. Whoever you choose to side with, youâll be in good hands. I promise.â Gently, Santiago patted the womanâs hand, before motioning for the she-wolf to sit down so they could talk. The sun was starting to set later in the horizon, which made up for a nice and beautiful golden hour. MJ would like the colors, he thought to himself as he nodded once, appreciating her trust. Trust, he knew, wasnât something so easily given and if he had Selinâs, he certainly wouldnât take it for granted. âControl, just like anything in life, is a tricky subject. Whether youâre a werewolf or not.â Known for not being able to sugarcoat much, Santiago also knew that it was better to be honest, especially with baby wolves, who came to him wanting to gain control in a matter of weeks. âI was born a werewolf, so to me, control came not with taming the wolf in me, but with making it part of me. Accepting it was there, scratching to get out until it finally did.â His gaze fell on her. Being in touch with more bitten wolves would help Selin to know she wasnât the only one who still struggled with being who she was, thatâs why he wanted her to spend more time with the pack, to see for herself that despite feeling so, she wasnât alone. Not anymore, at least.
âIf you ask some of my pack members, theyâll give you a different version of what having control means to them.â If Teddy or Laura were there, it would definitely make it easier to pitch the idea that she should join a pack, unfortunately, he was alone in this. And besides, this was none of their responsibility. âYou play volleyball, donât you?â He remembered it, he just wasnât sure if it had been Sara or Selin who had shared the piece of information with him. âIt took you time and practice to get to where you are now, correct?â Santi waited for her response in order to continue. âWell, itâs the same with being in touch with your wolf. Embracing that you have changed is the first step. Accepting that part of you now, Selin, that itâs who you are. And, because itâs there, you were able to survive three days living in pure agony. Sure, you involuntarily change into a wolf once a month, but youâre also faster, stronger, you heal quickly, you can track people down with your sense of smell, you can hear things from a mile away...â Shifting on his seat, he turned, so he was facing the younger woman. âI canât sit here and tell you beautiful stories of how itâll be perfect, but I can tell you that itâll get better. Thatâs why packs are so important. We get our strength from our own, we protect each other, we help when one is struggling, we lean on one another. The pack life will teach you a lot about yourself, too; of how to be one collective, instead of one person. Have you been feeling lonelier than usual? Like nothing would fill the void in you? Thatâs your wolf calling for their family, for a place of their own, where they can belong... the sooner you find a pack to call yours, the sooner that feeling will disappear.â











