Chapter 1 Moonlit Secrets

My empty stomach pushed me into the deep woodland that surrounded the dilapidated orphanage. I had outgrown the frigid comforts of the institution that had been my reluctant home for as long as I could remember at the age of eighteen. The trees' overhanging shadows seemed to murmur promises of sustenance, luring me deeper into their embrace.

The moon hung low in the night sky, throwing an ethereal sheen on the vegetation below. I crept cautiously into the underbrush, the only sounds repeating my unsteady footfall and the rustle of leaves beneath my worn-out sneakers. Hunger gnawed at my insides, yet the primitive urge for survival masked the pain.

A peculiar vibe surrounded me as I moved deeper into the heart of the woodland. It pumped through the air, almost tactile, and the hairs on my arms sprang on edge. All that could be heard was the odd hoot of an owl or the distant scuttle of a little creature. As I navigated the forest's confusing trails, my senses were heightened. My feet were directed by an unexplainable desire, which led me to a clearing bathed in the warm glow of moonlight. In the centre, just one guy stood with his back to me. As I studied the figure, a shiver ran down my spine.

"Hello?" I cried out, my voice uncertain in the solitude.

The stranger turned around, showing sparkling eyes. His facial highlights were sharp and oozed an air of mature intelligence. I felt a streak of recognition, but I couldn't place it.

"Child of the moon," he said, his profound voice appearing to resound through the exceptional trees.

I took a cautious step back.

"Who are you? " He took a step forward, a knowing grin on his lips.

"I am but a guide, a guardian of the secrets that lie dormant within you." Secrets?

I scowled, my intellect turning with disarray and questions.

The man held out his hand, flagging me to come closer.

Against my way better judgment, I did.

"You're trying to find more than food," he said, his eyes settled on me.

"You look for the truth that has been covered up from you, Diana Blackburn."

The mention of my name sent a stun through me. How did he know? I opened my mouth to address him, but he raised a hand, ending my words.

"Fear not, child. The time has come for you to find the control that streams through your veins, the control of the moon and the mammoths that wander underneath it."

His words appeared both enigmatic and significant, and a mystifying belief blossomed inside me. As he talked, the moonlight heightened, encompassing me in a delicate grasp. I felt a surge of vitality, a primal constrain arousing inside.

I realized my hands were changing, the nails prolonging into sharp claws. Hide grew from my skin, covering me in a shimmering coat. I wheezed, the change both frightening and elating. I might feel the quality coursing through me, an antiquated control that associated me with the exceptional quintessence of the woodland.

The man gestured enthusiastically. "You're no ordinary child. You're a girl of the moon, and your travel has started. Look for the Lycan Foundation, where your kind are sustained and ensured."

As rapidly as he showed up, the man blurred into the shadows, taking off me standing within the moonlit clearing, a recently stirred animal of the night. The woodland, once threatening, presently felt like a portion of me-a haven where I had a place.