Full Moon Read Free Page A

over it. Portraits of our ancestors, in both human and wolf forms, lined the walls.
    “The whole clan used to live here,” Brittany said. She enjoyed our history, while usually I could take it or leave it. “We were self-sufficient. Then industrialization began to take hold, and we realized how much we’d miss out on if we continued to isolate ourselves.”
    “So out into the big, bad world we went,” I interjected.
    “It’s not that bad,” Brittany said.
    “Then why do we have to keep our existence a secret?” I asked.
    “Because when we tried to reveal ourselves, we were tortured and burned as witches or demons,” Brittany answered.
    “I know that happened a long time ago,” Kayla said. “But don’t you think people are more enlightened these days?”
    “What was your gut reaction when you learned that we existed?” I asked.
    She blushed so deeply that the light smattering of freckles across her cheeks disappeared. “Astounded. And I hate to admit it, but I was horrified when I discovered I was one of you. But now that I understand we’re not rabid werewolves with evil intentions, I think it’s pretty cool. That’s all I’m saying. If people were given a chance to understand what we truly are, they might accept us.”
    “Or they might want to capture and study us. Like Bio-Chrome.”
    “But if people knew about us, the government would protect us.”
    “We protect ourselves,” Brittany said vehemently. “We always have. We always will.”
    “I just think that having some help isn’t such a bad idea.”
    “It’s not our decision to make,” I said as we neared the grand, sweeping staircase that would take us up to the room we were sharing. “Besides, we have way more important decisions to face—like what we’re going to wear tonight.”

TWO

    Unlike Kayla, I had attended many summer solstice celebrations. They were characterized by an abundance of food and out-of-date music that our parents would dance to—and that we wouldn’t be caught dead even listening to. Those around my age would gather mostly in small groups to talk, while avoiding the older members who were prone to pinching our cheeks and reminding us how cute we used to be.
    “So how do I dress for this thing?” Kayla asked as she scrounged through her small duffle bag.
    “Sexy,” I said as I pulled a red spaghetti-strap tank out of my bag. The nights grow cool this far north, so I planned to wear a white denim jacket over it.
    I walked into the bathroom where, at the long counter, Brittany was already straightening her black hair with a flat iron. When we were hiking through the woods, we usually wore our hair pulled back or braided—anything to minimize tangles. Tonight, though, I was going to leave my white-blond hair flowing around my shoulders.
    I leaned toward the mirror and applied mascara. My skin had a healthy glow from all the time I spent outdoors. Anticipation of the evening had turned my hazel eyes a little greener.
    “Do weird activities go on during this summer solstice thing? Do I need to be prepared for anything? I mean, the guys don’t all strip down and transform do they?” Kayla asked as she came into the bathroom wearing a denim skirt and a cute, lacy pink top.
    “I wish,” Brittany mumbled. “I think they look best when they’re in wolf form.”
    “Really?” I asked.
    “Yeah, don’t you?”
    I thought about it for a moment. What she’d said seemed momentous somehow, but I couldn’t figure out why. It was as though she viewed us somehow differently than most Shifters viewed ourselves. “No, they look the same to me, in whichever form they’re in. What do you think, Kayla?”
    “I don’t really prefer one over the other, I guess. Lucas is Lucas, no matter what. It’s just a shape.”
    “Exactly,” I said.
    “Maybe you two just don’t appreciate the wolf as much as you should,” Brittany said with a hint of tartness in her voice. “I’m outta here.”
    She strode out of the