“I’m in” Ariana whispered into the small device she had smuggled in. 

“Good job” the proud voice of her father came through from the other side “Keep communications rare unless it is extremely important, those beasts have incredible hearing. Also keep the safeguard next to you at all times”

“Roger that… over and out” 

She fingered the other tiny device she had been able to get in under the sensitive noses of her new hosts.

She thought about the creature she had met yesterday. If she wasn’t aware of his true nature she would have considered him ruggedly handsome.

His tall figure cast an imposing frame. His grey hair, though what one would expect from an elderly person, instead radiated a warmth, its youthful glow instead evoking the comforting presence of a moonlit night. His eyes though… his eyes were his most dangerous feature. The sapphire blue seemed to be lit with an inner fire. She could swear they seemed to glow. It was like they could see right through you and look into your very deepest and darkest secret.

She struggled to maintain her composure around him yesterday. Luckily, any incongruent actions were just taken as her being an amnesiac.

She looked around the small room she had been given pending when she would ‘recover’ her memories and be sent home. Much like the rest of the community, the place seemed homely and comforting. It was nothing like what she had imagined a gathering of dangerous beasts such as werewolves would be.

‘They’re probably just biding their time. Soon I will see the depths of their depravities. I just hope I will be able to keep my cover’

A loud banging on the door informed her that a guest had arrived. She wondered who it would be as she stepped forward to open the door.

When she did, she saw a mountain of a man before her. She had never seen anyone that huge before. Where Liam had the corded muscle and structure of a perfect hunter, whose form perfectly combined speed, power and agility, Ariana was loath to say how this behemoth currently before her could possibly move without breaking something.  

He didn’t wait for her acknowledgement, simply brushing past her, making her stumble and almost fall in the process.

When she gathered her wits, she turned to him, furious, when he began talking.

“You do not belong here” he began “But my Alpha has allowed you to stay for a short time. Do not bother going to his office trying to meet him, he is a busy man”

He dropped a few things he had been carrying on the bed in her room and turned to leave.

“Wait, who are you and how dare you talk to me like that” Ariana exclaimed, standing in his way.

The man, who up till now had not designed to even look at her, stared down at her shorter form.

“I am Tirian, personal Beta of the Alpha of this pack” he said with obvious pride “I am better than you. When I talk you listen… insect”

Ariana bristled at the insult “What did you just call me?”

“Insect” Tirian repeated “It is what you are. What all humans are, a stain on the bottom of our boots”

He shoved her out of his way, his massive bulk proving too imposing for her to stop him.

“Remember this” he said as he was leaving “I advised my Alpha to throw you out no matter your so called ‘amnesia’ but he refused me for some reason. Should you prove to be too annoying to keep, I will have my way”

He turned briefly to look her once more in the eyes “I’m sure he’ll get bored of his pet monkey soon enough”

He shut the door and left.

Ariana remained on the ground, staring at where he had gone.

‘Tirian huh… Another name on the list’

She stood and brushed herself off, deciding to think of a way to get closer to Liam. She needed to do so in order to carry out the association’s plan.   

A few weeks later, Ariana is nowhere closer in achieving her goals. She had been put to work doing several menial tasks for the pack in that intervening time such as laundry and janitorial duties.

‘The things I do for the association’ she thought, grumbling in her mind as she struggled to get a particularly stubborn satin from the counter she was scrubbing ‘They had better do more than some shitty celebration in my honour when I’m back from this mission’

All her attempts to learn more about Liam and find a way to get closer to him had turned to naught. The only new thing she had managed to glean was that he had a younger sister who he particularly doted on and who was almost never seen outside unless it was by his side. That was common knowledge though.

She paused slightly as she listened to the whispered gossiping from the other people cleaning. These duties she had been doing were periodically rotated amongst the omegas of the pack. The lowest rung in the pecking order and it was usually filled with the most ill-disciplined of the pack.

“… Do you think Deidre’s brat will be an omega?”

“Surely not. I think it’s more likely for Wyatt. You know… Andrew’s son… the idiot”

They giggled.

“Anyways, this moon blessing ceremony will definitely be fun”

“Moon blessing ceremony?” Ariana accidentally blurted out in question.

Startled, the two omegas looked at her, frightened one of their superiors had caught them slacking off when they were meant to be working. They sighed in relief as they saw her.

“Oh… it’s just the human”

“What’s the moon blessing ceremony?” Ariana queried, trying to seem like she was just asking an innocent question and not sneaking around.

“I guess the human wouldn’t know” One of the chatty duo began “Well you’ll see it if you’re still here in a week’s time so I might as well tell you now. Werewolves aren’t born with the ability to access our furry forms. Imagine what a toddler would do with that type of power.

When we hit puberty, our wolf characteristics start to come out and this culminates in our first transformation. The issue is, this first transformation can happen randomly anytime and since adolescents have very little control over their wolves, this can lead to a few accidents.  

Luckily, the Alpha of the pack can solve this. By forcing the first change out of all the pubescent kids in the pack, the first change can be done in a calm and controlled environment. The Moon’s Blessing is the name we call this power of the Alpha”

The omega had a smug look of pride as they explained this. Ariana’s head was elsewhere as she stopped listening to their continued chatter.

Perhaps she had an opportunity. She just hoped this plan wouldn’t get her killed.