CHAPTER-1: MIDNIGHT CRESCENT MOON PACK

The sweet, fruity and enchanting scent of Jasmine invaded her nostrils and filled her heart with contentment as she sniffed the fresh flowers from close. Though her heart was not at rest but a beautiful smile tugged on her rosy plump lips glancing at the white and pink jasmine flowers but then her delicate fingers caressed the petals of gorgeous dahlia flowers next to it. She loved the beautiful purple dahlia for their magnificent appearance. 

“Happy birthday, Ali. You are such a sweet soul we are blessed to have.” Aunt Meredith chimed in as she smiled beside her husband, the owner of the only Flower shop in their pack. Gabriel nodded in admiration looking at the beautiful and shy Allison visiting their shop today. The old couple liked the girl so much unlike other people in the pack who never cared about her presence let alone her special day.

Allison turned to look at the old lady who walked to her in anticipation to sell the fresh flower bouquet to her. 

“Thank you so much, Mary.” Allison tucked her hair strand behind her ear shyly. She was a naive, innocent and generous girl of the town even though people treated her badly sometimes but she never minded. Why? Because she was not the one among them. She was the human girl in the werewolf pack, Midnight crescent pack. 

“So, what would you like to have today?” 

Allison stared at the Jasmines and Daliah briefly and smiled sheepishly, not able to decide which one to pick but Meredith solved her chaos and picked the Jasmines for her.

“One shouldn't ignore the potency and strength of something over its beautiful appearance.” Meredith said before wrapping them for her into a bouquet. Allison nodded, understanding her message deeply. She took out a few bucks to pay but the lovely florist shook her head.

“It's a small birthday gift from my side to you, Ali.” Meredith smiled before patting her cheek. Allison grinned, having the lovely lady as a mother figure in the pack and thanked her. 

She only has her father and brother in the name of a family who were gone to the big battle in another region on the Northern side to support another pack as an alliance. 

“Any news from Mason and Elijah?” Meredith asked about her family to which Allison shook her head, sighing.

“Nothing. Mason told me not to contact them for a few days a week ago. I guess they are preparing for the war in the Blue Moon pack.” Allison sighed again thinking about her brother’s words. She wondered what kind of war this was which prevented her from linking with her family. She didn't even know why this war was happening in the first place. 

Meredith caught the sadness in her eyes. 

“Don't worry, sweety. They would be just fine. My nephew also went there. And once this war is finished, Alpha will throw the ball party for our warriors who will come back after defeating the enemies. Our warriors are the best in the all-south region.” Meredith said proudly and reassuringly. It inflated Allison’s courage as she nodded. Other customers started coming into their shop and Allison excused herself and left from there to head to her house.

She was wearing an off shoulder yellow calves length frock on her birthday with white sandals but there was no delight in her features. She didn't want to celebrate her birthday when her family was on the edge of sacrificing their lives to fulfil their duties. But again, Mason wouldn't be so happy if his little sister mopped around all day with a long face on her special day. He particularly requested that if he couldn't make it then she didn't need to feel sad and alone. So with this thought she decided to celebrate it in a small way.

A cold breeze brushed against her face and her curly light Auburn hair swayed around her face, shadowing her gaze when someone knocked into her staggering her backward. 

“Ali, where have you been, I was waiting for you, girl. Happy birthday.” Nora jumped on her as soon as she spotted Allison walking down the street. Nora was her only friend in the pack who understood her and supported her in all ways. 

Nora squealed, hugging her and started rambling about how her new crush said yes to her proposal. 

“Alright, it's a double celebration so let's go to celebrate it. I won't allow you to feel lonely today.” Nora said cheekily and pulled her to the nearby cafe at the corner of the street where young couples usually visit for small parties. Allison couldn't decline like last time because today was her birthday.

She was happy that Nora was her friend because mostly people in their packs are mean to her, especially girls. 

Nobody cared to wish her despite knowing her birthday, not even her cousins. Because Allison was not fancied by anyone in any way except for her beauty. But they only use her for their own selfish reasons like approaching her to heal their wounds and in need of medicines and herbs. 

Yes, she was a healer, a human girl in the werewolf pack. Being a human is like black stain in the werewolf pack so they were always transferred to the other division of the mortal realm or where they serves as slaves. But there are few exceptions when the Alpha decides to keep them in the pack for their extraordinary services and that's why Alpha Ralph decided to keep Allison to serve and heal his pack members in case there are injuries, fractures or lacerations during fights or silver attacks by enemies.

Healers are not sent to pack fights as they only need to look after the injured wolves and those who need their distinctive services. Allison was blessed with unique powers by her deceased mother who was a witch and mated to her werewolf father.

But what people didn't know was that Allison was not an ordinary healer but a spiritual one whom people in their world call Shaman. But she concealed her trait from others in fear of not getting exploited by her own pack members, especially the Alpha. 

Once her grandmother told her that after turning eighteen she will get the powers of her mother who had pure blood of a white witch. And Allison could only practice her learnings and experiments, not eager to get the powers going to emerge out of her. She just wants a simple and happy life with her family. 

Though she already had the glimpse of her powers but she suppressed them as her sole attention was on her family who went on a mission. But her passion in her field is much stronger than her wishes. She loves her job in the pack. 

“So tell me, you are eighteen now, how's your powers working?” Nora asked in a hushed voice not to deliver any hint to the people hanging around.

“I didn't practise anything for a few days. You know I'm worried about Dad and Mason. They didn't reply to my messages. I don't even know how they are doing?” Allison let out in distress before Nora ordered her favorite cheesecake with a cappuccino. 

“Babe, today is your birthday. Don't be sad, Iam sure they will be fine.” Nora replied before looking at the menu to select her own order. Everyone was saying the same but Allison had a gut feeling that something big was going to happen but she didn't dare to voice it out otherwise people would criticise her badly. They always find a way to chastise her to humiliate her for being a naive and pathetic human healer. 

“I hope they are…” Alison muttered when Nora squeaked excitedly. Allison startled and followed her gaze. She sighed, rolling her eyes. Two famous bad boys from their college just entered the cafe. Sebastian and Asher who are known as playboys in the town. Nobody dares to mess with them as Sebastian was the son of Alpha and Asher was the Beta’s son. 

And ironically, Asher was Nora’s current boyfriend who proposed to her yesterday. 

“Oh my God, Ash baby.” Nora couldn't hide her giddy smile seeing him there. Asher winked at her before taking seat at the corner of the table beside a glass window after Sebastian who smirked at Allison but she totally ignored it.

She never liked them, even when the Alpha’s son proposed to her to be his girlfriend, she politely declined knowing very well that he just wanted to get into her panties and discard her later. But after her rejection he never stopped stalking her. It should have hurt his Alpha ego but he didn't take it to heart and was determined to court her. 

“Don't tell me Asher proposed to you?” Allison asked calmly seeing Nora’s eyes which were continuously eye raping Asher. Nora briefly looked at her friend before turning her gaze back to her boyfriend smiling.

Allison screamed in mind knowing her answer. 

“How could you mingle with that boy, Nora. He just wants to get into your panties, don't you know how they are?” Alison almost hollered. Nora smiled, waving her hand. 

“Who cares?” Nora shrugged.

“By the way, I can also use him in the same way in which he is experienced. Ain't I?” She grinned, whispering under her breath while staring at Asher who gave her a lustful look. 

Allison gaped at her friend for her cunning personality. Obviously, she is the male version of a womanizer. But she loves her regardless.

“He asked me to keep our relationship private until he says so. So….I can have fun too.” Nora wriggled her brows at Allison who sighed and turned her head to another direction being fed up with her friend’s careless antics. 

“Allison, did your family contact you yet?” out of blue a girl in tight-fitted jeans and crop top approached them and asked bluntly without greeting them. Allison looked up at her, startled. She grabbed Nora’s attention too. 

“Who Are you?” Nora asked, disliking her for hiding the view from her gaze by standing in front of them. The girl took her seat beside them and told them about herself.

“My name is Naomi and my mate Darius also went for that big war happening in the North region.” Naomi sighed before continuing her question session to which Allison shook her head. 

“I.. I wish I could stop Darius from going there!” She murmured and suddenly tears brimmed her eyes causing both girls to look at her in uncertainty. Allison has seen her on the campus many times, she was one tough girl but they never interacted in person to each other before. 

“Naomi, why would you say this?” Allison asked in apprehension though she knew she wouldn't like the response. Naomi looked at both girls in perplexity and slight irritation.

“Don't you know that they are not going to win this battle when the world's most powerful creature is going to stand against them.” Her answer made the adrenaline rush through Allison’s body in anxiety. She exchanged a glance with Nora and gulped before looking at Naomi again. 

“Wha..what are you saying?” she asked in a low voice. Naomi was on the verge to explode now but her anger was not towards them. 

“Our own pack, knowing well that the Blue Moon pack will lose, still sent its best warriors to them for the upcoming war and get killed by the hands of the most feared, dreading and deranged Creature of this world whose mere presence can paralyze you to the death. I can't believe that pack agreed to stand against HIM in this war. And grab our people in this bloodbath too.” Naomi growled, fisting her hands. Her anger against her own pack was visible. 

Allison was on the verge of losing her senses. Her body started quivering with this new information. She thought the Blue Moon pack asked for assistance from her pack, midnight crescent, to fight the war with some enemy rogue pack. That's why Alpha Ralph sent the best warriors including her father and brother with the other thirty members as support to the Blue Moon pack. 

She looked at Nora who was frozen on her seat. She was also shocked by this revelation. 

“Who..who is He?” Allison asked with a shaking voice. Naomi turned her raging eyes to her and smiled angrily.

“How could the healer know about our world properly? You sure are as dumb as they say who don't know the ‘Dark Walker’. Guess what, you won't even be getting the bodies of your family after this war ends.” Naomi spat at Allison and left in rage. 

Allison swallowed the lump in her throat and rubbed her shaking palms to calm herself down. She was not offended by Noami’s words as she was habituated to these remarks but listening to the newly found deceit by her own pack, she was agitated.  

“Nora… What she said.. Is it true? Who is this Dark walker?” Allison was on the verge of crying but Nora stared at her in trance. She looked back at Sebastian and Asher who were talking to each other carelessly. 

Nora grabbed her hand and rushed her out of the cafe to her home. She shushed her on the way for not speaking anything. Once they were inside the four walls of Allison’s home, Nora turned around and held her head grunting.

“Nora, you are scaring me.. Please tell me. What's happening? Had our pack really deceived us by not telling us the full information about this battle? They kept us under the shadows and who is this creature…” Allison almost begged her friend who widened her eyes.

“No.. Don't say. Ali, nobody takes his name in the public ever. He.. He is the Dark walker. He is the most powerful man on this earth and can create the bloodbath in seconds around you by his bare hands only.” Nora voiced out, recalling the words once her father said to her. That's why she pulled Allison out from there not to have this conversation openly in a public place. 

“Who?” Allison dared to ask. She was not ready to lose her family by that damn man’s hands. Nora stared at her and uttered silently. 

“LYCEON, the original dark walker, the pure Lycan from the deadly kingdom in the whole world.”