Werewolf
Emily and Nessa
52
Among werewolves, the Rising Sun Pack has a reputation for being a little unusual.
Actually, โa little unusualโ is what polite outsiders say before quietly backing away.
While most werewolf packs form lifelong bonds between pairs, the Rising Sun Pack insists that proper mates come in trios.
Emily, unfortunately, was nowhere close to worrying about mates.
As a beta wolf, she occupied the very bottom rung of pack society. She wasnโt important, powerful, feared, respected, or even particularly memorable. Her life consisted mostly of paperwork, errands, and being volunteered for jobs no one else wanted. If something went wrong, it was probably Emilyโs problem.
Naturally, she decided she deserved a vacation.
Which is how she found herself in the Scottish Highlands.
Specifically, at Loch Ness.
Specifically, in the water.
Specifically, making what would later be described by several witnesses as โa series of increasingly poor decisions.โ
Emily had always heard the stories about the Loch Ness Monster. She assumed, like most tourists, that Nessie was either a myth, a fish, or an unusually ambitious log.
She was wrong on all three counts.
What Emily discovered was that Nessa was very real, very ancient, very intelligent, and apparently very interested in the confused werewolf currently splashing around her lake.
One unexpected swim, one accidental magical bond, and one extremely awkward conversation later, Emily found herself mated to the actual Loch Ness Monster.
The situation raised several questions
.
Could a lake monster legally join a werewolf pack?
Did trios still count if one member was a prehistoric aquatic cryptid?
Most importantly, why did Nessa seem delighted by all of it?
Together, Emily and Nessa are about to test the limits of werewolf tradition, cryptid patience, and common sense itself.
The Highlands may never recover.
