AUGUST TO JANUARY THE FULL MOONS. RED THE WEREWOLF.
Lets be perfectly clear.
Werewolves cannot transform when they feel like it. Only at a full moon. Movies mostly give them a bad name. Transforming into a wolf 3 times the mass of its human body weight is impossible. Human fat actually turns to pure muscle. Transforming needs feeding, a lot. An awful lot. They are not driven to kill everyone whom they encounter. They don't lose all control of their minds, and yes, they remember everything.
Yet beyond the simple lies the complicated.
Born a werewolf, She remembered looking forward to puberty. The excitement was unbearable. Being jealous of the hunters as they grouped. Watching the Scouts heading out first whilst the pack impatiently pawed at the earth, their fast breath almost smoke in the chill of the night. At the age of 15 She found she could partially shift, got a bit furry with fangs and once ripped apart a sofa in a tantrum. The Luna came across her, hackles up, and oh hell did she growl. This behaviour is not acceptable. She showed her belly to the Luna, but secretly had no regrets.
At 16 a full beautiful transformation. Now Omega, and Just like teenaged humans dealing with hormone changes. Except it's more intensified. The extreme hunger, the aggression and always, always the attitude. She resented the Betas and Deltas as they enjoyed their unofficial position of teasing and batting the teenagers to keep them disciplined.
Not quite an idyllic setting though.
Werewolves are not cuddly open minded magical creatures. Most packs are infected by internal homophobia. The pack mentality effectively indoctrinates an individual into pack beliefs, the common ground being, ensuring group survival. The family unit. Reproduction. The human part, the mostly dominant influence, reinforces harsh judgemental positions. Traditions die hard. They remain mostly unexamined. You need the pack.
The illusions of growing up.
Alphas, amongst their other duties, love to match make. So when he invited in a macho, albeit dense wolf, from a neighbouring pack just for her, she embarrassed Anita by hissing like a cat.
Question? Can werewolves have pets? Yes being human most of the time, but birds are not recommended.
The coming of age that she so dearly embraced bought with it unwanted attention.
In human form he followed her everywhere. In human form she followed the females everywhere. Eventually one of the Scouts, with whom the Luna had a private arrangement reported a serious incident, She had gone and kissed a human girl, and all hell let loose.
The consequences of true feelings.
Werewolves do not take you to the side for a little warm heart to heart chat. Grand meetings are called and you are verbally humiliated and growled at in front of the whole pack. Everyone is given a say, oh isn't being judgemental a power kick, but the Alpha Gives a final ultimatum.
You tell yourself you need them. Banishment was not a choice she could imagine. Reluctantly she dated the human boy. Reluctantly she let the werewolf boy hunt alongside her. Nothing more. Then one night they were separated from the hunt with his manipulation, his patience had broken and the wolf tried to forcibly mate.
She left him in a carpet of moss with his throat torn out.
Her respite was short lived.
The rumours circulated. Scouts reported back. He had been missed. The body recovered. They dragged her screaming from her bed into the circle. Accusation after accusation. Since when has the crime of loving women become more shocking than taking the life of another werewolf?
Since this was a first for the pack. (Doubts hang on that.)
Banishment is not merely packing your bags and being shown the door. It is physical pain, it is mental torture. It is being thrust out with nothing.
First her parents. Anita limply slapped her around the face, and walked from the circle. This is total renunciation. Her father in contrast almost took her head off, his anger, his disgust, his shame, the first show of blood.
One by one the pack walked up to her and slapped her face and left the circle. By the time It came to Luna, her face felt numb. Luna looked at her with disgust. The Alpha knocked her to the floor. She was on her own. A rogue.
So she thought.