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Wolf's POV:

A Familiar Face

The ration line moves slowly forward, its occupants looking down at the ground, their gazes dull, their skin pale. Any lingering feeling of nostalgia for my old home is well and truly gone now. I'd seen the starving, hopeless faces of all these people a thousand times when I was a kid. And every time I saw them, I felt guilty for even being there. I got three small meals a day, my clothes fit, I slept in a bed with a blanket. These people? Probably had none of that, and probably never will. I'd asked my parents about it once, about why we can't give them just a little more food. And they'd said because the vampires say so. That was the explanation for everything back then: why werewolves are the ones who have to work in the mines, why we live in such small, poorly made houses when there are huge mansions in Artemisia, why our food is always hard and tasteless. Because the vampires say so.

I sigh with frustration and anger, and a familiar scent wafts through the air, like flowers. I lift my gaze up to look over the bowed heads of the starving people, and my mouth goes dry. A small, frail-looking woman is handing out the packages of food, smiling faintly at the villagers as they take them. Her eyes are dark, but she has the same dark hair as me and the same olive-toned skin. She hasn't changed a bit since I was a kid, except for the fact that she looks much more tired and worn. But, if she's handing out the rations, then where's her mate? The duty is for both Alphas after all. Where's Dad?

As the line edges along, a war is being waged in my mind. On the one hand, I can't afford to let myself be recognised, unless I want to get myself killed and for Kai to become the Queen's newest plaything. On the other hand, this is my mother. She is probably the thing I've missed the most since I came to Earth. And here she is, standing just a few metres away, giving out the rations just like I remember. The temptation just to run up and hug her is nearly overwhelming. But I can't. For one thing, she might not believe me when I say I'm her son. After all, I'm nineteen now. I seriously doubt I look anything like my twelve-year-old self. And for another, knowing about Kai and I would only put her in danger if the vampires come knocking, and since the Queen somehow figured out who I am, that is very likely. No, I can't tell her. It's way too dangerous. So why is it so hard?

Finally, it's my turn. I keep my gaze trained on the ground, trying hard to avoid looking into my mother's face. She gives me the package, and my treacherous eyes flick up to meet hers, just for a moment. She doesn't move a muscle, not even a twitch. It might be my imagination, but I could almost swear she hesitates before finally letting go of the package of food. Maybe she's wondering why I look so much healthier than these other poor wretches.

I hurriedly leave the line, the package of food tucked safely into the crook of my arm, and duck into the shadows of the street. Moments later, Kai follows me with his own hand-out of rations.

"Alright, we've got food." He says quietly, "What do we do next?"
"Don't know." I admit.

Kai puffs out his cheeks and sighs. "Well, let's just say our next step is getting back to Earth. Sound good?"
I nod.

"Good. So, let's just figure out how to do that. How did you get to Earth?"

"By accident. A pretty stupid accident."

"What was the accident?"

I open my mouth to reply, but before I can get any words out, a clear, smooth voice floods the area.

"Citizens! May I please have your attention?"

Instantly, everyone freezes and stares fearfully at the man in the red coat. He's obviously a vampire, and to ignore a vampire is suicide.

The man smiles smugly and continues, "Two hours ago, the brave and noble soldiers of Luna successfully apprehended two dangerous criminals and brought them to our Great Queen to face judgement. In her boundless kindness, she offered them mercy, and they repaid her generosity by viciously attacking her."

I raise an eyebrow. Boundless kindness? Generosity? Mercy? Does this guy actually expect anyone to believe this?

"We have reason to believe that these criminals may have sought to hide in your village or others nearby." The man goes on, "Whoever turns them in, will receive triple rations for them and each individual member of their family."

That leaves an impact. The square fills with excited murmuring and all around us faces light up with longing and hunger. Except one, which darkens with disapproval.

"We can't supply that." My mother says, drawing herself up to her full (but still quite short) height. "Families are big out here. To supply that much food would leave the rest of the inhabitants starving. Well," she adds somewhat accusingly, "more than they already are."

The murmuring dies down as people process this and their eager faces turn suddenly uneasy.

The man waves an unconcerned hand, "That can easily be solved by giving a higher percentage of the food grown in the agricultural villages to the successful village. There is no need for concern."
Mom's eye twitches with irritation, but she lets the subject drop. "Fine. Who are these criminals anyway? What are their names?"
"Their names are unimportant." The man replies airily, "What matters is bringing them to justice."
"Well then, what do they look like? You can't expect these people to hunt and capture them without a description."
"These people have lived here all their lives." Says the man, "I'm sure they can recognise an unfamiliar face."

Mom raises an eyebrow. "Are you honestly willing to take that chance if these criminals are so very dangerous?"

The man's eyes harden and my breath catches in my throat. Mom is playing a very dangerous game here. Why won't she just let it drop? It would be far safer for her that way.

"One is small and skinny, with pale skin, brown eyes and black hair." The man says, his voice tight.

Kai looks down at himself. "Pretty sure these people are skinnier than I am."

I step on his foot.

"And the second criminal?" My mother prompts.

"Big and bulky with brown hair." The man says simply.

"That's… a lot less detailed than my description." Kai notes, "Think it might be because of the fact that you're a prince?"
"Alpha Intended," I say through gritted teeth, "and I seriously doubt that. I didn't really do much."

The man turns back to my mother, his mouth quirked in a pleased smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

"Do you have any final questions?" He asks, "I warn you, if you do, I'm afraid you won't be able to ask anything again."
My mother scowls. Like me, she's picked up on the not-so-subtle threat. Unlike me, however, she's doing a fairly good job at hiding her true emotions.

A growl rumbles in my throat and I take an instinctive step forward, when a hand suddenly rests on my arm. I snap my head around to face the insolent beta, baring my teeth. The colour rapidly drains from Kai's face, but his voice is steady as he says, "Wolf… did you mean to grow claws and fangs?"

I blink and shake my head, trying to clear the fog from my mind. Kai's right, my teeth are much longer than they were a few seconds ago, and same goes for my nails and fingers. Even as I notice them, they shrink back to normal.

I sigh and glance apologetically at Kai. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Kai assures me with a grin, "But, why did you suddenly shape-shift like that?"

"My abilities have been acting a bit funny lately." I admit, "It's nothing to worry about. I just struggle to stay completely in one form, that's all." At least this time nothing was dislocated.

A/N: I love Maha Kesley. In my opinion she's one of the toughest characters in the series. Which is why next chapter's going to be in her POV

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