My useless heart nearly beat out of my chest. 

My eyes traced each glittery intersection of the lattice pattern of the black cloak. The cloak's hood spilled over most of the face of the figure who guarded the door. It rested above their small chin. The bright glow of the full moon in the dark sky above us revealed the hue of their chin to be tawny. 

Whoever was hiding under the dark hood was a werewolf who forsook Howl Falls. The desire to know was eating at me as I stood there, reluctantly holding Athan's hand while the rest of the Solanos were far behind. 

You will not let go of my hand if we do this, Athan had said. It was one of his conditions for allowing me to venture out of the house. His other condition: I wasn't allowed to ask who the members of this group were before I met them.  

I couldn't take it any longer. "Remove your hood, please," I blurted out. 

"Beatrice." There was a certain coldness to Athan's voice that made me smirk. "Let the wolf be." 

It didn't matter. The figure reached up. Their leather-covered fingers tossed the black hood against their back. Silk, raven curls spilled down her heart-shaped face. Those familiar eyes—the blue-gray irises framed in almond-cut sockets—probed me with a sense of shame. 

"Keanna?" I shook my head. No. My vision began to blur into a watery sight and a sensation of heat took over as I nearly choked on my words. "How? Why? When?" 

"Bea." Keanna reached out for my hand, but I flinched. She pulled away with a pout. 

"No." I glanced into Athan's eyes as if to ask for permission. When he responded with a soft nod, I yanked my hand out of his. One second, I was focusing on Keanna as if sharpening her like a knife; the next, I had her pinned against the bricks. My heart, finally useful, was racing against my chest. My breath was heavy. "What the fuck did Howl Falls ever do to you? Your family is privileged. Your inherent sixth sense is needed by the elders." 

"What didn't they do to me?" Keanna's heavy chest heaved with a humph. "If hadn't left, I would be dead. Wolves like me—mateless and infertile—are disposed of in Howl Falls." 

Gasping, I released my hold on Keanna. "Why didn't you tell me?" 

"I would have," Keanna explained, "but I raided my family's liquor cabinet after they refused to hide me. Inebriated, I came to tell you that I was leaving, but then I saw you with Rylan, and I panicked." 

My chest was still heavy with each breath I took. "And what—" 

"No more questions," Athan interjected. His palm covered my mouth. 

In the background, I heard the storm of personality approaching us from behind. There was laughter, groans, grunts, and an exchange of words that went at the speed of light. 

"I hope they don't make us wear those weird cloaks." This came from Calamity. 

I turned around to see Athan's siblings emerging from a distance. "Knowing them, we probably will." Such words belonged to Aurelia. 

"I like the cloaks." Caleb's words were loud and buoyant as they were only a yard away from Athan, Keanna, and me. 

"You fools," Keanna called out with a bouncing laugh, "hurry up! You're already late." 

In the flash of an eye, the four siblings were standing next to Athan and me. Keanna seemed to scan us all before she reached for the metal handle.

"We're all here." 

As the last word left Athan's mouth, Keanna opened the door. Bright, orange light spilled over the pavement. She disappeared into the light. 

I lunged forward. My feet were against the threshold. The orange light unraveled into a winding pathway of carpeted steps girdled by clay walls. Down one step, an echo carried to the bottom of the stairs. Behind me, I heard a shuffle of footsteps approaching the door. 

"Go on," Athan and Aurelia urged in unison. 

Another step down. Another one. And another one. Hesitantly, I navigated through the tight curves—with each spiral, the walls seemed to slightly cave in. The further I ventured into the unknown, the harder my heart pounded against my chest. 

A cacophony of multiple footsteps echoed above me. Their hushed grunts and groans also sprinkled the air. Oh, the dissonance. I rolled my eyes.  

After another spiral, I reached the bottom of the staircase. My feet, cupped by the silky leather of a pair of flats, made a click against the concrete floor. My eyes flitted around as a light pulse bounced against my stomach which swelled with an uncomfortable warmth. Drab, gray bricks towered to the ceiling of overhead lights. 

Situated in the middle of the room was a round table at which Keanna sat with four others who hid behind black hoods. 

"Renegades," Keanna said after glancing over her seat at me, "remove your hoods." 

One by one, the four cloaked figures removed their hoods. First was a man I barely recognized. He sat in a chair directly facing my direction. His muddy brown curls bounced as they spilled out of his hood. 

Next was a woman I hadn't seen in years. Beachy, chocolate-brown waves billowed against her slightly bronzed face. So much for being in a mental facility. I grimaced. 

As the next person removed their hood, my heart thudded against my chest. With her clove-hued tresses marcelled into delicate fingerwaves, her hair seemed to win the title of most unmoved. She craned her neck to the side, and her round eyes met mine in a sullen hue. 

"Eliana—" I began to say before the last figure at the table removed their hood. 

The lining brushed against his tousled, dark brown waves. But his eyes were what make me hug my stomach as a sob tore through my throat. Those irises gazed at me with a distance that left a pit in my stomach. They were as hard and gray as gunmetal.  

"Bea—" 

I cut him off. My breath hitched. "Kyran." 

"Beatriz." My brother stood up from his seat. As he continued—"I'm sorry. Please listen."—I turned to face the winding steps which the Solanos were flooding from. I closed my eyes.

"What do you have to say?" I asked.

"I'm sorry." Usually, an apology would have sufficed. But this time, it left me empty as before I drank someone's blood. 

"You and Eliana disappeared in my hour of need," I said, my words slow and analyzing what happened the night of my abduction. "You took Keanna. You left Sabia behind after all she did for us. She took us in after the death of Mom and Dad, and this is how you repay her?" 

"And you should take Sabia's side." Kyran rose from his seat. He clenched the rim of the round table. "She hid you in a basement for two years instead of fleeing Howl Falls." 

The footsteps of the Solanos drew closer and closer until they formed a line with me in the middle next to Athan. "Kyran and Beatriz, please, do not argue," Aurelia said. 

"Yeah," I agreed, folding my arms over my chest, "let's not fight." 

"Okay—" Keanna clapped her hands and squealed "—it's time for introductions. First name and surname."

The man with muddy brown curls stood up from his seat. After flashing me a smile, he said, "My name is Merle Xirau." One of my eyes squinted. I'd never heard of the name before. 

"Wynne Gayoso." The woman with beachy, chocolate-brown waves also stood up from her seat. 

"Thank you," Keanna said. Her next words were firm against the tense air. "Please, sit down."

While Merle and Wynne sank into their seats, Kyran remained standing. Like me, his strong arms—he had defined triceps—folded across his chest, hands slightly lacing over the plunging collar of his shirt. He scanned the room. When his eyes met mine, it was all too much. It reminded me of Llwyd. Too much like Llwyd. I stared at his chin—cleft, and bronze. Despite how far apart we were, I still felt the heat that my brother exuded. 

"Welcome to the resistance." My brother's voice engulfed the entire room. His eyes were glued on mine as if I would have run. As if I would have burned the place to the ground. In their sockets, they throbbed until I pulled away in a flinch. "Here, we believe in equality. It doesn't matter what your species is; we all deserve to live in peace. But, we've been denied these rights." 

There were murmurs of agreement. Each member exchanged glances with their neighbor, ending the gesture with a firm nod.

Meanwhile, my chin sank into my chest. Shadows casted over my nonchalant frown. Us wolves would have had a peaceful life if they would have accepted the conditions of our leaders. 

"Some of us are outcasts for loving another species." 

All eyes were on Wynne. I wanted to burn that woman with a single look—no, I wanted to physically set her on fire. If it weren't for her, Rylan would have been my only mate. Llwyd would have left me alone. Burn in hell, I thought and blinked. As her eyes flickered to mine, I flashed an innocent smile. 

"Some of us are outcasts for infertility." 

In an instance, eyes went from Wynne to Keanna. I saw the same hue swell in each member's eyes. Pity. As for me, there was a weighted feeling all over my body and an ache in my throat. In my head, I cursed the moon goddess for the pain she caused my best friend. But, what if it had been me? 

Why, moon goddess? Why did you make Keanna suffer? 

"Some of us are outcasts for the inability to change." 

The eyes moved to Merle. The man appeared to be in his mid-twenties. If he was unable to turn into a wolf, it would explain why I'd never heard of anyone in Howl Falls with the surname Xirau. According to the legend, the descendants of Vicente Castilla possessed the ability to erase memories. 

"Some of us are outcasts for harboring the belief that all species of the numinous world deserve a place to live in peace." 

While others stared at Eliana, I gazed at my brother. My brother was gazing at me. There was so much distance in those eyes. He was holding something back. My brother, the one who stayed with me in the basement through two years of darkness and agonizingly long nights, was distancing himself from me, his sister, the only remainder of our biological family? 

Kyran pulled away from our gaze and cleared his throat. "And others are here to help make our dreams of equality and peace a reality." 

Eyes went to the Solanos. 

Phew. I wanted to let out a sigh of relief. The motivational speech was over. At least I thought such was true.

"Beatriz—" I met Kyran's eyes at the sound of my name "—why are you here?" 

My heart raced against my chest and glanced at the floor for a second. "Because Llwyd and Rylan were going to kill me. They didn't accept the idea of me having a choice of who my mate was." 

Kyran made his way over to me. His eyes glanced down at the concrete floor, then at the bright ceiling, then at me. "Show me your forearms." 

Before I could show my brother my imprints, Athan grabbed me by the elbow. "Are you sure it's necessary?" This was directed to Kyran. After a few moments of silence, Athan added, "She's my mate. The other wolf who claimed her can't pose a threat to us." 

"It's extremely necessary," Kyran insisted. 

I heard Athan let out a groan. "Fine!" And he let go of my elbow. 

I stretched out my arms in the direction of my brother. Kyran's traced the outline of the two pawprints with his finger. "I see your claim, Athan," my brother said. His eyes squinted at my other arm. Then, the words left his mouth slowly. "I also see Rylan's claim." 

"Oh, fuck," Athan muttered. He was staring at my imprints. "What are we going to do?" 

"Leave it to me," Kyran said. My brother's firm fingers closed around my wrist, and he whisked me into a corner. Veiled by the shadows, his eyes were the only things I could see clearly. His voice was as cold as ice. "You can lie to me, to Keanna, to us all, but mark my words, sister: you have one month to choose whose side you're on." He then pulled away and called out, "Wynne, you're training Beatriz tomorrow. Dawn. Tomorrow."  

Oh, hell no. I shook my head. It would take a lot for me to refrain from murdering that woman. 

***

The sky was filled with pinks and oranges as the pale sun began to rise into the horizon. Birds chirped. Morning dew from the lush grass permeated my boots. Across the field, targets—these large circles with concentric circles inside—were set up. 

"Today," Wynne announced from a distance halfway between where I stood and where she lined up the targets, "we shall master the art of using a bow and arrow." 

"Archery?" I exhaled on a groan. "Come on. A gun is ten times as efficient." 

"You don't get to use a gun until you have earned the right!" Wynne rammed the bottom of the bow into the depths of the grass. 

"Just give me the bow," I said and swept the bow into my grasp. I glanced down at the leather arm guard molding against my skin. A collection of silver-tipped arrows spilled at my feet followed by a gruff grunt. 

With my right hand, I held the black grip. The cold, aluminum alloy seeped against my palm. After bending over, I strung the arrow with my left. Slowly, with two fingers firm against the feathered fletching, and the metal tip aimed at the grass, I drew a long, deep breath. My shoulder pulled back; the muscles in my arm tightened.  

With my heart beating heavily against my chest, my aim lifted to the target. My eyes narrowed on the center of the circle—the smallest circle; the yellow circle. Then, before my muscles could scream, I released the arrow. 

Like a bullet, it zipped across the field at the speed of light, piercing the center of the yellow circle. A bull's eyes. 

I turned my neck to the side. With her hands planted on her hips, Wynne's mouth was open ajar. Her lips quivered as she stammered, "You've practiced archery before." 

I scoffed. "Maybe five times." It was true. In all honesty, I had used a bow and arrow five times. Hot sweat beaded my forehead at a nervous chuckle. "It's beginner's luck. Trust me." 

To prove it, I released the remaining arrows. All of them never made it to the center again. The second was in the outer half of the yellow circle; the third was in the red; the fourth was blue; the fifth was black; the sixth—and final—landed the outer circle—the white circle of shame. 

"Okay ..." Wynne was hesitant with her words as she collected the arrows from the target. "Let's take a break."  She sank into the grass cross-legged. I was taken aback by her gentle smile—the way her slender lips curved upwards. Seconds after, such amiability transformed into a sour frown, and she barked, "Sit down." 

I plopped down into the grass, folding my legs into a similar position as hers. "Sorry," I muttered, avoiding her eyes. 

"So ..." An awkward chuckle filled the air. I glanced quickly into her eyes. They waltzed in unease. "What did they say happened to me?" 

"They said you were in a mental facility," I said. My fingers grazed the grass. 

"That was true for five days." Wynne's chuckle strained against the soft air. "Once they found out I was a wolf, they had me strapped to an examining table. They were going to experiment on me, but Caleb saved me. He murdered an entire psychiatric staff to make sure they didn't discover the secret of our genes. Before escaping, I erased every patients' memory of me—"

"Wait, how are you a descendant of Vicente Castilla?" I asked. My brow furrowed as I scrutinized the woman. "A Castilla never married or mated with a Gayoso." 

"Can I tell you a secret?" Wynne flashed a tight smile. As I nodded my head, she pressed her lips to my ear. Hushed words flooded my ear canal. "I'm not a Gayoso."

My eyes went wide. "Then, what are you?" My words were as open as the broad daylight.

"A Castilla-Tafalla," Wynne breathed. Her eyes turned to the grass. "Llwyd is my father. He had an affair with my mother, Haera Tafalla. She was married to Seff Gayoso who adopted me to cover up Llwyd's affair."

"Why are you telling me this?" My heart was racing against my chest. 

"You may not remember this," Wynne said, "but we were good friends before your thirteenth birthday. We were a trio: Keanna, you, and me. I want you to know I'm here for you." 

I swallowed my breath. "Thanks."