Once the siblings reached the countryside, where Zozona’s home resided, they made their way into the surrounding forest. A perfect place to shift and soothe her aching bones. Herself and Asra made their way behind trees and bushing, stripping themselves of their clothing before feeling the satisfying pop and click of their bones rearranging themselves into place. Out walked one brown colored wolf with subtle red hues throughout his fur, and the other, a stark white with flecks of cream and light brown. Zozona shook her lightly colored pelt, stretching her limbs. She shook on final time before darting into the dark forest, whipping in and out of trees at a fast pace.

She howled a sweet melody, letting her large paws pound against the moss covered earth, ears flicking at the sound of her brother running alongside her. Zozona jumped from shadow to shadow, though it did not do much to hide her brightly colored body. Asra pushed himself to his max speed before turning and pushed into his sister, the siblings toppling onto the ground.

Zozona pushed and pawed at her brother, kicking him off before lowering to the earth below her, her sharp teeth bared. She knew full well that this was not meant to be aggressive, just simply making sure her skills were at their most effective. It brought her back to when her and Asra would rough house as small pups, not fully understanding what was waiting for them when they entered adulthood. Until Zozona found an official Beta, Asra was a good substitute for the role.

Zozona circled her brother, letting her tail curl in a show of dominance, growling deeply when he dared to step closer. At this point, she was unaware where they managed to run to, her mind was filled with a sense of determination - before the Duke took over. Why was her mind filled with this vampire? It distracted her. Asra took the opportunity to launch his weight at his sister, holding her in place by the scruff of her neck. Zozona yelped, pushing at her brother’s throat with her front paws. Asra backed down.”You’re distracted, why?” He spoke within her mind. The pack had links with each other, a way of communicating when another was shifted to their counterpart.

Zozona shook her head, ears pinned to the sides of her head.”Don’t worry about it.” She replied, but a thought stuck with her. She just told Asra not to worry about it, so why was she?

Zozona had heard through the grapevine about this party the Duke was holding. She was proud of herself over the plan she came up with. She would arrive, let the Duke have his fun, then leave hidden within the shadows. So, there she stood, hidden behind a bush. Zozona’s outfit for tonight was heavily inspired by Cerberus, the gate-keeper of the Underworld. To her, Cerberus stood for being a protector, something she always strived to be among her siblings. Zozona dressed in a black laced gown that clung to her figure, while she had a wolf mask covering her face, this wolf mask was also dark in color and had swirls of violet and red accents.

She smiled at some passing by her, nose twitching with the scents in the air. She assumed most of those attending would be vampires, but she never expected the scent to be this strong, especially while she stood outside. Zozona took a deep breath of the fresh air, trying her best to ignore the burning sensation in her lungs.

The scents alone made her queasy, but add on everyone around her, and she had a problem on her hands. She easily knew that if the Duke pushed her into shifting - since stress can induce a shift -, she would have no one with her to back her up. Werewolves were known for their ability to work together, which in turn, made them weak on their own, and Zozona did not like looking weak, especially in front of the opposite race. It made her huff at the thought, the Duke was running her patience thin. She pushed aside her light colored hair, tucking a few strands behind her ear, tapping a heeled boot against the pavement.

She had told Asra to stay behind, to not only lessen his stress but to have time for herself, and she assumed her brother would not have been invited to such a party.

She walked around the bush, and began walking around, letting her shine in the light. The clicking of her heels against the roughly textured ground was almost refreshing. Aside from her own thoughts, the only other thing to accompany her was the soft murmurs of other partygoers, seemingly having a pleasant conversation, but Zozona paid no mind to it.

Where was this vampire that managed to grab her attention?

Of course she caught his scent before she could catch sight of him, what was odd was the change in his scent, it was oddly sweet and spicy, unlike the last time she spoke with him. Zozona lifted her head rapidly, a smile gracing her features.”I mean, that depends. What are tempting me with, aside from yourself?” She asked, a small canine catching on her pale red lips. She swayed side to side, moving to fix the black lace that stuck to her arms.

She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.”What? Were you expecting me to wander around with my entire pack behind me?” Her nose scrunched up at a few vampires passing by, making Zozona rub at her nose furiously to try and get rid of the scent.

She quickly sobered up.”Tell me, Orion, was this party a way of drawing me out of hiding? Did you miss me that much?” She asked with a smirk, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She let her eyes wander. Without her pack mates nearby, she had to be careful. Sure, she thought highly of herself but, not against more than one vampire, trying to fight off a whole group on her own would end up being a suicide mission - and she knew it. Zozona’s mind wandered back to the way his scent was. “Why is your scent so different, I wonder?” She muttered under her breath, letting her eyes trail along his frame and the way he stood, he seemed to think so high of himself, so full of pride.

She shook her head, clearing her head of any scandalous thoughts.”Why has a mutt caught your attention? Seems like every married and unmarried woman was practically throwing themselves onto you, and yet, you choose to stand with a werewolf.” Zozona tilted her head in confusion.

Was this just a ruse and she was overthinking it?

Zozona nodded, tucking a few stray strands of hair back behind her ear.”So, you appreciate the ones who can act proper, and aren’t desperate.” She said, interlocking her fingers together. She hummed in acknowledgment of the peppermint smell, that explains the sweet and spicy, but why does it overpower his original scent? That shouldn’t happen. Maybe her nose was just playing tricks on her.

Zozona hummed with a smirk, licking over her dry lips.”Unlike the rest of my species, I can tolerate your kind. I believe it was my grandmother who told me she had a few romantic encounters with a vampire, and she was left intact every single time, so, I believe it’s best to at least tolerate them,” She paused, taking a few quick glances around her.”Besides, someone makes it a little easier for me to tolerate you vampires.” She smirked, sending a cheeky wink his way.

A smile replaced the smirk on her features, taking his arm.”I think I would like to dance with you.” Zozona let her eyes soften, reaching up with her free hand to remove a few extra globs of mascara. She could feel she was relaxing, she probably looked more visibly relaxed as well. With the Duke, while she would never admit it out loud,

Zozona felt comfortable. Sure, she had an image to keep up, but it wasn’t as pressured, the attention wasn’t on her every move. She could actually relax and enjoy a party for once in her lifetime. Yes, she was still young but she didn’t want the responsibility of Alpha yet. She wanted to be what the humans call, “young and dumb”, she wanted to make her own mistakes and learn from them. And this was where to do it. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, a growing smirk on her lips.”You’re quite scandalous, Orion.” Zozona bit her lower lip, letting her small canine dig into her lip. There was something about his company.

She was in deep, and she knew it.