[Enid POV]
School was finally over.
The gates of Nevermore loomed behind me, and for the first time in months, the courtyard wasn't filled with endless noise. The end of the year used to mean relief, a chance to run wild, to howl at the moon with my kind. Last year, camp had even been… fun.
But this year, like the last, meant months away from Perseus again.
And I didn't like that. Not even a little.
I stood by the gates with my suitcase, pretending to look excited. My parents were supposed to pick me up, same as always, which meant bracing for another long drive filled with sighs and questions like "Why can't you find a werewolf boyfriend?" and "Are you still doing that… color thing with your hair?"
Instead of the familiar SUV, a sleek black car rolled up the gravel path, engine purring low.
The driver's window slid down, and Percy leaned out, hair ruffled by the wind, expression irritatingly casual.
"Get in. I'll bring you to the camp."
"Really? Thanks, Percy!" The words spilled out too fast, too bright, but I didn't care. Why was he here instead of my parents? No clue. Not that I minded. A few extra hours with him were worth more than any stiff car ride filled with awkward silence.
I tossed my suitcase in the back and slid into the seat. Before I could even buckle up, he was already pulling away from the curb.
The road stretched ahead in endless shades of green and grey. Pines clawed at the sky, the occasional crow darted overhead, and the air smelled faintly of rain-soaked earth.
I kept my face toward the window, because if I looked at him too long, I'd start smiling like an idiot.
Time blurred with the road. My cheek rested against the cool glass, and the monotony of trees became a lullaby.
What kind of camp is he even taking me to?
He'd called it a gathering of the strongest young werewolves in the world, something that happens every summer, always in a different corner of the planet. This time, North America.
They gather to form packs, make connections, fight, rip one another apart, or learn.
A perfect place for alphas like me to find strong people and build a pack.
Alpha…
I should be happy to be one, to be able to stand equal to monsters like him, and yet the title pressed down like chains. With it came weight, responsibility, expectation. And the whispers in my head, not the supernatural kind, just my own: Are you strong enough? Worthy? Or still the glitter-drenched disappointment you used to be?
I looked at Percy as he drove, his hands steady on the wheel.
I don't know if I'm worthy, but I'll become it, for him.
Hours bled away. The pines thinned, the world opening into a valley where the air was sharper, colder. The camp waited at the base of jagged mountains, their peaks lost in bruised clouds. Long timber dorms crouched in rows, smoke curling from fire pits that smelled faintly of burning fur. Ropes and climbing walls rose like instruments of torture. A dirt track cut through the grounds, where someone sprinted so fast he blurred, leaving claw marks in the earth.
At the center stood a stage.
A banner flapped above it, letters catching the dying light:
Camp Half-Blood
Percy parked, tipped his head back, smirked. "I know it's not the usual camp you are used to. If you don't feel like it, just enjoy the blood sausage. Either way, you win."
I must've given something away on my face, because his tone softened.
"If you hate it, call me. Tomorrow morning, I'll be here. We'll drive away. No questions. No guilt. I'll take you to the old camp."
I turned to him. His eyes were steady, calm like forest water. He didn't see me as weak for hesitating. Didn't call it cute. Didn't tease. He just… gave me a choice.
I raised an eyebrow. "You rehearsed that."
"Obviously." His grin sharpened. "I practice my motivational speeches. Before battles, before marriages… before abandoning you to a pack of hormonal werewolves."
I rolled my eyes, leaned across the seat, and kissed him. With him, words always felt redundant.
Then I shoved open the door and stepped into the valley. For once, it didn't feel like I was walking into a disaster.
It felt like a hunt.
Registration was chaos, a clipboard clawed half to splinters by nervous recruits. I signed my name. The counselor handed me a packet and pointed at the dorms.
First activity: Introductions by firelight. Perfect.
Nothing like public humiliation to break the ice.
My dorm, Lupa Hall, sat at the far edge, timber bleached by mountain storms. Inside: two bunks, two desks, one window framing black pines.
A girl was already unpacking on the far side. Dark hair pulled into a ponytail, folded clothes stacked in neat, disciplined piles. She looked up with an assessing smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"You're Enid Sinclair."
"That's me," I dropped my suitcase with a thud.
"I'm Sofia," she said, eyes flicking over me once, quick and assessing, before returning to her folded shirts.
I sat on my bed, letting the springs creak under me.
So, I got a new roommate?
I wonder if Wednesday will get jealous.
[Timeskip: a few hours later]
Evening draped itself in velvet violet as camp gathered around a massive fire, logs stacked like an ancient amphitheater. Every seat filled with curious eyes. My pulse hammered as I slipped into the front row.
The counselor began.
One by one, names were called. Those approved by the werewolf council received golden crowns, symbols of leadership and permission to form their own packs.
I sighed, eyeing the crowns. I'd probably get one too, because I am an alpha and I have the right to it, but who would follow me? I don't have any strong backers. My family's pack ranked somewhere around a thousandth, decent if you forgot there were only fifteen hundred recognized organizations. Pathetic, unless… Perseus or Wednesday had pulled strings.
Even then, who would join me? What could I offer them?
Sure, being an Alpha had its perks — the ritual to join my pack would let them shift whenever they wanted, not just under a full moon. It'd give them a small boost in strength. But there were stronger packs, deeper roots, older names.
So… what could I offer?
My gaze swept the crowd.
No… the question isn't what I can offer.
It's what kind of family I want to build.
The first two who got a golden crown were standing by the side of the councilor, with golden crowns on their head, bathing in firelight as they declared bloodlines, old names, high ranks. The crowd applauded.
Then the counselor's voice cut through the noise.
"Next: Enid Sinclair. Backed by the ancestral Addams family, ranked seventeenth."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
I forced my legs to move, stepping onto the stage. The organizer pressed a golden crown into my hands. I turned it over in my fingers, the metal cold, the jewels catching firelight. The fire's heat clawed my back as silence pressed close.
What would Percy do?
"I'm Enid Sinclair." My voice didn't waver. "I don't come from a famous wolf line. And I don't need a golden crown to make me seem superior."
I tossed it into the fire. The flames hissed, swallowing it whole. A ripple of gasps cut through the crowd.
"I shifted late," I said, raising my chin. "I come from a normal family. The only thing I can offer is to always be by your side, in high and low time. A pack where everyone will be treated as a family. I can do that. I don't promise riches. I don't promise power. If you want crowns, look elsewhere. If you want someone who will stand beside you, even in the darkest moments… we can talk."
Exactly two minutes. My chest was a cage, but I stepped down with my head high.
Later, smaller fires burned across the valley. I sat with the handful of girls who'd lingered near me. Night pressed cold against us. Smoke curled into the bruised sky. I stretched my hands toward the flames and pretended I wasn't still trembling.
Sofia slid beside me, shoulder brushing mine. "You're trending."
I huffed between a laugh and a growl. "Great. Just what I always wanted to be, gossip fodder."
Across the fire, a blonde lounging on a log smirked. "I liked your speech. At least it wasn't boring."
Her words settled over the circle.
For the first time all day, the weight on my chest eased.
Maybe Percy was right. Maybe this wasn't a disaster.
Maybe it was the start of something.
Weeks found a rhythm: dawn runs, scent drills, strategy lessons, counseling hours where I learned to build a pack and study from the best teachers.
One evening, I pushed open the door to Lupa Hall. Sofia was at her desk, papers spread like a map of chaos.
"More applications?" I asked, tossing my jacket aside.
"Dozens," she said without looking up. Then, with a faint smile, "You know, it's rare for alphas to accept wolves in their pack nd you've even got a powerful backer."
raised an eyebrow. "I guess I'm trending."
She chuckled. "You should screen them carefully. We don't have intel on most of these people."
I smirked, pulling out my phone. "Oh, I know someone who might."
I scrolled through my contacts until I found her name.
Roomie.
************
Author Note:
Next chapter will be out next week… but at least that one's going to be long and one of the few masterpieces. hehehe
And you can trust my words, because when I say that, it's usually true. (I hope)
So just save this fanfic in your library or wherever you like and come back later!
Luckily, the next one will close Season 1, and I can finally concentrate completely on life for a couple of months… I mean, on writing Season 2, of course. Hahaha.
Don't have a good day. Have a great day.