She felt warm all over. But this was a normal reaction during every full moon.

Her skin tingled as the wolf inside itched to break out, her heartbeat like a drum and she felt so restless, so filled with so much pent up energy she danced on the balls of her feet. Her body, her mind ached to shift, to feel the cold earth on her paws as she ran through the forest, the wind in her pelt, her heart beating loudly in her ears.

There was nothing better than the hunt, the pack all working together to bring down the kill, some poor outnumbered animal, a doe, a fox, a rabbit – all but prey. Instinct took over as the familiar craving for blood and flesh took over.

It was part of being a werewolf, that primal killing instinct. There was no way around it but to exorcise it through the hunt. Let the wolf gorge on its prey to ensure you better control. She remembered puking in the morning during her first few shifts, her body trying to adapt to digesting so much raw meat. But that was a long time ago and her body's conditioned to life as a wolf.

Her body was all lean muscle and soft flesh when I'm not in her pelt. She's all bone, muscle and fat. Too thin for a girl really, boyish her body was. But she was tall and lean and strong and the young men of the pack still stared at her with desire.

All but him,

Aiden Wolfe stood nervously to the side. It was his third full moon and by pack law, he was supposed to choose his mate tonight. He didn't find his mate so now the pack would choose for him, some insurance for the continuation of the bloodline and what not. You couldn't create a werewolf after all. You were either born a werewolf or you weren't.

Remus stood at his rock podium and we all kneeled and showed our necks in subservient obedience. The younger pups stared up in awe at our alpha as he began his speech. She tried to tune it out, staring up at the full moon instead.

It felt like it was calling to her and she wanted to be free of her human skin and run with the adrenalin pumping in her ears. She wanted to taste meat, bloodied meat in her canines until she was full and content.

But she wouldn't be able to tonight because something else was in her way.

She was new to this pack, having only arrived a month ago and as their laws went she had to either fight for her right to be here or choose a mate. But all those boys her age were either taken or away at college. She had no choice in the matter but to compete for a boy who'd never looked at her twice, a boy a year younger than her.

She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to be mate. Even before at her old pack when her father was alpha and he made sure all the boys stayed away and kept to their place except for one wonderful, brilliant guy who she'd forever lost in the fire along with everyone else I loved.

She shook those thoughts away. She sometimes lived in the past too much, always haunted by the ghosts of before and never truly in the present. That was one of her biggest flaws.

Tonight she would be competing with all the other eligible female wolves for Aiden. It wasn't something she wanted but it was her only choice if she wanted to stay here. And she did want to, She's grown to like Mystic Falls and she planned on staying much longer. It's been a while since she truly felt part of a pack and she wasn't going to lose it.

It was moments before the moon rose to its zenith and everyone shifted out of their skin to their other- no, truer form. The pain was excruciating as always, even years of it had never gotten her used to it but she as her bones broke and lengthened and fur grew on her skin, she could imagine the graceful dark auburn wolf with acidic green eyes, her wolf. She was her and her was she. In that form she felt freer than she did her human skin.

There was really no sound or speech before the competition started. There were only three of them that were eligible. Her, Tina and Blair Fell - the two cousins both opting to take care of her first before forgetting about their familial bond and tearing into each other for a boy who watched it all with apprehension and unwillingness. From the corner of her vision, she saw the red-eyed brown wolf sitting at the edge – Aiden.

Tina jumped her first. She got on River's back, claws gripping her fur and teeth at her ear. River tried to shake it off but to no avail. Blair Fell with her dark fur and attacked her at her face, biting into her nuzzle until she's whimpering in pain. It hurts, it hurts so much she wanted to admit defeat and run away with her tail between her legs to lick her wounds. She whimpered and whined until she felt the blood oozing from her bitten ear and nose but she doesn't quite give up.

At the last moments, she remembered her father and her mother who were alphas, leaders, protectors. They raised her to never give up and she would not disappoint them and admit defeat to a bunch of shallow bitches.

She shook off Tina first, rolling on her back and squashing her to the ground. Tina growled as she's forced to let go of her ear and River growled back as she pinned her down with her paws on her chest. She growl menacingly, warningly and she whimpered and she had her.

She went for Blair next, biting her in the snout till she whimpered and then I kept on going until I reached her eye, she tried to shake her off and her canines are so close to her eye just a bit more and it'll pop like a great big grape. She must've realized it to because she cried with her tail between her legs. She let her go as she ran away in shame.

Tina came back for more and we snarl and growl like dogs, biting each other's tails and getting ourselves practically bloody until I shook her off, biting her in the ear until I hear a ripping noise. She yelped and started running away frantically.

Then she stood there panting, her lungs burning and her pelt felt covered in fire. Meanwhile all the older female wolves started to surround her until she's in the middle of the circle. She stared on straight ahead as they watched Aiden approach her past all the wolves, red eyes gleaming with what looked like pride, it made the cockles of her heart warm like sparkled coal.

He made a whining sound and it sounded like "mate" before he licked the blood on her snout, Tina and Blair's blood. She didn't feel ashamed about what she did, just tired and he must've sensed it too but he bit into the pelt of her neck playfully and urged her to follow him to wherever.

They ran in the woods, side by side, howling, and triumphant. She felt sore and exhausted and the taste of wolf's blood in her mouth was too much but she celebrated with him as he circled around her enthusiastically and sniffed her scent. He licked more blood of her snout and cuddled up to him as he whined contentedly.

She didn't think it would feel like this, such completion, like you've found that person to finally make you whole. Like everything in the world was right.

They spend the rest of the night playing and running and cuddling until you both join the hunt and you consume deer as the moon started to disappear and the sun took its place.

She's back in her human skin before she knew it. Her hair was a mess, her skin covered in blood and earth, her torn ear half-healed and all she could focus on was Aiden, holding her hand as they made our way back to camp, both of them shameless in our nudity.

She felt happy, light and then dread like none of this was going to last. She's proven right.

She asked Aiden if he'd like to clean up at the spring nearby, share the bath if possible but he suddenly closes off and made an excuse about getting home early and he left her there, covered in a jacket he leant her as she watched him walking away to his tent.

She was completely perplexed and she asked Tyler what she may have done wrong but the alpha wolf just shrugged and said, "it's Aiden. He's weird."

That was not the answer she wanted. She wanted to know why he was suddenly closed off when the night before he was so sweet and playful. Was it her fault? Or was it something else entirely. A secret the younger wolf boy was hiding.

But then again, he was carefree Aiden. He didn't have any secrets to hide. Did he?

The thought made her think and then worry.

Obviously this was pre-TSTS, some time after Kiss and Control.

So yeah, sequel's finally here. So many things to explore.