Kori POV

  “About 5,000 years ago…” Selene started her story, and it was a long one. At least, the part about her falling in love with the shepherd boy, Endymion, was long and drawn out. The short version is that she fell in love with a beautiful teenage boy, but he was human. Selene asked Zeus to make Endymion immortal. Zeus, however, ended up cursing Endymion into eternal sleep after he noticed Endymion lusting over his wife, Hera. Selene was angry, but her consolation was that Endymion would live forever by her side since he didn’t age. They had about fifty daughters together. A bit excessive if you ask me, but Endymion doesn’t know about his daughters or anything else since he’s asleep.

  Anyway, the story got interesting when Selene told me about her daughter, Ianouários, which translates to January. Yep, Selene named some of her daughters after the months of the year. However, January is the important daughter to me according to Selene because that is who I descend from. So January or Grandma Jan as I choose to call her fell in love with a man named Lycaon, who was once a legendary king of Arcadia. According to Selene, Lycaon was a cruel king who tried to trick Zeus into eating rotten meat, so Zeus cursed him to be a monster who would eat any meat, creating a vicious lycan.

  Grandma Jan sought to tame the vicious monster Lycaon had become in hopes of saving his humanity. Lycaon was feral and unmoved by Grandma Jan’s attempts to lure him in. So, Grandma Jan decided to seek help from Cupid. One of his arrows in exchange for a bottle of pure moonlight, which can only be gathered by a goddess of the moon. Grandma Jan didn’t think twice, so Cupid got his moonlight and shot an arrow into Lycaon. Lycaon instantly fell for Grandma Jan, soothing his monstrous curse for a time. Lycaon and Grandma Jan began to build their town with other outcasts of the world, so they called themselves the Lycans after Lycaon. Their relationship proved fruitful when Grandma Jan gave birth to twins, Dymek and Elena.

  Unfortunately, the story takes a sad turn after the twins are born. Lycaon could not maintain any shred of sanity and destroyed his whole town of people. All the Lycans died except Grandma Jan and the twins. Heartbroken, Grandma Jan asked for the help of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, to bring Lycaon’s life to an end. Dymek and Elena never knew their father, but they did inherit his curse in a way. Both twins were born theriomorphic, which meant they could shift into a wolf instead of the monstrous lycan wolf their father was. Thankfully, Grandma Jan’s demigod powers were also passed down to the twins, keeping them from going insane like their father.

  However, their troubles did not end when Lycaon died. Humans had heard of the tragedy that befell the Lycans, so they blamed Grandma Jan and the twins for everything. The twins were nothing more than toddlers when a mob attacked them. As theriomorphs, the twins became wolves to defend their mother. The mob did not stop when they saw the toddler wolves baring their teeth and growling at the mob. Grandma Jan tried to stop her kids, but they moved as fas a lightning strike biting each member of the mob under the bright full moon. No one died, but each human changed that night from the bite of the twin wolves. The humans became the impossible by walking as a human in the sun and as a wolf in the night. The twins turned an entire mob into werewolves. A mob of angry and scared wolves violently attacked the forest around the twins. Grandma Jan feared for her kids, so dug in deep to allow the bright moonlight to flow through her to catch the mob's attention. She calmed the mob with her soothing motherly words and compassion, and on that night, Grandma Jan became responsible for her twins and a crowd of new werewolves. She became the guide for these newly cursed humans. Her kindness radiated over the werewolves like moonlight, giving her the name, Luna.

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  Grandma Jan was able to command the werewolves as the twins grew although her power over the werewolves would not last forever. When the twins came of age, Grandma Jan retired her leadership, shocking everyone, even Selene. As their grandmother, Selene became concerned for the twins' future. As a gift from Selene, the twins were gifted a chance at true love if they could find their soulmate to keep the twins from going insane. Dymek and Elena found their soulmates, and together they built their society as werewolves from where Grandma Jan left off. Dymek became the first Lycan King of werewolves while Elena formed the first werewolf council.

  “Stop. If I understand this story, you are telling me that I am a descendant of werewolves... Are you serious right now? No wonder Kalia kept calling me, Wolfie.” I said in disbelief. It had been an hour since Selene began explaining this story to me, but it still didn’t feel real. It was a myth. Werewolves don’t exist. At least they shouldn’t, but then again I flew across the world in my little car powered by a sky nymph. I am more inclined to believe that I accidentally fell into a coma and that I am having a medicine-induced dream. Is that what was happening?

  “Korinne,” Selene called. Her annoyed tone made me look back at her. “Please pay attention. I am not finished with the story yet.”

  “There’s more? My head feels like it’s going to explode any minute. Is there a cliff notes version to this tale?” I asked, massaging my temples. Selene looked at me unamused. She probably doesn't know what cliff notes are. Ugh. Leaning back in my seat on the stone and moss couch, I tried to relax. My anxiety was ebbing and flowing through me like a wild river.

  “Impatient child,” Selene grumbled. “Once Dymek and Elena died, there was a power grab. The society that they created turned in on itself. After many wars, Eron, Dymek’s last living son took the throne, but the damage had been done. The werewolves had divided themselves into different packs kind of like clans. Each pack was ruled by the strongest male called the Alpha. Eron was king of all of them because he fought off every challenger. However, the bloodshed never ended. Towns were destroyed. Eron was the last Lycan King.”

  “So how do we get from Eron to me? If he was the last one, why am I here?” I asked impatiently.

  Selene clenched her jaw. She tried to readjust in her seat. Whatever she was about to tell me made her uncomfortable. "The werewolves became like Lycaon. Monsters that focused on power and ignored everything their leaders stood for. So many innocents died in just a few short years. I couldn’t stand it! In my rage, I took it all from them. Reducing them to a pitiful human form was the most merciful thing I did. Only Eron's line remembered anything, but in a way, I cursed him and myself with a promise that his descendants could earn their power back, which is how we got here. You are the last one left."

  My thoughts were spinning. Werewolf… I come from werewolves, or at least she says I do. I think Selene might be crazy. None of this should exist, yet I am sitting in a cave in Turkey with the woman who controls the moon. My body feels like it's fighting itself. On one level, I feel all this is true, but on another, it seems impossible. I liked living in a simple world where everyone is human. "I am the last one… so you waited 4,000 years for this?"

  "I didn't wait. I just failed 23 times. You are just the last. If you fail, we both die. Simple as that." She said nonchalantly. There was no hope in her words or encouraging expression on her face. Selene made her feelings clear at that moment. To her, I am a tool.