I reached for another cheesecloth baggie and scooped three teaspoons of the mushy herb paste inside. The salvia leaves had been harvested from Gran’s garden, dried in our pantry, and then added to a large mason jar where they were covered with water and set in a patch of bright moonlight overnight to become a lunar infusion.

The musky, earthy scent I’d grown to detest wafted to my nose in the process of scooping the herbs into the cheesecloth baggie. I handed it off to Gracie next. She folded the opening closed, added a long piece of string, and stapled it shut before passing it to Gran. She wrapped it in wax paper and tucked it in a silver drawstring sachet. This was our process. Every month the three of us sat down and created the assembly line that would make enough tea bags for those who were of age to become Moon Kissed in the trailer park.

This month there were five of us. Tate Vargas, Millie Hess, Davey Hess, Violet Marshall, and me. It was Violet’s first time drinking the tea. She’d just come of age on the eleventh of the month. I felt for her. It was never easy getting past the first taste of salvia tea. I remembered asking Gran once why she didn’t add peppermint or honey to tone down the bitterness. She’d told me it would dilute the potency of the salvia, which was something she wouldn’t dream of doing.

Honestly, nothing anyone said could prepare Violet for the horrible taste she was about to experience. While the measuring of the tea was precise each time, the taste was different. Sometimes it was stronger; others it wasn’t.

“And that’s that,” Gran said once she’d tucked the final tea sack into one of her sachets. She placed them in a ziplock bag and passed them to Gracie. “Try not to dawdle at the Vargases.”

Gracie’s cheeks tinted pink. “I won’t.”

I guess I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed she had a boyfriend. Gran seemed to have picked up on it too. Figured. Gran always seemed to notice everything.

Gracie opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch. The sound of the weed eater blasted through the trailer along with the scent of freshly cut grass. This was the one time of the month Dad stayed sober enough to do stuff around the place. Whatever he did next, it would definitely be outdoors. When the full moon came around, his back always felt better than ever, and you could find him outside doing something useful.

I wondered if I could talk him into doing some repairs on my car.

“Okay, it’s time for you to eat some vegetables now,” Gran insisted the second Gracie was out the front door. She got up from the dining room table with more speed than usual. Normally, her old joints and bones popped and rebelled against sudden movement, but not today. It was the magic of the full moon. “You have a choice: cucumbers and tomatoes, or sliced bell peppers and radishes?”

I wasn’t a big fan of radishes. They were spicy and never failed to give me a stomachache. “I’ll take cucumbers and tomatoes, please. Can I have a little salt with them?”

“Just a smidgen of Himalayan sea salt. Nothing more.”

I cleaned up the mess we’d made while making the sachets as Gran prepared my afternoon snack. That was one of the perks to this day. Gran cooked for me and prepared all my snacks. I didn’t have to lift a finger.

By the time I finished washing the tools we’d used and wiping off the table, Gran had an entire plate of sliced cucumbers and tomatoes waiting on me. She handed me a plain glass of ice water this time, and I gladly accepted. Coconut water hadn’t been my thing. I didn’t care how amazing the benefits of drinking it were, plain coconut water tasted gross.

“I need to finish preparing your garments for tonight,” Gran said as she disappeared down the hall. “Time is running out, and I feel like I still have so much to do before nightfall.”

“Do you want any help?” I called after her, even though I knew her answer would be no.

She never wanted help. Not when it came to this. She preferred to do it all on her own.

“Absolutely not, you know you’re supposed to rest and relax.”

“In that case, I think I’ll head to the lake for a while. Clear my head. Prepare.” While stressing over the details of the ceremony and preparing everything was Gran’s ritual each full moon, mine was a quiet walk to the lake where I sat for a while enjoying nature.

“Go right ahead,” Gran replied. “Make sure you’re back by dinner, though. You still have one more meal of veggies before you drink the tea.”

“I’ll be back before then,” I promised as I headed for the door.

Dad was refilling his weed eater string when I stepped out onto the porch. Sweat beaded across his brow.

“Off to take your usual stroll around the lake?” he asked as he smacked the spindle of string into place with the palm of his hand.

“Yeah, I’ll be back later. If I don’t leave now, Gran is going to stuff me full of more veggies or fruit. I can’t handle anymore fruit.”

“I’m sure.” Dad chuckled. “Just remember to be back before dinner, or she’ll really be on your case.”

I started down the stairs and headed toward the lake. “I know.”

Hot air rolled over me as a gust of wind blew. The sweltering sun beat down against my bare shoulders, warming my skin as I walked toward the woods. A dip in the lake would feel good.

“Hey there, Mina,” the Bell sisters said in unison as I reached their trailer. They were on their porch, as usual, fanning themselves with gigantic paper fans. Tall glasses of lemonade decorated with tiny pink umbrellas sat on a table between them.

“Hi,” I said with a wave.

“You ready for tonight?” the older of the two sisters asked.

“I guess.” I shrugged, not knowing what else to say.

“Did you get a little something to commemorate this one?” the youngest sister asked, nodding to my bracelet.

Nothing got by them, did it? They were worse than Gran.

I held my wrist out so they could see my bracelet. “I did. It was a gift from Gran and my dad.”

“Looks like quite a few people in your life have high hopes this will be the moon for you,” she said as she arched one of her drawn-on brows.

“Yeah, they do.” I crammed my hands into the back pockets of my shorts, wishing this conversation would end. All I wanted to do was head to the lake.

“I don’t blame them. This one feels important, doesn’t it? I think it’s going to be the biggest strawberry moon we’ve seen in years,” the oldest of the sisters said.

They could feel it too? Someone always claimed each moon held a greater energy than the last, but I’d never heard so many agree about it at once. Something was different about this one. Something bigger. Everyone seemed to notice.

My attention drifted around the trailer park. Everyone seemed to be out and about. Kids were running around playing. Some people were tending to their yards while others grilled food. The entire park was alive and buzzing with excitement.

“Mina, hey! You coming or what?” Eli shouted from the edge of the woods. He’d startled me, but I knew what he was doing and I was grateful.

He was saving me from the Bell sisters.

“Yeah,” I yelled back and waved to him. “Just a sec.”

“Oh, I see the oldest Vargas boy is waiting on you,” one of the Bell sisters said. “He sure is a cute little thing. Best not keep him waiting. Run along now.”

“Uh, thanks. Have a good rest of your day,” I said as I started toward Eli.

“Good luck tonight, Mina. We’re rooting for you,” the oldest of the sisters called after me.

“Thank you!” I shouted over my shoulder.

I cruised past Mr. Russel’s trailer. The game show he was watching blasted through his open windows and out onto the gravel road where I walked. It was ironic how he always made the most noise throughout the day, but come nightfall, he wanted utter silence.

“Looked like you were caught in the Bell sisters’ web back there.” Eli grinned as we started through the woods together.

“I was. You know how those two can be. They can talk for hours.”

“Oh, I know.” He nodded. “Which was why I decided to be nice and save you. Figured you’d be heading to the lake today. You always do.”

“You’ve got me all figured out, don’t you?” I glanced at him. His skin had darkened since the last time I’d seen him. It made the color of his eyes pop even more. He must’ve been working outside again this week.

“I know you’re guaranteed to pay the lake at least one visit on the day of a full moon.”

I was predictable like that; there was no denying it. The lake was my place. It was where I could decompress. Where I could think.

“Then you know I don’t prefer company,” I said.

“I know, but I had to make it believable for the sisters. You know they were watching to see if we’d go into the woods together.”

I almost wished he’d said something different—like maybe ask me if I wanted company this one time. When he didn’t, I deflated.

“I’ll catch up with you later,” he said before veering off in another direction.

“Oh, okay.” I tried to keep my disappointment from entering my voice.

“Good luck tonight,” Eli said before he disappeared into a thick patch of woods.

“Thanks,” I whispered even though he was already gone.

I continued toward the lake, struggling to push thoughts of Eli from my mind. The second I stepped into the clearing of the lake, all thoughts vanished. Nothing existed besides the beautiful scenery and me. Nature. It was exactly where I needed to be.

It was an integral part of my purification process before each full moon.

I positioned myself at the edge of the water on my favorite stump. I wasn’t sure when the tree had been cut down or why, but its remnants made for an excellent seat. With my legs folded, I placed my hands on my knees, palms facing up. For a moment, all I did was soak in the scenery and feel the warm sunshine touching my skin. The lake was quiet. No one seemed to be swimming, boating, or fishing in its waters. It was my lucky day.

My mind wandered from thoughts of Eli, to the moon, to my bracelet, and finally to my mom. She had told me once that coming to the lake on the day of a full moon had been something she always did to clear her head beforehand. It was where I’d gotten the idea from, but not my love for the lake. That was my own. So was meditation.

While my mom had said she came to the lake and sat, watching nature and the few people mingling about, I came to meditate. It wasn’t something I did on a regular basis, though, only during a full moon. It calmed my frazzled mind. Made me forget how nervous I was about the events of the night—about what might happen, or what might never.

Mom had never had to worry. She was Moon Kissed during the full moon right after her seventeenth birthday. Dad had been even luckier. He’d found out on his third time of drinking the salvia tea.

Gran was right. I was a late bloomer. That had to be it.

My gaze drifted to the silver bracelet on my wrist. It had become heavy, weighted down with the worry I might not need it, not in the way it had been intended. I’d always thought I would be okay if I never became Moon Kissed. I thought if Sylvie Hess could hack it so could I, but now I wasn’t so sure. I didn’t want to be a non-shifting member of the pack. I didn’t want to be different for the rest of my life. I’d spent enough time being different. I was ready to step out of the weird limbo place I’d been since birth. I wanted to be like my family. I wanted to be like my pack, minus Sylvie.

I wanted to be Moon Kissed.

A gust of wind blew, wafting the scent of hot lake water in my face. I closed my eyes and exhaled a slow breath. For the next few minutes, I focused on the start and stop of each breath. My body relaxed as my breathing evened out. My mind wandered to the ceremony as thoughts of the tea not triggering my wolf gene surfaced, but I let them float away and circled back to my breathing. That was what meditation was about. Focusing on your natural breath. Not keeping your mind clear of all thought. Thoughts would happen. It was how you reacted to them in the moment that mattered.

Time seemed to stand still as I allowed myself a few minutes. This was my timeout for the night. It was when I’d allow any stress or anxiety to melt away.

A twig snapped somewhere behind me, and the fine hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I fought with the desire to glance back and see what or who it was. A prickly sensation built across my skin. Was I being watched? Leaves rustled from a few feet away, but I could feel no wind. My eyes snapped open. Chills crept along my spine as adrenaline flooded my system.

Someone was behind me.

I could feel their gaze on me. Seconds passed before I was able to make myself glance over my shoulder. At first, I didn’t see anything, but then movement in a thicket caught my attention. Someone wearing a navy-blue shirt was walking away from me. I couldn’t see his hair color due to the thickness of the woods he was concealed by, but I could judge how tall he was and how muscular, and that, whoever he was, he was definitely male.

My heart palpitated in my throat. Was it Shane? One of his brothers maybe? Or could it be one of the Vargas boys checking up on me again? Eli maybe? I tried to remember what color shirt he’d been wearing, but couldn’t. Eli wouldn’t have stood there staring at me, though.

I forced myself to stand, dusted my bottom off, and started back to the trailer park. Sitting out here alone might not have been the best idea, even in daylight. Just because I wasn’t Moon Kissed didn’t mean I was safe. Shane and his brothers suspected I was a wolf because of where I lived. That might be all the reason they needed to abduct me.

Yeah, I was a sitting duck if I stayed out here.

I quickened my pace in a hurry to get back to the others. When I cut through the brambles that blocked the trailer park, all the tension I’d been harboring left my body. Safety washed over me. For the moment, at least.