Stray

"Captures the mixed emotions of eagerness for adulthood and the heartache of getting there that all teens go through." - Reader Review

Raqia knows the sting of loneliness more than most. As a toddler, she and her grandmother immigrated to Texas to escape the wolf packs terrorizing their home in Lebanon. Growing up with no siblings and an estranged father, Raqia always relied on her neighborhood best friends, siblings Anabelle and Eddie, to keep from feeling like such a stray. 

But now that Raqia is a teenager, the gnawing pain of isolation is back. Eddie emerged as a wolf in seventh grade, propelling him into the role of a football star in high school. Meanwhile, neither Raqia nor Anabelle shows any trace of an Animal Affinity, a vital rite of passage into adulthood. Despite everyone saying Affinities can emerge later in life, they can't help but feel like they'll never find themselves. 

Around them, the world grows more dangerous. On the cusp of homecoming, the violent wolf packs Raqia thought she left in Beirut begin popping up in the local news. Even though Eddie swears he's not part of these gangs, both he and Raqia face visceral anger and anxiety over them.

And when emotions run high and one weekend erupts in a life-altering event, Raqia, Eddie, and Anabelle's tight-knit trio ends up in tatters. Is it possible for them to go back to the way things were, or will Raqia need to reinvent herself again?