Daughter of the Moon

The clouds oozed and billowed in the awakening sky casting the forest into shadowy darkness as I continued to run. My body was aching and screaming for me to stop to take a break, but I could not. Wind howled in my ears echoing the anger and pain in my heart before it raced off into the unknowns. Rain fell like my tears trying to wash away the aching sorrow that consumed me. Stinging the small cuts, I received from the branches and rocks I encountered on my way. Lightning flashed around me, stretching out as if to catch me as I fell to my knees in a small valley. Thunder boomed like thousands of explosions, announcing the anger of my beast to all who could hear. My body now trembled with the waves of sorrow that washed over me. It felt as though my heart was in a vise grip barely able to beat in my chest. The storm grew and grew as it fed off the strength of my emotions. There was no doubt in my mind that a storm of this magnitude had never reached this part of the mainland before. A part of me smiled at the thought of him trying to explain to everyone where the storm had come from. Worry worked its way into the mix of my emotions thinking about what his people would think. Anyone could guess that magic played a part in the sudden change of weather. Yet I was not afraid of the hurricane that came to the call of my heart.

My sun kissed long blonde wavy hair fell like a curtain in front of my face as I dropped my head. Supporting my body with one arm on the ground as the other tried to comfort my shattering heart. My hand sown crimson gown clung soaking wet to my pale cream skin, now torn from running through the dense forest. I had spent the past year working on this gown for this night. Even the jewelry that adorned my wrists, neck, ears, and hair were hand crafted for this one event. The people in my pack helped to embroider the intricate patterns of sparkling white stars in the extra-large tule skirts. Putting their heart and souls into this very gown in the hopes of a new beginning. Using the best materials money could buy to create a never-before-seen matching jewelry set that represents the moon and stars. Now all of it ruined, the gown was torn and the moonstone hairpins were missing. My hair, which was up in a loose bun, was now falling in places. The black metal and ruby red gem tiara barely clung to a strand of my hair.

My heart ached even more at the thought of how hard everyone had worked to make this outfit perfect. They had all done it with excitement as they collaborated with me to complete it. It had been the hope of my pack that I would wear this outfit when I found my mate. I had indeed found him, but it did not go as I or anyone had expected.

*Flashback*

Like every other time I traveled to the mainland I arrived on the small, secluded beach. Nestled in the northern most point of the Silver River pack. A small pack that I had come to know well over the many years I visited. The members of the pack no longer questioned where I came from or how I arrived. Some of them even decided that I must be a siren for I always arrived from the ocean. They claimed that my beauty was enough to prove that I could be a siren. Still, they knew that I was like them, a werewolf, although they believed that I was merely an omega. No matter what rank they believed I held they had always welcomed me with open arms and bright smiles. Including me in their traditions and celebrations.

The Silver River pack was where my best friend was from. Anna and I had quickly become inseparable. She was the alpha’s daughter, the second born to Alpa Tom and Luna Thomas. Two kindhearted individuals who accepted all and cared for anyone who needed it.  As far as I knew, they were the only ones who willingly accepted hybrids into their territory. A small, but close pack that many used as a safe haven from their pasts.

“OH, MY GODDESS,” Anna’s high-pitched squeal brought me out of my thoughts as I walked up to the steps of their pack house. “Sol, you looking breathtaking.”

“Thank you Anna,” I giggled pulling her into a hug. “You look amazing as well.”

Anna had begged me for many moons to attend the Blue Moon Festival Ball with her. A ball held by the royal family where everyone was welcome to attend. The ball would be held in the royal palace within the Blood Moon’s territory. The Blood Moon was the royal family of the mainland, also known as Annaluna. This pack ruled over all other packs that resided on the mainland and some of the packs that occupied the small islands. A blue moon was when they four moons of Annaluna combined and turned a blueish hue. The blue moon only happened once a year.  It was used to celebrate the gifts given by the moon goddess and for many it was the night they would find their fated mates. My pack had always used this night to celebrate my birth, the night the goddess blessed them with my arrival. After all, I was born on the night of the first blue moon. When the goddess’s power was the strongest. Tonight, I would be turning eighteen, the year that every werewolf was first able to find their fated mates. It was because of this my father had agreed to let me go. Giving me the best chance to find my fated mate with the fact that so many people would be in one location.

“Oh please,” she teased with a smirk. I knew she hated wearing gowns or dresses of any kind. She had always been an adventurous child kind of girl, nothing like your typical alpha daughter. “No one can compare to how beautiful you look.”

She was wearing a simple sweetheart sparkly black gown that clung to her figure. With matching black silk gloves just like mine. Simple silver jewelry complemented the whole outfit, complete with silver high heels. Her long black hair pulled up into a tight bun with few strands left out to frame her face. Smokey eye shadow made her big round mossy green eyes pop and drew attention away from her snake bite pierced blush-colored lips.

“I have to agree with my daughter, Sol.” Alpha Tom, Anna’s father, and the alpha of Silver River, chimed in. “You will be stealing the attention of everyone tonight. There is no doubt in my mind that you will draw the attention of your mate in no time.”

I could not help the blush that crept over my cheeks and burned my ears. Growing up I was always wearing a dress unless I was in training. It was a symbol of my status back home, a status I had always hidden whenever I came for my visits. Whenever I would visit I could wear whatever I wanted. That and no one here ever had to call me by my title or even my first name. When I first arrived, I had given them a nickname to call me. Sol was only the first three letters of my first name. But here everyone believed that it was my first name and not a nickname.

“Thank you, Alpha,” my smile grew. Anna and I grew up best friends, to me Tom was like a second father.

“Please, Sol, call my Tom. You have always been a part of this family, and it feels wrong for you to call me by my title.” He frowned making his way down to the waiting cars.

“If you refuse, we could always call you by your title, Sol,” Anna’s brother, Travis smirked.

This always made me feel bad, these people were like family to me, and they did not even know who I really was. To them I was an omega from a small island pack that was almost unknown to those on the mainland. Only people of the Silver River pack knew of me, and they all had sworn to me to keep my presence and whereabouts a secret to others. Someday I will be able to tell them the truth.

“Fine,” I huffed climbing in behind Anna into the awaiting limo. “Before I forget Tom if anyone asks, what will we say about who I am?”

“I thought you may ask,” he laughed from his seat in the middle of the limo. “I thought that we would just say you are a part of my staff that cares for the library in the pack house.”

That would work, everyone in Silver River would agree to this. None of them had ever asked questions about who I was or where I came from. From the first time I met them they had all commented on the fact that they felt the need to protect me. They would say there was an unexplainable feeling of being drawn to me. I knew the reason, but I was unable to clear the confusion they held. For safety reason no one could know my identity. That and every one of them believed I was an omega as well.

“That will work,” I replied. “By the way Aurora that gown is beautiful, blue if definitely your color.”

“Thank you dearest,” she smiled beside her husband.

The rest of the trip did not take as long as I thought it would. We arrived at the palace within four hours, just in time for the ball to begin. The palace itself was a remarkable sight, it dripped in luxury and screamed of the wealth of the pack. Just to get to the front doors we would have to climb up six sets of twenty steps. The stairs carved from the finest pearly marble with small carvings of past battles. The intricate carvings of wolves fighting vampires and demons looked more like it was a picture someone had taken.

“Whoa,” Anna gasped as we began our accent with other members of other packs. She hooked her arm with mine as we looked around. “I knew this pack was wealthy, but I could never have imagined it would look like this. Can you imagine living here and seeing this every day?”

I could not even form words as I only nodded in agreement. My pack was wealthy as well, we were a large pack, but even our palace did not look like this. The palace back home was an ancient building that stood as a symbol of my people. This palace was of a more modern design with well blinded traditional décor.

At the tops of the stairs, we were greeted with a massive courtyard that had five different statues in the center. To the sides were small gardens with stunning red roses. The statues were carvings of the first five Alpha Kings that had once ruled over this pack. Each of their wolves were howling up at the moon as the water sprayed around them. The courtyard was the size of four football fields and the fountain stretched from one end to the other. Still leaving room for more carvings to made later.

The front of the palace had two twenty-foot wooden doors that opened to allow people to enter. There people were gathering to discuss or just continuing to the ballroom at the end of the great hall. You had to pass through another set of twenty-foot doors before you entered the ballroom which also held the thrones. The doors had carved in the image of the moon goddess herself. Inside the ballroom ceilings were high massive windows that allowed the stars and moon to be on full display. In the center of ceiling were three massive golden chandeliers hanging on a thick center beam. Smaller beams framed the windows and supported the teepee style ceiling. Within the ballroom was a single stage that sat on a floor below the thrones. That was where the band was already playing their music. More doors were located on either side of the stairs that lead up to the thrones. I was sure that they lead deeper into the palace or to the palace kitchens. The other two walls were made of floor to ceiling windows. Massive crimson curtains tied between each set of two windows.

“This place just keeps taking my breath away,” I gasped. Anna was still beside me eyes wide and mouth slightly open.

“You can say that again,” she smiled. “Should we dance or just keep looking around?”

“The only one I will dance with is you,” I laughed squeezing her arm lightly. “Goddess knows how much you hate dancing, and I would feel terrible for whatever wolf got stuck with you.”

Now it was her turn to laugh as we walked closer to the windows, opposite the thrones and band.

“In that case let’s just stay here for a while and take it all in,” she offered. “You could always dance with my brother.”

“Eww,” I cringed my nose at the thought. I had nothing against Travis, he was a good-looking man, but he was my best friend’s brother. “I’d rather dance with myself.”

She snorted when she laughed then grabbed a couple of glasses of wine from a passing server. Handing me one glass before taking a sip of her own. I was standing in front of her with my back facing the thrones as we talked. She made sure to point out every outrageous outfit that others wore. Like when an Alpha walked in wearing the brightest lime green suit and tie. Or when the Alpha’s mate came up behind him in a neon pink mini dress with neon yellow stilettos. Then there was an overconfident she-wolf that waltzed in swinging her hips dramatically. She acted as though she was the queen that demanded everyone’s attention. Wearing a slutty bubble pink see threw dress that barely covered her flat behind. Everyone could easily see she wore dusky pink undergarments.

“Is that even appropriate to wear at an event like this?” my friend asked horrified by the sight.

“The outfit no,” I grimaced. “But the cheap tiara yes.”

We shared a silent laugh while turning our attention away from the cringe worthy sight. For the next hour we conversed about what we were planning to do once back at her pack. Deciding we would spend a few days in her room watching movies and snacking while in our pajamas. A smile spreading across my face as the sweetest scent I had ever smelled filled my nose. Making my mouth water as it filled my lungs.

‘Artemis, what’s going on?’ I asked my wolf as she began pacing back and forth in my mind.

“Anna,” I frowned looking up at my friend. “Do you smell that amazing scent?”

“What scent?” she looked at me with concern as she took a sniff. “What does it smell like?”

I took another breath before responding to her. “Like pine trees and earthy spices.”

She lifted her eyebrow while looking at me. “I don’t smell anything like that.”

Just then I felt a burning sensation on the back of my head as someone was staring at me. My body tensed and my wolf froze in her pacing. My breath stuck in my throat as I slowly turned around and looked up towards the direction I felt the person staring at me was coming from. My eyes widened and the air left my lungs as my eyes locked with the most beautiful ocean blues I had ever seen. My heart skipped a beat and everything around us faded away.

The man I had locked eyes with was absolute perfection. With long white hair that he had pulled in a man bun and a god like body carved to perfection. His muscles straining against his black jeans and half-unbuttoned black shirt. Even from where he was sitting, resting his head on one of his hands that rested on the armrest of his throne, I could feel his powerful aura. A golden crown was resting on his head and a deep frown etched on his face.

‘Mate.’ Artemis whispered; concern laced in her voice at our mate’s reaction to seeing us. ‘I don’t think mate wants us.’

‘I don’t think he does.’ I sighed frowning as well. ‘Remember, everyone outside of our pack believes we are just an omega. He may believe we are too weak to be his mate.’

Artemis whimpered and crawled back to the back of my mind. It was no secret that the men of our world that held a title of power wanted to be with the strongest mates they could. Whenever one of them bonded to someone they saw as weak, they would immediately reject them for someone else. Still, I did not remove my eyes from him. I could see the disappointment in his face, and it began to shatter my heart. He did not make any attempt to move, not even when he began to speak to the man standing beside him. Only once he stopped speaking did he suddenly stand and walk away. Tears were pushing on the brim of my eyes as I took note that the man, he spoke to was beginning to make his way down the stairs towards us.

“Anna,” I chocked back the tears. “I want to leave now.”

“What? Why?” she questioned looking down at me. “We just got here.”

“I just really want to go now,” I drew in a breath before I turned back towards the doors and began walking. By how my mate had been looking at us and I knew what was coming.

“Okay,” Anna frowned catching up to me. “But you owe me an explanation when we get back to my room.”

I just nodded my head as we pushed back through the crowd.

“Excuse me, miss,” a deep voice stopped us from walking through the door. I did not bother to turn around; I had an idea of who it was and by his aura I could tell he was a beta. “The King would like a word with you.”

“The king wants to talk to you?” Anna gasped. My shoulders dropped as I realized I could not escape this now.

So, I turned the mountain of man who was watching me with pity in eyes. Nodding my head before following him and leaving my friend behind.

The man, who introduced himself as Beta Sausakee, lead me down four hallways before stopping at a door left slightly open. He bowed his head, motioning for me to enter the room before he walked away again. With shaking hands, I pushed the door open and stepped into the dimly lit room. Not bothering to close the door behind me and remaining close to the exit. The room turned out to be a massive office with its own living room and two large desks one on each side of the room. There was even a small library within the room. On the far wall, which happened to be floor to ceiling windows, stood my mate. His back turned to me as he stared out into the clear and calm night.

“So,” his deep baritone voice sent chills through my body, “You are my mate?”

“It would appear so,” I whispered standing near the doors. He sounded so disappointed when he spoke to me. As though being my mate was the worst thing in the world and he was acting like it was disgusting to even be in the same spa