The Claimed Promise

The Turning

My time with Lindsey flies by and before I know it, Tristan is knocking on the door.

“Queen Luna, it is time for me to take you to prepare for the turning.” Without hesitating, I rise, hug Lindsey, and follow Tristan. No matter what happens tonight, I want to be strong for Samara. She brought me here, claimed me as her mate and I need to show her that her faith wasn’t misplaced.

Tristan takes me back up to my room and two maids are waiting by my door.

“These ladies will help you get ready for this evening. The traditional clothing usually worn has been set out for you on the bed.” Tristan’s eyes met mine and I could sense his worry.

“Everything is going to be fine, Tristan. What is supposed to be will come to pass tonight. Just know, I loved your Alpha with all my heart; well before having a wolf and she is definitely capable of leading this pack without a mate.” A smile is plastered to my face in reassurance, but deep down my heart races and I panic about the possibilities this evening brings.

As soon as I’m in my room, I’m ushered into the bathroom to shower. I make quick work of this task and as soon as I’m done, I quickly dry, wrap my body in a towel and exit the bathroom to find both women are waiting for me. Before I can even speak to them, they have a hold of me and sit me in a chair to begin working with my hair. My long thick brown hair usually caused me a great deal of struggle, but they made quick work of it and had it in a beautiful, braided bun sitting gracefully on the top of my head. On the bed lay a very stunning shimmering blue dress. Before long I was in it and every curve of my body was hugged and accentuated by the dress. I stare in the mirror, the reflection staring back at me is confident and beautiful; my feelings don’t match the image at all.

Letting out a sigh, I allow the two women to lead me out of the room where Tristan takes over and leads me to the elevator. Tristan hits the button to take us to the first floor and the doors close. My heart is racing a mile a minute and for a moment, I feel lightheaded. Tristan reaches out and braces me so that I do not fall to the ground just as the elevator digs open. He leads me through the first floor to the throne room and I take one final breath before we enter.

Cheers erupt all around us as we step in, and I’m caught off guard by how many are in attendance. The Throne room has rows of people standing on either side with a path down the middle that leads to a table surrounded by medical equipment and two thrones directly behind the set up. Standing in front of the throne on the left is Samara and just seeing her helps calm me down and steady my heartbeat. As the rows of people come to an end, I glance over to see to my dismay, Claudia is one of the people in the front row and she is giving me the dirtiest look she can muster. Instead of returning her look, I marched straight up to Samara and kissed her in front of the entire pack. The pack erupts into louder cheers than before and I feel confident that I’m ready to start the process.

After recovering from the kiss, Samara holds her hands up and the room is quiet within seconds.

“Thank you all for coming to see the turning of my beautiful mate and your Queen Luna!” The pack all clap and cheer but quickly quiet down again. “It is customary before we start for the individual who is to be turned to say a few words. Kora, would you like to take this moment to address the pack?” Her eyes were twinkling expectantly at me and I stepped forward to speak.

“Thank you all for attending tonight to watch me be turned. I want to assure everyone here that no matter what happens, my only interest is what is the best for the pack, and I truly believe that The Moon Goddess will make that clear tonight.” Everyone cheers and claps louder than before, everyone except Claudia. Our eyes locked for a moment and, without a second thought, I turned and crawled onto the table. Silence spreads through the room in an ominous fashion and within a few moments, a pack doctor has an IV in and has hooked me up to several machines. Samara is then hooked up by IV to my infusion bag and all that’s left is to open the port.

Samara leans in and gives me a light kiss. “Are you ready, Kora?”

Tears threatened to fall, and I nodded my head once, determined not to cry.

“Open the port.” Samara’s confident command echoed loudly in the now silent throne room. The doctor complies and her blood begins to enter my body.

At first, I didn’t feel much. There’s a warm feeling in my arm and I begin to feel like I worked myself up for nothing. At least, I thought that until it started to burn. Every part of my body felt like I was on fire; my blood felt like it was being replaced with lava. In an attempt to stop myself from crying out, I grit my teeth and ball my hands into fists.

“You can do this, Kora. You’re meant to be my mate.” Samara’s words are all I hear as everything goes black from the pain. The burning in my body has stopped and all the pain has vanished. s**t. I died. I really wasn’t worthy… A bright light begins to shine, and soon beautiful scenery fills the darkness. A small pond with a large tree covered in almost sparkling pink leaves hovering over it has come into view now. Next to the pond is an absolutely beautiful woman sitting on a rock looking at me and every part of me relaxes the closer I get to her.

“Hello, my child. Please, come closer so that we may speak.”

Her features come into view and the only way I could ever describe is as a Goddess. Hair as white as snow falls down her back, well past her waist, and the ice-blue eyes that appear like crystals bore into my own. The woman’s attire is just as beautiful, her dress is almost white with a small hint of blue and every inch of it glitters like diamonds.

“Am I dead?” The bluntness surprises even myself, but I can’t help it. How can I be seeing someone like this if I’m not dead?

As if I’ve said something hilarious, the woman in front of me breaks into laughter. A smile is spread across her beautiful features as she regains her composure.

“No, Kora, you are definitely not dead. Actually, I would consider this more of the opposite. I can tell from the bewildered look on your face you don’t understand what is going on. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Selene, but you probably know me as The Moon Goddess.”

“You’re The Moon Goddess? I can’t believe it. This is amazing. So, when someone is worthy at a turning, they get to meet you?”

“Well, no. Usually, I decide if someone is worthy and send them their wolf without ever meeting them. The proof that they were deemed worthy is the fact that they wake up. After a few days, they’ll be able to fully connect with their wolf and shift for the first time. This meeting is very special, Kora. I know Samara explained to you about her family being promised a mate a very long time ago. These kinds of promises can only occur with my blessing and by a blood oath.” The smile has faded, but her face still remains soft as she explains things to me.

“You see, my children are struggling. Some packs have turned away from the royal family and focus on seeking power. So, I decided long ago I would pick someone completely separated from the werewolf community to fix it, and that’s when I picked you.” Selene’s eyes began to glow and for a moment they glazed over. Within a few moments, an extremely large wolf had appeared at her side. Aside from being absolutely huge, the wolf is beyond compare beautiful. The wolf’s fur is white with almost a silver streak through it. At the tips of the ears the fur is light blue, almost white like Selene’s dress. Along the legs, the same light blue can be seen in swirling patterns; at the tops of the legs, at the shoulder, a very distinct crescent moon shape can be seen. Scattered shimmering silver fur is seen along parts of the tail and mixed with the fur covering the body. Tears stream down my cheeks at the beauty before me.

“Why do you cry my child?” Selene’s concern wasn’t missed in her tone.

“I’m crying because I can’t believe the magnificent creature you’ve summoned. That wolf is truly the most beautiful animal I’ve ever seen.” My words clearly pleased the wolf because I noticed a wag of the tail.

Selene also smiles and nods. “Yes, she is quite beautiful, isn’t she? Her name is Arezu, and she is going to be your wolf. Arezu is a very special wolf, and the blood Samara has given you will be replaced. Samara’s blood is as close to my own as any wolf can get without having my own directly. You, Kora, will have this. From this point on, as long as you accept Arezu and the responsibilities that will follow, you will be my direct descendent with many gifts.” A serious look has spread across her face, and I know what I’m going to do already.

“Selene, Moon Goddess, your gift will not be wasted. I accept Arezu as my wolf and only have the best interest for the pack in my heart.”

Our eyes stay locked for what feels like forever and her serious look is again replaced with a smile.

“Your heart is true, and you speak directly from your heart. When you awake, you and Arezu will already be one, but heed this warning my child. You will be tested in many ways and if your heart does not remain true, instead of uniting my children, you will bring about their destruction. Follow your heart, Kora, and always trust your wolf.”

Arezu stands and begins to run towards me. For a moment, it seems like we will collide, but instead, her body absorbs into my own and a feeling of strength surges through me.

After what I can only assume is me and Arezu becoming one is completed, everything begins to pull away from me and become distant.

“You are worthy, Kora. Embrace the power I’ve given you and unite the packs…” Selene’s voice fades away and blackness has again consumed me.