The Luna Witch

Ivy stretched out in her bed as the light streamed in through the crack in the curtains on the window across the room. She heard her back click a couple of times as she reached her arms above her and let out a groan. The evening wasn’t as awful as she had expected – a pre-party downstairs normally kept her awake until the early hours of the morning, but last night’s ended surprisingly early. She pushed her blanket off of her legs and swung them over the edge of the bed, touching her feet on the cold wooden floor and sitting on the edge of the mattress as she woke up a bit more. The sound of Mia snoring softly made her smile and bought her a comforting sense of security as it always did. Her best friend was more like her sister, the only person she had left who she could call family. She looked over at the clock that sat on the dresser between the two beds – 06:45am. “15 more minutes” she whispered to herself, pushing off of the mattress and standing straight, stretching once more. Mia was always a grump in the morning, so Ivy knew how an extra 15 minutes would make all the difference to her. It became routine now, to let her snooze for 15 more minutes whilst she got ready, always leaving Mia’s clothes out for her so it was an easy change before they had to go downstairs to start breakfast. Ivy and Mia had been given living quarters on the top floor of the pack house, a place they had specifically reserved for the house maids. They had been with the Waning Moon pack for 2 years now, but they never felt any sense of acceptance from them. 2 years prior, at 16 years old, both girls were part of the now disbanded Blood Moon pack. Their Alpha, Tydus, had been thwarted by the two rival packs that lived either side of them. It wasn’t surprising to the girls – Tydus had been breaking laws and making enemies ever since he took over as Alpha. He had banned the use of magic in their pack, which had rendered Ivy and her mother useless among many other families who relied on income from the trading of their use of magic. It had become such an issue to him that he introduced the execution of those found to be practicing magic, making them public executions in an attempt to frighten those still practicing in secret from doing so. He declared war on the neighbouring packs, among other things, and brainwashed his soldiers into fighting for his side. Anyone who refused was killed for treason. Ivy’s mother and father had refused to be part of the war of a madman, along with Mia’s parents and family. Doing so, they placed a target on all of their backs. The two girls and their families tried to flee after being sought out by the soldiers of their Alpha. Only Ivy and Mia had escaped with their lives. The neighbouring Waning Moon pack had taken them in – out of pity, maybe. None of the pack members besides their Alpha took kindly to them thanks to the choices their Alpha had made and the lives he had changed since declaring war. Being taken in as maids was a blessing for them. Ivy sighed as she stood before the mirror, gripping the edge of the dresser and taking a shaky breath in. She did not look at her own reflection much anymore. Not only was she the spitting image of her mother, she saw how fragile she was every single time she laid eyes on herself. Ivy wasn’t an unattractive girl, by any means. Red hair and brown eyes, she took after her mother in both looks and height. Curvy around her bust and hips, she even had her body type. Ivy had always joked she never got any looks from her father, instead inheriting his fiercely protective nature and self-worth. Something which had since been broken, another reason she hated looking in the mirror. Ivy shook her head, looking up as she grabbed a crocodile clip from the dresser and pulled half of her hair back, so it was out of her eyes. The uniform she was expected to wear hung on the door of the wardrobe beside Mia’s. It was an ugly thing – a grey smock dress, off white peter pan collar and a white apron they had to tie around their waists, complete with kitten-heeled shoes. Ivy pulled her night gown off and tossed it onto the bed, scratching her back as she pulled her only bra out of the dresser, clipping it around her chest as she walked over to the wardrobe and pulled the smock dress off of the door. “Mia, time to get up” she called, reaching behind her and zipping up the back. “Mmm” Mia grunted from the bed, making Ivy smile fondly. “Come on, we have breakfast to do” Ivy said, tying the apron around her waist. “Fine” Mia grumbled, kicking off the blanket into a pile on the floor in protest. Ivy snorted in laughter at her best friend as she held out her dress toward her, Mia’s puffy eyes barely open as she yawned widely. “Breakfast”, Mia mumbled, Ivy sitting on the edge of her bed to pull on her shoes. “It’s today, too, so we’ll have to clear up last nights mess” Ivy replied, Mia groaning again in response. Today was a big day for the Waning Moon pack. Their youngest son was finally at the age to shift into his wolf, which was a celebration in itself. As well as that, the new Alpha King was visiting the pack. Ivy had heard about him briefly, catching parts of the conversation that Clarissa, the eldest daughter of Waning Moon, had been saying to her friends whilst they spent their morning getting their beauty routine out of the way. He was a few years older than Ivy. At 24, he was the youngest King they had seen in centuries. Ivy had never seen him before, not even in photos, as she rarely had the opportunity to take a step back and look at the images of him from when he was younger. His visit was a big one for the pack – he had not yet found his mate, and every pack hoped that their royal-blooded children would be the one for him. The night before, the young boys had been partying in excited preparation for the arrival of the King – if one was accepted into his group, they would also join his ranks. It was a big day for everyone, except for Ivy and Mia. All this meant to them was another long day of hard work and the inevitable long job the next day after the celebrations had finished. “Ready?” Mia asked, pulling Ivy out of her daydream. “Ready” Ivy nodded, standing up and brushing her hands down her uniform before stepping out into the corridor and pulling the door closed behind her. They were usually one of the first people awake at this time, closely followed by the soldiers that trained each morning. Michael, the youngest who was due his first shift today, was also meant to be training with them, but Ivy and Mia both knew that he would be in no fit shape this morning to partake in any activities – at least, not until they had made breakfast for him. The Waning Moon pack did not utilise the girl’s magic outwardly, the practice having been something that had never happened in their pack before. The Alpha and his family, however, were very happy for the girls to keep using their magic solely for them – although it wasn’t always something they wanted to do, they knew how blessed they were to be allowed to continue, even if it was in secret. “What do we reckon, hangover this morning?” Mia asked. “I reckon hangover for Michael this morning, but I doubt Hugh will have the guts to ask for another one unless he wants a scolding from the Luna”, Ivy answered as they walked down the stairs. Hugh was the eldest son of the Alpha and Luna, Jacob and Lila, and was very fond of overdoing it on party nights, much to the annoyance of Lila. “Clarissa will of course come for morning beauty” Mia said as they reached the bottom floor and walked into the kitchen. “Anxiety for Lila, I’ve heard her worried pacing and heart all night” Ivy said, Mia nodding in acknowledgement. “What about Alpha?” Mia asked as Ivy walked over to the fridge and pulled open the door. “Hmm… I don’t actually know this morning” Ivy said, picking up the packets of bacon and carton of eggs from the breakfast shelf and closing the door with her hip. “I’ll get to work on the others, we can always ask” Mia said, walking over to the cupboard containing the box of herbs the girls kept hidden behind the sugar. Ivy smiled at her best friend and walked over to the counter, placing down the ingredients she needed and pulling out the jars and pots she would use. Every after-party morning was the same – bacon and eggs for breakfast and a herbal tea specifically made by either Ivy or Mia, each one differing to suit the needs of the person drinking it. Ivy cracked the eggs into a glass jug and sprinkled in a little salt and pepper, whisking them furiously with a splash of milk. They could hear the others stirring from their sleep, letting them know they only had few minutes before they would bombard the kitchen and the work day would fully begin.