The Banished Luna

"Are you sure about this, Brother?" The Luna of Snowbright pack asked as she prepared the small, simple room for their expected guest. Devoid of any real comfort, it was more a cell than a bedroom. Alpha Torvald nodded, "North Star pack are influential across the globe, and are distant cousins of ours. I'd prefer to remain on good terms with them. Plus, their Alpha offered a sizable donation to our eduction program. We'll be able to take on at least a dozen new pupils." Luna Erika straightened and brushed off her apron, signaling the completion of her task. "Don't forget to leave an offering for the hillfolk before the brat arrives. We'll need all the help we can get, from what I heard." "I won't forget." Georgia had been sitting outside the remote airstrip for several hours, waiting for her escort to the Snowbright pack. Her adoptive father was dead by the Alpha's hand, and she'd been banished for her involvement in her failed coup with the man who raised her. At least we weren't forced to be rogues. Georgia's wolf, Geneva, tried to reassure her. But it was no use. Everyone she knew and loved was either dead, or had abandoned her. Now, she was stuck in this barren subarctic wasteland. "I might as well be a rogue..." Georgia muttered tearily. The tinkling of bells caught her attention as a team of two reindeer pulling a cart jogged into view. "You!" The driver called to her. He was dressed in bright red and blue clothing; the cheery colors in stark contrast to his severe and weathered expression. He motioned for her to put her bags in the back of the cart, but made no move to climb down and help her. Instead, he watched her with disapproving eyes as she struggled to haul her trunk and suitcases into the cart, then climb in. The driver cracked the reins smartly and the cart pulled forward, jostling Georgia and her belongings around. The young woman huddled in the corner of the cart clutching her backpack to her chest. Less than a week ago, she'd been the Luna of a strong pack, convinced that she was bearing the child of the Alpha. She was a fool. The trip seemed to last forever. As the sky darkened, they pulled into a small camp of tents. Everyone was dressed in bright colors and gathering around the cart, greeting the driver. They paid no attention to the forlorn girl in the back of the cart. In fact, they seemed to be purposefully ignoring her. A child pointed to Georgia and spoke words that she didn't understand, but a young woman, presumably her mother, quickly pulled the child away and shooed her into one of the tents. The man hopped down from the driver's seat and unharnessed the reindeer. As he led them away, he shot a glance at Georgia. "Stay." He commanded in a tone that left no room for questions. The previously-pampered young woman wouldn't stray even if she was allowed to - there was nothing but scrub, hills and tundra for miles in every direction. Where could she even go? Despite her human counterpart's fear and apprehension, Geneva was restless. I want to run. I need to run. She demanded. "Are you crazy?" Georgia hissed. "These are humans!" She couldn't help but notice that several of the men carried rifles. There were probably polar bears out there. You're a coward. Geneva growled in the back of her mind. Ever since that night in the woods when Alpha Rhys' wolf, crazed from the lustful effects of a synthetic pheromone, forced himself on her, Geneva had become increasingly bitter. She was angry that Georgia let herself get caught up in her Xavier's politics; that she was soft and spoiled, even when faced with a challenge. In her eyes, her human counterpart didn't have what it took to be a strong Luna, worthy of her royal legacy. As the rift between the woman and her wolf grew, so did Georgia's sense of self become more and more shattered. She tried to remain stoic as she waited in the back of the uncomfortable wooden cart. Before long, a blonde woman approached her with a sleeping bag and a pillow. Without a word, the woman handed her the items and hurried away. "Wait! Where am I supposed to sleep?" Georgia called after her, but the woman had already ducked into a nearby tent. "Hello? Isn't anybody going to help me?" She called to the folk milling around the camp. The cart driver was instantly at the side of the cart shushing her sharply. "You sleep." He pointed to the bed of the cart, then touched the sleeping bag, "Very warm, yes!" Then, he fumbled in his pocket and pulled out what looked like handful of dark brown wrinkled cardboard and held it out to her, motioning with his other hand that it was to eat. It's dried reindeer. Geneva's wolf-nose picked up the scent almost instantly. You should eat. Georgia wrinkled her nose at the offered food and shook her head. The driver shrugged and put the jerky onto her lap, then walked away. It was the same routine for 4 straight days. Days of bumping around in the cart and cold nights in a sleeping bag, handfuls of dried meat and occasional dark tart berries, and camps full of strangers who ignored her. By the time they rattled up to the impressive Snowbright village, Georgia was tired, sore, hungry and very, very cranky. Even Geneva remained silent in the back of Georgia's mind, not wanting to deal with the pending tantrum that she knew would burst free at any moment. Smoke curled up from the chimneys of dozens of longhouses, which was the only kind of building Georgia saw as they approached the largest of them. At the door was a small group gathered, looking just as severe as the folk she saw along the way. "Do these people ever smile?" She muttered under her breath. Geneva didn't respond. The cart pulled up to the longhouse and the older man handed the driver a parcel, clasped his hand, then stepped back and all the group bowed deeply. The driver bowed his head in return, waited until Georgia was out of the cart, then chirruped his reindeer and took off back into the bleak landscape. Georgia watched a few of the children take her luggage into the longhouse as she stood awkwardly in front of the group of a dozen or so people. They were dressed in a curious mix of modern and old fashioned-dress, and most sported the same white-blonde hair, pale skin, and keen gray eyes. It's like something out of a horror film, she thought, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Finally, the older woman spoke, "Welcome to Snowbright Pack, Georgia Napelli, formerly of North Star Pack. I am Luna Erika Einarsdottir, and this is my brother, Alpha Torvald Einarsson..." Luna Erika noticed the look of disgust cross the girl's face, and without missing a beat, explained. "I understand that in North America, a Luna and Alpha are usually a mated pair. Here, only the Alpha must have royal blood. The Luna is chosen by the Goddess herself, regardless of lineage." Geneva's ears perked up at this. Maybe this place is our second chance to be Luna! But Georgia ignored her other self. She didn't care about being Luna anymore. The Luna continued. "Usually, we would prepare a feast for the arrival of a guest, but seeing that you are here as a banished traitor, you will instead stay in your room for three days, doing penance for your wrongdoing. After that, it is your duty to integrate into pack life here as Omega."