Wisteria

My life up until my 18th birthday reads something like a fairy tale. Looking back on it now, it definitely is more like the old Greek tragic comedies you learned about in high school. I don't like to lament too much, but the best place to start is always from the beginning, right? I don't know who the people that created me are or were. My tale doesn't start with two people in love. No, it begins on a full moon night, the shortest night of the year, the Summer Soltice, June 21st. It began with a shrill cry, the sound of the wind rustling through the moss and leaves of a giant old weeping willow that I had somehow found myself beneath. The calming sound of water softly lapping against the lake shore, as the moon shown brightly down upon my crying face. Soft, silvery curls lay atop my head, the moonlight making the grove feel mystical, with fire flies dancing, as if wil-o-wisps creating a path directly to me. My cries were soft, and I was hungry and, most importantly, very much on my own. See, isn't this like a setup for a wonderful and romantic fairy tale that children and young women often idolize? Anyway, just like any baby's cry, it caught someone's attention. In fact, it caught the attention of the Alpha and Luna of the River Song Pack. Unbeknownst to me, the two people who stumbled upon my form were the two most powerful figures in a large werewolf pack. Obviously, I was so young I wouldn't be able to tell you this if I hadn't heard this tale countless times growing up.The way Alpha Austin and His Luna Celeste tell this story is way better, and more romantic than I'll ever be able to manage. But long story short, they had been trying for years to conceive a daughter. Luna Celeste had always wanted a daughter since she was young. The couple would pray to the Moon Goddess every night diligently for a daughter, but it never happened. Well, until they found me. I was the answer to all their prayers. According to them, it was like the Moon Goddess had sent them a gift bundled in little more than a moss-green quilt, and a golden locket with the word Wisteria carved into it. To this very day, I still have these items, since they are the only clue to my true identity. But, I bet you can guess how this story goes. The kind Alpha and Luna take me in as if I'm their own child and raise me along side 4 older brothers. When I was officially adopted into the pack, my parents didn't bother giving me their last name, Gatlin. Instead, I wasn't given one. It was my mother's hope that maybe one day I'd be reunited with my family, if I did indeed have one. Even though there was that separation, where I was just Wisteria and my family were Alpha and Luna Gatlin, it never showed. No one ever made fun of me. Instead, most people found it mysterious and charming. Elijah was the oldest brother. He had the most piercing blue eyes, pale skin, black hair and rosy red lips that would make any mateless she wolf a bit weak in the knees. He was seven when I was officially taken in. Mother said that when I was an infant he would sneak into the nursery and hold my hand. He had taken a vow to always protect me. However, once I was old enough to have memories, he wasn't around too much, always busy with tasks that our father had given him so he could inherit the Alpha title. Lucas, the second oldest, was always a bit bitter when it came to the attention that the perfect Elijah always got from our father. My other brothers and mom always sensed this tension any time there was a family activity. Where Elijah had an icy prince look to him, Lucas was much his opposite. He was warm, with green eyes and shaggy brown hair that he had a habit of keeping half up. The girls that might like Elijah, found that Lucas was much more approachable. His mischievous smile most certainly charmed almost everyone around him. Where Elijah didn't really get to interact with Lucas, Oliver, Noah and I much due to him being so busy, Lucas took up the big brother roll very well. He would always make up little games to keep us entertained, since mother and father were often too busy with their duties as Alpha and Luna during the day. If one of us ever fell, or got injured, Lucas was always there with a bright smile and bandaids. I often thought of him like a knight. Strong and couragous. Oliver, the second youngest, was only about four, and Noah, the youngest, was three when I entered the household. They were the closest to my age,so we spent the most time together. Lucas pretty much baby sat all of us though. Oliver, took after him a bit in looks, with dark brown hair, tanned skin from being outside often, and the warmest brown eyes you could ever imagine. Much like Lucas though, he was strong and fast. He often trained with the warriors of the pack from a young age. The oddest brother was Noah. He was a quiet kid, kept to himself for the most part. If I or Oliver fought over a desert he'd split his between us. Noah has black hair, and stormy gray eyes, taking after mother and Elijah the most. Although Noah was a shy kid, he never fell behind in his studies like Oliver, and he never made a ruckus like Lucas. He was never perfect, like Elijah, but to me, he was the one I was the closest to. You see, where Lucas and Oliver had sports, Elijah had his duties, Noah and I fell in love with the arts. While I loved performance art, he had such a beautiful mind and wonderful creativity in writing and painting. Although all of my brothers were very different, they were each very kind and loving in their own way. We might have gotten into squabbles over this and that, but we always apologized and made up. We truly were siblings that looked after each other with great care. That's how I grew up here in the River Song Pack. Loved and cherished by this family that wasn't actually mine. ~~~~ "Wis, you up?" asked a deep warm voice that I instantly recognized as Lucas. I let out a soft groan before sitting up slowly, my Pastel pink covers bunched up messily, a clear sign of how I had spent the entire night tossing and turning, all too eager for tonight. "yeah... I guess" I grumbled, running my hand through my platinum blond curls. Slowly I opened my green eyes, and stretched, standing up from my plush giant canopy bed. The sun warmed my pale skin, as I slowly came to my senses. "Mom and Dad want you to come down for lunch. It's your big day, so I'm sure they want to have a chat with you about tonight's plans." Lucas said, stepping into my room, motioning for me to sit at my vanity table. "I was too excited to get any real sleep." I murmured, sitting down as he let out a deep chuckle. "I can tell. Let me do your hair real quick, then you can get dressed and go downstairs." Nodding, I closed my eyes and he set to work on my hair. It was relaxing to have him brush it. Lucas always did my hair before school. Over time, he got really good, and even grew out his own hair to try different styles. "I can't believe you'll be 18 at midnight. Hell, it feels just like yesterday when we were running through the woods catching frogs to put in Elijah's study when Dad said he couldn't come with us." Lucas said with a grin. I missed those days where the four of us, Lucas, Oliver, Noah and I would run around the woods, pretending to be knights and kings and faeries from stories that Mother told us before bedtime every night when tucking us in. "Heh, I remember Elijah was so shocked, grossed out and happy at the same time." I laughed softly, as I looked into the mirror. Lucas was now braiding two small pieces of my hair into a circlet around my head, leaving a few strands to curl and frame my face. An elegant and neat hair style that suited me well enough. "Yeah, well, we all grew up in the blink of an eye, huh? Noah and Oliver are coming back tonight from college. So, we'll have to make sure that you look good enough that all eyes are on you tonight." He said thoughtfully, "Luckily, we have until about 7 or so this evening." I sighed, knowing the long day of pampering and dressing up that I'd have to endure. Honestly, I felt days like this, where I was put into a ball gown, were a waste of time. I could be doing something else, like practicing my dancing, or singing. I looked at my brother through the mirror and chewed on my lower lip. "Do you think I'll meet my mate tonight?" I asked, my heart speeding up at the thought of finding the person that was supposed to love me and only me. All my life, I have dreamed of the moment that I would meet my fated partner. I had always been surrounded by romance and cliches thanks to my mother and father, who loved each other as well as us very much. I idolized that kind of romance. I wanted to have what they had so very deeply it hurt some nights when I felt lonely. Despite having such a wonderful life and family, the fact that I didn't have a last name truly stuck with me. It was so obviously the piece that I was missing to be apart of anything, or belong anywhere. Lucas thought for a moment as he took the bobby pin from between his lips, to pin the braid into place. "Not sure. You know, none of us have met ours yet. But if you're lucky, you might. Though, he better be good at doing your hair, and he better be as smart as Elijah, as strong as Oliver, and as talented as Noah if he is to ever dream of deserving such a talented and beautiful woman such as yourself." He said confidently, giving her another once over, before backing away. "Done. Now, let's go downstairs, OK?" Lucas said, holding out his arm. I giggled, and stood, linking arms with him as we strode out of my room and down the grand staircase, into the dining room. Mother and father were waiting on us patiently. Elijah, as always, was probably holed up somewhere in his study, attending to duties that our father had left for him, stressing out about things. Lucas took the seat next to our father, and I sat next to our mother. She immediately put her hand on my thigh, rubbing it affectionately as we talked and went over plans. Mother had been planning this day for the last ten years, it seems. She had every detail ironed out to perfection. Tonight, truly was going to be a magical night. "Wis," my mother called, after eating, as the maids were pulling me out of the dining hall, so the long process of getting me dressed began. "I just wanted you to know I love you." She said, beaming at me, before the door shut as I gave her a bright smile.