Luna’s Soul

The Elders

Lily didn’t speak as Gabriel helped her into the backseat of his car. She didn’t speak when he slid in beside her, either.

Her porcelain face was flushed— and Gabriel was already getting a good sense of her emotions, and he could tell she was irritated. He decided not to push it— the situation she was in definitely meant she was more than able to feel whatever she wanted to feel.

Gabriel looked over at her and frowned. Remy was waiting patiently up front, expecting Gabriel to tell him to head to the Council Hall.

Eyeing Lily where she sat in the backseat— she looked very small and fragile. And she also wasn’t wearing her seatbelt.

Nightmarish images of Lily flying through a windshield if they were to crash came to the forefront of his mind. Her small face, covered in blood and glass.

“Put on your seatbelt, please.” He told her:

She looked over at him, confused. “What?”

“Put on your seatbelt. You wouldn’t fare as well as I would in a crash, and I only just found you. I don’t plan on losing you to a car accident. Put it on.”

He knew he sounded bossy, and by the way Lily was gritting her teeth, he knew it pissed her off. But she grabbed the seatbelt and pulled it over her, clicking it into place.

“Alpha. Luna.” Remy greeted formally. Lily’s eyes widened a little at her new title— but he wasn’t surprised that Remy was using it already. Her title was a sign of respect and adoration from the pack. “Shall we get going?”

Gabriel gave him a small smile. “Lily, this is Remy. My driver and a dear friend.”

“Oh. Hi.” Lily didn’t sound overly impressed. She stared out her window, barely glancing up at him.

Remy didn’t let it affect him though— and he continued to show respect for his Luna-to-be. “It’s a pleasure, Luna, to finally meet you.”

Lily didn’t respond. She continued staring out the window as Remy put the car into drive. Her ice blue, almost white eyes seemed to glow almost in her reflection in the glass. Gabriel wondered what the council would say about her moon blessed eyes— and if it would shock them.

The eyes were slightly awe-inspiring at first— someone so clearly blessed by the Goddess that it glowed like moonlight in her irises. And that was exactly the shade— white with a blue hue, like the moon as it hung in the night sky, with a ring of blue on the outer edges.

Gabriel sighed, his hand twitching as he ached to touch his mate. He ached to soothe her— to calm whatever emotions she was feeling, but he couldn’t, because he knew he’d caused them. And that made him angry.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the Council Hall, and Gabriel got out to go over and open the door for Lily.

Two huge warriors were stationed out front of the marble building. Gabriel put his hand on Lily’s back— his hand burning like it was on fire as he did— and guided her up the steps.

The warriors stood next to two large marble columns on either side of the main doorway. As Gabriel approached, they lowered themselves to one knee and barred their necks to him in a sign of submission.

Gabriel nodded approvingly.

“Alpha Gabriel.” They greeted in unison.

Gabriel made his way past them, gently guiding Lily along, whose red face was shocked and confused now as to what was happening. Gabriel gently rubbed his hand across her back in an attempt to soothe her.

It seemed to work— her heart rate slowed to a more normal thud, and Gabriel smiled at the effect he had on her.

“Nothing to worry about. They were showing respect,” he whispered to her.

She pursed her lips, but didn’t respond.

Gabriel followed the long hall inside with the noble grey wallpaper and ivory tile all the way to the double doors at the end, where he knew the council was in session and waiting. He stood by the door, his hand still on Lily’s back, and faltered before he entered.

His wolf wasn’t happy. In fact, he was snarling— wondering why Gabriel was putting his mate on display in front of a bunch of old Alpha’s and Beta’s. What they thought didn’t matter—- Lily would be his Luna.

Gabriel sighed, glancing over at the Angel beside him, who currently looked terrified and even smaller than usual.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Gabriel opened the door, and he and Lily stepped inside, the door latching shut behind them.

The inside of the council room was much different than outside— the council room was dimly lit, mostly by very dull light fixtures and glowing candles. The elders sat at a crescent shaped board room table, a huge tapestry of the Snow Moon pack insignia hanging behind them. A white wolf, her mouth open in mid-howl, and a black wolf gently curled around her body as if he were comforting her.

Lily shivered, and her knees began to tremble. She was acutely aware of the fact that she was the only human in the room.

Gabriel seemed to know this, too, because as they approached the giant crescent shaped table to stand at the podium in front of it, he pushed her slightly behind him.

Lily examined the men sitting at the table through the gap next to Gabriel’s shoulder.

Just three men sat at the table— and Lily immediately identified the man in the center as Gabriel’s father. His face was stoic, and showed no emotion. He was handsome— he had salt and pepper hair that was cropped short, and his sun-tanned skin showed very little aging. His features, though, were almost a mirror of Gabriel’s— masculine and classically handsome. He had a scruffy salt and pepper beard that was well groomed.

The man to his left must have been Gabriel’s grandfather— still large and burly even in his old age, but softer and old. Honestly, the man looked like he might die any moment. His movements as he shuffled a paper in front of him were slow and uncoordinated, but his eyes were sharp and alert.

The man to the right looked to be about his father’s age— mid forties. Unlike the man beside him, he had no grey hair— just a thick mass of black curls that framed very blue eyes.

One thing all three men had in common— they were massive, just like Gabriel.

“My son,” the man in the middle greeted with a nod. “I see you have brought your new Luna.”

Lily shivered. The authority in the man’s voice made her want to hit her knees, and she wasn’t sure why.

Gabriel’s hand curled around his back, to wrap protectively around Lily. “Yes, Council. I have.”

“But you are shielding your mate,” the old man croaked. “Let her step forward, Alpha. She will come upon no harm here.”

Very carefully and much to Lily’s dismay, Gabriel grabbed her hand and towed her forward to stand by his side. Where his skin touched hers, sparks shot up her arm, which didn’t help her anxiety.

And Lily stood there, knees trembling, as the three men in front of her stared at her.

But it was Gabriel’s father that startled her the most. His eyes traveled across her form, from her head to her toes, before finally landing back on her eyes, and meeting her gaze without fear.

She couldn’t do anything but stare back.

“She is Moon Blessed,” his voice boomed out. “Her eyes are a touch from the Goddess herself. But yet she is no wolf.”

Lily couldn’t help but feeling like a prized pig presented at the county fair, even as she questioned what he meant about her eyes and her hands got clammy.

The man next to Gabriel’s father raised an eyebrow. “Surely that means she is destined for her role as Luna, Charles. I have never heard of a human being blessed by the Goddess.”

Gabriel’s grandfather spoke next. “What could a human possibly know about being a Luna?“ his voice was sharp. “There has never been a human Luna in our history. Her duties of providing an heir may not even be able to be—“

Gabriel growled, silencing his grandfather. She looked up at him in shock, and he looked menancing. He slowly pushed her back behind him.

Providing an heir?

Lily felt sick.

Was that was this was about? Was this role she was destined for to be a baby mill? Was she going to be forced into providing Gabriel with a child?

Over her dead body.

She would die before being forced into s*x. She would even do it herself.

Gabriel’s words brought her little peace. “I think it’s a tad early for talk of an heir, grandfather. Lily has only just arrived in Snow Moon. She’s very confused, and I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your thoughts to yourself when concerning the intimate details of my relationship with my mate.”

Lily sighed in relief, but that small bit of relief she felt did nothing to keep her legs from feeling like they may collapse out of fear.

“Very well,” Gabriel’s grandfather groaned.

Gabriel’s father cleared his throat before addressing Lily directly.

“Hello, little Luna,” he purred. He gave her a smile— a smile that actually seemed warm and sincere.

Lily poked her head out slightly from behind Gabriel’s back to look at him.

“Hi,” she whispered. Her voice sounded very small in comparison to the men in the room.

“Where are you from, child?”

Lily swallowed. “I grew up in Montana, but I’m not sure where I’m really from. I don’t know my parents.”

He tapped his chin. “A mystery, indeed.”

Charles sat up straighter, clearing his throat. He looked back at his son.

“Per usual, the pack doctor should come to your home to give her a clean bill of health,” he told his son. “Otherwise, the Council sees so reason to intervene with your new Luna at this time. I know you two have much to discuss, so we will be patient.”

Charles looked back at me and gave me a small smile.

“Welcome to Snow Moon, Luna Lily.”