Prisoner Of The Prophecy
1281 Words
In the thick, dark forest, the screams and cries had long faded. Only the sounds of night crickets, frogs, and heavy footsteps could be heard.
Luna Zelda took slow breaths throughout the journey. She was already growing exhausted, and the pain in her abdomen was intensifying. Yet, she was not ready to give birth to her child.
Not under captivity.
This child was her pack's ultimate hope.
"Where are you taking me? From which pack are you?" Zelda finally said, breaking the long silence.
She was ignored.
"Hello?" she called out again.
But it seemed as though she was invisible to them. No one seemed to care at all. Zelda sighed. She turned her head and looked back, hoping Alden would somehow show up and rescue her. They were just a few feet away from stepping out of their territory.
"Face front!" someone commanded sharply.
Zelda chuckled weakly. "So, you can talk," she murmured, facing forward.
A few minutes later, she stood before the rushing river that marked the end of her territory. Crossing to the other side meant entering a completely different world.
"Move it!" the same man who had spoken earlier barked.
Zelda hesitated. She pressed her hand firmly against her swollen stomach, her body shaking from the cold and the pain.
"I said move it!"
The man gave her a harsh shove.
Splash!
She tumbled straight into the freezing water.
"Ah!" Zelda's scream pierced the night air.
One man in the group, clearly the leader, rushed forward and helped her back to her feet.
"Are you okay?" His voice was soft, unlike the first man's.
Zelda looked at him, then nodded slowly.
He turned around to face the guard who had pushed her.
"Watch it! Weren't we ordered to bring them back alive and unscratched? Will you pay for it if any of them die? What if she is the one carrying the prophesied Moon Princess?" he fired.
The rude guard quickly bowed his head.
"I am sorry," he muttered.
It hit Zelda then that the man who had just helped her might be the Beta to the Alpha.
The thought of her bearing the Moon Princess made her laugh inwardly. She was just a lowly Omega who had happened to be favored by the Moon Goddess to be Alpha's mate. It was only by luck that she had become Luna.
Bearing the Moon Princess was the last thing on her mind.
As soon as she stepped out of the river onto the opposite bank, she felt a sharp kick in her tummy that almost made her crumble. Her legs turned completely to jelly.
"Are you okay?" the Beta asked, watching her closely.
"I am fine," she muttered, forcing herself to compose her posture.
A strange, violent wind swept past, making Zelda shiver. If only she had a wolf, she could have summoned her to help keep her body warm.
From afar, she could see a faint light and figures moving through the trees. As they approached, the light grew brighter, and she realized the moving shapes were actually people walking to and fro. The faint cries of newborn pups hit her ears.
"It's Luna Zelda!" someone exclaimed from the darkness.
As she walked deeper into the camp, her heart tightened. Women from her pack were seated around a blazing fire. Some were carrying newborn pups wrapped in thin clothes with blood staining their clothes, while others still had their bulging tummies.
"Fu**"the prophecy," Zelda cursed under her breath.
She hastened her footsteps toward the women, and the men who had escorted her immediately spread out. Some kept watch while others disappeared into the tents. It looked as though the ambush had been planned long ago. The camp was well-kept, and the tents didn't look like they had been put up overnight.
"Luna Zelda!" a familiar voice called out from among the captives.
"Rowon!"
Zelda walked quickly toward her. As she approached, she heard the soft cry of the pup in Rowon's arms. She slowed her steps, ignoring her own escalating pain, and knelt beside her.
Looking at Rowon, she could see the heavy tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Rowon had been Zelda's best friend since they were pups, and they had also become sisters-in-law. Rowon was Alden's younger sister.
A deep guilt settled in Zelda's chest. She looked at the little soul in Rowon's arms, and a single tear rolled down her own cheek.
"I am sorry, Rowon," she whispered, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Rowon shook her head, a tear caressing her cheek.
"It is not your fault, Luna."
Rowon's soft voice made Zelda's tears drop as well. She looked around, and her heart broke completely at the view before her. She stood up and wiped her face.
"Who is in charge of this place?" she demanded, pure anger written all over her face.
"I said, who is in charge of this place?" she barked again.
"I am," the Beta said, stepping forward.
Zelda clenched her hands into tight fists as she marched directly toward him.
"We understand we are mere hostages, but is this an environment fit for women to give birth?" she fired.
A few moments of silence
"From which pack are you?" she asked.
"Crimson Moon Pack," the Beta answered.
The name made her heart skip. The Crimson Moon Pack was very far from the Crescent Moon Pack. Even in wolf form, the journey would take months.
“Crimson Moon Pack?” She narrowed her eyes in disbelief.
‘ How had they managed to bypass the other packs without their notice?’
She brushed off the thought.
"I understand your frustrations, but you must thank the Moon Goddess that it is the Crimson Moon Pack that captured you and not any other pack." The Beta continued.
She chuckled softly and clenched her jaw tightly.
‘Thank the Moon Goddess?’ She scoffed.
How could she thank the same Goddess who had allowed her people to be violently ripped from their homes?
"If it were other packs, these women wouldn't have had the privacy to give birth," the Beta argued.
"But we have our special midwives with us who help the women with the utmost care."
Zelda looked around. Her eyes fell on the women sitting around the fire, their tired faces and their newborn pups. She hated to admit it, but the Beta's words held some truth. Both the women and the pups were alive.
Yet, they were still prisoners.
"If it were some other pack, I am sure you know all these pups who are not the Moon Princess would have been long dead," he muttered coldly.
Zelda's heart tightened, and her hand instinctively moved down to protect her stomach.
The Moon Princess prophecy
That prophecy had already taken so much from them. Families had been torn apart, and innocent women had been captured, all because of a child who had not even taken her first breath.
"But still..." Her voice softened slightly.
“What did we do to deserve such treatment?"
"If anyone is to blame, then you must blame, blame the Moon Goddess for cursing your pack."A tiny voice echoed from behind Zelda.
The voice was young yet it had a strange confidence.
Luna, Zelda and the rest looked at the little boy. The beta straightened and the other men bowed.
A boy, perhaps eight years old, stood before her with his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
“And who are you?” She asked, studying him.
"Me?" The little boy chuckled.
He lifted his chin proudly as a smirk spread across his face.
"I am the future Alpha of the Crimson Moon Pack," he said nonchalantly.
- Writer
