Rising from the Ashes of her Past (A Lunas Tale)

Many stories start off with “Once upon a time”, followed by a King and a Queen who give birth to a Princess, who’s locked away in a tower waiting for her Knight in shining armor to rescue her. This will enable them to ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after... But not every story is... How about we start from the beginning? Or the beginning I remember. The secrets of my life were buried deep within the packhouse walls, the very walls I was raised in. Secrets I didn't know existed until fate intervened. I always felt different between my family and me. However, as a young child, all I could tell you was I loved my family, no matter what they did or told me. We had a wonderful life, from what I remember, but little did I know that behind the smiles, hugs, and kisses my family held a dark secret, a secret that would change the course of my life and tear apart the family I once thought the moon goddess had blessed me with. Ten hours after I was born, I was handed over to my parents, Zeno and Eleni, Alpha, and Luna of the Mystic Shadow Pack. This is the most prestigious pack in Moorfield City. A small town just three hours outside of Denver, filled with scenic forests and lakes, you would think it was a secluded island. You should see it in winter. The snow made it look like a postcard. Mom and Dad have been together since they were young, high school sweethearts, they tell me. When they became of age, they realized they were each other’s mates. At 18, we can sense our "Mate". What is a mate? Well, for humans, I suppose it would be a boyfriend or girlfriend. I suppose I should mention that we are werewolves. I know it's shocking. Imagine finding that out when you shift into a wolf. Now that's a doozy... When we turn 18, we shift to our wolf, which is practically dormant until our 18th birthday. There have been some stories where some got their wolf at 15, but it's very rare. We can't hear them until we are of age, though they are there with us the whole time. For wolves, it's a soulmate chosen for us by the moon goddess Selene. It is said that she hand-picks them for us based on what she feels we might need or help in some way. From what I am told, it is an honor. This is why, unlike humans, we don't divorce. They are our other half. We can't live without them. They make us whole. Once we sense them, we are basically married to them, though we don't do the whole wedding thing like humans do either. Of course, we have a human form, and we have basic human emotions. Dad is the Alpha of our pack. My grandfather was an Alpha before him and when my dad became of age, my grandfather passed the title to him as he was ready to retire. Mom is the Luna of the pack since she and Dad are mated. However, unlike Dad, Mom, on the other hand, was born of omega blood. Which translates to the lowest rank in any pack. In some packs, Omegas are even slaves, but not in our pack. Dad had strict rules about that sort of treatment. It's been said that he has ended alliances with other packs because they chose to take Omegas as slaves, which is why their union was not something the pack actually supported. Since Mom's family didn't have ties to a true bloodline, they made a big deal about it, almost tearing the whole pack apart. But since their union was hand-picked by the moon goddess, no one could do anything. Grandfather argued that "the Moon Goddess picks our mates for a specific reason", or so the pack thought, but we'll get into that later. My parents had two children of their own, two boys, Antonio, who died tragically at 8 months old. Mom never got over his death. She blamed herself so much that she almost took her own life. Almost five months later, she became pregnant with my brother Rick. I never truly knew him since he was much older and sent off to Alpha training when he was 15 years old. After all, he would one day be the leader of the pack. I was born 2 years after my brother was sent off to Alpha training. I do not remember much from my childhood, and I will get into more detail later, but from what I do remember, my mother always had me in a dress and my hair in different hairstyles with all kinds of barrettes. It's no wonder I still hate dresses. I wear them occasionally but prefer leggings or jeans. One would think I was a doll from how my mom dressed me. "A princess must always be well dressed and poised" she would say while brushing my hair. "If beauty is pain, I want to be ugly", I thought to myself as she brushed and pulled my hair. Mom was always done up. Her long black hair was always neatly tied in a low bun, freeing her ivory face from stray hair. She never wore much makeup, only mascara and eyeliner. I don't think she ever needed it; she was a natural beauty. She was smaller than most wolves. Being an omega, you expect it. At 5'2, she was petite but had just enough in the right areas that Dad couldn't keep his hands off of. Dad was much taller, which made Mom look like a dwarf standing next to his six-foot frame. His flawless tan skin looked gorgeous in any color although he was always dressed in black or blue. His black hair was always neatly combed, and his bright green eyes always lit up when he saw me. You could say I was his favorite. I miss him. I never felt like an outsider around him. Dad was invested in the pack, he attended any and all meetings, and he trained side by side with the pack warriors. That's why he was so respected and feared. He always took me to train with him and the warriors. Although they never trained with me, I assume it was because I was the Alphas' daughter. They feared being reprimanded if I were injured. Mom hated it. She never saw a reason for a child to train. "She is only 5 years old and a girl, she doesn't need to learn to fight". She would tell him. "I might not always be around, and you never know when you need to defend yourself. As Luna, you should be out there with us, setting the example for the other she-wolves" he would say. Mom would just roll her eyes and leave us alone. We trained long into the evening, but Dad time was the best. This is mainly because, after training, he took me into town to buy brownies with vanilla ice cream, my favorite. We would walk to the nearby park, and he would tell me stories about the moon goddess, and different lands he had traveled to... Those were the good days. A year after I started high school, my brother Rick returned home from Alpha School. He was very distant and didn't talk to me. He was always with Dad at meetings and doing other pack things. By the time summer break started Dad suddenly became ill. The pack doctors didn't know what caused it nor what caused him to lose his fight. I was 15 the night he died. I remember he called me into his room one night. I walked in and saw him lying on his bed. He looked nothing like the strong, confident Alpha I remembered. He had lost so much weight; his healthy tan color had left his face and was replaced by a clammy white color. Life in his green eyes was lost and replaced by pain. He had an IV running through his arm giving him the medicine he needed. I sat next to him and gently squeezed his hand so he knew I was there with him. When he squeezed back, I gently lifted his hand and placed it on my cheek. "Daddy, I'm here," I said timidly. He opened his green eyes and smiled, "Babygirl, I fear my time is ending and I won't be here with you longer. You are very special Arina. You have a gift that no one knows. You have to protect it." "I am afraid I will not be able to continue the journey as I promised her. There may be a time when you have to leave home, not by choice, but to protect yourself. There are people that would do irreparable harm to you if they found out the truth," he said in a low voice. I was confused by what he said. I thought it was the medication that made him say such things. "What gift?" I don't understand." I asked. He opened his eyes again. A tear fell and he smiled. "There are so many things I need to tell you. I wanted to wait until your eighteenth birthday, but the moon goddess had other plans. If the time comes, you must remember my words and promise me to RUN. RUN AWAY. Head north. I have always loved you, Arina. I will always be with you." His words trailed off and his eyes closed, his hand fell, and his breathing stopped. The monitor that tracked his heartbeat sounded an alarm that indicated he had taken his final breath. "DAD" I yelled "Daddy, wake up. Please wake up", I sobbed "Please don't leave me, I need you." "I promise I will do as you asked, I love you," I said to him as I lay my head on his chest, hoping to hear his heartbeat, but there was nothing except the sound of the monitor. The home nurse assigned to him rushed in at that moment. She looked at the monitor and then at me. "I am so sorry for your loss, Princess," she told me before stepping out of the room. That was the last time I saw my father and my life was normal...