The Little Luna

Secrets

Vespian POV

“Our Queen? Lycans have been extinct for centuries there is no way Luna’s human mother is a Lycan.” Eli’s had to have lost his mind, there was no other explanation.

“Only the Lycan Alpha and Luna carry those marks Vespian. That means she has to be the rightful Lycan Luna. And Luna’s father...” Eli trailed off, leaving the thought hanging.

“That means Luna’s father is a descendent of Lycan King Jupiter.” I finished his thoughts, stop frozen in shock at everything going in before me.

“Yes! Now, KNEEL!” Eli’s voice carried power beyond what I knew he had, his voice in my mind was on the verge of forcing me to my knee in submission.

“Mom, I don’t understand, what does your tattoo have to do with this?” Luna’s sweet voice cut through mine and Eli’s argument, helping shake me out of the spell his command held over me. “And you always spoke of dad as the great love of your life, do you really hate him so much you would take it out on Vespian?”

Luna’s mom looked down at her daughter and her expression softened, she cupped her daughter's face in her hand and smiled sadly at her, Celeste and Orion were on either side of them, looking just as confused as Luna.

“I will explain everything at home my love, I need all of you out of here, now. I need you home and safe.” Mrs. Slade took a deep breath and closed her eyes before sighing and motioning to the door, her eyes, so much like my little Luna’s, flicked open and the sadness in them was deafening. “Please, just get in the car.”

Celeste and Orion nodded, and after each of them gave their mom a small hug they made their way out the front door and I assumed towards their moms' car since I couldn’t see it through the open door.

Luna stood in place, her eyes going between me and her mother. Alpha Darius and Luna April were both standing now, they had similar confused looks on their faces that I was sure I mirrored as well. I saw a battle playing out on Luna’s face and I would pay anything to know what she was thinking, but for now, I just hoped she was wanting to stay with me, and Eli’s whining in my mind confirmed he was hoping Ellie would fight for him.

Lunas POV

I don’t understand what is going on. What did mom's tattoo have to do with anything that was going on, and why did the Alpha and Luna kneel and bow their heads when they saw it?

“Because it isn’t a tattoo!” Ellie’s voice rang through my mind.

“What do you mean? Of course it is, mom said she and dad got matching tattoos a few days after they met.” How could it not be a tattoo? No one had such beautiful and intricate designs naturally.

“It’s an Alpha Lycan mate mark. It happens when an Alpha Lycan marks their mate, it’s a claim, a signal to other Lucans and Werewolves that this person belongs to the royal family. Look at Luna April’s neck, see the red mark there? And on Alpha Darius’s neck as well. Those are werewolf mate marks. It tells others this wolf is mated and to stay away.”

“So that means.... my dad was a Lycan?!” I practically yelled at Ellie mentally.

“Calm down. Why do you sound so shocked? We were just talking about this in Alpha Darius’s office. You already knew you could be Lycan, and I can confirm it. We are Lycan.”

“Luna, I won’t ask again. Get in the car.” Even as she ordered me, Mom's eyes were on Vespian, as if she was afraid if she looked away he would attack.

I was getting annoyed. No. I was getting pissed off, and fast. Mother was being secretive, even after her speeches our whole lives about how we needed to be open and honest with her and each other.

“Actually, you haven’t asked me at all,” I stated, taking a step back from my mother, her gaze shifted from Vespian, and eyes, so identical to my own, looked at me with surprise and confusion. “You haven’t asked me to do anything. You have commanded. I won’t go anywhere with you until you tell me why you are treating Vespian like this. Why are you being so rude?”

“Luna please.” Her voice sounded desperate, she wanted us gone, now, but I don’t understand why, she’s always loved the Mallorys and found them to be great influences on us.

“No. Tell me why you are acting like this.” I stood firm, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at her.

“Because you can’t trust his kind!” She practically shouted, waving her arm wildly towards Vespian, her eyes shooting fire.

“What do you mean his kind?” She didn’t know about werewolves... did she?

“Wolves.” She practically spat the word at Vespian. “That the only thing that makes sense here. If your reaction to this boy was the same as my reaction to your father, then you are fated mates. This means the more time you spend around him the stronger the bond will become. I won’t allow that!” My mother was normally the calmest person in the room, if you had a crisis, she was your steady rock to go to for advice. But now, she was acting as if she’d lost her mind.

“You know about werewolves?” Luna April asked quietly from behind me.

“Of course I do. I didn’t realize I moved into a den of them though when I moved this far south. Had hoped I left that all behind.” Mom barely glanced at Luna April as she responded to her before she moved her attention back to me. “Please Luna, you don’t understand what all of this means yet, we don’t know if you are even like your father or if you are human like me.”

“Mom, I have a wolf, her name is Ellie.” The words rushed out of my mouth before I thought about what I was saying. This was all too much. In the space of a few hours I had learned; that I had another soul living in me; that I had a soul mate I barely knew; that I had powers; that I was a Lycan as was my father; and worst of all, that my mom knew about all of this and never told me. She’d never warned any of us that this could happen to us.

“You have a wolf.” She stated softly, rubbing her hands together in front of her as if to warm them, moms eyes danced around the room, she didn’t know what to do or say next. “No. No, no, no! You can’t be like him!” My mother was shouting at me and for the life of me, I had no idea why.

I shrunk back from her, scared of what was going on. She seemed to be losing it and I wished Orion and Celeste had waited to leave.

“I’m sorry mom, but I’m like dad I think,” I whispered my words, trying to draw her gaze to mine in the hopes that she would calm down.

“You can’t be Luna, you can’t be like him. If you are like him then...” Her voice broke, her delicate hand pulling up and covering her mouth as her eyes got wide. “That means that... that means that they will come for you, they will come for all of you, just as they did him.” Tears were now shinning in her eyes as she shook her head and wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging herself. “I’m going to lose you too. I’m going to lose him all over again when I lose you... you are all I have left.” She wasn’t speaking to me now, she was speaking to the three of us, though my siblings weren’t here.

“Who is coming?” Vespians voice came from right behind me, I could feel his body heat radiating off of him as he scooted closer to me. I knew his closeness was from fear, the fear that I was in danger. “Who is coming for them?”

“The Night Walkers.”