Finding Selene

Chapter Five: 13 Years Prior To Present Day

The peace of the night was disrupted by the scream of metal against metal, the clash and bounce of tires, roof, tires, roof, over and over against the side of the unforgiving Kentucky mountain as the car rolled with the family of three inside. The cries of the tired truck driver who had driven just a little too long, and took the turn just a little too wide were the only human sounds for miles, as the family of three lay inside the broken, crumpled car at the bottom of the mountain silent, unmoving, limp, and quickly growing too cold. Even the healing of their wolf genes wasn’t equipped to handle the trauma they had just endured.

Hours later, too many hours, Elianna awoke from the jarring and screeching of the car being pulled up the cliff by the straps wrapped around it. Panicking, she looked over at her husband who was suspended by his seatbelt, limp and bleeding from his head, nose, and mouth. Elianna let out a scream when someone, dressed in a jumpsuit and wearing a safety harness spoke up from outside the broken window.

“Ma’am, we need you to calm down and stop moving. We’re getting your car up the mountain, but it is very perilous and unsteady, so we need you to stay very still.” The stranger had a calming voice but panic in his eyes which made Elianna stop moving and put her panic to the side for the safety of her family.

Elianna longed to glance at Selene, wondering how severely injured she was, not letting the thought of death seize her mind but refused to be the cause of any further danger. Instead, she turned her head to the man helping guide her car up the mountain in hopes he could glance at her daughter and giver her some type of information, any type of comfort.

“Sir, please, can you see my daughter? In the back seat, behind my husband. Can you see anything about her? Is she alright? Please, please, is she alive?” Elianna sobbed the last three words out.

The man peered into the back seat and peering back at him, clutching her stuffed wolf, with big round eyes surrounded by red and purple swollen bruises, dried blood under her nose, and a head gash that was still trickling blood was Selene. She nodded once and the rescuer was a bit concerned about the lack of tears and words coming from her but was glad to see she was alert. That gave him hope for her recovery. The father, the team had discovered, was dead on scene and they had no hope for the recovery of the mother as she had injuries that would be impossible to save her from once she was removed from the car, if she didn’t bleed out on the way up the mountain.

“She’s alive ma’am. I’m going to see to it that she stays that way.” The rescue worker wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth, but he was determined to do everything in his power to see to it that the little girl survive this, “Now, just sit back and relax. Let me get you through this.”

Elianna smiled gratefully, her face slowly relaxing into peace from panic, “I know I’m moments away from seeing my husband again. Under the guidance of the moon Goddess, I am taking the true journey home. It’s not Selene’s time yet. Please make sure she gets back to Apollo. He’ll protect her.” Elianna raised her voice ever so slightly with all the strength she could muster to call back to her daughter, “Your father and I love you so much, even though we won’t be here to walk beside you anymore, we'll be watching with the Goddess. When the moon is high raise your face to it and know we are there, and we are proud. Remember who you are baby, remember where you come from. Go to Apollo, he’ll protect you always. Never doubt that he will. I love you so much.” Elianna’s voice trailed off as she continued to mouth the words, “I love you, as many times as she could before her eyes closed for the last time and her face relaxed in forever peace. It was only as Elianna’s last breath was released could you hear the small sob from the back seat and hear the almost inaudible, “I love you” from Selene.

The emergency responder held back his own tears as he continued guiding the wrecked can up the mountain. They were almost to the top and he knew there was no way he was leaving the side of the little girl until she knew she was safe. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Elianna had said about Apollo protecting her daughter. It sounded like a prayer to her deity, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Apollo was more than an abstract protection prayer, and someone that would be waiting for the little girl to come home. Hopefully, she could tell them where home was and she would be returned quickly, and safely but in reality, she was so long they would be heavily reliant on identification of her parents.

It wasn’t hard for the pack to realize something dire was wrong when the alphas howl and the boys’ screams permutated the air mixing together into a mournful song. Every pack member, from the youngest to the oldest, arrived at the pack house anxiously awaiting the news of what was happening. The Alpha and his family stood on the wrap around porch, tears streaming silently down the Alphas’ and Lunas faces while Apollo clung to his mother sobbing. Before words could be spoken the members of the pack, of their family, started mourning in their own way. Some with silent tears, others in full hysterics, for they all knew this level of grief from the Alpha meant the loss of one of their own and the only family not in attendance was the Betas’.

“I am sorry to have gathered you all in such a sudden way, but I have lost connection to Daniel and Eliana. It is most agonizing to tell you-“ the Alphas voice broke as he continued, “to tell you that our beloved Beta Daniel and his wife, Eliana, has taken the true journey home and-“ Joshua’s voice broke again when a sob got stuck in his throat, making him choke on it. Luna Christine put a hand on his arm and raised her head towards the crowd before finishing the official announcement.

“Our Beta and his wife have taken the true journey home and as we stand before you, they stand with the moon Goddess.” Joshua and Apollo looked at Christine with pride through their tear filled, red, swollen eyes. Even as she, herself, cried- her voice rang out as if the Goddess herself spoke through her.

"What about Selene?” A voice from the crowd called out. This caused gasps and murmurs as everyone realized nothing had been said specifically about the Betas’ daughter.

Joshua replied, “Since she isn’t of age to have her wolf yet, I can’t feel her connection to the pack. However, this doesn’t mean we will give up on her. I need volunteers to follow the road trip plan that Daniel and Eliana left to not only find out what happened to Selene, but also bring our fallen family home so their bodies may rest on homeland.” Joshua’s eyes still brimmed with tears, but he had found a new sense of strength and purpose. Selene must be brought home if she was alive and if she wasn’t- he would have to be strong for his son.

Nearly every hand was raised wanting to volunteer to look for Selene. He picked two warriors, in case of trouble, and after much debate Christine got her way and was the third person to go. Christine had argued that it made sense for her to go. She was like a second mom to Selene and Selene would need her. After Christine made a quick trip to Selene’s house for her favorite blanket and a picture of Selene and her parents together, and a stern “No.” to Apollo- who desperately wanted to go find Selene himself- Christine and her two escorts started on their rescue mission.