Goddess of the Forest

    You never know what cards the Fates will deal you until the very end...but what if you can change the ending?                                                                        *Two weeks earlier*     "Wake up, my child. Open your eyes." A soft voice whispered in my ear. "I haven't got much time."     I blink a few times and then quickly sit up, standing next to my bed. She wore a white tunic with white sandals, a necklace made with owl feathers and what looked like claws and her whole being shimmered like pure moonlight. "Who are you?! What are you doing in my room?"     The woman smiles warmly and shakes her head. "We aren't in your room right now, you're still dreaming. I need to tell you about whats coming. A great war is brewing between the Wolves and the Fae. You need to discover your power and change the Fates design before it's too late. You are the bridge and the guard. Remember that. You are going to meet the man that will walk beside you forever and will share your strength. Don't turn him away, he won't be idealistic at first but the journey you will go on together will bring you together. You are made for each other and will compliment each others flaws and strengths." She rambled on until her face turned red.     I shake my head and sputter. "What are you even talking about? Who are you? What war? What power?WHAT MAN?!"      The woman sighs and looks out the window. The moon was full but the night was fleeting fast, the sun peeking through the mountains. Fog was rolling through the holler, birds chirping as the night time creatures made their way home. "I'm so sorry, my sweet. I've run out of time. Everything will come to light soon enough. Know you are strong, know you are loved, and remember my warning."     With that she vanished into mist and left me alone with her words. I slowly laid back down and wondered if I was going crazy. I closed my eyes and fell back into a dreamless sleep. When I woke back up a couple hours later, I looked around and wondered if what I saw actually happened. I looked to where the strange woman stood and saw a few owl feathers...                                                                                    *Present Day*     *BEEP BEEP BEEP* I roll over and turn off my alarm. "UGGHHH. Why does it have to me a Monday?" I roll out of bed and stretch before heading to the attached bathroom. I stop short in front of the mirror and pose, admiring my body. I'm tall I suppose, at 5'6 I was taller than most she-wolves. Slender, with a few curves. A full bust and thick, wavy, black hair. I smiled at my reflection and stared into my light green eyes.      "You're the prettiest body I've been paired with.." Leto, my wolf spirit, compliments. I can feel her wagging her tail as she lounges around.     "Thank you, and you're the best looking wolf in the pack!" I smile and turn on the water.     After getting out of the shower I grabbed my favorite pair of bootcut jeans and a tank top, pairing it with some well worn boots I walked into the kitchen. Dad was already there making breakfast with his mate, Jackie. My mother wasn't his true mate, but they loved eachother deeply. I was the product of that love but a couple years after I was born my mother disappeared, and soon after he found Jackie. She loved me like her own and treated me like flesh and blood.     "Good morning sleeping beauty. Finally come down to join the commoners?" My dad teased as he finished making coffee.      "Oh leave her alone, its her first day of freedom and she has to help you around the holler." Jackie rolled her eyes smiling. "Can you help us finish making pack breakfast before Beta Jake and the twins get here?" She gestured to the table and I grabbed plates and silverware and helped set the table.     "Thank you, Jackie. I don't mind helping you Dad,but it's only 6:30, the suns barely up. You know I'm always up before the sun." I snag a piece of bacon before Jackie can swat at me, I laugh but a sudden noise on the deck makes me freeze. I listen to the footsteps and recognize them as Jake and his twin sons. "Jake and the twerps are here, I'll let them in."     Jackie and Dad both look at each other and shake their heads. "I swear it's like you're always in your fur." Dad looks at me and before he can look away I see a worried look on his face. One of the things that made me stand out against other members of the pack was how in tune I was to my senses, and my connection to the animals. I frown and head towards the door, passing by the couch I pat our blue heeler, Dixie, on the head and she huffs her annoyance at being woken up.          "Hey if I have to be up, so do you. Lazy cattle dog." I click my tongue and she hops off the couch, as I open the door for my pack members she darts out onto the hillside. "Go to work, D. Cows to pasture, steer to the pen." She barks and takes off under the fence. We raise a mix of dairy cows and meat cattle as a pack, we are entirely self sustainable for our food. We prefer not to go to town for much, for obvious reasons.      Jake pats my shoulder and the twins ruffle my hair. "Good morning, Dianna. I smell Jackie's cinnamon rolls!"      I smile warmly at Jake and glare at the twin brothers, Waylon and Bennet. "Don't touch the merchandise, you can't afford to replace it if you break it." I toss my hair over my shoulder as I turn around and go back to the kitchen, leaving Jake howling in laughter as the boys blush a deep scarlet. They were the same age as me and everyone expected one of them to be my mate but I felt nothing more than sibling love towards them. Our birthdays were a week apart and we were turning 18, the age where wolves were able to find their mates.      "I keep telling you that neither of them are the one, you'll find your mate before the next full moon!" Leto shakes her head and huffs at me.     "I know that, I don't feel any pull towards them and with it being this close to our birthday, I would think we'd feel something." I shrug internally. "And they aren't man enough to handle me, and their wolves aren't dominant enough to handle you."     Leto preens and prances around.     "Don't tease the boys too much, they'll turn tail instead of helping us move the trees and fix the fence." My dad admonished me but he too had a twinkle in his eyes. "Chows on boys, sit down and let's get to it."     We all took a seat at the breakfast nook. Everyone in the pack lived in cabins, it was most convenient since we were in the mountains. The Alpha and Luna had the biggest of course and unlike most packs, we didn't live in the packhouse, we had our privacy and we liked it that way.      "So Dianna, what are you gonna do with your freedom? The boys were thinking about doing online college this fall, did you have a plan yet or are you living by the seat of your pants?" Jake took a sip of his coffee and looked at me. Goddess, he was like a second dad.      Leto c***s her head. "You never told your dad..he's going to be shocked.." I grin wickedly at my wolf before I respond.     "Actually I was going to take a year off to help dad and work on a few of his projects. He's not getting any younger and I need to learn if I'm going to take over as Luna one day." I grabbed another hashbrown and smiled brightly. My dad choked on his bacon and Jackie started to pat on his back.     "You never informed me of that decision, Dianna! I thought the pack business wasn't for you." Dad looked at me with pride and I could have sworn there was a tear in his eye, but that could have been from choking.     "Well I thought it over the last couple weeks and thought it would be best. That way I can take over everything without the hassle of finding someone for the business side of things." I tap my fingers on the table and hope he doesn't see my look of apprehension. I was really thinking about the dream I had and thought the best choice would be to stick to the pack. Leto starts to speak but I quickly block her out before turning to my dad with big puppy dog eyes. "After we're done with the chores, I'd like to sit in the meeting today. If you don't mind that is."     Dad looks sideways at Jake and I can tell that they're mindlinking. "I don't see why not. It's just going to be updates on nearby packs and an inventory of resources."      I nod and get up to put my plate by the sink. I grab my hat from the hook by the back door and kiss Jackie on the cheek. "I'm gonna go check on Dixie and see if she left me anything to do. Just link me when you need my help."      "Wait! Take the boys with you, we've gotten reports of some rogues sniffing around the base of the mountains. They haven't gotten passed the border but the omegas have smelled traces while on patrol." Jake pulls the boys up by their scruff and pushes them towards me.     "Ugh, I wasn't done eating, Dad.." Bennett frowns and puts his hat back on. The boys are half native american and half Caucasian. Jakes mate, Mia, is Cherokee and the boys took after her in terms of looks. They both have tan skin that never fades and long black hair that they won't cut. Bennett hides his under a hat but Waylon wears his in a long braid, sometimes letting his mom put feathers in it.     "Yeah, and we all know that she's the strongest for our age group." Waylon finishes his coffee before turning to Jackie. "Thank you for the meal, Luna."     "I don't know about that, maybe among the other she-wolves but that's just because they don't want to train." I shrug and walk out onto the deck, I breathe in deep and relish the early morning air. Crisp and cool, hay and morning dew hung in the air. It was the beginning of summer, but this high up made it either feel like fall or the desert, depending on the time of day. "Come on guys, I think Dixies got the new steer mixed up for a cow."