The Wolf Maiden

Chapter 3: A Gathering Under the Moonlight

The grand meeting has finally arrived. The atmosphere of the air is thick as a cloud. All the members of the Moon Stone pack, old and young, gathered in a huge formed circle, and on top of the great mighty stone stands The Great Alpha Levine. My mother, The Great Luna Levine stands idly on the side. The leader howls in his werewolf form amidst the crowd and his bellows echo in the wilderness. The rest of the werewolf pack beckons his summons and howls back. It is a sign of respect.

After many pleasantries, each designated sub-leader of the region share their concerns. I find myself nervously fidgeting. I am not alone in this ordeal. Layla is with me.

Then, Susannah and Ethan in their human forms come forward towards the mighty leader. Angst and despair gnaw in between my teeth. I can still taste the bitterness of betrayal from these two. I swallow it hard. Susannah is presented as the eldest and most prominent golden child of the Alpha family and Ethan is presented as the prominent son of the Beta family. It deepens the knot in my stomach.

Ethan steps forward, "Oh great and mighty Alpha of the Moon Stone pack, hear my plea."

"Speak."

"Your daughter and I stand before you with an urgent request. Hear our sigh as we plea from the bottom of our hearts. We deeply request that you break the birth oath that binds me to be the betrothal of your younger daughter, Harper, from hereafter. I wish to be betrothed to your eldest most loving sweet daughter, Susannah."

A volume of shockwave ripples through the crowd. Breaking a birth oath is unheard of and goes against tradition. The deep shame of being rejected by a designated wolf-mate by the Alpha is a total blow. All eyes now rest upon me. My sister's shameless smile is wide open for all the world to see. The humiliation of my very existence is like hundreds of arrows striking right through me. But I never falter in that instant.

Susannah speaks further, "It is closely known in the pack that Harper is no true werewolf. She is wolf-less. She is a freak of nature."

The restless crowd mumbles their thoughts.

With a long silence, Alpha finally speaks, "Exclude such a name in this plea. She is not on trial. The two of you, how did you come up with this decision?"

Ethan speaks up, "Speaking of nature, it is only natural for two in love to be one. We have already marked each other."

The crowd bellows. My heart sinks deep down below the earth but I dare not move an inch.

Susanna is not yet finished, she bows down with great sincerity, "Alpha-father, it is wise to send me off as the betrothal of the son of the Beta family. We are a perfect match in lineage and strength. Ethan deserves the perfect match."

“I, Ethan, reject Harper as my mate if Susannah can have me as hers.”

The Alpha looks at me for a response. Rejection cuts through me with great sorrow. But my answer is as cold as ice, “I accept your rejection.”

The Alpha takes on a full minute before finally speaking, "Very well. We heard what was to be said. You have both marked each other and that breaks even the oath given at birth. It no longer holds power over you. Love conquers. I now have a new command: Go, be betrothed to one another, and multiply our pack."

The crowd shouts with joy as the perfect couple has been given the blessings without any further delay.

The words sting like poison but I stood my ground while the crowd roars in such merriment. Susannah looks back at me with pride of despicable triumph. I only gaze back at her with disdain. I am over it. The bitterness in my mouth has now been replaced with the blood-like taste of such malicious contempt. Ethan cannot even gaze in my direction.

He better not.

The clearing falls into silence as the Alpha speaks once more, "Before we close this assembly, who else has a final plea? Speak now or hold your peace until the next gathering." The werewolves look at one another, awaiting someone to move forward. Of all timing, yet I must do it. It took more than a minute before I finally make my way towards the middle. It seems the Alpha-father has not forgotten my plea.

I summoned every bit of ounce of strength in me. I am not one to make loud speeches in front of many others. The silent type that I am, I only howl for myself. Yet this time, I need to make it loud for the sake of all the troubles that I have survived from this day on. I come forward in my frail human form.

"To the mighty Alpha of the Moon Stone pack, my father, I stand before you. Please answer and hear my plea. I have shared it with you before and I am not going to falter from the same request. Give me your blessing."

The crowd begins to mutter their confusions about my plea. My fingers nervously clasping each other as I bow in front of the mighty Alpha.

"State your case in front of the crowd," The Alpha commands.

"I have been your most unconventional wolf-child. I have always been different from this pack. Therefore, it led me to this decision. I would like to advance my learning to improve my skills by leaving the pack and seeking guidance from our pack mates in the Far East. Hear my plea, father."

I hear the crowd whispering, "No one leaves the pack, we stay together."

"No one is a lone werewolf. No one leaves."

The Alpha shouts at them, "Silence!! This is a grave matter. No one leaves the pack. You cannot venture alone in the open world. And I will not order the pack to risk their lives to follow your whims. No one leaves the pack. Your plea is denied!"

"But Father, you have not heard the rest of my case!"

"I said denied!"

"Father, please! I reinstate my plea!"

The Alpha-father in his mighty werewolf form jumps at me and growls right in front of my face. The crowd moves back. It's the first time the Alpha jumps out of his indefatigable throne to face the defendant.

I look him straight in the eyes. This time, I am no longer the scared werewolf-child he once knew.

"You are a disrespectful werewolf juvenile, you deserve punishment!" He shouts back at my defiance. He is about to throw his huge open-claw at me when out of nowhere, the huge spirit figure of Layla came out of me and growls loudly like a wild whirlwind knocking those around me.

From this moment, I already transformed into a werewolf and everyone is stunned by the immense power that rushed out of me. The Alpha in total surprise strikes my thick layer of skin on the shoulders. Blood spilled on the ground. Layla and I howl a cry of despair echoing from the corners of that forest. Every werewolf in that assembly wears a face of shock and fear.

Now, Layla and I in our full might and glory is finally revealed. Now, they know that I am not the wolf-less freak of nature. They have seen what I am capable of through Layla.

It is that moment too, that I finally realize where my line ends. I am no longer part of the pack. My only pack is Layla. I'm her lone wolf. I push the Alpha as hard as my strength would allow me and run away. Every pair of eyes are filled with unwarranted surprise. We hurdle our way out of the assembly…

The great tapestry of forest casts shadows as we venture deep into the heart of the wilderness. Then, the air shifts to a subtle change that gives shivers throughout my nerves. I look around as my heart pounds heavily. There is Ethan jumping out from the deep shadows. He intently gazes at me.

Layla and I continue forth as he follows with his guardian spirit named Caleb. "Harper!" he calls out with a voice concern and caution. A surge of emotions when he shouts my name brings back only the good memories of what we were. I stop for a while to look back at him.

It has been a long time since I have been with him alone like this. But that time was peaceful. Now, my life is in danger because of his betrayal.

He speedily tries to get ahead of us. "Harper, both of you. You need to stop!" He looks at me with fear and wonder. Layla’s spirit is a menacing to behold.

There is great palpable tension in the air. A storm of emotions dashes in the wind.

"I have made my decision, Ethan. You cannot stop me. Go back to your beloved and leave me be!" I shout back at him with a tinge of bitterness.

"I'm sorry! I truly am. This is all my fault. And I should have told you sooner. If I can prevent you from making this reckless decision, then let me help you make amends to the Alpha and the pack." He replies with a firm tone.

Bitter-sweet laughter escapes in my throat. It's sound echoes in the tranquility of the forest. "Everything that happened to us has gone down the drain. It is irreparable and there is nothing you can do about it! I am leaving all the lies and deceptions as well as all the cheating and the bullying. Let me be free!"

He winces as if he can feel the real pain in my heart. "This shouldn't end up like this Harper. If I can't be your mate, I can still be your friend."

"We can never be friends from this day onwards. You have made your choice. And so, I have mine. Don't make me an excuse to quell your conscience."

His eyes are starting to be filled with sorrow, yet his jaw tightens with my icy words. "Your choice has never been simple. This is no longer your quest for freedom.”

“What could you mean?” I ask.

“We had something once before. With that tiny sparkle of hope, I come to you in peace. I rush to you now to save you from s*******r. You and your wolf spirit are being hunted down by the Alpha and his warriors. They are ready for capture."

I look at him with great confusion. This man in front of me filled with guilt is also filled with concern. He has come to tell me of caution.

He closes his eyes and makes a deep sigh. "I've made a grave mistake that resulted to this instant. I've hurt you ever so deeply. I can only make reparations."

I am not yet ready to forgive. I have no responsibility to give him that satisfaction, yet at that moment, I want to reach out to him. But it is too late.