The Red Moon's Daughter

Her Origin

After arriving to our cottage, I ran up the stairs and locked myself in my room. I could hear Carlota and Marie shuffling outside, worried about my sudden entrance and deciding who should come up to check on me.

I didn’t care. I just sobbed uncontrollably while running to the bathroom to wash my hands, even though the logical part of my brain was telling me that they were not actually stained with blood, it was only a trick of my abused mind that was making me see things. However, I still rubbed them vigorously under the sink.

I cried, and rubbed, and cleaned until gentle hands stopped me. I looked up my shoulder to see Carlota looking at me worried.

-Are the memories hunting you again? – she asked knowingly, having seen these episodes before.

I nodded, unable to explain to her how bad it was this time and why it was caused because my mouth was too busy sobbing. She took a towel, dried my hands, and then hugged me tightly. I hid my head on her shoulder, feeling the moisture that her clothes were rapidly absorbing.

Carlota guided me to bed, and we sat hugging each other. She rocked me back and forth, singing a soft lullaby to console me. After a few minutes, I stopped sobbing, but tears still fell from my eyes.

-I found my mate – my voice was so small that I did not recognize it was mine.

I felt Carlota tense under me, then she took my face in her hands and looked at me in the eyes with concern.

-Who is it? What did he do to you? – she started looking at me all over, looking for some kind of wound. I put my hand on top of hers and shook my head.

-He is amazing – another tear rolled down my face and I had to close my eyes – He is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, and he treated me with so much kindness and love – I sobbed again – but I can’t be with him – I let my head fall, defeated.

-Why? Child, he is your mate, he will love you no matter what – she tried to reason with me, but she didn’t understand.

-Is the King of Werewolves – Carlota looked at me, not understanding – my mate is the King of Werewolves – I whispered, scared of even saying it out loud, feeling as if Bill was going to jump from any corner and torture me once again.

Carlota gasped, now understanding my reaction. We sat there in silence, each immersed in their own thoughts.

-I have to say that I am not surprised. I mean, I am, but at the same time, I was expecting something like this to happen –

-You knew I was going to be mated to a king? – I looked at her deadpan, hoping she understood how ridiculous it sounded.

-Oh no, I had no idea about that, but I knew that you were meant for something great. You are not the daughter of the two red moons for nothing –

-And there you go again with that story! – I rolled my eyes at her and sat away from her – Who is this daughter of the moon that you are talking about? Where did you get that story from and why do you say that it’s me? –

Abraxas had one sun and two moons. The moons were always close to each other, and they rose and hid at the time as if they were tied to each other. Carlota had mentioned a couple of times before that I was the daughter of the two moons, both times during moments when I had accomplished something grand, like the time when I was so mad that my energy expanded and made every bottle in the apothecary explode.

Carlota sighed and looked at me with sorrow.

-I am sorry. I thought I was protecting you from the pain of knowing your true origin, but with this development, it is best that you know who you truly are –

-What…? – she raised her hand, asking for silence.

-There was a legend written in the old books of the Magea Library. We thought that it was only a tale, but after meeting you, I knew it was true. Let me tell you your story, my child –

She took a deep breath and waved her hand, commanding the shadows of the room to gather on one wall and take shapes of people and planets.

“Once upon a time, when Abraxas was still a new dimension, and the wolves were still a new race, the Moon Goddess started pairing her children to help them find happiness in this new world. The very first mate couple that she created was Douglas and Alessia.

Because of the blessing that they had received from the Moon Goddess, they were coronated King and Queen of the werewolves. But the King of the Faes, jealous of the happy pairing and that his God, the Sun, had not blessed their kind with mates, decided to go to war with the wolves. The king and queen, along with their army, fought for 20 days and 20 nights against the army of faes, each on separate sides of their territory.

Almost at the end of the battle, both Douglas and Alessia knew that their end was near, as they had depleted almost all their life force fighting for their race. Their bodies were separated, but their souls were still joined by their love, and each made the same wish to the Moon Goddess – Please let us die in each other’s arms, to be together for eternity.

The Moon Goddess, helpless of not being able to help them in their fight as the Gods were not allowed to interfere in mortal matters, granted their wish readily. Finally, at the end of the battle, they met again, proud of their victory and at peace because they took their final breaths in each other's arms. The Moon Goddess then, to make sure that they were together forever, took their souls and created the two moons of Abraxas, placing them side by side, allowing them eternity together.

As a final blessing, every thousand years, the two moons are able to materialize on earth in their mortal bodies to be joined in passion and be in each other's arms once more – that is when the moons get their red tint to symbolize their love. They conceived a daughter in one of those thousands of years - you. It was not meant to be, so Alessa pleaded to her Goddess one more time, begging her to allow you to live. Alessa was willing to give you up to the Moon Goddess to make sure that you had the opportunity to have a life.

-Please protect my baby. She is the symbol of our love and deserves to live – Alessa cried at the feet of Selene, with Douglas behind her praying in silence.

-I will take your child and protect her as my own until her soul and destiny are ready for the mortal realm – the Moon Goddess said.

Alessa and Douglas held their small bundle of love one last time. Each gave you a kiss on your forehead for protection and gave you to the Moon Goddess, for her to mold you until you were ready for mortal life”.

-That is why you are a pure wolf... because you were created from two wolf souls, not from mortals. All other werewolves are humans that were granted a wolf soul inside of them as a counterpart. You are a wolf that was granted an empty mortal body to move around the mortal realm. Your mind, soul, and body are only yours –

I could not process what I had just heard. New fresh tears were rolling down my face again, now mourning the loving parents that I never met.

-How do you know this? How long have you known? How can you be so sure? –

-What made me suspect first was your eyes. The first time that I saw them change their color to that bright red, it made me remember the realistic descriptions of Selene from the old books; her eyes also changed color when her powers were on the surface. Then, I found the diary that your mortal mother started writing after the Moon Goddess visited to announce that she was the chosen one to carry you – she said, looking sad – I guess it was meant to be some sort of token for you for when you grew up, to explain to you who you truly are. It was in Bill’s safe, inside his office. That is how he found out about you. Bill was obsessed with your mother, and I think he did something to your father to make him lose his mind. I think Bill only wanted him out of the way, but he didn’t count that your father would go that crazy and take your mother with him to the beyond – Carlota said sorrowfully.

-Do you know what Bill did to my father? -

-I don’t. I am guessing that it was his doing for a few things that he let slip when he was in one of his wild states, but what I know is that what happened to your mother pushed Bill over the edge and that is when he started losing his mind too –

We sat there in silence, watching the shadows slowly retract back to their original places.

-Still, this doesn’t change anything – I got up and started pacing my room – I can’t be with him –

-Why? –

-Because I was supposed to kill him! My whole upbringing was with the purpose of killing him – I look at Carlota as if it was obvious.

-Are you going to kill him? -

-Of course not! – I was offended by her question.

-Then why does it matter what you were trained to do in a place from where you have already escaped from? You are not that Leila anymore, and Bill has no control over you... – she got up too – over us – she finished.

I looked at my hands again, which were now squeaky clean.

-You cannot let the shadow of that horrible man, and what he forced you to do, to control your new life – she grabbed my shoulders and shook me softly – it is time you took the reins, and don’t you dare miss this opportunity! After all, the Goddess herself made this match for you –

I looked at her hesitantly and she looked at me furiously.

-You are the descendant of warriors, of the first of your species, you were molded by the Goddess, and by her, you better start acting like it! – she exclaimed, exasperated – stop being a coward! –

I gasped at her and my hand went to my chest.

-How dare you? I am not a coward! – I crossed my arms – but if Bill finds me, and therefore, find my mate? –

-Then you show him who is his Queen by birthright –

My eyes opened at the revelation. It was true. I was a royal. I was the daughter of the first King and Queen, protected by the Moon Goddess. Chills went up my spine at the surge of pride and power that I felt knowing who I truly was.

-He’ll be here any minute now – I whispered – He probably tracked my scent –

-Then you better get ready because you look like a disaster – she sniffed – and you smell like algae – she covered her nose.

I blushed three shades of red and ran into my bathroom to get ready.