The Luna's Awakening: Lyra must make her choice

A Luna's Role

I stepped out of the shower, the remnants of my run with Ethan still lingering in my mind.

I took a deep breath, feeling energised and optimistic about the day. After getting dressed in black shorts and a simple black shirt, I brushed through my waist-length shining silver hair. I started to pull it up into a bun before letting it cascade down my shoulders, admiring the way it shone against the dark fabric and deciding to leave it out for a change.

I turn 18 next week and take my seat as the chair of the pack council and accept the full responsibility of my Luna title. Something I have been training for all my life, this will be my last week of full lessons, my last week of carefree fun with my friends.

“Lyraaaaaaaaa” the sing song call echoed through the halls of the pack house, interrupting my thoughts. Sage is here!

I ran the brush through my hair one final time for good measure and grabbed my backpack before racing out the door and down the stairs, sliding along the banister and launching myself into the foyer.

Sage sauntered out of the dining hall with her signature green curls bouncing in rhythm to her steps. Her leather jacket was studded with silver spikes, and her combat boots clacked on the marble flooring with each stride. A mischievous glint sparkled in her emerald eyes as she sprang over to me and threw her arms around my neck.

“Happy Birth-week Lyra!” she exclaimed.

I couldn't help but grin at my best friend's fearless energy, which always seemed to radiate from her like an electric charge. We could all do to be a little more like Sage.

I flared my nostrils as I caught the scent of croissants, meats and cheese, as though reading my mind, Sage rolled her eyes and clomped back towards the dining room.

There was a huge spread, fresh fruit, baked goods, massive stacks of pancakes and waffles, scrambled eggs, a mountain of bacon and Freya was tipping a full pan of sausages into the serving trays.

Freya was a druid, and grew all the seasonings, fruit and vegetables herself in the pack gardens. It was extremely abnormal to have anyone other than a werewolf working in the pack, but my father always did things a little differently and Freya was the best chef the pack had ever had.

Sage lived in the pack territory with us even though she was a witch. Her mother, Gwen, ran our infirmary and let me tell you nothing heals quite as well as literal magic. She saved so many lives when our pack was at war. I can’t imagine us ever letting her go.

Sage and I stacked our plates high and turned to find a spot to sit. Ethan waved us over to a spare spot next to him and planted a gentle peck on my cheek.

“Good Morning!” he chirped through a mouthful of food while sliding a piece of paper to me.

I grabbed the paper in one hand and my fork in the other and set to work.

“Our schedules came through!” I turned to Ethan who was nodding and eyeing off a piece of bacon sitting a little too close to the edge of Sage’s plate.

I started to study the schedule. We all completed a mix of academic subjects which were integrated with other supernatural races and some werewolf specific classes. The shifter races had physical training sessions; Sage had lessons on spell casting, potions and healing herbs. I think the witches shared some of those with druids, but I’m not sure which ones.

As I scanned through my classes, I noticed Ethan and I were in the same training sessions.

“This can’t be right? I am still an intermediate and you’ve been kicking ass in the advanced classes since we were 12?” I questioned.

“Ahhh yes young grasshopper, but you’re also the direct blood descendant of an alpha who’s coming into her full powers in less than a week.”

I groaned in defeat and anticipation of the beating I was sure to receive as we finished our breakfast, happily chatting away about what the school year would bring. Once we finished eating, we set off to walk to school.

As we left the house, I felt a sense of comfort wash over me. I know I can always count on Ethan and Sage to stand by me, no matter what challenges lay ahead.

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As I filed into my werewolf history class, I noticed I was the only woman in the room. I also noticed everyone else was in line to become the alpha of their back. Great, you couldn’t put more testosterone in a room if you tried.

Mr Wylkie briskly walked into the room and began writing on the board.

“The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed something different about this class. You will all be leading your packs one day, some sooner than others. You must learn the responsibility and the obligations that come with acting as an Alpha or... a Luna. Who here can tell me the role and responsibility of a pack Luna?”

I raised my hand and he pointed towards me with a smug smile slowly spreading across his face. “Ms Wilde, how apt”

“As Lunas, we are bound to the moon and the cycles of nature and share a special bond with the Moon Goddess as the givers of life. It is our duty as Lunas to uphold this bond and protect our pack, both physically and spiritually. We must learn to harness the power of the moon, to understand its rhythms and how it affects us as individuals and as a community. It is only by doing so that we can truly embrace our nature and live in harmony with the world around us.”

“What a lovely feminine perspective. Anyone else? Maddox, perhaps.” He shifted his glance to a muscular blonde in the back row.

Maddox wasn’t just in line to become alpha of his pack, he had been serving as alpha for 4 years now, since he was 14 years old. I had heard he killed his father to take his place, and I know he had taken a chosen mate at 15 and marked her before either of them were even eligible to find their fated mate.

“An Alpha is weak until he finds and marks his Luna. The Strength of the pack is dependent on the Alpha being… satisfied” he finished with a smug smirk before throwing me a very exaggerated wink.

His response elicited snickers from the rest of the class while Mr Wylkie pressed on “Yes, a mated pair at the head of a pack will always strengthen the physical strength of both members. Now turn to page 7 of your textbooks”