The Gypsy Luna's Beginning

Chapter 2 - Always Forever

Rieka

My heart was beating faster as the overwhelming smell of burning flesh took over. The sight before me was all too familiar as the screams pierced my heart and soul.

I yet again tried in vain to stop the fire, but my powers were completely useless and there was nothing that could be done. There was never anything that I could do, no matter how hard I tried. I dropped to my knees and started pounding the ground beneath me with my fists as tears rolled down my cheeks and I screamed in frustration.

"Rhi. Rhi, you need to wake up!" Lupa's pleading voice echoed in my head, but I ignored my wolf as if she didn't even exist.

I tried one last time to bring water over from the nearby river to douse the flames before me. If I could just save someone, anyone, maybe they'd be able to fill in the missing gaps that I so desperately sought answers to.

I raised my hands and my muscles quivered from my efforts, but nothing was happening and the familiar sinking feeling started to take over me yet again.

"RIEKA! ENOUGH!"

At the same time that Lupa's voice took over my mind, waking me from the nightmare I was in, cold water completely saturated me from above, causing me to sit up quickly in startlement as Seth immediately leapt out of bed.

"Rhi! What the f***k?!" He stood in stock, dripping water from his well-built nude body as the moonlight from the window made it look like he was sparkling.

"Calm down girl, there's enough time for that later."

Lupa was right, though I didn't want to admit it. Usually I was the one needing to calm down her hormones, but now she decided to put me in my place after I ignored her.

"I'm sorry. I was sleeping, and I just, I don't know. I'm sorry, hun." I shook my head, not really having a good explanation for my actions, and I quickly got out of bed to start cleaning up my mess. That's when the sound of the running water caught my attention and I dropped everything to run to the bathroom and quickly turn off the sink's faucet. I grabbed a handful of towels while I was in there, pausing as I came out to watch Seth as he finished taking the soaked bedding off of the bed.

"Another nightmare, I'm assuming?" He asked me as he carried the bedding to a hamper while I tossed some towels on the floor to soak up the water.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. What time is it?"

"It's not even midnight yet." I groaned at hearing his answer. Still so much of the night left. "Hey, we can quickly get the couch set up and sleep on that, it won't take as long as last time. Don't stress about it. I'm just happy we had the windows shut so there's no fish to have to deal with." He tried to make light of the situation, but I still felt bad.

"I know, I just feel horrible about waking you up in the middle of the night again." By the time I picked up the towels from the floor and tossed them in the hamper with the bedding, Seth already had the couch set up for us. There are days he drives me crazy and I'd love to smack him, but thankfully there were far more moments like this.

Seth walked up to me and placed a loving kiss on my forehead before hugging me tightly. "Don't worry about it, babe. Let's just go back to sleep and maybe we can start to work on figuring things out tomorrow? This can't be ignored much longer, you know."

I nodded my head against his chest and we both got into our makeshift bed. I cuddled up to him and let his lavender and oak scent relax me back to sleep. Hopefully, this time without any incidences.

--

"Aiden! Focus!" I yelled at my teenage nephew as I stopped the dirt orge I created from kicking him across the training field. He spun around just in time to watch it crumble into a pile of dirt mere feet away from where he was standing.

"For crying out loud Aunt Rhi, are you trying to kill me?!" Aiden's honey colored eyes were wide as he stared at the large lump of dirt in shock. His dark coffee complexion and distinguishing good looks were like a carbon copy image of Sam, only Aiden had Jo's eyes. He also had her wonderful lack of ability to keep focus where it needed to be. Which meant there were moments when he was all brawn and no brain. Damn teenagers, anyway.

"This is training, is it not? Maybe if you had shifted into Waya instead of showing off for the girls you wouldn't have almost had your ass handed to you by your Aunt!" I glared at him with my hands on my hips. By now everyone else had stopped their own training to watch the free entertainment.

Aiden was gifted with the re-born soul of an intelligent wolf, which really shocked Jo and Jay the first time he shifted, but some days he preferred showing off his human form to his possible prospects instead of utilizing Waya.

"How many times do I have to tell you to pay attention, Aiden! Stop thinking with the wrong head!" Sam yelled from across the field where he was working with Manny, one of the other boys. All of the girls in training started giggling while Aiden suddenly looked sick with embarrassment.

"Alright Aunt Rhi. It's my turn now." Freya walked up to Aiden and playfully shoved him out of the way. "Go rest your ego while you let the adults train." She teased him as he left our training area.

Being able to shift into different forms and control the elements, Lupa and I seemed to have become the main ones that everyone liked to train with. They let us know what areas they've been told they need to work on, and we do our best to test them without actually killing them. Honestly? It does Lupa and I more good than it does them, but that's our secret.

"f***k off, Freya!" Aiden snapped back while flipping her off.

"Now, is that any way to treat your future mate?" Tyler couldn't keep his mouth shut, knowing that he'd kill two birds with his one stone.

"Tyler, shut up! She's not his mate!" Damian's loud voice could be heard over the laughing, his irritation evident.

"Yeah, she's not my mate!" Aiden thought he had one upped Tyler by agreeing with Damian, but it completely backfired.

"Boy, you could only dream of being lucky enough to get her as your mate! Now shut your trap and go sit down!" I didn't bother looking in Damian's direction, as poor Freya's typically ivory skin was now fifty shades of red, her wavy jet black hair and black eyes didn't help any, and made her face look even more red than what it actually was.

I figured it was about time to refocus everyone. "How about you both shut up so that we can all get back to training?! We're not here to argue over Freya's love life!" I heard a few snorts and giggles as everyone got back to business, and Freya let out a sigh of relief. I smiled at my young niece. She might have grown into a beautifully fierce fighter, but she hated being the center of attention.

"How do you want to do this?"

A grin took over her face as she answered my question by shifting into Keira, her raven-colored winged wolf. Somehow, the hybrid cross of Izzy and Damian, along with Mia and Jay, have given their children a combination of abilities. Natural vampires in human form, like their mothers, with the ability to shift into a winged wolf, similar to Seth and I and what I call a Senmurv. We all assumed it was due to having Impundulu blood. The difference between the teens and Seth and I is that we can pick and choose when to use our wings, where they have them at all times. I believe it's due to Seth and I being True Borns, but I could be wrong.

"Ready, Lupa?"

"Took you long enough! Geesh!" My once regal wolf easily gave me attitude as her body took over my own, releasing her black iridescent wings and stretching them before taking flight. I imagined the picture I had Seth take of Lupa while her wings were out and how perfectly beautiful she looked with them against her white, black-tipped hair. Then again, I might be a little biased.

After we got a good distance away from the others, Keira and Lupa stared at each other for a couple of seconds before Lupa gave her a nod to go ahead and start. Keira yipped in excitement as she flung herself towards us, desperately trying to get in the nose boop, signifying a bite like a game of tag football.

"Silly girl is always too eager!" Lupa snickered as she quickly dropped just enough to dodge Freya's nose and sent a little gust of wind in their direction, causing the black wolf to barrel roll in the air.

"That's cheating, Aunt Rhi!" Freya's voice popped in my head and I could hear her frustration.

"The bad guys never play by the rules, Freya. You need to remember that you're not a bulldozer in wolf form. Keira is smart, cunning, fast, and graceful. That's what your wolf form is about, it's not about diving in with full strength. She's not a Lycan, and not like me when I'm in my third form. Stop fighting her and allow her to do as she wishes. Trust her."

"I know, it's an inner battle I need to get control of. My vampire side needs to learn to work in harmony with Keira instead of always being in control. I'll get there. I just need more practice, is all."

Lupa and Keira started circling each other, both looking for their opening, and I couldn't be more proud of the kids during these moments. We've all been training them since they were really young, starting off with defensive maneuvers until they became stronger and started shifting, preparing them as well as ourselves for whatever it was we would all eventually be needed for. It's hard to believe that they're coming on 18 already, and soon they'll be finding their own mates in life.

Kiera made the first move, cleverly faking a dive to our left, causing Lupa to quickly curve her body towards the right. It was like watching a video that kept pausing to buffer as Keira suddenly stopped her forward motion, coming back towards us.

"Rhiannon." The whisper took all of my focus as my heart stopped due to the shock. I hadn't heard that name in so long.

"Rhi! Pay attention!" Lupa growled in frustration as I didn't move.

The brief moment that I hesitated and took control from Lupa was all that it took for Kiera to get the upper hand. Before I knew what was happening, I saw Kiera's black hair come uncomfortably close to our head, followed by a sharp pain as stars and darkness took over.

Everything around me suddenly became quiet except for the muffled voices I heard in the distance. I knew that I recognized them, but I couldn't place who exactly it was that they belonged to.

"Lupa?"

Nothing.

Great. Whatever the hell happened knocked her out, too. Kiera must have landed a pretty good blow.

"But, John. Are you sure? What if we happen to find our second chance mates? Then what will we do?"

Wait, what? I couldn't have heard that right.

"Do you honestly know how rare it is to find second chance fated mates, Giselle? There's a greater chance that our original mates will come crawling back to us, begging for our forgiveness."

The realization of whose voices I was listening to hit me like a freight train and I could feel my heart beating faster, or irregular, or, oh hell, I didn't even know. But it felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I couldn't be listening to my parents, my real parents, could I? "Come on, Rhi. Open your eyes!" I begged myself so that I could see them, but my world was still black and my body didn't move at all. If it wasn't for my beating heart and stomach doing flips, I wouldn't even have known if I was still in my body or not.

"As long as you promise that you'll be able to reject her if you happen to find her, I promise to do the same."

"Giselle, I love you, and I'll always love you, always and forever. There will only be you and no one else. No matter what. I want you by my side for eternity, I want you to be my Luna."

How am I hearing this? Where am I? The hell with where, but when am I? If I understand what I just heard correctly, that means that ....

"Rhi? Rieka? Are you Ok?!?" Another familiar female voice was starting to pull me away from the voices I was desperate to keep listening to.

"Luna Rhi! Wake up!" This voice was clearer than the other and I was pretty sure it belonged to Zane.

"Someone get Dr. Trisha here, NOW!" Seth's voice roared above all of the others.

The multiple familiar voices were starting to flood my mind and drown out the sound of the two people I had been longing for since I found out about them. I swore to myself as I tried in vain to use selective listening to bring them back, my heart breaking when no matter how hard I tried, it didn't work. I didn't know what exactly had happened to cause this, nor what was going on, but there was one thing that I was pretty certain of. My parents were not mates. Not only that, but they had both been rejected by their fated mates before finding each other.