Moonlight's Betrayal

Chapter 1: Lunar Longing

The ethereal light of the full moon, weighty in the night sky, lit the wooded clearing. Standing at the brink of the event, Luna's heart raced with both exhilaration and terror. People from her pack were moving, laughing, and crying with unbridled pleasure as the annual Moon Celebration was headed full speed ahead. Luna, on the other hand, felt as though she were an outsider seeing a world to which she could never really fit. She pulled at the hem of her plain blue dress, in sharp contrast to the ornate robes the other female wolves were sporting.

Her sister Aria's voice kept the gathering going, resonant laughter bringing everyone's attention. Luna sighed as Aria spun in her silver dress; the moonlight gave her an illusion of glowing.

“Moon!” shouted a familiar sound. She went to see her beloved, lifetime friend Kai racing towards her with an uneven smile.

“Why are you covering under? Come see the wonderful times!” Luna limited a smile.

“I'm not stowing away, just... noticing,” Kai pretended to be very natural.

“You are constantly observing. You will have to really engage in life at some time, you know.”

A stillness descended the clearing before Luna could respond. She looked up to find her father, Alpha Marcus, on the raised platform in the middle of the group. Luna felt a genuine pain of wanting for his endorsement; his great presence merited moment appreciation. Alpha Marcus started, his booming voice resonating all through the evening.

“My pack,” he added. “We honor the full moon today as a representation of our strength and unity. Let us thank you for one more year of harmony and flourishing.”

Luna's eyes strayed over the assembly as they lifted their voices together howling. Her throat seized her breath. Among the sea of known faces, a stranger caught out like a twilight lighthouse. He was tall, built powerfully, and his dark hair appeared to catch moonlight. But Luna was enthralled by his sharp and enigmatic eyes, which seemed to pierce her totally. As their eyes locked, Luna had an electrifying rush coursed through her body. Perhaps the rest of the planet vanished, leaving only her and this confusing alien. She had never seen anything like it, and naturally she understood this was what the elderly people meant as the mate bond—the rapid link between obvious mates.

Kai's voice seemed to come from some distance. “Luna? Alright? You come across as having seen a phantom.” Luna blink broke the spell. “I'm OK. That man is there, right? Who has dark hair?” Kai whistled low following her gaze.

“That is Caine Reed, the next door pack neighbor Beta Roran's son. I was told he just finished some specialized instruction. Quite a catch, in my perspective.”

Luna's heartbeat accelerated. Caine. Even his name provided her a rush. She walked forward toward him, like a moth to a flame. But before she could grab another, a flash of silver tore across her view. Aria had also seen Caine, exactly as planned, and she burnt through no time in acting. Luna stared helpless as her stepsister walked up to Caine with enticing hip sway. Aria's tinkling giggle filled the meadow as she laid a well-groomed palm on Caine's arm. Little Luna suffers a bodily blow as she encounters Caine and Aria in the middle of a celebration. Expecting to be apart from everyone else at the occasion, she sets off. Her friend Kai assures her it's okay; yet, Luna insists she needs some air.

She runs into the jungle and hears Aria and Caine talking about their marriage. Luna yells to Caine, who tells her her wolf instincts are on high alert thus she shouldn't be alone. Although Luna tries to exude confidence, Caine notes that even the strongest wolf can be taken aback. As they stared at each other for a long time, Luna's heart hammered loudly, suggesting that Caine had to be able to hear it. Luna nods then when Caine asks Aria, Alpha Marcus's daughter, where she is. She should go, he advises her, as her friend is looking for her. Alerting Luna that everyone is hunting for her, Aria, her sister, bursts into the little area. Caine stumbles, but Luna lets him go; they disappear into the forest. Luna is glued to the ground while a storm of emotions runs across her. Caine would choose Aria; the mate link she had felt was now like a terrible joke. Luna returns to the party with much grief, feeling more alone than she has in recent memory. She observes her dad chatting about heavy business with Beta Roran, but neither of them seem to see her.

Luna wanders to the margins of the social event as the evening drags on, observing couples pair up beneath the twilight glow. Caine and Aria, who are at the center of attention, catch her eyes. While Caine seems to be focused, looking as though he is searching for someone or something, Aria laughs and teases. Luna, a young wolf, found a commotion near the edge of the woodland interesting. She approached closer and discovered a small wolf young boy with a twisted leg. When Luna begged for help, a twelve-year-old lad acknowledged he had pushed too hard during a game. Luna contacted the injured limb to make it heal; her heart went to the small man and the child. Luna felt the wonder and thanks as she heard the wolves applaud. Luna gazed up at her father and Beta Roran, Alpha Marcus noticed something like reverence in her eyes combined with a deliberate expression. Though Luna heard something in his ear—"rare gift... valuable... the prophecy"—he did not grasp what Beta Roran was saying to him.

After feeling stinging on her neck, Luna turned to find Caine fixed at her across the clearing. They stared both afraid and amazed. Luna had always felt the same electric connection, but now she felt something else: everything had changed. Luna understands that her life cannot go back after this evening regardless of whatever. As the moon started to sink, Luna decided to squarely meet the difficulties. Luna left the celebration one last glance at Caine, who was all the while observing her with an incomprehensible articulation. She couldn't get rid of the feeling that this was only the beginning of a far more significant narrative as she progressed home across the quiet forest.

As Luna departed the Moon Festival, forces were already at work testing her in ways she never would have thought possible. Along the road, there would be risk, treachery, and heartache; but, there would also be love, self-discovery, and a future bigger than Luna had ever dreamed. As the first sunrise peeped through the woods, Luna arrived at the little cottage she shared with her grandmother on the edge of the pack's range. With her gray face and laboring breathing, Elara, Luna's grandmother, sat drooped on her number one seat beside the fireplace. Luna knelt next to her grandmother, clutching her hand in her own, and Elara told her that her old heart was only acting up once more. Elara shook her head, though. “Kid, there is not time for that. Listen to what I say. You ought to know something...”

As Elara's words disappeared into a coughing fit, Luna sensed a familiar warmth develop in her hands. Without thinking, she laid her palm over her grandmother's heart, hoping the healing energy she had found before would find her feeble body. Nothing happened for a little. After then, Elara's cheeks started to progressively turn back their color. Her eyes opened, her breathing relaxed, and she stared at Luna surprised yet sympathetically.

“So,” Elara said, “it's started finally. You have stirred in you the gift.”

Luna stared at her messy grandmother. “Do you know about this? About my capacity?” Elara nodded somberly.

“Indeed, my dear. I have been waiting for this day for really some time. Still, now that it is here...” Her demeanor grew more focused as she went on. “Luna, you really need to exercise great caution. Some would want to use your gift for personal needs.”

A sudden thump at the door sent Luna and her implying what she meant flying. “Luna?” the authoritarian Alpha Marcus inquired. “Anyone here? We have to start talking.” Concerned looks passed between Elara and Luna. Both of them knew that whatever was to follow would never make things the same once more. As Luna stood to answer the door, ready to meet whatever obstacles might arise, she straightened her shoulders. The small, underprivileged young woman from the celebration was nothing more. In front of her stood a young woman just ready to realize her actual strength and fate.