Wolf of Crescent Moon

Part 1: Chapter 10: First Full Moon

- Rieka’s P.O.V -

“What?” My mother looked at me and I could see the color in her body fade away.

“Stop lying to me,” I tell her.

“I thought you are the one person I could trust with my life, but I was so wrong,” I continue.

“Rieka, I had a reason,” she sits back down next to me.

“What’s a reason enough to hide something like this from me?” I look at her disappointed.

“How did you find out?” she asks.

“Does that matter?” I shake my head.

“Did Ethan tell you?” she speaks.

“How do you know about Ethan? And even if he did, that does not change the fact that you lied to me,” I continue.

“Rieka, I understand that I hurt you, but I had to. I had to hide this from everyone,” she explained.

“Why from me?” I ask.

“Because the only werewolf that could’ve taught you how to be one was your father… your real father,” she said.

“And he died… because of me,” She looked down at her hands.

“What do you mean?” I furrowed my eyebrows.

“When I was younger, I fell in love with this boy, no one knew who his parents were nor where he came from. I was already engaged to the king; we were matched not like you and Malik. That boy and I continued to see each other and one day… he told me he’s a werewolf,” my mother spoke as if she was reliving the story.

“I loved him very much so I believed him, I didn’t understand how he loved a human, how he called me his mate and not another wolf from his pack. I then learn that he’s the alpha of his pack and asked me to leave Aaron and marry him instead. At first, I said yes, but then I got pregnant and got scared. I didn’t know how to face everyone and tell them I’m pregnant with the baby of a wolf or a different man. So, I chose Aaron and chose to be queen because I was humiliated. Of course, as you know, a wolf can’t stay away from its mate for a long time so when I left him, he wanted to take you but I didn’t let him and that hurt him even more. And… a month later, I find out he died,” she continued.

I was listening carefully to my mother’s story and it broke my heart to see her like this, I was still mad at her for lying, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel pity for her.

“Tell me about him,” I say and she looks at me.

“You want to know more?” she asked and I nodded.

“When you were still young, your eyes changed colors and you started growing fur on your neck. You were transforming so I got scared. I went to a witch and she cast a spell on you to keep your wolf in a cage and asleep until something triggers it,” she speaks.

“A mate,” I said and she nodded.

“But when I first saw you turning, I thought it was him in my arms. Your eyes were so blue I could see my face reflecting in them, your fur was darker than the night, just like his. It broke me to see you like that, it hurt even more that I took you from him knowing he would’ve loved to meet you and raise you,” she continued and a tear slid down her red cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, Rieka. I was so selfish I hid your nature from you,” she apologized.

I move toward her and hug her. I couldn’t say anything because frankly, I didn’t know what to tell her. You don’t know what you’re doing when you are scared and unfortunately, my mother chose the path that could hurt her.

“But I can’t do what you did to Ethan,” I break our hug.

“What do you mean?” she asks.

“I can’t leave Ethan. He’s my mate, I’m meant to be his Luna,” I explain but she doesn’t say a word.

“What about Malik? You can’t leave him,” she speaks.

“Why not?” I am confused.

“Your father… h-he would kill me,” she confesses.

“What did you say?” her words shocked me.

“I mean, he would get furious. Plus, being with Ethan could put him at risk. You know Malik is a hunter and is searching for your mate,” she changes her words.

“No, you can’t leave him,” she says.

“It’s not your choice to make,” I tell her.

“Do you want to get Ethan killed? If you truly care about him, you would do what’s right and stay away from him,” she continues.

“But mom…” I try to speak.

“Rieka,” she stops me.

I stare at her with disbelief. How can she possibly force me to stay with Malik after telling me what happened to my father? This could kill Ethan and I, not just one of us…

I got up and left the room slamming the door behind me.

******

Two days later, I was in my room staring at the sky from the big window. It was almost night time and today is the full moon.

I had to get out of here early so Ethan could come and get me before the moon comes up, but Malik wasn’t home yet so I couldn’t do anything but wait for him to fall asleep.

The sky was turning orange so I had less than two hours to be out of here and I was starting to worry.

“Hello,” I heard Malik’s voice after he opened the door.

“Hi,” I smiled.

“How was your day,” I asked.

“Just like every other day,” he answered.

“I have to shower then leave again in an hour,” he continued.

“Oh. Why?” I asked.

“I have some work to do. I think I’ll be out the entire night,” he said and he got me thinking.

“But don’t worry, I’ll be back before you wake up,” he kissed my temple and walked into the bathroom.

There’s only one reason he’s leaving and it’s because he knows it’s a full moon and Ethan’s pack will be the most vulnerable today, especially that they will be in the forests not in Crescent Moon so they don’t attack each other.

I looked outside the window once again and clenched my jaw hoping Malik would leave soon.

******

By the time Malik was gone, the sun had already set. I thought of meeting Ethan earlier but I could risk him getting caught by Malik while he was leaving.

Ethan and I usually meet in the middle of the forest next to the palace, but that’s exactly where my husband was going. So, I waited for him to leave for me to scratch my arm telling Ethan I’m coming.

“We’re late,” I hear Ethan say,

“I know, Malik wouldn’t leave. But we have to be careful, he told me he’s going out for work and I’m guessing by work he meant he went out on a hunting spree,” I tell him.

“Tonight?” he asks and I nod.

“He’s stupid,” he thinks.

“Why?” I ask.

“Tonight, wolves are the most dangerous, does he want to die?” he explains and I shrug.

“It doesn’t matter, we don’t have time the moon is almost in the middle of the sky,” he takes out the needle and drugs me.

******

I wake up in what looks like a cave and Ethan was locking chains the walls.

“What’s all this for?” I ask.

“This is the cave I come to every full moon. Soon we won’t be able to control ourselves and even if wanted to we couldn’t because again, our wolf and we are two different species who share a body,” he explained still working on the chains.

“These chains are in case we lose complete control and injure someone. The exit is blocked by bars but still,” he walks to me.

“Come sit here,” he stands in one of the corners of the cave.

I do as he asks and sit right where he told me to.

“Rieka, you need to take your clothes off,” he says before chaining me.

I hesitated but when I looked at him, I saw that we didn’t have time, so I stood up and took them off quickly leaving my underwear, and sat back down. Ethan quickly wrapped the chains around my hands and legs.

“Won’t this stop me from changing?” I asked.

“No, you’ll transform into these, they’re just to keep you from leaving the cave,” he explains.

When he was done chaining, he ran to his corner and did the same really fast and paused when he made sure everything was secure.

“From one to ten, how painful is it?” I ask getting nervous.

“A hundred,” he answered.

“Wow, shouldn’t have asked,” I said and he laughed.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” he told me.

“How often do you do this?” I looked at him only part of his face still visible from the little light that entered the cave.

“Every full moon, so every two weeks,” he answers.

Every two weeks?

“Isn’t there a way to stop it? Like a spell or something?” I think.

“There’s a legend that says a long time ago an alpha was able to stop these transformations. He was grieving and was dying from it so nature granted him this gift. The alpha, from the kindness of his heart, shared his gift with the entire pack and died after that,” he explained.

“Every alpha that’s a descent of Alpha Kai has this power, but for the to activate such power, the wolf must have a mate,” he said.

“But I’m here, why isn’t it working?” I asked.

“Because we have to actually… mate,” he speaks and I felt my tongue get tied up.

“Rieka?” he said my name.

“Do you actually want to be Luna?” he asked.

“Why are you asking me that?” I furrowed my eyebrows.

“I don’t know. My pack is all I have and they deserve a Luna and me being able to stop this excruciating pain for them is the biggest thing I could give them. All I need is you… but sometimes, I feel like you don’t want me and my pack the way I want you,”

~ To be Continued ~