MOONLIT SEDUCTION

EPISODE ONE

NICK

The Alpha Council meeting is in session. The Alpha's chamber is dimly lit, with all light bulbs extinguished and windows shut. The only source of light is from the overhead opening in the roof. The door is securely locked with heavy padlocks, and outside the chamber, an army of warriors stands guard. The ongoing Council meeting is top secret, and no one in the entire pack or beyond has to know about it.

The Alpha sits on his royal throne, adorned in a regalia made of pure fur. His expression is unreadable as his fierce golden eyes scan the faces in the room. Seated below him on his right side is his Beta, a commanding figure. On his left sits I, Nick, his loyal and beloved second son. The seat in front of me remains vacant, the designated position for Alpha's firstborn child, Alex.

Alex is habitually late, likely still in bed with his mate. There are only two things Alex cares about: his appearance and his bed. Alex attracts girls effortlessly, despite being marked by a she-wolf; it doesn't deter him from changing partners frequently, albeit discreetly. He has no intention of settling down with her anytime soon, but the loyalty she pledges to him is almost disgusting.

We're both tall, handsome, and intellectually sound, but there's something about Alex that makes him the park's favorite. The elders adore him, girls adore him, our father adores him, and I admire him. I look up to him; I've always wanted to be like him. Everyone says he's better than me, and I didn't mind, for there was a time under the moon when I even believed my elder brother was better than me, but that was many years ago, before everything changed.

"The magic we used to protect our world from the mundane world is growing weak," a female voice interrupts my thoughts. I glance at Makisha, the wolf representing the females of the pack, the only female member of the council.

The council consists of the Alpha, his Beta, the Alpha's two sons, the head warrior, three werewolves representing the males, and one she-wolf representing the females.

Makisha continues, "The magic has lasted 5,000 decades; we need a witch to strengthen its power, for we're becoming visible to the eyes of our enemies, and if we wait for the magic to completely lose its power, the rogue beasts will invade our pack and destroy us all."

Legend has it that many years ago, the then-Alpha brought a powerful witch to seal our realm, making it invisible to strangers and enemies of the pack. The location of our pack doesn't exist on any world map, and no one can enter except through teleportation, which only the Alpha and his first son can perform. They can elect to teleport their body, soul, or both. The second and only way to enter our kingdom is by unlocking it with a key, which the Alpha's most trusted man, his Beta, possesses.

For me, whenever I want to teleport out of our world, I use a magic rod Alex gifted me when I was a boy. Alex had some unusual powers manifesting in him when we were kids, but for the better part of his teenage years until now, he has kept them dormant and refused to use them.

The head warrior announces, "The warriors and wolves will permanently remain by the borders, guarding us in case of any invasion, but we must reignite the magic protecting our pack and soon."

"The rogue beasts are increasing by the day," Alpha Bloodhood's deep voice thunders through the chamber, shaking its foundation. The chamber falls silent, as quiet as a graveyard. "These beasts are approximately 100 million in number, and our pack is a meager sum of 10,000 werewolves."

"We have to reproduce more," I eagerly suggested, desperate to contribute to the council meeting.

My father glances at me apologetically. "It's not about reproduction, son." His words are kind. "The rogue beasts can multiply even without reproduction. All they have to do, is send their soldiers into the mundane world and capture a thousand people. Once the blood moon is up, they will initiate them by giving them the blood of a young, blemished wolf to drink, and only the strong who are unafraid of death will transform under the moon."

"And the others?" I asked curiously.

"The weak, die from the pain."

"The rogue beasts are growing stronger with each passing day," the Beta adds. "They have sold their souls to demons for powers, powers to destroy us. We are all doomed if we don't find the savior soon."

The leader of the she-wolves shakes her head solemnly. "The revelations have all come to pass. The only prophecy that's left is the coming of the chosen one, destined to save us with the power of her amulet."

The amulet breathes fire and ice, holding the power to give life and take life, to heal and curse, to destroy the rogue beasts and save the Moonfang Pack from extinction.

The secretary stands up and announces, "I have taken down everything discussed in today's meeting. It will be followed up accordingly."

Just as the meeting is about to conclude, the door creaks open, and Alex walks in with a signature smirk on his face. He brushes his hands through his black, curly hair. We all thought he would be the heir to succeed my father, but this self-assured brother of mine, leisurely strolling into the chambers with a look on his face that says he has more important things to do than discussing the growth of our pack and possible ways of saving it from extinction, is not the man I want to become.

He acknowledges the Alpha with a bow, the Beta with a nod, and ignores me, taking his position in front of me, just as it has always been – him ahead of me. Funny how we went from the best brothers to total strangers.

"We will go and offer supplications to the moon goddess to hasten the birth of the chosen child," the Alpha declares, making the final statement that closes the meeting.

However, Alex has the audacity to speak. "We have awaited the arrival of the chosen child for three centuries. When will the child be born? Why must we offer supplications to the moon goddess and further inflate her ego?"

"... Alex!" The alpha roars at him, and Alex falls silent immediately.

The beta soothes Alpha Bloodhood's hands and glances at Alex, who is soon to become his son-in-law. "The moon goddess does only that which pleases her."

Alpha Bloodhood adjourns the meeting, and the council members begin to file out of the chambers one by one, except for the alpha and his beta, who remain seated. I walked behind Alex, waiting until we left the chambers and were out of earshot before calling after him. Almost there, a few more steps. There. "Alex!"

He turns to look at me, and for a fleeting moment, I glimpse a smile on his face, a sign that he's thrilled to hear me call his name, but it vanishes as quickly as it appears. I must have merely imagined it. "Will you join us in making supplications to the moon goddess?"

"Why should I offer supplications to a deceased goddess?"

"Alex!" I exclaimed in shock. "You can say whatever you want, but blasphemy against the goddess is a grave offense..."

"A goddess who has ears but cannot hear the cries of her people. She has eyes but cannot see their suffering." He looks me over. "You're no longer ten, Nick; you're twenty-two. You're a man, not a child." He shook his head in a pitiful manner before walking away from me.