The Rising Moon Pack

Chapter 3

Maria POV

The rest of the week flew by, and before I knew it, it was the morning of my birthday. I had woken with a terrible headache, but I got up anyway and went downstairs. The house was busy, but the scene was of organised chaos, and my Mother glided gracefully from room to room, occasionally stopping to give an order or adjust a centrepiece on one of the tables. Every now and then, she would stop to help one of the omegas, and they would meet her help with "Thank you, Luna."

I admired the way my mother cared for each and every member of our pack; how it didn't matter what their rank, she treated them with the utmost respect and they returned it each time. My mother was well liked by our pack, she was kind, but she also didn't take s**t from anyone. She was a bad ass, and I hoped one day I could be just like her.

Because I was a girl, the chances of me inheriting the Luna title from my mom were slim. Once my father stepped down as Alpha, my brother Jase would take his place alongside his best friends, Matt and Alex. Matt would take over the role of Beta, whilst Alex would take over from his father Gamma Henry. Because Beta Harry didn't have any sons, Jase was allowed to choose his right hand man. Jase, Matt and Alex had been best friends from birth, and our moms had all been pregnant at the same time, and the boys were all born within weeks of one another. Jase was the eldest, Matt was born 2 weeks later, and Alex was born 3 weeks after him. It really was the Goddess' plan to have them run this pack together, side by side. So, unless something happened to Jase before he could take his place as Alpha, I was unlikely to ever inherit the role of Luna.

Suddenly, just then, my mom appeared by my side, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Happy Birthday Baby!" she smiled at me, and all of a sudden I felt really overwhelmed.

I burst into tears, and my mom looked concerned.

"What's the matter? Don't you like it? We can change anything you like darling, just say the word."

"It's not that mom. It's all so beautiful and I'm so grateful for the work you've done. I guess it's really just hitting me now that I'm finally an adult, but it's not how I imagined I'd feel. I miss Bella." I sniffled.

"I thought you'd say that," she said, " Follow me."

I followed her out to the back yard, and in my favourite place, right under our childhood treehouse, there was Bella's favourite swing hanging from the branch. I gasped as I looked at the swing, sat upon it was a marble statue, painted with every perfect detail. It was Bella, just like the photo Beta Harry had shown me earlier that week.

" How did you do this? She looks so real!" I cried and rushed over to the statue, touching every line of her hair.

"We knew someone who owed your dad a favour. We wanted you to know that Bella is always thought about, even now her home is in the Kingdom above. We haven't told Uncle Harry about it yet though, we thought maybe you would like to do that honour." my mom smiled at me, and in that moment I had never known such a rush of love for her before. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed every inch of her cheeks.

"I love this mom. This is the best birthday gift you could have given me. I'm going to find Uncle Harry right now!"

"He's in his office sweetheart. I think Mrs Davies has prepped his lunch if you'd like to take it up to him."

I raced to the kitchens, and as I entered the door Mrs. Davies appeared.

"Ah, sweet girl! Happy birthday" she said, pulling me into a hug. I was only 5 foot 3 at most, but Mrs Davies was tiny. She had to be 4 foot 10 at best, and she was lovely and plump. She smelled like lavender and vanilla, and her curly grey hair was pulled back with a beautiful velvet bow. Her kind eyes twinkled, and I could have sworn that she was welling up with tears.

"Mrs Davies, thank you! But why are you crying?" I asked her, concerned.

" It's nothing sweetheart. I'm just emotional because tonight you could find your mate, and then be whisked away to another pack. It makes me sad, because I would miss you so terribly." She sniffed.

My stomach flipped. In my excitement about the Bella statue, I'd forgotten about tonight's party. My wolf hadn't spoken to me yet, but I knew she would when she was ready. My mom had told me not to worry if she didn't speak immediately because our wolves know us best and would speak when the time was right.

"Mrs Davies," I turned back to her, " Could I have the Beta's lunch please? I'm on my way to visit him."

"Of course. I'll get it for you."

I smiled at her as I thought over her words. She was right, there was a chance that tonight could be my last night at my home, tonight I could meet my mate. He could be from a neighbouring pack, or even one hours away. The thought was terrifying, but also exciting. I'd heard tales of what the mate bond felt like, it was something I had always dreamed of one day being able to experience. When we were young, Bella and I would spend hours laying on the floor of our treehouse day dreaming about what our mate could look like, trying to convince ourselves that our childhood crush was 100% totally our destined mate, even though our crushes changed pretty much weekly at that age. I laughed to myself at the memory as I carried the plate up to Beta Harry's office and knocked on the door.

There was no answer, so I knocked again. I knew he was in there, I could smell his scent so strongly through the door.

"Uncle Harry? I'm coming in, okay?" I called quietly.

I pushed the door open gently and found Uncle Harry. He had fallen asleep over his desk, and he looked exhausted. His eyes were red rimmed like he'd been crying and his greying hair was tousled like he'd been running his hands through it. I set the plate down on the desk, and gently rubbed his back.

"Sing to him".

I stopped. What the f**k was that?!

"Don't panic. I'm your wolf, Isabella."

My hands started to shake.

"Did you just say Isabella?" I thought.

"Yes, my name is Isabella. You're probably wondering if I'm *that* Bella, and I can confirm that I am. When I died, Goddess Selene gave me a chance to live on as your wolf. She hadn't chosen your wolf yet because she knew that your path meant you would need someone special. When I died, I became your wolf because you are destined to become a sacred wolf. The past few months, the reason you have felt drawn to Harry, is because we share a blood connection. Even though I'm a spirit wolf now, he was still my father on earth. I have been part of you for months now, and I feel everything you feel and vice versa."

"I have so many questions Bella. What happened to you? Who did this? I need to find them!" I thought, frantically.

"Maria, I'm not allowed to tell you. I'm not allowed to interfere with destiny and if I tell you, it could change your life in unimaginable ways. I do need you to wake up Harry, though. He needs to eat."

I looked down at Uncle Harry, sleeping on the table.

"Can I tell him about you?" I asked

"Not yet. " Isabella said. "He's not ready."

I placed my hands on Uncle Harry's shoulder and rubbed gently. I thought about a song we used to sing as small children that always made our parents smile, and I started to hum it quietly. As I watched, the frown on Uncle Harry's face disappeared, and his eyes slowly opened.

"Maria?" He said, looking confused. " What are you doing here?

"I brought you your lunch, Uncle. " I replied. " But if you're not hungry just yet, there's something I want to show you in the garden."

" What is it, Maria?" He asked.

"It's a surprise!" I said, laughing.

He looked at me suspiciously. His eyes went white and I could see he was mindlinking someone, probably my dad.

"Dad isn't gonna tell you" I laughed. "And neither will my mom, they planned this on purpose."

"Okay, fine. Let's go. " He replied.