The Rising Moon Pack

Chapter 29

Maria POV

It felt weird being alone in such a massive bed. Jake was sleeping in the hospital, and I was tucked up here. I missed him, but I knew I needed to sleep. No good would come from a tired mind, so I settled myself under the warm duvet and closed my eyes.

Eventually I drifted off, and I dreamed peacefully. I was running through a forest, the trees reaching as tall at the moonlit sky. The ground crunched under me, and as I ran, I realised I was in wolf form. I looked down at my paws, and realised I could barely see them,as they blended with the ground.

I skidded to a stop next to a puddle of water on the ground and looked down. A pair of silver opal-esque eyes stared right back, and I jumped back in shock. My fur was emerald green, all over, except for a silver crescent moon resting in the centre of my forehead. I threw my head back, and howled at the moon rising in the sky. There was a snapping of twigs behind me, and I turned, ready to defend myself. Instead, I found another wolf.

She was tall, at least 8ft. She had emerald green fur like myself, except the mark on her forehead was a full moon, surrounded by silver stars. Her eyes were amber, with silver flecks around the iris. She had an alpha authority around her that commanded respect, and before I realised it, I was bowing to her, submitting.

“Maria, Bella. I am Emeera, the first emerald goddess.” A calm voice rang over mindlink.

“Emeera? Why are you in my dream?” I asked her, puzzled.

“Maria, I have come to guide you. The next week of your life is going to be a hard one,and I know there will be times you have to make some tough decisions.” She answered me.

“My mother.” I nodded to her, thoughtfully.

“ I don’t understand why she did this to Bella.” I admitted, bowing my head.

“I know why.” Emeera offered, “but I don’t have to tell you if you don’t want to know.”

“Please.” I pleaded. “She probably won’t tell me the full truth, and I don’t want to hurt her to get answers.”

Emeera nodded approvingly, and sat back on her haunches.

“I’m glad to hear that you don’t want to cause harm.” She said, and smiled kindly to me. “Kate did this to Bella, because Bella is also an emerald wolf. We’re incredibly rare, and only goddesses can have emerald wolf children.”

My mouth dropped open in shock.

“You mean… Bella was her daughter?” I stuttered.

“Yes,” Emeera nodded. “But that’s not all.”

“f**k. What else could there possibly be???” I wailed.

“Bella isn’t Harry’s child either.” She told me,calmly.

“What the f**k!” Bella screamed through the mind link.

“Bella, calm down.” I whispered.

“No, f**k off! How can he not be my dad! He raised me from birth, so did my mom! How are they not my parents!” She howled, and I winced. I could feel every second of her pain, and I felt sick inside. She began to pace in my mind, sobbing. My body began to shake uncontrollably, so Emeera approached me, and placed her head on my shoulder, offering me comfort.

Both Bella and I broke down completely, and the sound of howls filled the night. Emeera began humming, and a sense of calm washed over us both. When she was finished, Bella had lay back down, curled into a ball.

“Thank you.” I told Emeera, gratefully.

“I understand, it’s a lot to take in.” She told me. “ I think you need to prepare yourself for what I’m about to tell you. Now the initial shock is over, this shouldn’t hurt so much.”

I nodded, and Bella perked up in my mind.

“Bella is actually Ben’s daughter.”

Bella began laughing bitterly, and I stared at Emeera thoughtfully.

“So, Bella is my full-blooded sister?” I asked, calmly.

“Unbelievable. Un-f*****g-believable!” Bella retorted through the link.

“Bella, I swear to Goddess if you don’t shut the f**k up, I’m coming up in there to kick your ass. Be quiet!” I told her, and Emeera laughed. I turned to face her. “What?” I asked, surprised.

“Selene was right, you two are the perfect balance for one another.” She laughed.

“Selene? The Moon Goddess?” I asked.

“Yes, she’s my sister.” Emeera told us,smiling.

“Oh, right.” I answered.

“Anyway, like I was saying,” Emeera continued. “Bella is your full blooded sister, which makes her an emerald wolf. Emerald wolves can be born to Goddesses, but only if they’re born to two Alphas. Naturally, your mother wasn’t fated to be with an Alpha. So she used her gifts, and changed the fates to make it so she could reproduce an heir to her powers.”

“Oh.” Was all I could say.

“Yes, so when the time came, she used her powers of emotional manipulation, and changed her fate. She was fated to be mated to Harry, and Lacey was fated to be with Ben.”

I gasped, in shock.

“So Kate wanted the Luna title! She wanted Ben for his title, not love!” Bella screamed, and I hissed at the sudden increase in volume.

“Sorry!” She calmed down and apologised.

“In a sense, yes. She did want Ben for his alpha blood, but not because she wanted to be Luna. She wanted him so she could have an heir to her powers. The problem is, she fell pregnant with Bella straight after having Jase. Boys can’t inherit the powers, although they are stronger than the average alpha. Kate knew she would eventually have to pay the price for changing her fate, so she distanced herself from Bella, and needed to find a way to make sure Bella was cared for.” Emeera responded.

“Wait, so where do Harry and Lacey come into it? How didn’t they know what my mom was doing?” I asked, confused.

“Well, the same way she used emotional manipulation to simulate the mate bond between herself and Ben, she also repeated that between Harry and Lacey. She wiped their memories clean, fabricated new ones, and then they all went about their lives like nothing ever happened. She hid her pregnancy from Ben and the pack, wiping the last few months of it from the entire packs memory, to make sure no one remembered. She gave birth at the pack hospital, then wiped their memories too.”

“So, Harry and Lacey. What was the deal with them?” I asked.

“Well, of course they were happy. They were forced to be that way. However, Kate’s power was weakening as she betrayed her Emerald sisters, and cracks began to form. Lacey began to have nightmares, repressed memories from before Kate and Ben were together. She began to remember, and confronted Kate. Kate staged an attack on the pack, and whilst everyone was scrambling to defend the territory, Kate made sure Lacey was isolated. She was killed, and the threat to Kate’s web of lies was neutralised. By this point, Kate had had you, Maria. She didn’t need Bella, and couldn’t ever risk Bella finding her true potential.” She finished, and I rolled onto my back in despair, looking at the moon.

“So she had Bella murdered to protect her secrets?” I asked, crying quietly.

“Yes.” Emeera responded, laying next to me. “It broke her heart to do it, but Bella was getting closer and closer to coming of age, and her powers would have burst forth eventually, exposing Kate,breaking her hold on Ben and the entire pack. She couldn’t risk it.”

“She doesn’t have a heart.” I said, quietly. “She wouldn’t have been able to abandon her baby if she had.”

“People do strange things they’re not usually capable of when they’re desperate, Maria.” Emeera told me, calmly. “You’d be surprised by the stupid choices people make on a daily basis.”

“Yes, but to commit murder not once but twice? That’s no longer a mistake, or an accident. It was a cold-blooded, calculated decision.” I told her, firmly. “No good person would ever do that, or any of the other s**t my mother put us all through.”

“You’re right.” Emeera said. “But what you don’t understand is that to change your fate like Kate did, it comes at a price. Kate changed her fate to be with Ben, and the price of that kind of magic is a life for a life. The life Kate had, unable to produce another emerald wolf, or sacrificing her first born girl to be able to gain an heir for her line of powers. To her, the sacrifice was worth the gain, so she paid it. Lacey was collateral.”

“How callous.” I retorted. “Bella’s life wasn’t Kate’s to give. Neither was Lacey’s. My mother chose to ruin two lives, and now a countless more. Her veil is slowly lifting, and we are seeing her for what she is. Pure, unfiltered selfish hate. There is nothing good about her, Emeera.”

Emeera sighed, and stood to her feet.

“You might be right.” She admitted, “but you could also be wrong. Every soul has the ability for redemption, even one like Kate’s.”

“So what do I have to do, now? Do I go home and tell them what I know? Do we have to interrogate her? Do we seriously have to listen to her lie to our faces? Knowing the truth?” I asked.

“Go home, Maria. Don’t cause her any harm, because whatever pain you inflict on her will only pass to you once she gives you your birthright. She needs to handover your gifts willingly, so do whatever you can to make that happen.”

“Emeera, how do I find you again? How do I learn to use my powers?” I asked her.

“Once your full powers come in, you’ll know. You’ll have a permanent mindlink with the rest of the goddesses, Bella included. I’ll be there, too.” She answered, smiling.

She began to fade from view, and I started to panic.

“Wait! What about Matt? Why can’t I heal him?” I called.

“Speak to Jake.” She answered, and like that she was gone.

I sighed, and lay back down.

“What do I do,Bella?” I asked her, feeling lost.

“Wake up. Let’s go speak to Jake.”

***

I rolled over in bed, and opened my eyes. The clock on the bedside table said 9am, so I’d managed to catch a few hours sleep, but I’d missed breakfast. I sighed, and pulled my tired body up and out of bed. I yawned and stretched wildly, listening as my back clicked and popped.

“Ugh, I feel so cramped.” Bella complained, and I shook my head.

“I’m sorry, not too long to go! I swear.” I told her.

“It’s fine. Let’s go.” She told me, urging me towards the door.

“I need to get dressed. I can’t go to the hospital virtually naked.” I told her, crossing my arms.

“Ugh, fine. Be quick!” She huffed.

I went to the closet and pulled out a warm lilac sweater with pearls stitched around the neckline. I pulled out a simple white bra, and pulled my shirt over my head, exposing my skin. I quickly pulled the bra on, followed by the sweater, and reached into my drawer to find a pair of black leggings. I finished off with my fluffiest pair of socks, and sturdy, comfortable trainers. I grabbed my cell phone and linked Noah, before rushing to brush my teeth.

As I left the room and pulled the door shut behind me, Noah appeared from his bedroom. He’d gotten dressed in a hurry, his buttons all mismatched. I laughed, and rolled my eyes before reaching out to fix them.

“Woah, what are you doing?” He asked nervously as I began unbuttoning his shirt.

“Fixing this. Hold still!” I said as I swiftly matched them all. “You can’t go into pack meetings looking like that. They won’t respect you.”

“Thanks, Squeak. Am I late? I’m starving.” He complained.

“I’ll link Mrs Davies to bring you a coffee and a croissant, I promise.” I answered, fixing his tie, and brushing his hair back from his face.

“You’re too good to me,Squeak.” He grinned, kissing the top of my head.

I smiled back. “The meetings are due to start soon,you better go. I’ll see you later!”

Noah took off down the hall, jogging around Omegas who were dusting the frames on the walls. I laughed to myself, before linking Mrs Davies.

“Mrs D, could you get a croissant to Beta Noah please? Oh, and a coffee please. Black, with sweetener.” I asked, sweetly.

“Sweet girl, good morning. Of course! To the meeting room?” She asked, and I smiled. This woman was a f*****g angel.

“Yes, please! Thank you.” I blew her a kiss over the link, and listened as she chuckled to herself.

“Anything I can get for you and the Alpha?” She asked me.

“Do we have any pancakes?” I asked,hopefully.

“Yes, we have blueberry, lemon or chocolate chip. What would you prefer?”

“Ooooh. Pancake roulette!” I clapped my hands gleefully,and listened as Mrs Davies broke out into full blown laughter.

“I’ll get right on it. Delivered to the meeting room also?”she asked.

“Actually, could you take it to the hospital please? And could you make sure there’s enough for Beta Matt, too, please?” I asked.

“Of course. I’ll get on it immediately.” She answered,and I cut the link.

I skipped my way to the hospital, the thought of pancakes making my mouth water. I reached the door, and pulled on the cold handle. Almost instantly, the scent of alcohol wipes and latex gloves filled the air, and I walked into reception. Dr Jenkins waved to me, as I wandered over to the desk.

“Good morning, Luna Maria.” Dr Jenkins addressed me.

“Good morning! I’m here to see Matt, and Jake.” I smiled at him.

“Of course! This way.”

He led me to one of the rooms, and knocked quietly on the door. There was no answer, so I opened the door quietly and stepped inside. Jake was slumped in the chair, a frown on his face, sleeping. I shut the door behind me, and walked over to Matt.

He seemed peaceful, but as I got closer, I realised the damage was worse than it had seemed. One side of Matt’s face was swollen and bruised, his eye swollen shut, purple lines tracking down his jaw. My heart broke,and I burst into tears, disturbing Jake.

“Baby?” He called to me, but I couldn’t bring myself to answer. What had I done to Matt? This was all my fault.

Jake got up, and walked over to the bed.

I heard him gasp loudly as he took in Matt’s broken face. He pushed the emergency buzzer next to Matt’s bed and the room filled with nurses, a swarm of activity around the bed.

I couldn’t move. All I could do was cry.