The King and Queen smile down at their new born daughter that lays quietly asleep on the large cushion displayed for all to see under the candle light in the dimly lit cathedral. Their five-year-old son fidgets beside them as he glares at the guests, worried for his new sister's safety with so many wolves around.
Alphas, Lunas and other high-ranking wolves wait patiently in the crowd as the chanting from the palace Witch rings a gentle melody around the room. Today is the one-month mark of Princess Isabella Nightlock, signaling that the new born werewolf princess is strong enough to survive in this world. As the chanting continues, the Witch sprinkles moon dust over different crystals placed to the side of the princess.
"A moon stone will protect her light and guide her through a challenge only select few will face." The witch loudly announces as the moon dust settles onto the round six-inch diameter moon stone and glows iridescent. The chanting continues, the audience anticipating the next declaration as the witch moves to the three objects – a scepter, a book, and a sword – watching the moon dust settle onto a bejeweled scepter and another iridescent glow surrounding the object.
"A scepter states she will rule. As a Luna or a Queen, only fate will tell." The Witch's melodious voice calls out. The King and Queen look at each other with worry. It is common for a princess to be mated to an Alpha-born wolf and vice versa, but if Isabella were to rule the kingdom, what would happen to their young son?
Deciding to shelf this worry to another time, their focus returns to the Witch and what power this Royal Born pup will wield one day.
When creatures hidden from the mortals decided to make their presence known and fight for their right to a home for themselves on Earth, the Moon Goddess bestowed a gift to the family who became the Royal Wolves and rulers of werewolves and Meng Bloed – halflings with wolf descent. This gift is the control of elements.
Queen Lisandra, being mated into the Royal family, did not possess any powers, but her husband, King Jonathan, did - the power of lightning. Prince Ryder - who had the power of water - could barely control his element at age five, but when he learned he would be a big brother, he slowly practiced his control in fear of harming the baby that has the attention of each and every person in the room.
The chanting from the Witch grows stronger now, echoing around the room as she sprinkles more moon dust on different elements, but no reaction is seen. A frown forms between her brows in confusion as she continues the chant and once again sprinkles moon dust on the bowls that hold a symbol of the known elements that other Royals have posed - still nothing. The crowd begins to chatter anxiously amongst themselves, the noise mixing with the melodious chanting. There has never been a Royal who did not possess powers.
No one notices the Princess, whose face contorts in discomfort as the many wolves focus on the Witch's third attempt, once again yielding no results. The noise of whispers grows louder in disbelief, everyone thinking that the Princess has no power, until a loud cry from the cushion where the sleeping Princess lays silences them, followed by a loud boom of thunder that shakes the glass windows threatening to break under the shock wave and a bolt of lightning lights the cathedral.
Everyone stared in fear outside at once was a beautiful sunny spring day, but now as dark as night, and the black clouds above released a torrent of rain. The chanting from the witch stops while she stares at the moon dust she had thrown and is now floating in mid-air around the newborn pup, her cries of displeasure of being disturbed growing louder as the storm increases in frightening strength. The witch observes the pup and the storm, a light of understanding flickering across her face as she approaches the Princess and takes out a crescent moon-shaped Moon Stone attached to a white gold chain hidden in her robe. She dangles the necklace over the Princess' torso, the stone shining in the light and catching the pup's eyes. The crying promptly stops, and so does the rain, but the dark clouds still remain low in the sky, ready to release a torrent of rain once more.
The moon stone, still suspended in the air, continues to glow steadily.
Then unexpectedly, Princess Isabella lets out a giggle, the sound like bells chiming in the breeze. The dark clouds outside disappear from the sky with each giggle the Princess makes, her tiny hands reaching for the sparkling jewel above her. The Moon Stone dust finally glows iridescent, and the Witch smiles.
"Unexpectedly, the element dear Princess Isabella Nightlock controls is something never seen before. Our little jewel of the werewolf nation can control the weather, and one day she will be a powerful force to reckon with." The moon dust slowly gathers above the Princess' temple at the Witch's declaration, swirling and glowing brightly as each particle floats gently onto the forehead of the new Royal wolf. The Witch continues to chant, and the crowd stares in shock. Imagine the leaps and bounds their nation can take with this Princess's power.
Finally, the moon dust settles and an insignia is left on the Princess' forehead - a golden crescent moon with a silver snow flake between the pointed tips. This will appear on her forehead each time the Princess shifts into her wolf form.
The chant ends quietly, and the crowd cheers, leaving the Witch smiling. She has seen glimpses of this pup's future with each new declaration, and her heart aches for the pain this little one will bear. But it will make this Moon Blessed pup grow stronger and bring a new era for the nation this Witch calls her home. With a nod to the King and Queen, the Witch retreats to her chair, but not before leaving the necklace in the hands of her Princess as a gift, her body drained of energy from this ceremony. She will need to rest for a while before performing any spells.
With the ceremony completed, the King and Queen thanks the guest for coming, maids and butlers ushering everyone towards the exit and down the halls where the ballroom is ready for the party, the Prince's personal servant comes and escorts the five year old to the elevator after he bids his parents a good night so that he can take his after noon nap and the two rules make their way to where their daughter quietly plays with her new necklace.
"Jonathan, what do you think will happen with our pup?" Queen Lisandra asks, carefully scooping the Princess into her arms and cradling her daughter close to her.
"I have no idea, Lisandra, all we can do is speculate and keep our pups safe." King Jonathan answers honestly, a sigh ending his statement. With a look of understanding, the King and Queen exit the cathedral and make their way to the ballroom with their daughter safely in the embrace of the Queen to introduce their pup to each guest. Today is about her after all.
Sitting in Moira’s tower, a mug of hot chocolate in my hand, I curl in on myself while my thoughts move a mile a minute. After the mate bond had snapped into place unexpectedly with Liam, I ran towards home with Liam rushing after me, calling out to me in our link. But I panicked. I had run away, scared that the bond had formed before I was ready.I could feel my parents trying to push into our familial link, try and talk to me, while I raced back to the palace, but I pushed them out and shut the link like a solid steel door that led to a bomb shelter. Liam must have reached out to them to see if they could get a hold of me. Either that or they felt the panic rising inside me.“Are you ready to talk, or are you going to shut down again?” Moira says from the armchair across from me, a mug of hot herbal tea in her hand. I bite the inside of my cheek; my eyes locked on the small fire in the fireplace.“I ran away from Liam.” I whisper, body shaking as memories of my rejection by Damon re
Padding behind Liam on our way back to the Palace, I find myself wincing when I stretch a little too far. My body protested with each movement I made due to how Liam and I spent our alone time these last two days. I never knew there were many ways to make love to someone, but Liam took his time, bending me to his will, and I was eager to let him.It felt weird submitting to someone, considering I was the Queen of all wolves, but Liam never pushed me too far. Instead, he showed me a side of myself I did not know about, leaving me always wanting more of him, ready to submit as a she-wolf with her mate.Mate.Liam was slowly becoming my mate, and that thought makes me smile. Maybe I should hold a mating ceremony soon, before the Alpha Conference.[You okay, baby?] Liam asks, slowing down his pace and coming to walk beside me.[Yes.] I answer, nuzzling against his neck, careful not to bump our saddle bags together.[I am still not used to…feeling like this.] I admit sheepishly, happy that
Soft kisses along my skin and the smell of freshly cooked prey over an open fire stir me from my sweet dreams of Liam and me with a pup, her blue eyes like mine and blonde hair like his. Her sweet laughter sounded like little bells when she tumbled in the wild flowers, and as I was about to call her name, the dream slowly ended.“Good afternoon, Bells.” Liam whispers, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips.“How long did I sleep?” I mumble out, rubbing sleep from my eyes before I open them to find my very naked boyfriend lying beside me.“About four hours. It’s already one in the afternoon.” He answers, running his hand along my arms, making me shiver. Four hours. After finally giving my body to Liam, I slept for four hours. Goddess, I must have been exhausted.“I figured you were hungry, so I went and caught us a few rabbits to cook. They should be done soon.” He continues, pressing a kiss to my shoulder, the touch lingering as he flicks his tongue along my skin, tasting me. I moan, tingl
Sitting at my desk, reading the email over and over again, my lips curve into a victorious grin. Isabella had agreed to let me back into the palace for the Alpha conference in a few days and had agreed to let me speak on behalf of my pack, seeing as we are one of the strongest packs in Canada. The only problem is that I would have a guide the whole time I am there, a guard appointed by my mate herself, who will watch my every move. It seems I would have a hard time getting close to Isabella. That my plans of making her mine, either with her as a willing partner or by force, will be hard to execute, but I know I will have to be patient.From what I have heard, she held a conference with the world leaders to talk about the Shadow problem, especially since an email went out explaining that one of the Shadows who attacked her was Odishka, the Prince of the Demons. When I saw that email yesterday, I had gone on a rampage, destroying everything in my wake until Malcom forced me into the fo
Running through the forest with my black leather saddle bag strapped to me, I relish the feel of hard earth under my paws. It has been years since I felt the dirt between my paw pads, the snow usually being the only thing that surrounded me on runs. But now, with the snow nearly gone and the scent of leaves returning, I can enjoy this feeling to the fullest. Soon, the animals will return, and there will be an abundance of prey to hunt and fill our food storage once more.After the heart-to-heart talk with my mother, I spent the rest of the farewell dinner talking about magic with Aahana and Moira while my mother watched on in mild curiosity. I always wondered if she felt left out since only those born to the Royal Family could wield some form power, but seeing how she asked questions in between her sips of whiskey made me realize that she did not feel left out at all. If anything, she looked relieved not to have to carry the burden that powers brought.Around nine at night, the Demons
Chapter 40Staring out the window of my office, I watch as wolves work on removing the slush from the gardens in a wheelbarrow and wheel it away. With my powers under control, the weather has become nicer. More and more wolves were wearing thinner clothing to match the bright sunlight, and trees were gaining their leaves once more.Right now, I am waiting for an email from Malcom confirming that he and Ali will be coming to the Alpha conference and will help keep Damon in line. Six days. That’s how long until the conference is. How long until I once again have to face my ex.“The farewell dinner is about to start.” I jump, whirling around to find Liam leaning against my office door, giving me his carefree smile while his eyes stare into mine with love.“It’s that late already?” I ask, moving from my spot by the window and towards my boyfriend, feeling his arms wrap around me and pull me tightly into his embrace.“Yes. Has Malcom gotten back to you yet?” He says. I shake my head no an