The Middle 1880s
The cry of a newborn child was heard from Luna's bed chambers.
"At last! After nearly fifty years, finally, I have my heir." The Alpha Caden said.
He shoved everyone out of his way and went to his wife's bed chambers.
"Where is he? Where is my son?" His beta came forward and began.
"The Luna is health--"
"I don't care. I have waited fifty years. Where is my son?!"
"Alpha Caden--"
He impatiently shoved the beta out of the way when he spotted the midwife carrying a bundle.
"Let me see him."
"A-alpha he-she-it--" the woman stuttered.
"Out with it!" He roared. By now the midwife was trembling. ad mist the chaos a quiet unwavering voice said.
"We had a girl," she said, her lips trembling with fear. He turned to face his Luna.
"What do you mean we had a girl?" He asked, looking at the Luna suspiciously
"The child I gave birth to is a girl." She repeated.
He went white as it dawned on him.
"Since the beginning of time heir after heir has ruled the Antarti pack, never has there been a female in our bloodline. So tell me how this is possible!" He yelled the last part at his beta.
The room was silent no one dared to even so much as blink noisily. The only sound was the cries of the child.
"I'm sorry." The Luna apologized, as though she had control over the gender of her child. He suddenly turned to her and pointed to the baby.
"Whose spawn is that?"
She broke into sobs. "I know no other man," she said
"Liar!" he screamed at her, his face red with anger
"I swear it." She shouted clutching the bedsheets. Then she suddenly started coughing.
"Alpha." the beta tried to intervene. "She just went through quite an ordeal, don't you think it would be best to let her rest."
His attention suddenly went to the baby and he looked at her with scorn.
"Kill it." HE said coldly
The Luna crawled down from her bed and fell at the Alpha's feet as tears streamed freely from her eyes.
"My king! Don't do this. After many years we finally have a child. And I'm passing the age of having a child. Have mercy on me."
The Alpha was unmoved. "Beta. Let everyone know that the child was born dead," he said
Her grip on his clothes tightened. "Please! Kill me in her stead. Have mercy on your daughter."
"That can't be my child. Even if is. God must have cursed you with a girl because of your infidelities."
He spat out that even though everyone knew the Luna would never dare stray from her marital bed and even if she had the inclination to do so, the number of escorts always with her made that quite impossible.
Something seemed to snap inside of her as she rose to her feet and calmly said.
"Or maybe it's your promiscuity that has us cursed," she said, regretting the words as soon as they left her mouth. But the deed has been done, she stood her ground.
As the Alpha glared at her everyone in the room knew she had hit close to home. Too close.
"You will follow your child to hell or wherever it is bitches go." The Alpha's calm voice contradicted his harsh words. Everyone went silent, even the baby as though it felt the tension in the room.
"You ungrateful man." The Luna began and the air in the room ran cold and Eerie. "I dedicated all my life to you, serving you. You lowered me to nothing more than a slave you occasionally shared your bed with, against others and this is how you repay me?"
"Guards!" The Alpha pointed at the Luna "Take her to the dungeons. "
"A son you seek? A son you'll get. Though perfect, he'll be your death!"
"Now!"
He yelled at the guards before storming out of the room. The people left in the room; The beta, the midwife, and the guards just stood there not quite sure what to do. The Luna who now had no trace of the after-effects of childbirth on her seemed quite mystical.
"My good friend." She walked to the beta.
"Luna." he bowed.
"I may deserve this punishment, but she's an innocent child have mercy on her."
"I-"
"No one here will tell." She looked pleading into his eyes. "I will forever serve you."
"Thank you," she said then she walked to the midwife.
"I need your help Brenda." the Luna said, looking at her friend with so much sorrow
"No I can't." she trembled.
"Please." She said and placed both hands on Brenda's shoulders.
"Take her far away from here. He will try but he'll never succeed in finding you. That which kills me will never harm her."
"I will do my best to raise her and guide her as you would have."
"Thank you, Brenda."
She looked down at her daughter for what will be the first and inevitable the last time.
"Beautiful Athena. Like the goddess you are named after, you will fight, you will conquer." Then she turned to the guards, her head held high, looking every inch of the Queen she was, she walked with them to the dungeons.
**
The Alpha came to address the pack. Everyone bowed as he made his way.
"Werewolves of Atlanti pack. It is with great sorrow in my heart that I inform you of your Luna's execution. The Alpha had changed his mind and decided to humiliate her in front of her beloved people.
Audible gasps and cries were heard when the Luna was brought forward by ten soldiers.
"She has committed an unforgivable crime, even for a Luna," he said, looking at the faces of his subject to know their reaction
The gasps became louder. He nodded his head in satisfaction
"To protect her from words of scorn her sin shall remain hidden, she is already paying for her sins."
The Alpha's turned to her as he heard her muttering something audible enough for only he and the guards around her to hear.
As he heard, he ordered for the process the be sped up.
As the soldiers fastened the chains buried in the grounds to her wrists and ankles and doused her in fuel, her chant only became louder.
"A son you seek, a son you'll get. Though perfect, he'll be your death."
The Alpha stood in front of the Luna, his back to the people as he lit the match and smiled and she smiled right back at him as he dropped the match and watched her go up in flames.
Oddly no one heard her scream as she was burnt into a heap of nothingness.
The Alpha had already artfully arranged for lies to be spread to dissuade whoever would try to unveil the reason for her execution.
"I heard she made advances to the beta."
"She was killing children because she couldn't have a child of her own. A wolf in sheep's clothing as humans would say."
"She tried to kill the Alpha."
"Such a pity how everyone admired her and always looked up to her. And I heard she gave the child she bore as a sacrifice to her demons."
"Nincompoops. All of them. A woman we've known for so long and it took just a few whispered words to change their hearts towards her." Right there and then, the rumors spread.
"Silence!" Thundered the Alpha.
"Although she betrayed us all. She has paid for her sins. And I would not soil her by disclosing what she did or speaking badly of the dead. And nor should any of you."
By 'protecting' her image the Alpha knew the pack's admiration and love of the people who'll always see him as the epitome of goodness. Only a handful knew the truth.
On the first day of November, an innocent queen was murdered a new Luna was chosen. In a distance, a woman was running away with a child with soldiers hot on her heels. A cruel Alpha continued to reign. And after 10 months another child was born. The heir apparent. He was named Zeus.
“Mother! Mother! Mother!" Nine-year-old Athena squealed as she ran around the house."Athena. Sit down." Brenda laughed at the little girl's excitement."But don't you see? it's my birthday I can't possibly be calm." The little girl made it sound like a taboo."Yes. Yes. I know. A nine-year-old isn't a baby anymore.""I thought when one turns six is when they aren't a baby anymore." Cassandra fixed a stare on her."Did you lie to me mother?"" Oh, dear! The pie is burning."" But there is no pie."It was too late since Brenda had already made her mistake.Later in the evening, Cassandra is letting out sobs hiding her face in her palm."You mean you aren't my real mother?""I'm sorry, but it's true. But I will always see you and treat you as my own.""No! I will just continue to pretend that you are my mother and that she doesn't exist since she was so wicked to abandon me.""Athena.""No! No! No! I hate her. I hate her. I hate her."And she ran up to her room crying.Brenda couldn't f
Athena close the eyelids of the woman who had raised and nurtured her. And placed her body in a carriage and rode the carriage.And rode to the place her birth mother was murdered. The place where she was given birth to. The place where she would bury her mother. The place they had run away from.A place that was supposed to be home.After a slow journey of seven hours, she decided to stop for a bit by a pond so the horses could rest and water. She found a nice patch of grass for the horse and she lowered herself under an apple tree after eating some of its fruits. Knowing the well-trained battle horses were watching her, she drifted off to a strange and alluring sleep.She was eight again in her bedroom with her mother."Mother?""Yes, my dear.""Why does everyone hate me?""They don't hate you. You're different. You're special."Then she was her twelve-year-old self midst hundreds of people watching a beautiful set afire.Then she was an adult in a field of roses, And then in the d
ANTARTI PACK.There was chaos everywhere. The Alpha had been murdered in cold blood. It was unheard of in the history of the Antarti pack. And if an Alpha could have been killed with all the security around him, then no one was safe. Athena finished burying her mother where she requested. It was easy since no one was paying attention to her.After the odd man had left she decided to heed her birth mother she sent a telegram to her best man to acquire as many soldiers as he could and send them to Antarti pack ahead of her camouflaged.She had already seen about fifteen of them spread out amongst the people.She lingered around people long enough to understand that the first son the Alpha had sired died in childbirth and the second wife he took after the king's execution had given birth to another son who was now nowhere to be found since the incident happened.Athena knew the people had been told the first child died during childbirth. The funny part was how she was being referred to
"Kill him."He hadn't seen this coming, hadn't expected it at all, at least not this way.He had always thought his cára would be one of the official's daughters and was just waiting for the sextuplets to turn seventeen so that he would be sure which was his future Luna.He did not expect his cára to be someone he has never heard of or seen judging by her beauty, regalia, composure, and silent demeanor. He almost believed what crazed fellows who refer to themselves as scientists say about another world the same as ours but very different in its entirety because this enchantress must have fallen from there.When he had made her acquaintance for the first time he had been baffled by her. We're she a human she would have cowered in fear at the events that had happened or at least show some sign of bewilderment, and if she were a werewolf she would have immediately felt the mating bond as he had, but from all signs, she didn't feel a single thing -except scorn may be- toward him till when
Antarti packShe heard someone rhythmically tap twice at her door."Come."The door was opened by the footman who announced that the gamma requested an audience with her.The second time the door opened and slowly closed she heard him limping in on one good leg and a wooden one. She didn't see the need to turn to face him, she already knew all she wanted to know about him. "My Queen. I must first apologize for the unwelcome atmosphere you were faced with when you arrived. You see, never in the history of our kind has a-""A what?"She cut him off daring him to complete his sentence."A…. a unique person like yourself rule a pack, and Antarti pack, the giants of packs as we are usually referred to as, is just ah…. Uncertain as to how to help you in order not to wear you out.""You think me incapable," she asked, looking at him intensely"No..no uh…yes.""I will rule my people as I deem fit I don't need your advice. Do you have any other thing you think my attention should be brought to
“Jealous now are we," he smirked liking that she was jealous of someone she doesn’t know"Out.""What? You're not throwing any more knives?" He feigned surprise."No.""And here we are. Back to mono wordings.""Out.""No. You sit down it's time you listen to what I have to say."She remained in her standing position."Very well, stand if you wish. I had a dream I saw someone I assume was your mother. She led me to you."She waited for him to continue as she recalled her dream."It was strange. She knew my name and she was burning in the fire." he continued"What?""It wasn't burning her though. She seemed immune. I knew it wasn't a normal dream so I followed it and it led me to you.""You were led by your dream?" she asked. Surprised that someone would be stupid enough to follow a dream"I know it sounds silly. I was even asked if my long-lost brothers will come to shove me into a well since I'm Joseph." He laughed."You're not.""I know," he replied"It doesn't make sense," she said,
The Beta whom she had spoken with the day before informed her of the five subdivisions each consisting of ten members that are supposed to help with the Alpha duties. Assistants of sorts he had gently said.The first person came forward a man that seemed in his early fifties."I am the head of the Jaguars. My name is Reynold."I am the eyes of the Tigers. My name is Sir Damien."Alex leaned closer to Athena and whispered. " I feel like they are calling themselves body parts."In the background, Athena heard."……heart of the cheetahs." "Definitely labeling themselves as body parts and animals."A man with generously endowed lips walked forward and dramatically began."I come forth to present myself as the descendant of great soldiers who fought to protect and defend women. Back in the 1500s, my ancestors were known as the defenders and protectors of women. We have weathered a lot when it comes to the pro-" Protecting and defending women, am I right?" Alex finished and the man he had cut off gl
He looked at the huge desk in front of her littered with paperwork, letters waiting to be read and answered, missives waiting to be approved, and different invitations to be accepted or declined."That seems like an awful lot of work." He watched as she read a letter."You can ask for help you know." She folded the letter and added it to a pile."Alright then, don't ask. I unlike you am not blinded by arrogance so I'll just offer my help like the humble person I am." She began to scribble something on a paper complete;y ignoring him"Where shall I sit?"She folded the paper and stamped it with the pack's seal and rang for a servant."I have a feeling you are deliberately ignoring me." Someone knocked on the door."Enter." She called. And as the door opened, a footman walked in."Take this to the household of the Buchanans," she said"Yes, my King." The servant bowed and turned to leave. "Bring me something to sit on. Preferably one made from feathers."The servant took in his di