3 Duties

Crystal River Pack

Wyatt was the first to wake up to the sound of his son fussing. Aiden wasn’t crying yet, but he was certainly upset. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, Wyatt sat up and quietly pulled on his black shorts. Moonlight shimmered through the open windows and French doors on either side of the large four poster bed.

Demon gave a soft growl of displeasure in their shared mind at being woken up. Since he was not sensing any danger, he returned to the recesses of Wyatt’s mind. Wyatt chuckled at the beast as he walked towards the door to his son’s room.

Reaching out to his nighttime patrol through the pack link, Wyatt asked for a status report. Before the Alpha had made his way around the bed and to the door to the adjoining nursery, he was assured that everything was as it should be.

Since his eyes had not fully adjusted to the darkness, the father was grateful for the nightlight that cast stars across the ceiling and walls. He walked across the pale olive-green rug on the gray tile to the round crib and immediately saw the problem. The cut out of a wolf and pup howling at the moon hung above the crib, the light glow from the back lighting shined down onto the fussy baby on the mattress.

Teuf, his wife’s German shepherd hell hound, who usually slept in the oversized crib, was not there. Wyatt picked his one-year-old son up and held him against his bare chest with a strong hand against the small back while the other rested under the diapered bottom. Tiny fingers gripped chest hair as the baby went back to sleep.

Looking around he didn’t see Teuf at first. Then he saw the large dog standing by the closed French doors leading out to the balcony. Walking towards the door, he saw a huge full moon that Teuf sat staring at, whimpering. A breeze blew through the open windows on either side of the doors ruffling the cream-colored curtains.

The woodsy theme with plush wolves was slowly being invaded by plush sabretooth tigers. Wyatt could only laugh at the one that was lying on the floor by the crib. His wife’s hellhound and best friend had a love/hate relationship. Although Celeste assured him that they loved each other, hating each other was a lot more fun.

“She calls to you tonight, doesn’t she?” Wyatt asked, placing a hand on the shepherd’s head.

It is a hound’s duty to answer her call!

Demon flinched at hearing the hound’s thoughts in their head. After two years of marriage to his mate, neither man nor beast were used to hearing the hell hound. He did not actually physically talk, but since the mating ceremony, Wyatt had conversations with the hellhound.

The hound’s thoughts would invade Demon and Wyatt’s shared mind. His beast always recoiled in fear from the demonic creature. Even now, he could feel his powerful beast, an Alpha among his kind, tremble at the nearness of the hound. In his shepherd form, he was fun, loving and playful, but when the hellhound ruled, he was aggressive and protective.

Opening the door for Teuf, Wyatt softly whispered, “Go do her bidding. I’ve got the pup.”

Giving a slight nod to the man, the dog walked through the door and out onto the balcony. As he jumped over the railing, he shifted into his full hellhound form. His shoulders were now six feet high, his fur turned pitch black as his snout, teeth and claws extended. Landing on paws the size of serving platters, he shook his body before running towards the clearing.

Under his large paws, the ground gave small tremors due to his weight and power.

Teuf hated leaving his pup alone, even though it was not actually his. Aiden was the pup of his mistress and her mate. Teuf had bound himself to her and then her mate. He would not bind himself to any of their pups. The moon goddess had promised that he would have his own mate and pups. His pups would bind themselves to the Were pups.

Before he could have either, there were duties he had to perform.

She called out to him tonight. When the Moon Goddess called on a hellhound, they answered. He may have bound himself to the Alpha she-wolf, but he still did the bidding of the Moon Goddess. Just like her other chosen servants, he was there to guide and protect her children, but only as she saw fit.

It did not take long for him to reach the meadow. The three white wolves were already there. They were all pure white with bright blue eyes. The only other color on them were small patches of red just above their right paws. One in the shape of the moon, one was a star and the last was a heart.

The black hellhound laid down and watched them with his red glowing eyes. Smoke billowed out of his nostrils that the three sisters played in. Running in and out of the smoke, jumping over the large paws, rolling in the cool grass.

The moon above them shimmered as the trees bent low. The nightingale announced her arrival before they saw her. The large black hellhound flattened himself on the ground and laid his head between his paws. The three white wolves did the same across from him.

A young woman with alabaster skin and black hair stepped out of the woods. Her gown was white and airy, just like the moon beams it was made of. The many layers flowed around her gracefully. It was held in place with a chain of stars around her shoulders and another at her waist. On her crown was a crescent moon with her large sheer shawl draped over it.

The shawl was a deep blue, almost black, with silver constellations on it. As she or the stars above moved, the ones on the shawl also moved. It crested the crown and hung down, almost to her eyes. Behind her, it almost touched the ground. She had one side wrapped around her going back over her shoulder, the other draped over her arm.

“Good evening, my children,” she said in a soft ethereal voice.

All four wolves whimpered in response.

“A special child of mine is coming to you. Her wolf slumbers in deep hibernation. She will be encouraged to awaken before she arrives. She is injured and lost. You may guide her, lead her but she must do this on her own.”

Selene held out her hand and a necklace appeared. It was on a long pewter chain with a sleeping wolf above a crystal.

“This will help you guide her and ease the merge. Her first shift will occur under stress. Her second chance mate is here. He will sense her before he recognizes her,” with a subtle movement of her hand, the necklace disappeared.

The white wolf with the star marking made a soft sound.

“Her first mate rejected her because he could not see her true self inside. His first mate abandoned him. They can have no influence from any of you.”

The hellhound gave a huff.

“You must protect her. Her mate rejected her but still craves her.” She sighed, “Several of my children have been hurt in many ways. But with her new mate, and the family they make together, they can all heal.”

The white wolf with the moon marking whined.

“She is the Gelert. Take care of her.” As she faded into mist her final words echoed through the meadow, “I have great plans for her.”