Chapter 3

Kade

As I run through the dark forest, I can feel the cold air brushing my fur. The earth is almost frozen under my paws and I sighed thinking that the winter is close.  With no destination in mind I kept running. I needed to get rid of the feeling that I have. 

I don’t even know when I  passed the lake and I reached the ruins. What was supposed to be Selene, The Moon Goddess temple is now a couple of bricks burned by the Sun and washed by the rain.

I glance at the Moon and I swear I can see Selene laughing… Every day that goes by I feel like she is punishing me for my father's mistakes. 

I remember the day my dad brought me here for the first time, I was just five years old. I was nervous to spend the day with my dad, he was always busy dealing with the pack stuff so most of the time I was feeling ignored.

That day changed everything for me. That day I left the house as a five years old pup with a dad and I returned broken with a monster, who made sure every day I will be reminded that I am the cause of his pathetic life.

***FLASHBACK

“Kade, do you know where we are?” dad asked me, arching his brow. I shook my head ashamed.

“Here we are in front of Selene’s temple,” dad told me proudly. “Selene is our Moon Goddess. As wolves we worship her and in return She blesses us and sends us a wolf that is our mate, who is going to love us and makes us feel complete.” He stopped and looked at me to see if I understood the importance of his words.

“I don’t want a mate” I blurted out, stomping my feet.

“You are too young now, but when the time comes the strength of an alpha is decided by the wolf of his Luna.” Dad paused for a second, choosing his next words. “I built this temple with my own hands from scratch. I prayed to be blessed with a strong, carrying Luna…but Selene…” he sighted walking around the temple.

“You know the Alpha, my dad, your granddad was a strong alpha. Like you, I was just a pup when the Big dryness came. Our pack was in danger, we had no food to feed the pack, so our wolves were weak. Over the years, we had to rationalize the portions so we don’t die. Your granddad had to make a pact with Luna Marie’s dad in order to get help for our pack”. My eyes widened, not understanding where this conversation was going. I hoped that Luna Marie was not my mom, she never acted like one. For a Luna who was supposed to love all the wolves in the pack as her children, I was the one who she treated badly.

“Luna Marie’s dad sent food and supplies but all came with a price. Everything in life comes with a price, that we have to pay sooner than later. Always remember that” My dad’s words confused me even more. 

“Every day I came here and I prayed to Selene to send me, my mate. Every day I hoped that my mate would come and both of us could save the pack and I didn’t have to marry Marie.”

“But you are married to Luna Marie,” I said, confused.

“When I finally lost my hope, Selene sent your mother. I loved her from the first time I laid my eyes on her. She was beautiful and carrying and you look a lot like her.” 

“Mom?” I repeated the word trying to make sense, but my voice was shaken, coming out more like a whisper.

“We loved each other very much so you know ….” He uttered, not looking at me. “I never imagined that my life would turn out to be like this, you know? But we broke the laws and I was punished.” I looked confused even more not understanding what happened. I was somehow relieved that Luna Marie was not my real  mother. For a pup, finding out that the one you called “mother” is not your actual mother is hard, but it made sense since she was always mean to me.

“I told my dad I didn’t want to mate with Marie, that I found my fated mate. The only thing your granddad told me was that we will see who is going to be the true Luna…I never understood his words until the Day of the Luna ceremony came. Marie challenged your mother for the position and they had to fight. Because we broke the law and mated before the official ceremony your mother got pregnant with you… Knowing she was pregnant your mother chose to fight in her human form while Marie fought in her wolf form.” For the first time in my life I saw the disappointment on my father’s face. That day we all had to make a choice. Your mother chose to give you life, instead of becoming my Luna and I chose the Alpha title and named Marie the Luna.” I was lost in my thoughts trying to process my father’s words when a loud thud made me jump.

 My dad hit one of the walls of the temple. His fists hit the wall again and again with so much force and pain until the wall started to collapse. When the wall was down he moved to another and another until all that was left was a big pile of bricks.

“Because of You, I lost Her…She chose You instead of me” I gulped down, scared seeing my dad’s eyes full of anger. “I will keep my promise to her and make you the greatest alpha that ever existed, but I will never love you or care for you! You stole my life” 

***END OF FLASHBACK 

I closed my eyes trying to shake away the sadness I felt. For a five year old to be told you were someone’s cause of pain was too much. I groaned looking at the bricks. 

I can’t help overthink how different my life could have been if I had a loving family growing up instead of being alone, hated by everyone including the one who gave you life with a single purpose: To rule.

The rustling sound of the dried leaves caught my attention. As I turned my head around to see what was happening, a jasmine scent filled up my nostrils making my wolf growl loudly at the moon. 

It didn’t take me long to spot a grey wolf who was standing behind the bushes staring at me.

My wolf sped up, reducing the distance between us, sniffing around. Judging by the size it was clearly a she-wolf and definitely the source of the jasmine scent. 

Questions like Who was she and what was she doing on my territory quickly crossed my mind. She didn’t seem to be a roque or to be lost which made me think that it could be a setup, a trap for the roque pack to get me. Like she was able to read my mind the She-Wolf swallowed the remaining distance until our noses touched. The beautiful forest green eyes locked mine and I forgot to breathe. She rubbed her nose on my neck sending tingles to my entire body and I wondered for a moment if she felt them. 

After nipping and biting my neck playfully, she started running around the ruins. I chased her, catching her from time to time, rolling over together on the frozen grass.

Usually my wolf doesn’t play with other she-wolves, he doesn’t consider them enough for him but I can sense how completely mesmerized is by this particular She-wolf. She makes us both feel alive.

I was contemplating for a second to shift into my human form, I really was curious about her looks and how she ended up here but my wolf fought to stay in control asking for more time to enjoy the beautiful grey wolf. 

The Moon disappeared suddenly like it was time for us to reveal our secrets when a lightning bolt crossed the sky followed by a loud rumble. As I turned my back for a second to figure where we could hide from the rain my mysterious She-wolf disappeared in the night leaving me all alone.