Io
My mother's eyes flickered with fear the moment she heard Magnus' name."Those thieves were Magnus' men?" My father asked. "Io, are you sure he isn't already here?"I don't think so, Father. The High Elder would have said something to me," I answered."But it is possible that he might be here. It could be the reason why the High Elder is flying out here tonight," my father said, his distress obvious in his voice. Even Kiaria began to look concerned."Father, let's calm down. We will know when the High Elder arrives," I said, looking at the wall clock. "He will be here soon.""Who is Magnus? I think I have the right to know if I'm right in assuming he was the one who killed my biological parents," Kiaria said with so much conviction, I decided it was time to tell her what I knew.I took her hand in mine, hoping to give her some comfort. "When a wolf is banished from his or her pack, he or she is called a rogue. Magnus, is the second son of a powerful Alpha, whose territory is situated near the boundaries of Idaho and Washington State. He challenged his older brother, Lucas, for the right to become Alpha.""Magnus lost and was banished, never to return again. Life is hard for a rogue. You are usually banished with only the shirt on your back and whatever money you have in your pocket. Although Magnus may have lost to his older brother, Magnus was known to be a skilled and ruthless warrior. He used his abilities as a fighter to weed his way to the top to become the Alpha of the Rogues or simply, Rogue Alpha.""Why did Magnus challenge his brother? Well, he believed your mother, High Priestess Celeste, cared about status, wealth and rank. Your father, Alpha Blake Davis, had the good fortune of forming an alliance with the 'Great Packs of the North' and this is where he met your mother. After the alliance was forged, Alpha Blake returned to his territory here in Montana with Celeste in tow. Magnus met your mother during a party announcing her binding to Alpha Blake. It was said to be love at first sight for Magnus even though your mother found him to be utterly repulsive," I explained, hoping my explanation of the love triangle was detailed enough for Kiaria and her parents to understand."I'm sorry, there is something I don't quite understand," Sakura said, tipsy. "If Magnus loved Celeste, then why did he kill her?""Good question," I said. "Well, aside from the fact Celeste rejected him, she became his worst adversary. He has lost an eye to Celeste while his body is riddled with scars. However, instead of surrendering, he made himself stronger.""What do you mean, Io?" Kiaria asked."Magnus surrounded himself with dark witches, his harem, as he called them. These dark witches were his first line of offense, weakening the protection charms Celeste would put up for various packs in the country. They became an undeniable force against wolfkind and many packs who wanted to survive, pledged allegiance to him. For a time, there was peace, especially when the Council of Wolves negotiated with him, hoping to appease his blood lust.""However, a prophecy was spoken by one of the dark witches, speaking of the birth of a celestial wolf from a priestess and an Alpha, who is destined to be Magnus' downfall. Many believed it foretold the birth of Celeste's pup which fuelled his anger once again.""On the night of the Autumn Equinox, before the celebration of Mabon, Magnus, his harem, and a number of his most trusted rogues in his army, invaded Autumn Moon Pack's territory, the very territory of Alpha Blake Davis. Survivors of that pack narrated the death of Alpha Blake and High Priestess Celeste by the hands of Magnus after which a great flood and earthquake swallowed the territory leaving behind a wall of thorns and its lands barren. Nothing thrives there and the sun has not touched the territory since that fateful night.""It sounds like a fairy tale, Io," Kiaria said. "You said the territory is here in Montana? I would like to see it, if it's possible. Is it far from here?""It is about a two hour drive from here," my mother answered. "I was one of the few who knew of her pregnancy. I searched for you, but I believed you had died along with your mother. I am very happy knowing you were raised by good people. If Celeste were here today, she would give your parents her life as gratitude to what they have sacrificed for her daughter.""Mrs. Hemming, how close were you with my mother?" Kiaria asked."We were like sisters, Kiaria. I also grew up in Canada, but although my loyalty was with Celeste, I did not interfere. You see, one of the dark witches of Magnus' harem was also a sister of ours. Her name is Lilith," my mother explained, lowering her eyes in shame. "I allowed my two bestfriends to go against each other because I was afraid."My mother opened her purse and took out an old photograph and placed it on the table in front of Kiaria. Kiaria gasped as she saw her biological mother for the first time, smiling so brightly in the photo."Oh my gosh, Kiaria," Winston said. "You look exactly like her.""Except for your smile," my mother said. "You got that from, Blake." My mother pointed at the other beautiful woman with them. She had raven black hair, chocolate brown eyes, a button nose and wide sultry red lips. It was weird, but her eyes looked familiar. "We were known as the Priestesses Three. This is Lilith. She is the daughter of a wolf priestess from a neighboring pack. She and Celeste were gifted with powers while my skill was more focused on ointments and elixirs. I was a daughter of a Beta in my pack, but my parents were killed by rogues during an attack on our harvest. Wolf packs do not take kindly to orphans so I ran away and begged Celeste to help me. Celeste took me in despite her mother's disapproval and provided me secret quarters in the forest, so I would not be harmed or touched."My mother sighed sadly and went on with her story. "When Blake set foot on the territory, Celeste stopped training and began searching for something, her nose up in the air, sniffing like her life depended on it. She went straight to the Alpha's house where Blake was discussing terms. She was about to open the door when the door flew open and out came Blake, and I knew as they stared in each other's eyes, they were fated mates.""Unfortunately, Lilith believed Blake was hers, but he gave her the cold shoulder. He explained he was not her fated mate, but if we agreed to come with them to the United States, he would help us find our mates. Actually, we both agreed, however, little did we know, Lilith had a plan of her own.""During the farewell party for Blake, Lilith lured a drunk Blake into the meadow disguised as Celeste. She urged him to place his mark on her. He was about to, but stopped when he noticed her eyes. They weren't the golden eyes of Celeste.""We left Canada, leaving Lilith behind. Then, after some time, we heard she and two other witches forged an alliance with Magnus, helping him bring down packs that were protected by Celeste. It was a difficult time. They were strong and Celeste, she had to go into hiding to protect her pregnancy, to protect you. I assumed you had died with Celeste since during that night when Magnus raided your father's territory, the pregnancy was still two weeks shy of a full term. Evidently, you were born premature, something rare among wolves. Premature pups usually do not survive. It is clear that the Moon Goddess has blessed you.""You are right, Luna Alexa. The Moon Goddess has blessed wolfkind with the Celestial Wolf," a man's voice echoed throughout the dining hall.I immediately stood up along with my father and mother and bowed at the source of the voice.The High Elder had finally arrived.CelesteIt was the night of the Autumn Equinox. The Harvest Moon was starting to rise in the clear dark sky. Everyone in the territory was preparing for tomorrow's Autumn Equinox celebration known as Mabon. I, myself, was supposed to be preparing for the Harvest Moon dinner but I was having contractions. I had thought it was Braxton Hicks contractions, but these contractions were bearing down on me within regular periods."It's too soon, Emma. She can't be coming yet. It's too soon." I started doing my breathing exercises so I could keep calm. I was two weeks shy of being seven months pregnant, so my shock when I began going into labor.Emma, my handmaiden helped me into my favorite rocking chair. She brought the matching foot stool and placed my feet on top of it. It was bliss."Luna Celeste, I have asked Beta Daniel to call on the pack doctor. She will be here any minute now. For now, just breathe like we practiced, ok? Tell me when another contraction comes so I can see how far apa
Magnus"Stop destroying the contents of this house. I am planning to loot all their valuables and bring it to my estate." These witches have no idea how priceless most of the things are inside this house. High Priestess Celeste and her mate Alpha Blake have amassed a great deal of wealth over the years, profiting from Celeste's magic. She had asked for jewels, gold and rare gems from pack's who required her of her services. Many items in this mansion were antiques, precious heirlooms, given to her as payment for her protection charm. I wanted everything in this house, especially the contents of their vault."Magnus, you must be joking. You said we could destroy anything we wanted. And I for one, would love to destroy everything in this house as well as the mansion itself." Lilith picked up a ceramic vase and dropped it on the floor. The vase shattered into many small pieces. I shook my head. What a waste."My dear, Lilith, all these things I can sell so I can buy you all those trinkets
CelesteI descended the grand staircase slowly, taking each step one at a time. I grabbed the banister for support as I placed one foot in front of the other, wincing in pain. I could hear voices coming from the parlor on the ground floor as well as the sound of ceramics breaking as they hit the floor. These dark witches didn't know how valuable those things were to other wolves. Clearly, they had no respect for other people's things."Where is she? If she isn't here, she must have escaped!" I heard Lilith speak. She was once my bestfriend until her jealousy tore us apart. Blake and I were fated mates, a mating blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. Lilith unfortunately believed she was Blake's fated mate and not I. So, she did the despicable. She disguised herself as me and paraded herself naked in front of Blake who was drunk after celebrating our alliances.They say your life flashes before your eyes just before you die and it is true...all the good memories and all the people you lov
Magnus"Painful for us to watch, painful for you to feel." I laughed at Celeste, who was writhing in pain, the mate bond broken from Blake's death. She blew him a kiss, how touching. Why didn't she save him so she could heal him? Honestly, she looked sick. Maybe pregnancy was taking a toll on her."Magnus, we agreed I would have Blake!" Lilith whispered to me in a deep voice. " You gave me your word." I grabbed her by her arm and twisted it. She yelped in pain. I pulled her towards me so she could smell my horrid breath."Blake doesn't love you and he will never love you even if Celeste is gone from this Earth. Why would he settle for someone ugly and used? He will find someone prettier and fresh. I am doing you a favor."I saw her eyes glaze over for a second, a clear sign someone was communicating with her. It must be the girls telling her to walk away. "How would you know? You have never experienced love. Not all wolves are like you, Magnus." Lilith pulled away from me so I let he
SakuraIt was raining like a tropical storm outside. Lightning sizzled, loud thunder roared and the torrents of rain hitting the roof of the house was so loud, I couldn't hear the television. I wiped my hands on my apron and switched the channel to the news and waited for the weather forecaster to go on. Strange. She didn't mention anything about the rain tonight. Lightning flickered again like a light of a camera and thunder followed it, making the whole house vibrate. A moment ago, the full moon was shining, glistening so beautifully. Then, all of sudden, dark clouds appeared, covering the moon and releasing an angry burst of rain. Oh, well, the weather was always unpredictable.I was washing the dishes while Winston, my husband, went around the house making sure the windows were all shut tight. The wind was howling outside. He didn't want the rain water to stain our hardwood floors.Winston and I have been married for quite some time. I'm a first generation Japanese-Filipino while m
MagnusI was pacing up and down in my study thinking of what I could do so the Council of Wolves would retract the bounty they had so generously offered in exchange for me.Now that Celeste is dead, I could do whatever I want without any obstacles in my way. Although, I'm still ticked off I wasn't able to find that damn ring of hers. The Moon Goddess never plays fair especially for a big bad wolf like me.The Council of Wolves were starting to be a real pain in the neck. They had announced they were offering a bounty for my head, whether I be dead or alive. I mean, why would they care if I sell drugs or smuggle stuff? It's not like I'm doing it to the wolves."Magnus, kidnapping Omegas and making them sex slaves isn't something the Council of Elders would willfully condone. Why don't we just focus on humans? The Omegas are still our brethren," Lilith said, after she read the sheet of paper the Council Elders had put up at the gates of territories of all the wolf packs in the country. S
High Elder I had my chauffeur drive me near the estate of the Rogue Legion where I got out to walk the rest of the way. It was a far walk to the gates of the territory, but I did not want my driver to be accosted by the rogues while I conducted business.I patiently waited at the gate for Magnus where a number of rogues were snarling at me, but because I was the High Elder, they could not attack knowing it would mean their deaths. It was a good fifteen minutes before Magnus himself came out of his mansion to greet me, his harem of dark witches not far behind him."High Elder Alfred Evans, what a nice surprise! I would invite you in, but I know you will decline so we can just talk out here in the open instead. I do commend you for your bravery. Coming here unaccompanied." Magnus shook his head. "I could kill you right where you stand." Magnus chuckled, obviously delighted in the fact I had stooped down to the level of a messenger."Enough of the threats, Magnus. We all know you can not
(Present Day)Later tonight when the Harvest Moon starts to rise will be my 18th birthday. Currently I am a freshman at a university here in Montana near home, although I had wanted to enroll elsewhere. My mother didn't allow me to go to school outside the state saying she preferred family close by. As always, she would say it was the Filipino in her. I tried to argue the fact that she actually left her family in California, but she went technical and justified her decision to keep me home by asserting the fact that she lived at home when she was in college. Then, she threw in "technology" into the debate and pointed out I have a grandmother who is on standby through video call 24/7. So, now when my mother asks me where my grandmother is, I tell her she's in my pocket which usually earns me a dirty look from her. It's true anyway. My smartphone is always in my pocket.It was chaos in our house. My mother was going to throw a Harvest Moon Thanksgiving party for my dad tonight. Actually