The cursed Moon.

Moon heard a voice, calling her, bringing her from the darkest of places. She knew the voice well; she had memorized it, obsessed by it. It was him, the man from the woods. She felt the sparks fly on her skin; she was safe, he was near, watching over her.

Moon wanted to open her eyes, to see his face, to return his embrace, but both her mind and body were unwilling. He had saved her from the nightmare, leading her into a dream. She was in the meadow, it was warm, bright. The flowers swayed as they danced with the breeze. All was silent, peaceful. A large black wolf lay by her side, relaxed, calm. Both enjoying the serenity of the meadow, the healing energy its aroma had. Moon instinctively knew this wolf, it was her mate.

She ran her hands through his dense coat, completely in awe of the creature. While he was large and powerful, she wasn't the least bit intimidated, he wouldn't harm her.

Moon lay in the morning sun of her mind watching the wolf, he circled her protectively, never straying far. He pounced through the grass playing with field mice, hunting them. She giggled lightly, his play reminded her of a puppy. She was glad for his company, it gave her hope that maybe he returned the intense feelings that had almost completely consumed her in the past weeks.

Moon heard the gates to her childhood prison swinging open. She looked down at the village from her favorite spot, then she saw her. Her red cape flapping in the breeze, the hood drawn back, a bow in her hand.

Moon turned to the wolf, wanting to see his reaction to her sister entering the dream, but to her surprise he was nowhere to be seen. He had vanished into thin air. She shook off the sadness his departure had caused, and instead focused on her sister. She called out Mena's name. She had so much to tell her, so much to share. Mena looked towards her, as if she heard her voice float across the meadow, but her face changed to one of rage, determination. Her glare had become fixated on Moon.

Moon continued calling to her as she approached. Why didn't she recognize who she was?

Mena locked eyes with Moon, the look in them deadly, intense. For the first time in her life Moon was afraid of her sister, a fear she knew many shifters had felt. Mena lifted her bow, loading it with an arrow, pointing it directly at Moon.

There was no time to think, only to act. Moon spun around, rushing into the woods, just as she had the day she had been taken. Arrows flew past her, hitting trees, becoming embedded. Some scarcely missed her, every arrow that flew was an arrow Mena was releasing.

Mena would never hurt Moon, not in a million years. She did not know what this dream meant, but as she took a glance down at her feet, she realized they were not feet at all, but large white paws, running on the earth. She was being hunted, her own sister was hunting her.

Moon let out a long howl, a call for help, she heard the call returned. Moon ran towards the howl, seeking protection, then very suddenly she snapped out of the dream.

She sat upright panting heavily, her head beading with sweat. She studied her hands, half expecting to see the same white paws from her dream, but there they were in front of her, delicate, human.

Moon felt many things as she processed what the dream was trying to show her. The most prominent feeling was empathy, she had felt what it meant to be hunted, she had felt the fear. A fear the shifters had lived through everyday, a fear that matched the villagers. It saddened her that whether you be shifter or human, the only certainty in life is that you would be afraid.

Another howl echoed through her mind, this one not hers. It was the howl of the tortured wolf, it had often haunted her, tonight was no diffrent. Moon looked around the room, it was dark, how long she had been asleep she didn't know. What she did know is she could no longer let the call go unanswered. She would end his suffering, she would help him if it killed her.

Moon wrapped a shawl around her frame before stepping out into the chill of the night. She followed the howl, floated towards it, it took her deeper into the woods. Danger never crossed her mind, for she was being led by purpose, as if this had been something she was designed to do, her life bringing her to this very moment.

She soon approached a small cabin by a stream. It was run down, moss covered the outer logs, tattered curtains were being pulled from a open window by the breeze. The howl becoming louder, more intense as she neared.

Moon's fear finally crept in as she reached for the door. Who resided here she had no idea, but she needed to find out, every inch of her was urging her to help them.

Moon pushed the door open with a slow squeak, a shadow shuffled in the dark.

“Who is it? Who is there?” The strange voice was rough, strained.

A flame lit up the room, illuminating his face. She studied it as he studied hers, both silent, both working each other out.

“It cannot be....... Willow?” The man questioned, his voice filled with disbelief.

“Who are you?” She asked, stepping closer to the man.

"You are alive... " he whispered back.

Moon felt a heavy sadness from this man. He was grieving something lost long ago. But as he took her in, once he said he whispered the unfamiliar name, she felt the waves of relief wash over him.

••••••

“Why are you here ghost, have you not haunted me enough, have I not suffered enough?.” the strange shifter said as he lit more flames, making the once ominous darkness cozy with light.

"I am no ghost, at least I dont think I am. My name is Moon, I heard your call." She found herself pinching her skin as proof she was real.

"Moon?? That is not possible, you are a ghost then, You died many years ago, why do you torture me so?" His voice cracked, his face portraying the madness in his mind.

"I can assure you, I am not dead." Moon reached out her hand, touching his skin. His eyes found hers, brimming with tears of disbelief.

"Your alive, This isnt the maddness?? I have tortured myself over your death for over a decade...over all your deaths. This isnt real. It cant be real. Please let me explain." He loved her, Moon felt it, read it. At some point in her life this man cared for her.

Moon didn't hesitate, this man, he knew her, she needed to know how. She took a seat on a dusty armchair, resting her hands on her knees, looking at the stranger, waiting, waiting for him to speak.

“I know you won't remember me Moon, you were just a baby the last time I saw you. You look like her you know, your mother, you have her eyes.” the man spoke fondly.

“You knew my mother?” Moon asked softly, each moment she spent in the cabin she felt his pain subside.

“I knew your parents well, they were after all my dearest friends. How rude of me of course, I haven't introduced myself. I am Apollo, your father was my Beta.” his voice was soothing to Moon, but his words left her stunned.

“My parents were shifters?” Moon gasped. Growing up she constantly asked of her parents, the concil refused to give herself and Mena any information, threatening Mena to not dig. The sisters didnt even have their parents names, their memories blank.

“Your father was, I guess I should explain. But first tell me Moon, how are you here, alive, please tell me your story?” Apollo waited eagerly for her to begin.

“I was raised in a human village near to here, my childhood spent in the orphanage with my sister.” Before she could continue, he quickly interrupted.

“Mena, she is well, she is alive?” How Apollo knew Mena too meant only one thing, he was telling the truth.

“Yes sir, she is alive, a hunter no less. Lately, I have had the feeling she is fighting the wrong enemy.” Moon answered, half just expressing a thought out loud.

“You both have been raised to believe lies, you mustn't hold it against her. She was always a fierce little thing. Please continue.”

“It isn't a happy tale I am afraid. I was an outcast in the village, I didn't really fit anywhere, it was a very lonely time for me. Until I was bought here, until I met Atlas, and Reign” she explained.

“Uh, and Atlas, does he remember you at all?” Moon didn't mind the questions, it seemed to calm him, speaking with her.

“Should he? There is a familiarity between us, I admit. The connection was immediate with both him and his mate. We share an ability, his gift has been my curse.” She knew it was more then just a familiarity with Atlas, they were connected, she just didnt know how.

“Moon, this isn't coincidentally, there is a reason you are bonded to him. He is your twin, and until now, he was thought to be the only surviving member of your family. To know you and your sister, his sisters are alive, well, I am surprised he hasn't connected the dots. He always had a way of knowing things.” Apollos admission caused Moons head to spin.

All her life she had thought it was just her and Mena, how could it be? Surely she would remember a brother, she would have remembered Atlas. Everytime she tried to think back past the orphanage all she could find was a cloud of black. A wave of sympathy flooded through her, Atlas had lived his life alone, believing everyone he loved had perished, while she wallowed in self-pity, at least she had Mena, she had family.

"Your Mother Willow, she was something else, something unique. Yes she was from a human village, but her blood, her being, is directly linked to the Moon Goddess. That same blood runs through your veins. The story as it goes is that in the beginning there were only humans, created by the Moon goddess herself, her children. There was one woman in particular that the Moon goddess spent much of her time bringing into existence. She poured so much of herself into her, this woman, she had magic in her bones. The goddess was proud of her creation, beauty, light, in human form. But another wanted that light for himself. Titus, the god of war. The moment he looked down at her from the heavens he knew he had to have her, so he took her for his own. The woman soon got homesick, she loathed Titus and his bloodlust, more a prisoner then mate. He would allow her one visit, one each year to this earthly plain. On one of these visits she found her destiny in a man, the first-ever mate bond was formed, designed to tie the woman to earth. The Moon goddess was saddened to see her brothers torture of her creation, her solution was to have someone to always protect and love her. The bond bound her to her mate. She would not return to Titus. He was furious, jealous. How could she choose a man over a god? He did many things to separate the pair, creating a race of humans of his own, in his own image. He went to war against this man, against all men who were not of his design. The Moon Goddess bestowed a gift upon the man, to help him in his many battles, the ability to shift. He became the first wolf, the rest of her people soon went through the change as well. The woman perished, taking her life once captured by Titus. She would never belong to him again. Before she passed she gave birth to a child. The Moon Goddesses bloodline continued. The child of the lovers was taken by Titus, raised under his watchful eye. She never bonded, she knew nothing of her origins. That child was your mother. So while you come from her blood, the blood of the Moon goddess, you also come from man, and your father he was a shifter. Your mother took on the shifter traits too, your gift of knowing came from your father, it was to always protect him from ones that meant him harm, bestowed upon him by your mother.” Moon sat in disbelief at his story, her history unfolded before her.

“What am I?" Moon asked quietly.

“You are human, you are a shifter, you are all of us. The creator's blood pumps through your veins.” Atlas has tried to heal this man, he didnt need it, he needed to be heard, to tell his story, purge his regrets.

“What happened to my parents?” She asked, needing more answers.

“Your mother she was raised in the mountain village under the watchful eye of Titus, like her mother before her. He possessed her, kept her blind to the truth of who she was for a century, who her father was. Soon she had a child of her own with Titus, Mena. I guess being the child of the war god made her a natural-born fighter, she was destined for battle. Titus was not happy with his child, he wanted a male, and he never stopped reminding your mother of that. He was a brute, unkind. Your mother fled into the woods with Mena after he threatened to kill them both, that is where Mattius found her, her scent drew him in. When your father returned with her, we were all shocked, the race Titus created was incapable of bonding, just like him. That's when we knew she was something else, something special. Aurora.....”

Apollo's face changed to torment as he spoke the woman's name. Moon reached out her hand, placing it on his.

“We don't have to continue if it upsets you, if it's too painful. We can talk of something else.” Moon didn't like to see this man slip backwards, she wouldn't let the maddness take him again, not now.

“Forgive me child, nothing tortures the mind more than the things it cannot forget.” he seemed dazed momentarily before he continued to speak.

“Aurora was my mate. She was radiant, kind, I loved her deeply. Herself and your mother became fast companions, a friendship so pure, so instant, it's yet to be matched. We lived together blissfully here, your mother's magic quickly spread through the pack. We became stronger, happier, complete. Mena being the same age as my own son, ran the grounds with the pups. She was full of life, mischievous. We treated her as our own, regardless of who her father was. Soon you and Atlas were born, everything was perfect, but then came the attacks. Titus wanted what was his, and he took it in the dead of night. He snatched you, your mother, and Mena. We thought he had killed you children. He had discarded you in an orphanage instead, his own child, it's a shame. The entire pack knew we needed to find your mother, your father would die without her. Myself, your father, my mate, and many warriors went to the village that day. It was too late. Your mother, believing her children dead, repeated history. She took her own life before we reached her. Your father lost all control of his wolf, he tore hunters to shreds inside the village walls, after that, the only option was to fight. I lost everything that day, my mate, my beta, I very nearly lost my own life, some days I wish I had. I couldn't face the pack after, I had failed them, I had failed my mate, our friends, their children. I become a danger to all, and so I moved out here, the only visitor my son. Atlas used to come, it soon become too much for even him. The elders decided it best to bury the truth about your mother, about what she was. They used a shifter, a gifted one, she wiped your mother from the packs memories, her families memories, using black smoke. I guess Titus used the same magic on you, and Mena. The elders believed her last surviving child to be Atlas, keeping the truth from even him, believing it would keep him safe from Titus. You are the first I have told and for that, I am ashamed. If I knew you were out there, that Mena is out there, I would have done it alot sooner.” he sounded apologetic, the guilt he felt eased.

“You have nothing to apologize for, you have lost everything Apollo. I feel your pain, it's like no other, I am here to help” Moon had to show her gratitude for his gift of truth.

“You are helping just by being here, the moon goddesses' power runs deep within you. Have you not noticed it Moon? Your presence, your light, it is healing to shifters” Moon swore she saw a glitter in his eyes, clarity taking over.

“Well then I guess I shall stay, tell me about our life here, when I was young” Moon wanted to know it all, to see it through his eyes, to feel her parent's presence in his mind.

They spoke until early morning. He told her everything there was to know about being a shifter, about her powers, her parents.

She told him of her hopes, her dreams and the stranger in the woods.

“It is a gift in itself Moon, you need not have doubt, whoever he is, he will be there for you, always. I only wish the same for my son, he could use the peace, the love, that the mate bond brings. I should have been there for him, I just couldn't” Apollo felt immense guilt for this.

“When he does find a mate of his own, he will understand. I am sure of it” Moon smiled a reassuring smile at Apollo.

In those hours in the small cabin, a bond was formed, the likes of what a father and daughter shared. He wasn't her father no, but her father's dearest friend and for Moon, that was close enough.