The Rise of Lunar's Light (The Story Before Mateless)

Anna’s Pov:

18. It’s supposed to be a magical moment, a magical day. Today is that day. Apparently, it’s a blessed day where I would find my forever and for always. The one who would complete me, who shared my soul and all that other nonsense.

Everyone tells me I should be overjoyed to find my mate. Because the Goddesses blessed me. Now and forever. My mate was to surely be a wondrous man, an Alpha amongst Alphas, or so they said.

Although I didn’t have many memories, the Goddesses sent their strongest witch to protect me from an evil one who meant to do me harm. A high priestess, they called her. On my back, from the hair of the Goddesses and the High Priestess along with their blood, she sowed a powerful rune of protection into my flesh.

To the untrained eye, it looked like nothing more than a birthmark between my shoulders. But to those who were there, it’s unmistakable. An uneasy feeling washed over me as the memories of that time and my imaginary friend Amy returned.

The last time I saw her, she wanted me to go away with her. She felt so real. In my memories, perhaps because of the decay of time, she no longer seemed so loving as I thought she was as a child.

“Penny for your thoughts?” William teased, walking into my room. The hustle of the pack house as they prepared for my celebration drew me from my thoughts as he stepped in. “What if I don’t want my mate, Uncle William?” I sighed. Although William was not my uncle by blood, he’d always been there for me, even more than my father.

“Well Princess, once you meet him, you will change your mind. The Goddesses picked him just for you. Remember that,” he beamed. “Your father hoped you were almost ready. But I know deep down, he is hoping his little girl won’t find her mate. I guess I will tell him you are not ready yet. Anna, you need to hurry. Your party is to start in just a few moments,” he smiled.

I watched as the door closed, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Perhaps everyone was wrong. Maybe, just maybe, I was nothing more than an ordinary wolf. What if the Goddesses mated me to someone horrible?

Even though they usually paired us with someone who would bring out the best in us. Unfortunately, that wasn’t always the way things worked out. Who the Goddesses chose for us didn’t take into account a wolf’s choice. What if she paired me with an Omega? Or worse yet, what if I got rejected?

“Why does your mind cause you all these troubles, child?” the Woman asked, appearing behind me. “Do you not trust that you, too, are part of my chosen?” she asked with pain in her eyes. Unable to answer, I hung my head in shame. To my surprise, she picked up my hairbrush and brushed my long locks.

“Perhaps I can reveal some of my plan for you to relieve your worries,” she whispered. “We indeed blessed you, child, but such a blessing also carries a steep price. Your mate, he is strong and handsome. While he will be a ruthless and heartless Alpha to his people, to you, he will be warm and loving. Once you give him a second male pup, one who will survive, he will worship you like a goddess. He and his pack are cursed. Since their formation, no second-born son has survived past a few hours old. This is the curse placed on their first Alpha by my companion, for his defiance,” the Woman smiled. As she spoke, she watched me closely.

“A pure-blooded bride for an Alpha who only cares for pure blood. The perfect Luna for a cursed pack, their curse eventually becoming yours to bear as well. Two sons, the one, like his father, shall be cursed. You will see him die at the hands of an Amazon. That Amazon is mine and my companion’s daughter. For this I am sorry. As for the other, his fate is up to him. His mate is our child, the bringer of destruction to your mate’s pack. Although she is a part of us, she is very much human until she ascends to her throne. By this time, your second born will have made his choice, to stand beside her, or against,” she paused as our eyes met.

“If he stands against her?” I croaked. Already worried for a child I was yet to give birth to. The Woman’s hand twisted my hair, tying it in a strange braid. “That will be up to her,” she sighed. “She is his pack’s curse, but his blessing. It is almost certain your mate and our daughter will cross paths. When they do, she will be his undoing. Because of the pain I expect you to endure, I have granted you great strength. A strength which will bleed through the pack to endure the cleansing,” the Goddess stated. “One more thing, your second son. You are to name him Mathis,” she smiled, walking to my closet to retrieve my dress.

Fear rose into my throat as the realization of which Alpha was my mate crept into the back of my mind. One of the few completely pure-blooded packs left. Known for killing their own pack members for refusing to reject their human mates.

A pack ruled with an iron fist by the cruel Alpha Martins. Whose son and successor were rumored to be far more evil than his father was. I swallowed hard as I tried to accept my fate. The price for being blessed suddenly seemed too steep to pay.

“Goddess, may I know which pack he is the Alpha of?” I finally found the courage to ask. She gave me a weak smile. “In your heart, you already know the name,” she stated. My mind raced as I tried to recall all the names my mother told me would be in attendance.

“Your heart can calm for now. The young Alpha. He cannot attend tonight. You will meet soon enough, don’t worry about that. Enjoy your party, child. You are the means to our end. You are so blessed; remember in your darkest moments, we will answer you,” the Woman stated, placing a soft kiss upon my head.

“Dear Goddess, is there any way to save both of my sons?” I pleaded with tears in my eyes as I fell to my knees. A soft expression crossed her face as she glanced at something somewhere behind me.

“If your cursed son truly submits to our daughter and repents his and the pack’s ways and embraces our new way of life. Then his death will not be written unless our daughter decides it to be so,” the Girl shrugged. Her words made the Woman smile. “It will be difficult for you to balance the beliefs of your mate’s pack and still have your son renounce the ways of his father. I look forward to seeing how this plays out,” the Girl stated.

“We have kept you long enough,” the Woman smiled, snapping her fingers. “You are truly a vision of beauty, my child,” she whispered, with tears of joy in her eyes. Suddenly, she turned me to face the mirror. To my complete surprise, I found myself in my shifting dress with my makeup done. I noticed, in my eyes, they now carried the slightest flecks of silver in them.

“Thank you, Goddesses. I shall do my best to save Mathis from Silverlight’s curse.”