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

Celine’s Pov:

“What do you mean, they have a slight hint of green?” I asked, confused. Did Amelia’s magic damage him in some manner? “Tim, I think it’s best if you sit and let me have a look at you,” I whispered, not wanting to upset him. With a curious look plastered on his face, William walked over, forcing me to hold his gaze. “Huh, they really do, don’t they?” he remarked.

“And she is the first High Priestess eyes to change Timothy?” the Girl grinned, walking over to inspect. “I always wondered what colour they would be, as you already had silver eyes, but the hint of green was a surprise. I expected them to have a hint of amethyst, like your mother’s or even blue like your father’s,” the Woman smiled. Her eyes twinkling as she peered into mine.

“I have been the High Priestess for some time. Why did they change now?” I asked. “The amount of power which just flowed through you. You were never required to draw so much of it. Unlike the Priestesses before you who needed to in order to claim their title,” the Woman shrugged like it was common knowledge.

“This is interesting and all, but what about my Anna? Will she be, ok?” Alpha Jennings snapped, earning a scowl from the Girl. “She will be fine,” the Girl stated dismissively. “Celine will ward the house to ensure her safety. For now, I will keep a far closer eye on Anna,” the Girl continued. Relief washed over the Alpha’s face.

“High Priestess, I offer myself for any help that you may need,” William blurted out. My eyes fell on Tim with the same aura of uneasiness I experienced earlier. “That would be a marvelous idea. Celine could trigger a sense of warning within you to help young Anna if Amelia shows back up,” the Woman smiled before she and the Girl disappeared.

Once more, William led me down the corridors of the pack house in silence. As we reached little Anna’s room, William walked in first. “Anna, I have someone who would like to meet you,” he beamed at the small girl. Relief flooded me as I walked in, knowing Anna was alright. My heart sank as she pulled her cover over her head and hid from me.

“Anna, whatever is a matter?” William cooed, sitting on her bed. She peered out at him from under the sheets before she motioned for him to come closer. “That’s the evil witch who wants to take me away,” she whispered, unaware that thanks to being part wolf, I was more than capable of hearing her.

“No, Amy lied to you. She is a very nice witch. In fact, she saved your life. Celine is the High Priestess of the Temple of the Moon; you remember what the temple is, don’t you?” William continued. Anna nodded before casting me a suspicious glance.

“So, she’s not a witch?” she asked, just a little louder. Thankfully, it was loud enough that it would have been easy enough for anyone without amazing hearing to hear.

“No Anna, I am very much a witch, like Amelia,” I explained. “Who is Amelia?” she asked. “Amy, her full name is Amelia,” I replied softly, trying to earn her trust.

A sad expression washed over her face for a moment before she turned her big doe eyes back to me. “Amy was the bad one, wasn’t she?” Anna sniffed. William snapped his eyes towards me, unsure of what to say.

As I made my way over to Anna, I motioned for William to scoot over, allowing me to comfort her while I contemplated her question. I took her hand in mine and patted it gently.

“There is a fine line between good and bad. Someone can do something terrible and still be a good person, they just made a poor choice. Amelia, Amy, she was once my best friend, she was like a sister to me. The love of power clouded her mind. I choose to believe deep down in her the good I know she possessed is still there. And that she’s only lost her way,” I answered, hoping for no further questions.

“She said you stole everything from her,” Anna blurted out, still confused. “Because that’s how she sees it,” I replied softly. “She was born to be the High priestess as I was. Instead, she wanted the power of the Goddesses for herself. She wanted me to be her High Priestess. Not wanting to betray the Goddesses, I went to my mother and brother and told them all she told me. The Goddesses gave me the title after that,” I explained. Although I wasn’t sure how well she understood.

“But I wouldn’t trust Amy, Anna,” William pressed. “She might be the daughter of the Goddesses, but she is nothing like them,” Tim’s voice rang out. Our eyes followed the sound of his voice to find him leaning on the doorjamb with his arms crossed.

“She works against them now,” he added. “She is not to be trusted. Do you understand?” Tim ordered in his official tone. William’s eyes flickered between Tim and me. Anna hung her head with obedience. An expression of relief washed over his face as he left the room.

“Guess now is as good of time as any to get these wards started,” I sighed, getting off Anna’s bed. “You need to hold still please Anna; I need to pull out some of your hairs. I am sorry this might hurt,” I warned the child. She peered up at me with worried eyes before looking at William for guidance.

“Celine needs to keep you safe,” he smiled as I pulled out the hairs. “You will need this as well. It will be more potent this way,” the Girl growled, handing me a vial of dark twinkling liquid. The thick, black liquid had an almost hypnotic quality to it. As I stared into the vial, my heart skipped a beat. “Blood magic?” I asked as panic rose in my stomach.

“Blood rune to be precise,” the Girl stated pointedly. “There is no other magic more powerful,” she grinned devilishly. With no further hesitation, I got to work writing the runes in any place we thought Amy would try to enter the pack house. For good measure, between the shoulders of Anna, I sewed a rune into her back. It would always guard her, no matter what life threw at her.

We ended up in William’s room as I finished my wards. His eyes watched me intently as I fashioned a bracelet of Anna’s, mine and both Goddesses’ hair. “I pray you never have to see this used,” I muttered to William as I tied the bracelet to his wrist. William’s gaze was stuck to me as I put some distance between us. There was just something that didn’t sit right. I just couldn’t place what it was.

His hand shot out, grabbing my arm. “Can I ask you something?” he pleaded with urgency in his eyes. “Uhm, sure, what is it?” I stumbled, breaking his stare. “Your last name, it’s Main, isn’t it?” he asked, as if he was begging me to admit we’d lied.

I lost contact with Victoria after she left the isle. We never spoke again. I shook my head no, as I was not sure if I should trust him. “Then do you know a Celine Main? Is there more than one High Priestess?” he pressed. I swallowed hard, as I could only bring myself to stare at him.

“Victoria, I guess she knew she was going to die. She begged me to convince the Elders to come. She knew they would bring her niece, Celine Main, the high priestess of the Temple of the Moon. Victoria left a letter and a small package for her. She pleaded for me to ensure I gave it to her,” he whispered.

Flabbergasted, I gaped at him. “Celine is the niece of Victoria,” Tim’s voice rang out suddenly. “The rumors we’ve heard about your love of pure bloods rivaled Silverlight’s. I was not about to risk harm coming to Celine,” Tim admitted. William smiled. A flood of relief washed over me. Was everything I experienced because I lied to my family?

“We do value pure blood as it is required of us to do so. None outside the Alpha and Beta family knows that there is witch blood in the Beta’s line, even if it is distant,” Jennings stated. “What about the rumors about my mother entrancing my father and stealing him away?” I growled as my anger got the better of me. William cast his eyes to his Alpha before resting them on the floor.

“Before Victoria revealed herself to us, we thought it was true. We had her father’s journals, not her brother’s. Her father spat venom about Joseph leaving with a witch. It was his belief your mother would leave Joseph as Abigale left him. It wasn’t until the night Anna was born that we learned of Victoria’s existence. And that she was a witch who was very much alive. According to her father’s journal’s she was a sickly child who he did not expect to live past her 5th birthday. She showed up and proved her lineage. Victoria told us Anna was important. She needed to protect her from the daughter of the Goddesses, who turned evil. We never asked her what she knew about Amy. It wasn’t until after her suspicious death and Anna’s new friend did we realize the danger Anna was in,” William explained.

“A couple of days before her death, Victoria came to me with this letter and package. The rest, you know,” he stated, placing the items in my hands. My eyes grazed over the letter, still sealed with wax. “She wasn’t much older than I am,” I whispered to myself as my fingers traced her handwriting on the envelope.

To my dearest niece, Celine,

As you are most likely aware, I have passed from this life. I hope this letter finds you the victor for Anna as Amy is hell bent on killing her to end our Goddesses’ plan. She will stop at nothing to win. I have exhausted myself with the child’s protection and I know it’s only a matter of time before Amy ends my life.

In this event, I wish to return to you the carving of your father’s wolf. It has brought me great joy over the years. I hope you do not mind, but I added a little of my magic to it. It is my hope it will remind you better of his love and give you the opportunity to feel it as deeply as I did.

I have also enclosed a small vial, an elixir, if you will. While it is my hope, you choose not to take it. It will allow you to age along with your mate, so you don’t have to experience what your mother suffered after Joseph’s death.

I wish you a long and happy life, Celine. I pray someday you can forgive me for having your father’s heart. It was not my choice to take it. Although I am grateful for it, I would have died as a child if it wasn’t for him. It was a constant reminder to live each day, to do good in this life as he would have.

With love,

Victoria.

Tears streamed from my eyes as my hands opened the small box to retrieve the small carving of my father’s wolf. “I never believed I would see this again,” I sighed, turning to Tim.

My hand grazed the small vial of elixir, drawing my attention to it. Something unsettling took hold of my heart. Why did Victoria give me this? Many of the women in my family held the gift of foresight. Perhaps she saw something and believed it necessary? Before anyone else took notice of the vial, I replaced the trinket and closed the box.

“Thank you, William,” I whispered, causing his eyes to light up. “Don’t mention it, as it’s an honor to have such powerful women in the family,” he winked. “We kind of always thought it was nothing more than a bedtime story that a family member’s mate was in the chosen pack of the Goddesses,” he shrugged.

“Anna is safe, at least for the time being. We should return home, Celine,” Tim grinned. “Something tells me this isn’t the last we will see of Anna,” he laughed.