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

Tim’s Pov:

“Alpha? Lunar’s Light?” I gasped. I was utterly bewildered by what I heard. There was no Lunar’s Light pack. And even if there was, there was no way I could be its Alpha. I was an Elder. As such, I was not born into a pack, but from the Goddess herself and her human mate.

We the Elders were far more than any mere wolf; we were the first of our kind. “Lunar’s Light is our pack, and the vessel for our vengeance. We’ve named our pack for our light, the salvation of the Amazons, for our daughter,” the Girl started.

“The High Priestess of the Moon will sit at your right, as she will represent the witches. And she will be the strongest of them all. She is to be the ‘Beta’ of the pack. To your left will be the strongest of the Amazons, their general. And she is to be your ‘Gamma’. In a few days’ time, some wild ones will come to make up the werewolf population of this tribe. You, Timothy as the head of the Elders, strongest of all the wolves will be our Alpha,” the Girl explained, beaming with pride.

“Timothy, you will hold the throne as a caretaker. You will explain you’re only holding the title of Alpha until your successor can take it over. With how you look, this should receive few questions,” the Girl grinned. Somehow, she expected my objections before I even had the time to state them.

“When will your daughter be old enough to take the throne?” I asked. Instantly regretting it. By the wicked smiles on the Goddesses’ faces, it was clear I would not like what I was about to hear.

“Like any wolf. When she is 18. The matter is not at what age she will ascend to her throne but when is it she will be 18,” mother laughed.

“This is not for you to know yet. When the time is right, all will reveal itself. When she turns 18, the palace will appear. You will find her in a town called Meadow Springs,” the Girl revealed. “She will not be raised here?” I blurted out.

“No, she will know nothing of her role, what she is or what she is to do and become. Our daughter will be ignorant of our world. She will know nothing about us. This way, when the time comes, she will see the ugliness of the Silverlight clan. Because of not knowing her role, she will not give away who she is. Therefore, they cannot hunt her. She will look and appear human in almost every way,” the Woman whispered.

“Remember, you are a wolf, but she will not be one in the same sense as you are. She will be much, much more. Once she ascends to her throne, we will grant our child her wolf,” mother explained.

“You told me for the first time, events are to be left in the hands of mortals. If you have everything so carefully planned, how are you leaving it up to them?” I asked, believing they left nothing to be sorted out.

“Easy. You will comprehend everything when the time is right. For now, let me say this: everything up to her 18th birthday we’ve laid out. After that, we will leave things to her and her mate,” the Girl grunted. “But enough of this, there is another pressing matter that we must attend to,” she growled.

I gaped at her in surprise, thanks to her anger. It radiated all around, filling the room to the point it became suffocating. “Easy, young one. There is much to be done. Timothy, call a meeting of all those who remain. We shall set the parameters for this new pack,” the Woman demanded. “As my Goddesses wish,” I acknowledged. Bowing to them before I took my leave.

Hours later, witch and amazon alike flooded into the temple. Their murmurs were deafening. The anxiety from everyone overwhelmed my senses. I studied them unseen, waiting for the appointed hour. The Goddesses made their decree to my brothers on my position as the caretaker Alpha.

It was nearly a unanimous feeling of joy that we would get a sister. Even for us, the want of a different sibling was true. We were to receive a little sister to care for and protect. I pitied her mate; every Elder would be her blood, even if only by half.

Out on the stage, I greeted my pack. Before I raised my hands for silence, I allowed the murmurs to continue for a moment. “I understand you are on edge after the events which unfolded recently. I assure you on behalf of the Goddesses we are safe,” I started.

The Goddesses put their hands on my shoulders. To let me know they would be the ones to take this meeting from here. The Girl motioned for me to take my seat in the center throne.

“By our will, Queen Hellena, her Guardian, and warriors we’d chosen, rode out and met Silverlight head on. By our will, none survived,” they stated.

Their voices were intertwined, creating a new, more powerful one. A rare demonstration of unity and power between them. Every person stilled. The sorrow of those who lost loved ones in the battle filled the air. Others wish to protest, but dare not test the tempers of the Goddesses.

“We did this for the protection and survival of all those that remain. From this moment on, witch, wolf, and amazon are now joined as one. Our vision for these races will come to pass. We’ve done this to ensure our vengeance; we pledge to you our own daughter. She will deliver us from hiding and destroy Silverlight. Time will need to pass in order for this battle and our promise to be nothing more than a bedtime story to the little Alpha’s of Silverlight,” they continued.

The mood shifted from anger and despair to that one of excitement and hope. I couldn’t help but allow pride to swell in my heart, watching my people come together for the first time without even knowing it. The power which was coming from them became overwhelming. It fed into my own. I’ve never wondered what an Alpha must feel when he looks at the unity and loyalty of his pack, but I imagine it must feel like this.

“Fear not, we will avenge those that have fallen and those we’ve forced into hiding. Silverlight will fall, they will bow to us, and to the will of our daughter. From this day forward, you will form one pack; you will be of one mind. We will appoint a representative from each tribe to serve as rulers of the pack. From this moment forward, you will be called Lunar’s Light. Timothy, our strongest Elder will serve as your Alpha. Gretchen, the High Priestess of the Moon, and the strongest member of the Coven will serve as Beta. Last, we will hold games to determine the General of the Amazon Warriors. She will be your Gamma. Although these titles belong to the ranks of wolves, here the three will rule as one until our light comes. And claims her rightful title as Queen,” the Goddesses explained.

“My sister was our Queen, and she passed without an heir. By our laws as Amazon’s, it’s my birthright to lead our kind!” Reha screamed. She shoved forward in the crowd, interrupting the Goddesses. The sea of people backed away from her, fearing their proximity to Reha, not wanting to be caught in the Goddesses’ wrath.

“Sisters, you can’t be accepting of this. If the Queen leaves us without an heir, it’s always been the closest blood to our Queen, who takes up her throne and avenges her death. I demand this right!” Reha yelled.

I observed the other amazon warriors; they’ve always been prideful creatures, fiercely loyal to not only one another but also to their traditions. I hoped this outburst would not happen, but it was not a surprise either.

“Reha, it is time for change. You think they gave the witches a choice before Gretchen became the head of the coven? No, the Goddesses chose this. Were the children of the Goddess given a choice of which son will rule? Of course not. Your blood sister gave her life, so we had a chance. Honor her,” Olympia argued, before the Goddesses could react to Reha’s disregard of their will.

Cheers erupted at Olympia’s words. Almost every warrior here had lost someone. Those who remained made it clear that they would not let those who were lost in battle sacrifice be in vain.

“Have you all lost your minds? It is up to us to avenge those who’ve lost their lives in battle. Goddess, this has always been our way and your decree. Have you gone soft since taking the wolves’ Goddess as your counterpart?” Reha seethed.

The air in the room became thick and difficult to breathe. And the more it thickened, the more it became rank with fear. Anger rolled off the Girl, and it felt like flames about to lose control. The Girl appeared between Reha and Olympia, her aura of power making them slightly uncomfortable. I watched with curiosity as the Girl dragged her eyes over both warriors.

“Soft?” she asked Olympia as the power in the room shifted. “No Goddess, you gave your favored to the bitter clutches of death to save us all. We have always been your chosen, you have always guided us. And when you looked into our future, you saw it must change. You saw we should align ourselves with both the witches and wolves. Goddess, you’ve delivered us from destruction. These choices were hard. Someone lacking in strength could not have brought them forth. Goddess, you are anything but soft. If anything, you are stronger than ever before,” Olympia announced.

The Girl flashed her famous chilling smile as she placed her hand upon Olympia’s shoulder. “Olympia, my child, what do you think should be done with Reha for her disrespect?” the Girl asked coyly, gazing into Olympia’s eyes.

Much to my surprise, Olympia’s eyes glazed over as if she was shown a vision. When Olympia returned to normal, she was out of breath, panting heavily and fell to her knees before the Girl.

“Disrespect of the will of the Goddesses should be punished by death. For Reha, there is a punishment far worse than death, if I may be so bold to offer it. Banishment, loss of her strength, and loss of her sisters. Cast her to the human world, leaving her and all her descendants to her shame. If any seek revenge on us, have her turn to stone. Therefore gracing our lands to remind others to respect the will of the Goddesses,” Olympia advised with conviction in her voice.