The dawn light crept through the cracks in the curtain, illuminating the guest room of the cabin where I had spent the night awake. The future of my children would be decided on that day, ironically and cruelly, on their birthday.
I rose from the guest room, the cold wooden floor under my bare feet. I headed to the bathroom, leaving behind the shadows of the restless night. The morning ritual was like a mechanical act, an attempt to prepare myself for what the busy day had in store. I descended the stairs, heading towards the lower floor of the cabin.
Upon reaching there, I found Zora, standing with two men. A serious conversation seemed to be taking place, and Zora was evidently worried. “This needs to be done soon. It's crucial,” I heard her say, emphasizing the urgency.
Intrigued and anxious for any information, I approached. “What's going on?” I asked, my voice filled with anticipation.
Zora turned to me, a forced smile on her face. “Ah, Fierce, glad you woke up. I was just instructing these men about tonight's ceremony in the pack. As you know, it's voting day, and everything needs to be perfect.”
I nodded, understanding the importance of the moment. “Where's Hunter?” I inquired, sensing his absence in the atmosphere.
“Hunter left early to handle some matters in Denver. It seems he had issues to deal with before the vote,” replied Zora, and her expression suggested that these matters were more complex than she was willing to share.
Focusing on the need to maintain normalcy, Zora suggested, with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, “Would you like some coffee... human?”
“I'd love that,” I replied, accepting the suggestion gratefully. Zora headed to the kitchen, and I followed, leaving behind the uncertainty hanging in the air.
In the kitchen, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air. Zora began organizing the utensils, and the men went outside the cabin, leaving us alone. Zora skillfully worked with the coffee maker, pouring coffee into two cups.
“Hunter said that, even in tough times, we shouldn't give up small human pleasures,” explained Zora, serving a cup of coffee for me.
I thanked her and took the cup, letting the comforting warmth of the drink flood my senses. Zora, with her innate elegance, inquired, “How are you feeling, Fierce?”
My expression turned sorrowful, reflecting the internal turmoil consuming me. “Terrible. I feel like I've failed my children.”
Zora placed her hand on my shoulder, seeking comfort. “Don't feel that way. You're doing what you can.”
Hesitation took over me when Zora suggested, “Do you have pictures of the children? Can you show them?”
The idea of revealing the photos was like exposing a vulnerability that I hesitated to share. Cassian, my son, was a spitting image of Hunter, and I wondered if this resemblance would be noticeable in the photos. After a brief moment of contemplation, I agreed, “I have them on my phone. I'll show you later.”
Zora then inquired about the children's age. “Hunter told me it's their birthday today, on Halloween. What a coincidence. What did the father of your children think of this date?”
A sigh escaped my lips as I shared the sad truth. “The father left as soon as he found out I was pregnant. Replaced me with someone else.”
Zora expressed her regret. “I'm sorry to hear that.”
“It's life,” I responded resignedly. “Sometimes, rejection is part of our destiny. Maybe I was born to be rejected.”
Zora's gaze met mine, and she shared an unexpected confession. “I want you to know that I didn't imagine I would be chosen as Hunter's Luna that night.”
My eyes narrowed slightly as I absorbed the revelation. “Perhaps you didn't imagine, but you also didn't seem to mind being with Hunter and being his Luna.”
Zora sighed, as if admitting this was a burden she had carried for a long time. “I'm fulfilling the role I was born to play.”
A wry smile curved my lips. “Congratulations, Zora. You got the leading role. Must be happy.”
Zora, with a deeper look, replied, “Sometimes, the role we get is not what we wanted, but it's what we need to do. I've come to terms with it.”
“That's the difference between us, Zora,” I murmured, watching the coffee steam dance in the cup. “For me, being a Luna beside Hunter wasn't a role I was born to play. It was a consequence of what we were. In the end, Hunter followed what was dictated and rejected me.”
Zora, with a penetrating look, retorted, “Know that it wasn't easy for him either. Hunter missed you every day since you left.”
A bitter smile curved my lips. “I highly doubt that.”
“Seriously,” insisted Zora. “Even together, I feel like, deep down, Hunter still loves you.”
“Hunter never loved me,” I refuted, firmly. “Not like I loved him.”
Zora then questioned, “Do you still love him?”
I let out a sigh, determined to focus on the reason that brought me there. “I'm not here to relive the past, Zora. I'm here for the present and the future that are my children. It's for them that I'm here. I don't want to talk about what happened six years ago anymore.”
She agreed, respecting my decision, and changed the direction of the conversation. “Okay. So, how did you lose your wolf?”
The question made me recall a complex truth. “I didn't lose my wolf, Zora. The Moon Goddess told me she's still with me, just chose not to manifest.”
Zora's expression turned serious. “How did you, being who you are, manage to talk to the Moon Goddess? Not to belittle her, but why can't I, being a Luna, get answers to my infertility?”
“Despite not being the child of an alpha or a Luna, the Goddess took pity on me,” I explained. “It's not a matter of deserving, but of necessity.”
Zora pondered my words, her expression reflecting deep thoughts. Then, she declared, “I need to get ready as I have some things to attend to in Denver.”
Curious, I asked, “I didn't know wolves were casually going to the city.”
Zora revealed, “After Hunter became the Alpha King, he made some changes. Now, all wolves are free to go to the city.”
Zora left, and I stared at my coffee cup, contemplating the complexities of our intertwined lives. Destiny, like a play, held surprises and challenges for us, and at that moment, we were reluctant actors on a stage that seemed larger than any of us.
***
The day stretched before me, laden with anxiety and anticipation. In the cabin's room, surrounded by silence, I contemplated what lay ahead. The pack would gather that night, and I was aware that I would face the distrust and hostility of my fellow pack members. After all, I was an intruder, a figure from the past returning with a demand that undoubtedly wouldn't be seen as their problem.
My mind worked incessantly, tracing the lines of a speech that could somehow soften the hardened hearts against me. I knew the magnitude of the resistance I would encounter, but I needed to try, for my children, for the ties that somehow still persisted between me and the pack.
Throughout the day, I revisited painful memories, and events that shaped the course of my life and, consequently, the fate of the pack. And then, I knew that, more than appealing to their reason, I needed to touch their hearts. The connection between us, which for so long seemed severed, was still there, even if in delicate threads.
When the front door of the cabin creaked open, my heart skipped a beat. I snapped out of my thoughts and descended the stairs, finding a white wolf standing at the entrance. A familiar energy emanated from him, and an undeniable sense of power filled the air.
The white wolf transformed before my eyes, revealing the human form of a tall man with white hair and piercing eyes. His gaze, however, displayed an ancestral wisdom, as if carrying the secrets of the past and the promises of the future. He approached, and his words resonated with an authority that couldn't be ignored.
“My name is Garm. I've been sent by the Alpha King to take you to the pack. The vote will happen soon,” announced Garm, his voice echoing through the cabin.
I nodded, ready to face the pack's judgment. The moment had come, and I wouldn't back down. I approached and followed Garm outside the cabin, where the cold mountain wind caressed my face.
We walked together towards the destiny that awaited me in the pack, and I knew that I would have to confront not only the hostility of those I once called family but also the specter of my own past.
The journey to the pack would be a bridge between what I was and what I could become. And with these reflections, I followed Garm toward the heart of the pack, where my presence would be debated, and my fate sealed by the unified voices of those I once considered my equals.