Chapter 13 Ep 13
Kassi
I turned towards the married couple "Can you guys find out everything you can about Selene and Endymion. I think that's a key piece in figuring this out"4
They nodded and went to the computers hidden away in the corner of the library
I turned toward Matt, Mia, and the Twins
"Matt, Mia, can you tell me about the Wolf Moon?"
"We would like to," Mia said "But we don't really know anything about it. We didn't hear the voice like Ever and Shawn did"
I turned toward Matt "Can you get them for me?"
He nodded and left the room
I then turned toward Mia "Can you start researching about the Wolf Moon? I know it's a long shot but maybe something will turn up"13
"Sure"
I then turned toward the turns, whose jaws were set and had their arms crossed stubbornly4
"You two will tell me about this Wolf Moon"
"No we won't" they replied
"Yes, you will" I replied "Because if you love me and want to save me from death's door then you will tell me what I need to know"7
"Dammit" Taylor cursed, unfolding her arms
"She didn't even have to use her Jedi mind powers" Ethan muttered
1
I grinned "When the other two get here, we're going to compare notes"
I then turned to my brother, who was awkwardly standing in the corner 2
"Can you do me a favor?" I asked gently, quietly
He nodded
"Can you go through Mom's journal?" 6
He looked surprised "Me?"
I nodded
"I'm pretty sure you already know what I suspect of our mother," I said "Plus, it will give you a chance to see a fraction of what she's like"1
I handed him the journal and he took it from me gently, stroking the worn leather softly.
When I looked at his face, I saw a vulnerable look in his eyes, a look that was often reflected in my eyes whenever I let my walls down and looked in the mirror.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
He hadn't told me his story yet but I knew deep down that he longed for the chance to meet our parents.
A chance that was stolen from him the moment he was born 5
"Take good care of it" I smiled "And just know that the journal doesn't do her justice. She's so much more"2
He smiled back and went to a different corner in the library, a more quieter and peaceful corner. 1
"You rang?" Everly said as soon as she entered the library
Shawn followed closely behind her
"Can you two tell me about the Wolf Moon?"
They stiffened
"I don't think the Alpha would..." Shawn started
"I know your Alpha doesn't like to talk about it," I said softly "But we need to in order to prevent whatever is going to happen" 7
They looked at each other and sighed "What do you want to know?"
I nodded to Ethan and Taylor "I want the four of you to tell me everything you know about the Wolf Moon"
"We don't know much" Everly said "Just bits and pieces"
"Yeah, us too" Taylor replied "Just glimpses of things" 1
"Okay," I said "Start there. What did you guys see?"
"Blood" Ethan whispered "Lots and Lots of Blood"
"And you were crying" Taylor added in "Sobbing actually"
"We saw something different," Shawn said quietly
"What did you see?" Taylor asked
They didn't answer
"I don't think we're going to like this answer" Ethan muttered
I braced myself
"We saw you on some type of table" Everly whispered "Bleeding, pale, and..." 4
"And?" I encouraged
"And lifeless" Shawn finished
There was sniffling and I turned to watch as Ethan comforted his crying sister
"Anything else?"
"A voice" Everly muttered, scooting closer to Shawn "A voice repeating the same thing over and over again"
"What was it saying?"
"It was muffled" Shawn hugged Everly "But it kept saying that the Wolf Moon would be the end of you" 20
I swallowed back the tears "That's just freaking great"
Suddenly the whole room became quiet and I felt smothered by all their stares
"Well...uh" I cleared my throat, "I think I'll just go analyze this"
I left the room, trying to keep the tears at bay.
I mean, yeah, knowing that we're all going to die one day is one thing but actually hearing that you're going to die pretty soon, that's an entirely different thing.
I wanted to be strong, God knows how I wanted to be strong, but for once in my life, I was sick and tired of putting up a front.
I was tired of acting like everything was okay when it wasn't.
I was tired of being strong
I just wanted my mom 6
I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed her number
"You have reached the number of ..." 4
"Ugh!!" I hung up as I exited House 2
I dialed her again and still no answer.
I don't know if it was from the frustration of knowing that I'm going to die soon or from the stress of the last couple of days or the lack of sleep but now I could no longer hold back my tears.
I ventured out farther into the forest, away from the House, before breaking down and crying. 3
I leaned against a tree and huddled my face into my knees before bursting out in sobs. 1
I probably sat there for a good hour just crying and thinking. 9
I would cry and then calm myself down enough just to cry again whenever I thought about what my friends just told me.
A wet nose touched my hand and I jumped back in fear, knocking my head against the bark of the tree.
"Son of a Bi..." I cursed and I rubbed the throbbing spot.
The nose nudged me again and I had to squint my eyes hard enough to make out the features of what was touching me.
In front of me stood a very very large Wolf. Its fur was jet black (the reason why I didn't see it in the first place) and had bright glowing grey eyes. 24
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
I wiped the rest of the tears off my face and scrutinized the Wolf.
"Rhys?" I asked 7
The Wolf licked my face twice and I laughed before wiping the slobber off my face.
One minute, a giant Wolf stood in front of me and the next, a naked Rhys knelt next to me. 42
I squeaked out a word and covered my eyes quickly, blushing when I realized my eyes lingered too long on his broad and sculpted chest. 23
"Sorry" he sounded amused "Okay, we're all good" 3
"Are you sure?" I asked, eyes still covered
"I'm pretty sure"
I removed my hands but my eyes still remained shut
"Uh...Kassi, why are your eyes still closed?"
"I don't know," I said, flustered by his presence
He touched my eyelids and my eyes opened
"There they are" I watched him smile "Those pretty eyes" 43
I smiled
"What are you doing out here? By yourself?" 4
"I needed a break"
He sat next to me "What happened?"
I pushed my cheek against my knee and looked at him "It's kind of depressing hearing the way you're going to die"6
He remained quiet for a moment before standing up and offering me his hand
I looked at him in confusion
"Come on," he said helping me up "I want to show you something" 5
I laughed
"What is it?" He asked in confusion "Was it something I said?"
"Yes" I laughed "Your whole sentence was the most cliche thing I've ever heard"
He laughed too
"Yeah, it did sound kind of cheesy didn't it?"
I nodded
"But seriously," he said after his laughter died "I want to show you something
Okay," I said, dusting myself off "Which way are we headed?"
"If I may" he grabbed my hands gently before placing them over my eyes "I'll shift and take you to where we have to go"
I blushed and nodded, firmly covering my eyes
There was the shifting of clothes and leaves, bones cracking, and a soft whine before Rhys nudged my leg.
I uncovered my eyes and patted his head
"Okay" I nodded "Lead the way"
One minute I was standing on my own two feet and the next, a giant wolf head was tucked in my stomach, depositing me on his back
"Well, how far are we going?"
Rhys barked twice before taking off, dashing between trees like a madman 2
"Is there any chance we could, you know, Slow down!" I felt my stomach turn "Please?"
239
He ran a little faster and turned right before slowing down as we approached an old abandoned watermill.
He nodded for me to climb down and I did, dropping to my knees and kissing the ground. 2
"Never thought I would get car sick on a Wolf" 8
A deep laugh rumbled through the quiet night
"Who would have thought the Mate of an Alpha would ever hear that" 1
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up" I glared at him "One day I'll figure out your weakness and exploit it every day for the rest of our lives" 85
His face brightened, looking like he won the lottery 9
I was confused by his expression until I realized what I just said.
I looked away and sat on the gravel and sandy ground "Where did you bring me?"
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
He sat next to me and grabbed a rock before skimming it across the pond
"When I was a child, I would come out here to explore" he smiled "I used to dash in and out of the trees, loving the wind between my fur and the crunching of the leaves under my feet. I would chase animals just to chase them and see if I could keep up with them and used to jump off cliffs to see what I could do" 7
I gaped at him "Weren't you ever worried about getting hurt?"
He smiled at me and threw another stone "Nah, not really"
"I would have" I grumbled 1
"Anyways" he sobered up "When I was about eight or nine, I remember this one particular night in which I came here and, being the stupid kid I was, decided to climb on the wheel over there" 2
He pointed to one of the two rusty wheels
"I mean, I've done it before so I had nothing to worry about" he grimaced "What I didn't know, however, was that two vampires stumbled across my special spot and chose it as a hideout away from a Vampire Hunter"
My eyes widened
"Yeah" he threw a third stone "So when I decided to climb on that wheel they decided to get rid of the local Alpha's son"
"Oh no" 1
"Yeah," he said "As soon as I climbed on top, the wheels started turning"
"Didn't you try to jump off?"
"I did" he threw, yet again, another rock "But my shorts got caught"
"How in the hell did that happened?"
"The Pack keeps clothes tucked away in every nook and cranny of the forest. After I shifted back into my human form, I grabbed a random set of clothes" he laughed " A size that was way too big for my small frame at the time"
I smiled "So at one point in your life you were average size like the rest of us?" 1
He laughed too "Yeah, in fact, I was smaller than Ares at his age"
"Is that normal?" I asked
"Yeah," he said "It's pretty normal for male Wolves to be significantly smaller than female wolves"
"Really?"
"Yeah," he said "When people say that girls mature faster than boys both physically and mentally, they aren't lying" 29
"Awesome," I said "So... does that mean Ares will actually grow like normal kids now?"
Kassi
3
My head felt fuzzy and my stomach was rolling
1
I tried to move my arms but they were heavy
When I cracked my eyes opened I saw that my arms were heavy for a reason.
I was freaking chained to a chair!
I tried to open my eyes wider but they were just too heavy
I tried to kick out my legs but they were chained down too!
1
"Oh good," A grumpy voice said from the corner of the darkroom "You're up"
I looked up through heavy lids and blurry vision and squinted at the dark figure coming towards me
"Who the hell are you?"
6
There was a prick in my neck before a burning sensation.
A minute later, my eyes were less blurry and my limbs felt almost normal again
I blinked my eyes a few times before focusing on the figure
"Old man?" I cussed at him "What the hell did you stab me with?"
10
"Atropine," he said, putting the contents down on a nearby table "It counteracts the Aconite by stimulating the Nervous system again"
1
I looked around the room and saw another figure tucked in the corner
"What the Hell is Aconite!" I yelled, "And why in the hell did he drug me!"
2
I let out more profanities and Orion huddled farther into the corner
"Stop hollering girl," the old man said "And stop cursing or else I'll wash your mouth out with soap"
17
"Do that and I'll bite all your fingers off" I bared my teeth
He glared "Stubborn girl"
2
I tried to move to attack him but the chain held me back.
I screamed at him "LET ME GO THIS INSTANT, YOU PSYCHOS!"
"Or what?" the old man mocked "You're going to run and tell your adorable Alpha boyfriend to beat me up?"
8
I glared at him "I don't need anyone to beat you up. Let me go and I'll kick you in the dentures myself"
8
I paused and then swiveled my head toward Orion "You rat. I can't believe you've been spying on us just to feed information to him!"
2
Orion looked down "You don't understand" he whispered
I laughed sarcastically "What don't I understand? My kidnapping, drugging or you being a rat?"
8
"He's not a rat" the old man crossed his arms "He's just a man trying to protect his family"
1
"Sorry" I sneered "But your definition of a rat is completely different than mine"
1
He sighed "Would you just be quiet and listen please?"
"Why should I?"
10
"Because you need to hear this" Orion said
"I don't want to hear anything that comes out of your lying mouth"
"What if it has done something with your mother? Would you listen then?"
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
I paused "What?"
"Answer the question"
"You already know the answer to that" I sneered "Of course I would listen"
"Then be prepared to listen"
I glared and then slightly lifted my hands "Care to unchain me before storytime?"
"No, we'll untie you after we've said what we had to say"
I sighed and sat back, making my chains rattle "I'm not going to run away if that's what you're thinking"
"Gramps can't we just..." Orion started
The Old Man sighed "I won't run after her if she bolts"
Orion smiled "I got her Gramps"
1
Orion stepped forward and put his thumb on my chains
A moment later they popped off and crumpled to the floor
Orion put his thumb to his mouth
"What kind of chains are those?" I asked, rubbing my sore wrists
"Specially made Hunter chains to keeps Wolves from shifting"
"But I'm not a Wolf" I paused "Are those the same ones you had on?"
He nodded
"Yes, you are" the old man said, addressing my first question "Your father was a Wolf and your brothers are Wolves. It would be highly impossible if you didn't turn out to be a Wolf too"
"Then why haven't I shifted yet?" I stood and walked to the window, looking at the moon
"Because you're the Princess of Wolves"
I turned toward them "You know, I've heard that term multiple times already. I think it's time I find out what that actually means"
1
The old man smirked "I'm assuming your father told you the story of how Wolves came to be?"
"How did you know that?"
The Old man walked back and forth in the small room "It's common for all Royals to tell their children the Creation story by the time they are teens"
"And how do you know that?"
"I think you know the reason"
"I would like to hear you say it"
The old man sighed "I'm a Hunter Kassiopeia"
7
"They exist?"
8
"Of course we exist" he laughed "Just like Werewolves and all other mythical creatures exist"
6
"And my mother..."
"She was a hunter" he looked away
"Was?"
He sighed "The moment she met your father was the moment she stopped being a Hunter"
He waved me off when I opened my mouth to ask more questions "Never mind that right now. I'll answer all your questions when I'm done explaining"
"So, I'm assuming your father did tell you about the Creation story?"
I nodded "And?"
Well, it's important to know that when the first Werewolves were created, your ancestors, the Moon Goddess Selene underestimated the number of females in the tribes. Because of this, Selene quickly realized that without females, her newly created species would not survive"
"Why weren't there a lot of women in the first place?"
He gave me a "Are you stupid" look
I glared at him "What? I never liked history and I don't particularly think we learned about Greek Goddesses turning Humans into Wolves at my Public High School in New York"
1
"What do all civilizations have in common with regards to how few women they have?"
1
I gave him a look "Death?"
"Death, the Plague, Colonists pillaging tribes, etc..."
"So then, if there weren't enough females in the first Pack then how did the Wolf Species survive?"
"Well, Selene wasn't the Goddess of Fertility so she couldn't just influence the new generation to have children" the old man stated "So, she made the ultimate sacrifice"
"Which was what?"
"Her children"
I reared my head back in surprise "She had children?"
He nodded "She had fifty daughters with her lover, Endymion"
155
"Wait, hold up" I jumped up, "I thought Zeus erased Endymion's memories of Gods and Goddess the moment Endymion was turned"
"He did" the old man replied "But that didn't stop Selene from being with the man that she loved"
"But fifty kids?That seems a little excessive, even for the Gods" I made a face "Plus, there's a small fact that he must have been really old to still have been making babies"
17
I shuttered
Orion chuckled
7
"Well, anything's possible regarding the Greek Gods," the Old Man said "Take Athena for example. She walked right out of Zeus's head as a grown woman dressed in Armor"
11
"Well if Zeus erased the guy's memories, how were they able to fall in love again and have 50 kids?"
"The same way everyone falls in love," Orion said "You meet them and hit it off"
"But wouldn't have Zeus caught on to what Selene was doing and punish her again?"
"Zeus found out," the Old man said "But he was unbothered by it because he knew the human man didn't have much longer to live"
"I don't like the sound of that," I said grimly "What in the hell did he do?"
"With every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction" the Old man explained "The reaction always is equivalent to the action"
69
Light Bulb Moment
5
"Zeus influenced Endymion's death" I looked at both of them "Didn't he?"
They nodded
"But I thought he granted Endymion a peaceful slumber?" I questioned, "Why would he do that if he ultimately killed him?"
2
"Who knows why Zeus did what he did," the old man said "Hell, who knows the motive behind why any of the Gods or Goddesses did what they did"
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
"So I don't understand how this ties in with Selene's ultimate sacrifice" I stated
"Her children were the only thing left connecting her to Endymion after his Death"
1
"Okay..." I stated "But it's not like they died or shared the same fate as he did. Weren't they considered as Demigods?"
"No, but in order to keep her newly created species alive and thriving she had to sacrifice her daughters"
I looked at him warily "When you mean sacrifice, you don't mean..."
"No," the old man said "She didn't literally sacrifice her daughters"
"Then what did she..."
"She Mated 49 of them off to the surviving members of the Pack," Orion said "After she Mated them, she sent them to different parts of the world to produce even more wolves and strengthen the Wolf line"
"Many of the Packs that still live today come from one of the daughter's line"
"Wait," I said, "I thought you said she had 50 daughters?"
They nodded
"Then why were only 49 Mated?"
"Just like with any family there is no child that perfectly embodies an equal amount of both their parents. Some take slightly more after one parent than the other, whether it be in their features, personality, or attitude" the old man said "And Selene's children were no different"
1
"Well, that was true until her last daughter was born," Orion said before looking at me "There was no child ever born in history that was a perfect balance of both her Mother and Father"
10
"Not to mention there was no child, born of Human and Goddess, that exhibited the same amount of power as her mother"
"So what happened to this daughter?" I asked, "Did Selene eventually Mate her with another Wolf?"
"We don't know" the old man admitted "But we do believe that she must have at one point"
"Why do you believe that?"
"Because Kassi," Orion said "Gramps believes that the Dimitrious are direct descendants of her line"
1
I looked at him "Really?"
He nodded "Think about it. You have all the powers that Selene would have over her species if she was roaming the earth. Her daughter matched her powers too so it's not hard to believe that you are a part of that lineage"
5
"I only have one power" I stated "And I don't think that qualifies as God status just quite yet"
I paused "Wait a minute, why I am the only one with powers"
I looked at Orion "Can you do anything crazy too?"
He shook his head "Nope"
"Because Selene only had daughters," the old man said "And since it was her daughter that inherited her Powers, it makes sense that another woman in that line would too"
4
"So you're telling me that every woman in my family had powers just like me?"
"Not every woman," Orion said "Just the fiftieth daughter born into the Dimitriou family"
8
"Why..." I paused again when they gave me a look "Nevermind, I understand"
12
I took a moment to let everything sink in.
And trust me, it was a lot of information to sink in.
"Can I ask you something?" I looked at both of them "How does my mother fit into all of this?"
Both of them looked down
After a few moments, the old man spoke "Have you heard of the Wolf Moon?"
I stiffened "Yeah, you mean the Moon that's trying to kill me?"
"Yeah," he said "That one"
"What about it?"
"Well, every 50 years the Hunters hunt down members of the Dimitriou family in order to have them participate in the Wolf Moon Ceremony"
I gaped at him "They hunt down my family?"
"It wasn't just your family," the old man said "Up until a few weeks ago, the Hunters would hunt down all of Selene's daughter's descendants, but yes, their main goal is to hunt down members of your specific family"
"How many members have they killed?" I asked, bracing myself for the answer
"Surprisingly, since the last Wolf Moon, not that many," he said "I believe it was mainly done to your other Grandfather and his very meticulous escape plans"
"My Grandfather died when I was three" I pointed out "And surely since the new Wolf Moon is vastly approaching there have been many more deaths"
"Yes" Orion answered grimly "Many deaths by Hunters but some by their own accord"
"People sacrificed themselves?"
He nodded "Yes, our Aunt Minerva sacrificed herself two weeks ago"
I winced "How bad is this Wolf Moon that people are willingly killing themselves to escape whatever the Hunters have in plan for them?"
"We don't know"
I threw my hands up "Really? You guys have all the answers to everything else except to what we really need!"
"It's not my fault" Orion exclaimed "My parents weren't even born, let alone thought of, for me to know anything!"
I looked at the old man and raised an eyebrow "And you? I definitely know you were born for the last Wolf Moon"
5
He glared at me "I was sixteen at the time and wasn't allowed to come anywhere near where the ceremony was held"
"But you must have heard something about it"
2
He shrugged "Not really, the old-timers were really secretive when it came to stuff like that. No one ever truly knew what when on that day"
1
"Nothing at all?"
"All I know is that whatever they planned failed"
"And how do you know that?"
"I know that because I heard my parents whining about it during breakfast the next morning"
"Okay..." I said "That helped me know a little more about the Wolf Moon but I still don't know where my mother fits into all of this. Am I missing something?"
"When your mother was eighteen she found her Mate" he grimaced "Your father"
"Okay..."
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
"Because she was Mated to the Prince of Wolves, the Hunter Association found her to be a very valuable asset to our cause. In exchange for her cooperation, they offered her something that she's always wanted more than anything in the whole world" he looked at me "Freedom"
I smirked "I take it she didn't appreciate their meddling?"
He chuckled "No, she did not. In fact, I'm pretty sure she told them to stick their deal where the sun don't shine"
We all chuckled
"So then, what happened?"
"She ran away from home and eloped with your father"
My mouth gaped open "And you were okay with that?"
"No, I was absolutely furious" he sighed "I was a different man back then. Less accepting of change and disgusted by everything that had to do with Wolves"
3
"Well then, what changed?"
He looked out the window "I changed the moment they murdered my Wife and told me it was an accident"
2
I gasped "What?"
"I said some horrible things to my daughter," he said, sorrow in his voice "Things I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from saying. However, with that being said, my wife was the complete opposite of me. She was kind, loving, and supportive of Carrie and every decision she made"
"What happened..." I whispered
"My Lily was never a Hunter, just a regular person that knew nothing of our world prior to marrying me . I married her because I loved her, not because her family had something to offer mine" he looked at me "The Hunters like to arrange marriages between other Hunter families to not only strengthen the Association but to lessen the chance of mixing species"1
He looked at the floor "One night, during a really bad storm, my wife was coming home from her studio. Normally, she was home early but with the storm raging, she decided to leave when it calms down. After a few hours, with no calls, she still wasn't home so I decided to go find her. What I found was something I never want to relive again"
"They said it was a robbery gone wrong" Orion grimaced "But we knew better. The smell in there was undeniable"
"What did it smell like?"
"Hunters and Wolves"
The old man sighed before looking at me
"Remember when your mother dropped you off here?"
I nodded
"And remember the guy you knocked out, David?"
I smirked "Yeah I do"
"Well, before we found out that Carrie was Mated to your father, she was in an arranged marriage with David's father"
"WHAT!" I exclaimed "You literally just preached about finding love with someone who wasn't a Hunter! How could you marry your daughter off to some guy she didn't even love!"
The Old man winced "I told you, I wasn't always a reasonable guy"
I glared
"I said I'm sorry for what I did in the past" he glared "I atone for my sins and am willing to face the consequences" 1
He sighed yet again "Anyways, the moment she dropped you off was the moment David's father just so happened to come here and tell me about the next Hunter meeting"
"You're still a part of this cult!?" I asked in disgust "After is they killed your wife?"
"I have to be"
I snorted "It's not like anyone's holding a gun to your head"
"True" he admitted "But I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have a child and grandchildren to think about. Leaving would mean that they would do a full investigation on why I left and I can't have that. Not when I have you four to protect" 45
I looked at him "You're doing this for us? You're risking your life for creatures you once despised?"
He gave me a fraction of a smile "Now that I'm older I realize that the things I once thought were for the greater good were actually for the good of one group, not the entire world"
I looked at him, impressed by his answer but not fully believing him.
"So is this your way of atoning? By helping your own grandchildren?"
"No, helping your family shouldn't be something you're obligated to do"
"Then why are you doing this? There has to be a reason?"
"I'm doing this because I was foolish enough to take my family for granted the first time," he said "I'll never do that again"
"Gramps and I have been taking care of nosy Hunters and Wolves"
"By taking care of you don't mean..."
Orion's grimace told me all I needed to know 3