The Luna’s Secret

Two years ago

At that moment, I knew that he was not angry at me. Instead, he was mad at Ty for not letting us complete our training.

Broad chest with wide shoulders, abs and a v-line that have all the she-wolfs drooling. His black hair plastered with sweat to his forehead and the most beautiful hazel-eyes looking at me through full lashes.

A lock of my white hair falls from my ponytail tickling Micca’s face. “Submit to me Mic, and I will let you go,” I say defiantly looking up at Ty whose made it across the field and now standing in front of us.

“Belle let him go he has lost the fight, no need to humiliate the poor boy any further.” My father says, amused.

“I submit, Bellona. Just let go before you break my arm.” Mic chuckles. I look away from Ty, to grin down at Mic. Letting go of his arm, I stand up and reach out my hand to help him stand. He takes my hand without hesitation, smiling softly at me.

“You will be an amazing Alpha, my sweet child. Ty, I expect you to train Micca harder, he is a year older than Bellona. And yet she can take him down. She made herself clear today, Micca will be the next Beta.” Father says roughly.

“BELLE!” I hear mothers singsong voice calls from the houses back porch. Scanning the training field. Her golden-brown orbs flickering from wolf to wolf, her eyes finally land on me, skipping down the steps as she makes her way to me.

“That is my cue to leave, Ty, Micca, come we have matters to discuss.” My father starts to walk away, Ty following close behind. Micca looks at me, hesitating before winking at me, running after the Alpha and Beta.

“Beeeelllle my darling, I have been looking for you everywhere. Come we need to discuss your eighteenth celebration; all the Alphas and Lunas will be here. Let us not forget the handsome unmated Alphas will be here too. You need to tell me whom you would like to invite.

“We must invite your friends; this is for you, after all. You can go back to training when we are finished. I promise my darling.” My mother smiles at me softly tucking a white lock behind my ear.

Present day

The only tattoo that I have, running up along my ribcage. Anubis was hidden slightly by my shorts. His right-hand hauling his sword, his wings hidden by my seamless lilac sports bra. With a cross-back design, it makes my breast look fuller than usual.

I look up and follow the slender neck to a strong jaw, looking up to my reflections full lips, an upturned nose, with lilac eyes staring back at me, with almost black eyebrows, white hair hanging loosely, tickling my lower back.

Mic, Lila, the time has come. I mind-link my friends. Almost instantly, I hear the tremble in Miccas' response. Yes, Alpha, please do not kill him. As you said, you still need his council.

It has been a year since I came of age, and I found my mate or I had smelt him a long time ago – pine trees and rain. His scent was sensational – close to a place I promised I would never go back to, so I ran before he could scent me.

We threw a celebration two days later, my mother hoping he would attend, but I knew he wouldn’t be there. My mother invited nearly every single pack. Nearly – being the operative word here. I managed to convince my mother to let the alphas bring some of their packs members, their choices, of course.

My father, stubborn as always, made things harder for me, he decided to go by the old ways of our people, whereby he will not pass on the Alpha title to his heir. But it must be taken from him by the wolf worthy of the title. Many have tried, and many have failed. Today I will take my rightful place as Alpha of the Black Moon Pack.

Alpha Jaxon Williams, I Bellona Freyja Williams, challenge you for the Alpha position of the Black Moon Pack. I send through the pack link. Finally, reaching the last steps of the staircase, before turning to leave the foyer.

I accept your challenge daughter. I will be waiting for you at the training grounds. His response comes through just as I open the door and step out into the humid evening breeze.

I make my way across the field to where the pack, highlighted by the twilight that's closing in fast, stands waiting, leaving an opening only wide enough me to see where my father, the Beta, the Delta and mother stand in the middle. Mic and Lila are waiting for me at the gap in the circle. They pause until I pass before falling in line behind me.

“Alpha Jaxon, Luna Tabitha, Beta Ty.” I nod in recognition of the pack leaders ignoring the Delta.

“Enough of the niceties, father. I am not here to talk, only for my title.” I turn to Mic and Lila, “no matter what, do not interfere.”

I watch as my mother looks at my father with sadness in her eyes, and he kisses her lips softly. Go easy on him, my sweet girl. My mother mind-links me, giving a single nod in her direction before turning back to my father.

Darkness is starting to settle around us, out the corner of my eye, I see torches placed in the ground and then lit. The air has become chilly with a light breeze blowing my hair.

I watched as my father begins to shrug off his clothes, and starts to shift. I waited patiently while the pack admired his wolf, his dark brown almost black wolf the size of an adult Great Dane. His hair thinning slightly from age, tail still a little bushy as it was in his youth.

Tonight marks the first time my pack, and my parents will see my wolf in four years, I have kept her hidden, waiting for the right moment to show how powerful and beautiful she is.

He will not see this coming, my Belle. Her response sending adrenaline coursing through my veins.

A crescent-moon forming on my right ear the shape filled with pitch-black fur, a blessing from the Moon Goddess herself. It's the only colour I have on my beautiful white pelt. My eyes change from their usual lilac to Ice Blue, keeping my eyelids closed so that no one can see it, not yet.

I was patient as I felt my back break and reshape until my large paws hit the ground with a loud thump, I open my eyes, looking right my father and then allow my gaze to look around the pack.

My wolf stands two sizes taller than my fathers. As I set my gaze on him again, the tiniest whiff of fear finds its way to me, and I realise it came from my father.

I understand now why you never revealed your wolf, why you always went hunting on your own, or in your human form with us. She is a stunning wolf, Bellona. His voice travels through the pack link so everyone can hear what he says in his wolf form.

I knew why my father was delaying. He couldn't understand, she-wolfs are generally around a head smaller than males. The average male wolf usually around an inch or two shorter than that of an Alpha. Depending on his lineage and power.

Only she-wolfs destined by the moon goddess to be a Luna was the same size as the average male. I knew he was also thinking about my eyes. Wolves eyes also do not change from their human form unless they were an alpha, and even then they only shone gold.

Alphas can allow their wolves to show through their eyes when they are in human form. But right now. I terrified my father. My wolf is the impossible.

My father mimicked my actions, snapping his teeth at the air in front of him. I would have been impressed if I had not smelt his fear a second ago.

My father had no idea I had been training with wild wolves to them, I was their Alpha. I have learnt from my wolf pack how to hunt and take down my prey. And tonight, he was my prey. I thought of everything I had been holding back on.

All the stress of hiding for my mate, the pain I felt for rejecting the thought of him. The agony of my father rebuffing me. The longing I felt for my true-mate, for my fathers' approbation of me. I yearned for the esteem, confidence and the endowment of the Alpha.

I released the deep hunger I had for death, the bloodlust, I released every emotion, every thought I’ve had for four years into this fight.

My father wasn’t as big as I was, and I quickly drove him back. His wolf twisted in the air, going to land on his front paws, I promptly snapped my jaw, biting down on his hind leg. The sound of bone breaking reverberated against the trees, the smell of first blood was drawn, it saturated the air.

Wolves all around whimpered trying to fight their most primal urge to defend their Alpha. My father tossed back his head, a low pitched howl resonating from him. Twisting as best he could to grasp for me and I lurched for him. He managed to sink his teeth into my front leg.

I quickly recovered from the tumble and sprang to my feet, claws extending as I took a swipe in my fathers’ direction, my paw connected with his face as I dug my nails in deep and pulled my foot back.

Belle, please do not hurt him any more than you have already, he is your father. I heard my mothers’ pleas resound in my head. I turned to look at her and growled low and loud. She ducked behind Ty whimpering.

While I was distracted, my father lurched at me, but I could feel him moving towards me. I swiftly dropped low and pivoted to the side, watching as he hit the ground with a loud thud. The pack observed in horror, powerless to aid their Alpha.

Intervening with a challenge was against pack laws, the challenge would end in submission or death. Though my father never chose to kill anyone that challenged him.

With rejuvenated vehemence or perhaps it was anger, I watched as my father got up. Legs quivering beneath him, back left leg trailing ungracefully on the ground. His eyes blazing at me, I could see he wanted me dead. He did not want to be defeated in combat by a she-wolf, by the weaker sex, by his only offspring.

I had had enough. Before my father could prep his attack, I sprang forward, launching off my back legs. I crashed with the Alpha, twisting away from his feeble endeavours to latch onto my throat. I snapped my jaw adjacent to his left ear before I feigned going to the right. Instead, I went straight and clamped my teeth down on his throat.

I felt him still beneath my teeth, the reek of fear pervading my muzzle. His blood seeped into my mouth, skating down my gullet and pooling straight into my abdomen. My wolf purred at the tang of blood.

I submit to you, Alpha Bellona! Moving away from him, I turned my head up to the sky, the moon having risen during the challenge, and let out a deep primal howl.

I shifted, looking around at my pack. “Dr Collins, Ty, take my father to the Medical bay aid him in his recovery. Mother, go with them he will need your mate bond until he is, recovered completely. Mic grills, Lila drinks, I need someone to grab the food. Tonight we rejoice.”

Mic ran up to me, giving me the clothes that I had discarded before the challenge. I wordlessly dressed as I watched Dr Collins, my mother and Ty scramble away with my father. Mic and Lila went to perform their tasks. Andrew gathered the pack mother’s and took them to collect the food. The rest of my pack proceeded to congratulate me and split off in groups to feast further.

I stood in the middle of the field, watching as everyone enjoyed themselves. Laughing, dancing and frolicking away, as if there had not just been a battle right here, where my father almost died resisting submission.

I turned away from the packhouse, away from the training field to the start of the woods. I wanted nothing more than to shift and run through the woodlands to find something large and hunt it, submerge my canines in its neck and rip. Feel the blood spill down my—

That’s when I smelt it. It can’t be him, no this scent, it’s similar yet distinctive. An earthy scent that smelt like the rain had just fallen on the earth. It smelt like hickory wood. And a hint of something more delicious, gooseberries, no grapefruit.

I inhaled the air and lifted my hand to sense which way the wind was blowing. I was downwind from the aroma. Mic, I need you to come with me! Lila, you will keep the pack safe. I mind-linked my Beta and Gamma.

Enforcers I need to to get to your posts immediately. Lila is your Gamma, listen to her. I’m heading out to meet whoever is coming our way. Stay on your guard. I sent this over the enforcers bond as not to scare the pups.

By the time I’d finished communicating with the pack enforcers, Mic was at my side ready to run through the forest with me. The scent had gotten closer. “Do you smell that Mic?” I asked as I took off running.

“It smells heavenly Mic, stay here.” I sniffed the air again. “The other males stopped. Only one is approaching now. I will meet him alone.” I took off running faster.

I stopped in the clearing where a river separated my land from the neighbouring Alpha’s. Alpha Marcus, he never came to my coming of age celebration, and each time my father had a meeting set with him, he had to go there. They never came to our land.

That earthy-woodsy smell hit me again, almost bringing me to my knees. And then I saw him.