“Geminie, we can’t keep her here at the temple. The moonstone is proof enough that she is indeed the lost Princess.” Muffled voices reach my ears, bringing me out of the darkness.
“What do you mean? I grew up with Crysta.” Matrix exclaims, he seems confused.
“What Amberle means is that I am the daughter of the Current Moon Goddess. Crystalline is the daughter of the first Moon Goddess.” I wish for those speaking to be silent. The pain is just too much to bear, and being woken when I should be healing is not a nice feeling.
“Shit, why is it glowing?” Someone exclaims. Glowing? What’s glowing?
“She is being summoned by someone. My stone glows when one of the Goddesses want to talk to …”
◆◆◆
A soft breeze caresses my skin, the scent of moonflowers reaching my nose and bringing me from the darkness that consumes me.
“I am happy to see you are awake.” A man’s voice from my right calls out, forcing me to jump in fright and turn. Standing on a hill, a tall six-foot-five male with white hair stares down at the forest before us, before he turns to me with a warm smile. Confused, I climb to my feet, wary of the man dressed in an outfit I can only describe as antique, something someone from the medieval period would wear.
“Who are you?” I ask, backing away and putting some distance between the man and me.
“I go by many names.” He answers mysteriously, a hint of a smirk now on his lips. A pit of unease settles in my stomach, his smirk reminding me too much of Alexander’s. But that’s where the physical similarities end.
“Some call me the first one, some the White Spirit, others the true Alpha King. But you, little Crystalline, would have called me Father if times had been different.” Shocked, I back away, unable to comprehend what this man just said. Father… as in my biological father. But that’s not true. How could a man who claims to be the true Alpha King be my father when he clearly isn’t from the twenty-first century?
“I know this is hard to hear-”
“You think?” I scoff, cutting this man off while I try to comprehend his statement.
“-But the truth is I am your biological father, and you Crystalline are the Lost Princess.” I trip over a rock in my haste to back away, the shock of his statement causing me to lose focus on my surroundings. I brace for the impact of my body hitting the dirt, but instead I fid myself cradled in a warm embrace. The scent of moonflowers once again reaches me, mixed with the scent of the river I always found myself sitting by. It calms me, relaxing my mind from the chaotic state this wolf’s words created.
“Careful, hun. This may be the dreamscape but you can still injure yourself.” His voice is soft, carrying a tone that I have only heard other pups receive, the tone of a loving father.
“How… I was raised by Queen Clarice and King Alexander. How can I be the lost Princess?” I ask, tears filling my eyes and falling down my cheek as I question the man with disbelief.
“You know the legend of how I became a wolf, right?” He asks, and I nod.
“You were the leader of a wolf pack, a regular wolf pack, before cities and towns were made. You roamed the forest with your pack, coming and going from small tribes like a spirit on the wind until one day you laid your eyes on a young girl who caught your attention. For years, you would be her shadow, protecting her from kidnappings, vicious animals and other dangers.” I begin, looking towards the forest and seeing the faint image of a building… of the Palace I grew up in. But it seems different. Gone are the ivy that climbs the wall facing the north, the electric lighting that had been placed in at the turn of the century to modernize the place, the crumbling tower that used to house a powerful witch is now brand new, as if untouched by the elements.
“Then one day, creatures enslaved by the sun that we now know as vampires conspired with rogue wolves to kill the humans that continued to grow in number and take over the territory. Your pack, catching wind of this, rushed to the village where the now young maiden lived only to be too late. Rogues and vampires had slaughtered and bled dry everyone there or taken and Turned those they wanted as mates into vampires themselves. You let out a lone, heartbreaking howl, your heart broken from losing the one you wanted as a mate. The maiden watched from the dreamscape with the other Gods and Goddesses, tears streaming down her face when Goddess Morai gave the maiden two options. Become a Goddess herself and live with the wolf that loves her or continue down the path of death to be reincarnated.” I continue, catching a smile on Spirit’s face as he too joins me in looking over at the Palace.
“Luna became the first Moon Goddess, making an agreement to take the mantle five hundred years after learning to use her powers. During my howl, I felt my body shift and soon found myself laying on the cold hard floor as a human. Could you imagine my surprise when my pack also shifted, their mates also werewolves.” He chuckles, a smile playing on my lips. I can picture the confusion now, the first werewolves feeling the pain of the shift but in reverse, how their wolf body would have formed and changed into a human one. The scene of them trying to walk on two legs must have been comical as well.
“I can imagine a few questioning how it happened and wonder who caused this magic.” I answer, nudging his shoulder with mine playfully. Something in me seems to accept this wolf as he has not shown any hostility towards me. Even if I am still trying to figure out his motives.
“I still felt my broken heart while my pack and their mates felt a stronger love with each other, a tingle and electrifying shock we call the mate bond. And then I smelled it, her scent of moonflowers. The full moon shone down on where I stood and as if made of moon dust, and your mother appeared. As you know, we married and built our kingdom, then had your brother and your twin sister.” A stabbing pain in my heart at the mention of the mate bond has me bending forward, gasping for breath and tears in my eyes. I thought this man mentioned it being the dreamscape, how could I feel the pain of rejection so strongly here?