Chapter Two: The White Lie
The wind howled gently through the towering spires of the Den Dynasty, the sprawling fortress of stone and moonsteel nestled deep in the heart of the mountain forest, and inside, shadows danced across candlelit halls as the pack went about their rituals, their lives woven tightly together beneath ancient walls.
Luna stood on one of the high balconies, the wind tugging gently at her long white blonde hair, her gown shimmered in the silver moonlight, her icy blue eyes reflecting the sky above, at 216 moons, she's now 18 years of age, she had grown into a vision of ethereal beauty, graceful and calm, but touched by something distant, something incomplete,
Below, she could see the young wolves sparring in the courtyard, shifting between forms as they trained, their laughter echoed faintly,
She had never shifted, never howled or ever felt the spark that every other wolf her age seemed to carry in their blood,
And it gnawed at her why she wasnt like them, she belonged here but she had no abilities like them, she's mature now and curiousity grew in her as well,
Later that night, in the warmth of her chambers she sat before the hearth where Laura who she called Were-mother, brushed her hair gently, as she had done since Luna was little,
"Were-Mother?" Luna said softly, eyes fixed on the flames, "Why am I not like the others?" She asked,
Laura's hand stilled for a moment. "What do you mean, my love?"
"Well, I don't shift, I don't feel the pull of the moon, everyone else does even the youngest cubs, but I....don't, Why?",
Laura's heart clenched, the brush held tightly in her hand but She had known this day would come,
"You were... different from the start" she said gently, "You were abandoned, Luna, left at the edge of the wilds,. I found you wrapped in cloth, alone, no one ever came looking",
Luna turned, surprised, "I was... abandoned?"
Laura nodded, her smile soft but sad,
"Your parents were humans, I believe they loved you, but something must've forced them to leave you behind, perhaps they feared what you were becoming... or hoped someone would find you who could give you more" she added,
The lie tasted bitter on her tongue, but it was the only truth she could give for now, she thinks Luna wasnt ready to know the real truth yet,
Luna looked down, quiet for a long moment,
"Why wouldn't they want me?" she whispered,
Laura wrapped her arms around her,
"Some things we'll never understand love, but I wanted you and that's what matters",
Luna smiled but inside she was sad and hardened by the truth her Were-mother told her, it was heartbroken she was abandoned but she was happy she was found by Laura who loves her so much now and took care of her lovingly,
Outside the chamber, Adolphus stood in the corridor having overheard enough, his jaw was tight and his expression hard, he couldnt believe what he heard.
Later that night, in private, he confronted Laura,
"You should'nt have lied to her Laura" he frowned at her,
"She's not ready to know the truth", Laura said firmly, "How could I tell her that we killed her people? That her real family is ash beneath our feet? That you wanted her thrown away like garbage?" She looked him firm in his eyes,
Adolphus silence was answer enough,
"I made a promise to protect her" she continued, "And I will, even from the truth" she stated,
"She'll find out one day Laura" he warned, "And when she does, the lie will hurt more than the truth ever could", he told her with seriousness in his eyes,
Laura turned her gaze to the moonlight pouring through the window, "Then I'll carry that weight when it comes, but for now, let her believe she was wanted, even if it wasn't by them" she sighed,
Adolphus shook his head and turned around and left Laura alone, buried in her thoughts, she didnt want to lose Luna and she will make sure she doesnt.
***
Life in the Den Dynasty moved with rhythm and purpose, the pack trained, hunted, patrolled.
The younger wolves learned to shift with precision and strength, and among them, one figure stood above the rest.
Lucien now 288 moons old, which makes him 24 in human years, he was the pride of the Dynasty, tall, broad shouldered, with blue eyes the deep depts of the ocean and a body built for power and speed, he was every bit the Alpha-in-training, cause due to Laura not able to bare Adolphus child, he will take over as Were Ruler.
Even in his wolf form, he was sleek and with streaks of black, he moved like royalty born, but,
He was Luna's secret torment.
From the time she was young, she had admired him from afar, at first with the innocent awe of a child then later, with a quiet yearning she tried to keep hidden, there was something about him, his confidence, his strength and his silence that called to her like the moon to the tide,
She wanted to get close to him, to befriend him atleast and know more about him, but, he wanted nothing to do with her,
Whenever she tried to speak to him, he would walk past her without a glance and when he did speak, his words bit sharper than fangs,
"You don't belong here" he said once, when she'd wandered too close during training,
"You're not one of us, you never will be",
The words stung deeper than any blade, but Luna as she always had, kept her pain locked behind a gentle and warm smile, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her break,
But still it hurt alot.
No matter how much she told herself to forget him, her eyes always found him in the crowd leading the young warriors, speaking with the elders, sparring in the training halls, he was fire and frost, and she was hopelessly drawn to him,
Only one person seemed to see her for who she was and befriended her was
Collin, Lucien's younger brother and him with Luna shares same age, he was her closest and only friend in the Dynasty Where Lucien was cold and distant, Collin was warm and curious, he had a leaner build than his brother, quick with a laugh and clever with words, His wolf form was smaller too, sleek and agile, with sandy brown fur and intelligent hazel eyes,
He didn't care that Luna couldn't shift and he didn't care that she was different,
He would sit with her in the gardens near the lunar pools, talk with her in the high towers of the Dynasty, and spar with her gently even though she lacked the strength of a true wolf. With him, Luna could breathe and be freely herself.
"You really shouldn't let Lucien get to you", Collin said one evening as they watched the stars from the Dynasty's roof,
Luna hugged her knees, as her white blonde hair glowing like moonlight in the dark,
"He doesn't get to me", she said quietly,
Collin looked at her sideways, "You've said that every week since we were 98 moons old" he said firmly,
"Im two moons older than you Collin" she reminded him,
He realised she was trying to change the topic and he raised his brows,
She smiled faintly,
"Fine, maybe I'm lying" she confessed,
He nudged her shoulder gently, "He's just… stubborn, he thinks he has to protect the pack from everything, Even you",
"But I'm not a threat",
"I know that Luna but he doesn't, not yet", Collin sighed,
Luna gazed out into the woods beyond the Dynasty walls, her chest aching with a longing she couldn't explain, she wanted to be seen, not just as the human girl who lived among wolves, but as something more as worthy,
Collin's voice broke her thoughts, "Hey" he said, smiling, "One day, he'll see what I do, and if not? He's an idiot" he nozzled her nose,
She laughed softly, the sound barely rising above the breeze, but deep inside, the hurt remained, and the feeling that she didn't quite belong no matter how much Laura loved her, no matter how kind Collim was never really left,
And all the while, the truth about who she was and what had really happened to her family slept like a wolf beneath the surface, waiting for the moon to wake it,
Luna wants answers why her real parents left her in the wild colds and who her parents were and where she is really from, the thoughts couldnt escape her mind easily, it stucked like glue and she hopes she would get to know the truth, maybe soon or someday. . . . . . . . . .