Chapter 27 The Priestesses Three

Io

My mother's eyes flickered with fear the moment she heard Magnus' name.

"Those thieves were Magnus' men?" My father asked. "Io, are you sure he isn't already here?

"I don't think so, Father. The High Elder would have said something to me," I answered.

"But it is possible that he might be here. It could be the reason why the High Elder is flying out here tonight," my father said, his distress obvious in his voice. Even Kiaria began to look concerned.

"Father, let's calm down. We will know when the High Elder arrives," I said, looking at the wall clock. "He will be here soon."

"Who is Magnus? I think I have the right to know if I'm right in assuming he was the one who killed my biological parents," Kiaria said with so much conviction, I decided it was time to tell her what I knew.

I took her hand in mine, hoping to give her some comfort. "When a wolf is banished from his or her pack, he or she is called a rogue. Magnus, is the second son of a powerful Alpha, whose territory is situated near the boundaries of Idaho and Washington State. He challenged his older brother, Lucas, for the right to become Alpha."

"Magnus lost and was banished, never to return again. Life is hard for a rogue. You are usually banished with only the shirt on your back and whatever money you have in your pocket. Although Magnus may have lost to his older brother, Magnus was known to be a skilled and ruthless warrior. He used his abilities as a fighter to weed his way to the top to become the Alpha of the Rogues or simply, Rogue Alpha."

"Why did Magnus challenge his brother? Well, he believed your mother, High Priestess Celeste, cared about status, wealth and rank. Your father, Alpha Blake Davis, had the good fortune of forming an alliance with the 'Great Packs of the North' and this is where he met your mother. After the alliance was forged, Alpha Blake returned to his territory here in Montana with Celeste in tow. Magnus met your mother during a party announcing her binding to Alpha Blake. It was said to be love at first sight for Magnus even though your mother found him to be utterly repulsive," I explained, hoping my explanation of the love triangle was detailed enough for Kiaria and her parents to understand.

"I'm sorry, there is something I don't quite understand," Sakura said, tipsy. "If Magnus loved Celeste, then why did he kill her?"

"Good question," I said. "Well, aside from the fact Celeste rejected him, she became his worst adversary. He has lost an eye to Celeste while his body is riddled with scars. However, instead of surrendering, he made himself stronger."

"What do you mean, Io?" Kiaria asked.

"Magnus surrounded himself with dark witches, his harem, as he called them. These dark witches were his first line of offense, weakening the protection charms Celeste would put up for various packs in the country. They became an undeniable force against wolfkind and many packs who wanted to survive, pledged allegiance to him. For a time, there was peace, especially when the Council of Wolves negotiated with him, hoping to appease his blood lust."

"However, a prophecy was spoken by one of the dark witches, speaking of the birth of a celestial wolf from a priestess and an Alpha, who is destined to be Magnus' downfall. Many believed it foretold the birth of Celeste's pup which fuelled his anger once again."

"On the night of the Autumn Equinox, before the celebration of Mabon, Magnus, his harem, and a number of his most trusted rogues in his army, invaded Autumn Moon Pack's territory, the very territory of Alpha Blake Davis. Survivors of that pack narrated the death of Alpha Blake and High Priestess Celeste by the hands of Magnus after which a great flood and earthquake swallowed the territory leaving behind a wall of thorns and its lands barren. Nothing thrives there and the sun has not touched the territory since that fateful night."

"It sounds like a fairy tale, Io," Kiaria said. "You said the territory is here in Montana? I would like to see it, if it's possible. Is it far from here?"

"It is about a two hour drive from here," my mother answered. "I was one of the few who knew of her pregnancy. I searched for you, but I believed you had died along with your mother. I am very happy knowing you were raised by good people. If Celeste were here today, she would give your parents her life as gratitude to what they have sacrificed for her daughter."

"Mrs. Hemming, how close were you with my mother?" Kiaria asked.

"We were like sisters, Kiaria. I also grew up in Canada, but although my loyalty was with Celeste, I did not interfere. You see, one of the dark witches of Magnus' harem was also a sister of ours. Her name is Lilith," my mother explained, lowering her eyes in shame. "I allowed my two bestfriends to go against each other because I was afraid."

My mother opened her purse and took out an old photograph and placed it on the table in front of Kiaria. Kiaria gasped as she saw her biological mother for the first time, smiling so brightly in the photo.

"Oh my gosh, Kiaria," Winston said. "You look exactly like her."

"Except for your smile," my mother said. "You got that from, Blake." My mother pointed at the other beautiful woman with them. She had raven black hair, chocolate brown eyes, a button nose and wide sultry red lips. It was weird, but her eyes looked familiar. "We were known as the Priestesses Three. This is Lilith. She is the daughter of a wolf priestess from a neighboring pack. She and Celeste were gifted with powers while my skill was more focused on ointments and elixirs. I was a daughter of a Beta in my pack, but my parents were killed by rogues during an attack on our harvest. Wolf packs do not take kindly to orphans so I ran away and begged Celeste to help me. Celeste took me in despite her mother's disapproval and provided me secret quarters in the forest, so I would not be harmed or touched."

My mother sighed sadly and went on with her story. "When Blake set foot on the territory, Celeste stopped training and began searching for something, her nose up in the air, sniffing like her life depended on it. She went straight to the Alpha's house where Blake was discussing terms. She was about to open the door when the door flew open and out came Blake, and I knew as they stared in each other's eyes, they were fated mates."

"Unfortunately, Lilith believed Blake was hers, but he gave her the cold shoulder. He explained he was not her fated mate, but if we agreed to come with them to the United States, he would help us find our mates. Actually, we both agreed, however, little did we know, Lilith had a plan of her own."

"During the farewell party for Blake, Lilith lured a drunk Blake into the meadow disguised as Celeste. She urged him to place his mark on her. He was about to, but stopped when he noticed her eyes. They weren't the golden eyes of Celeste."

"We left Canada, leaving Lilith behind. Then, after some time, we heard she and two other witches forged an alliance with Magnus, helping him bring down packs that were protected by Celeste. It was a difficult time. They were strong and Celeste, she had to go into hiding to protect her pregnancy, to protect you. I assumed you had died with Celeste since during that night when Magnus raided your father's territory, the pregnancy was still two weeks shy of a full term. Evidently, you were born premature, something rare among wolves. Premature pups usually do not survive. It is clear that the Moon Goddess has blessed you."

"You are right, Luna Alexa. The Moon Goddess has blessed wolfkind with the Celestial Wolf," a man's voice echoed throughout the dining hall.

I immediately stood up along with my father and mother and bowed at the source of the voice.

The High Elder had finally arrived.