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124. Interlude
Last Updated:
2024-07-15 23:03:30
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Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 125. Defeated
Callista.I gasp as I come out of the episode, and I can still feel that dark monster trying to fight me. Trying to catch my breath, I look around. It’s still storming heavily outside, and rain splatters on the windows. The room is plunged into silence with the notable lack of chanting.It was still raining, but peculiarly, I am not in an episode.Needing to make sense of this, I rush towards the candle table, and lo and behold every single candle was unlit and blackened.Giddiness and joy build inside of me as I stare at the blackened candle. A grin starts to stretch my lips.Is this what I think it is?!As soon as the witches who worked with me opened the door, I let out a yell."It worked! Oh, my Goddess, it worked! I’m free!"Physician Okorie smiles at me."I knew you could do it, Callista!” she says. “Congratulations, you defeated all your demons!"The physicians come toward me, and we embrace, laughing and giggling like crazy. And maybe we were because we did it! Our effort was
Last Updated : 2024-07-15Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 126. Teleport
Callista.The next morning, I wake up in the Birdhouse feeling fresh as a flower. No fatigue from the party last night, no feeling like I should roll over and never leave my precious sleeping spot.Instead, I feel as perky as a baby griffin, ready to start my day.And the rest of my life.The party had gone on and on, and by the end of it we were all too lazy to go back to our respective rooms, so we decided to crash in Ophelia’s room in the Birdhouse on some spare sleeping bags the residents had stashed just for moments like these.Last night I’d forgotten that the room had not been protected against nightmares like my own. But in the end, it does not matter.Because I don't have any nightmares. I sleep like a kitten on that bedroll, flanked by Do Hyun, Mariz, and Leita, right there on the wooden floor of Ophelia’s room.After I stretch the remnants of sleep away, I walk towards the window and look outside.The storm has subsided, and the morning sun gleams on the fresh-looking leave
Last Updated : 2024-07-17Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 127. Shock
Theon.The first time Valencia kissed me, I was shocked to my core. It had been years after she'd left my pack, but her lips were still familiar.And just as unwelcome.I got over my shock pretty quickly and shoved her back, my heart racing in my chest. Then, I’d immediately looked around to make sure that no one had seen us before tearing into her."What the hell are you doing?" I'd screamed at her, wiping my lips furiously. The kiss, however brief it was, felt so wrong.Just like it was when I kissed Ruelle before. The only person whose kiss felt right was Callista, and I had no intention of doing that with anyone else but her.Valencia had looked confused. "But Theon," she'd protested. “We’re both mateless now. We’re free! Our mates are dead so we can finally be together. There's no one to stop us!""Valencia, I don't know how your relationship was with your mate," I let my anger show on my face because I didn't like her thinking one bit.I'd thought she'd gotten over this by now.
Last Updated : 2024-07-17Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 128. Betrayal
Callista.For a moment, all I can do is to gape at them.This is the last thing I expected to see upon my arrival at the castle, and the only thing I feel is betrayal.And confusion. But mostly betrayal."What the hell?" I exclaim, because what the actual hell are they doing?"Callista, I can explain-" Theon roughly shoves a dazed-looking Valencia off him and strides towards me, but I take a few steps back, as if by instinct. I stare at his face, noticing how distressed he is. His expression is the personification of regret, complimented by the deep furrow of his eyebrows, the hurt in his eyes, and his open mouth.But all I can focus on are his lips, which are red and shiny from the kiss.The same lips that kissed me before he let me in the Guild. "Really?" I say, in a tone that borders hysterical. "Because I'd love to hear it."Just then, I hear footsteps coming towards us, followed by Haden’s screams."Alpha!" He yells, before even turning the corner. "The barrier was breached! Som
Last Updated : 2024-07-19Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 129. Explain
Callista.My heart lurches to my throat, and I gulp, schooling my expression so I won’t show what I’m really feeling. Then, I go to the door and open before I can start doubting myself again.Theon stares at me as I stare at him, looking into each other's eyes. He opens his mouth, then closes it. He bites the inside of his lip."You look well," finally, he says. It’s disconcerting to hear him be so meek."I feel well," I reply, maintaining the calm. "I'm completely healed. No more episodes when it starts to rain."We're hedging, I know that. It takes me such an effort to restrain myself from demanding an explanation for what I saw downstairs."That's great. That's more than great," he nods furiously as if he was a bobbing head.Suddenly, everything feels too much. I don't want to tiptoe around the incident anymore. I need answers."What was that with Valencia in the hallway?" I ask."I didn't kiss her!" He blurts out as if he had been waiting to say that. "But it's not the first time
Last Updated : 2024-07-19Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 130. Wrecked
Callista."Yeah?" I croak. My voice sounds wrecked, and I hope she doesn’t look too closely into it.Theon shakes his head at me, eyes wide. I remember everything he told me about her, and I make a healthy guess. I nod at him, and he visibly deflates in relief.We jump out of the bed and straighten our clothes. I comb my fingers through the mess of my hair, trying to make it look a bit more acceptable. Theon does the same, rubbing at his lips to wipe away any moisture. "May I come in?" Valencia asks, her voice toned down and defeated. After I feel like we look decent enough, I reply. "Yeah, sure, come on in."Hesitantly, she opens the door. Upon seeing Theon, who looks pretty intimidating at the moment, she backtracks."I can come back later," she mutters, but I cut in.“No, it's fine, Theon was just checking in," I send Theon a look.I need to talk with her. She is clearly not in a good place, and I feel sorry for her. Just days ago, I was the same. And even though she'd come on
Last Updated : 2024-07-19Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 131. Rise
Callista.I meet Valencia as the sun begins to rise. She waits for me in the training area with two wooden swords in hand, idly swirling them."I hope you remember the last things I taught you," she says, and I feel myself blush. With everything that has transpired, I'd totally forgotten all my sword lessons."Um," I try to find words. "I guess?"Valencia shakes her head. "Well, why don't we spar and find out how much you remember, huh?""Sure," I reply.We take the swords and get into position. I feel a tingle run through my body starting from my ring. I glance at it, trying to see if it's glowing, but it's not. Why was I feeling the tingle then? Perhaps it's adrenaline."Get ready!" Valencia yells and lunges.Now, I had forgotten everything. My mind is clear of any sword art techniques, and I feel like an idiot. But it seems like my muscles hadn't forgotten what Valencia taught me days ago. My sword's arm moves at the speed of sound, countering her every strike. My legs and body mo
Last Updated : 2024-07-22Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 132. Bitch
Valencia.I can’t get it out of my head.What I saw…it cannot be. Please, don’t let it be so!Surely, I’m overthinking this. There is no way….But every time I even blink, I see the image of Callista and Theon together, strolling through the garden, smiling at each other, and talking. I try to tell myself that it's probably nothing. She just came back from the Guild, and he was asking her about her experiences. She did have quite a harrowing time. Also, he'd known her for quite a while.But I can't shake it off. When I stared at them as they strolled, I felt something wrong in my gut. And my gut I never wrong!As I step through the hallways in the castle, my mind runs back to yesterday. As soon as Theon saw her appear, he pushed me away. He had done it before too, but this time, he'd done it when he saw her.And she'd looked shocked. And hurt. Why did she look hurt?In my room, I throw my sword on my bed and sit down next to it, dragging my fingers through my hair. What did it mean? W
Last Updated : 2024-08-03
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Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 322. Epilogue
CallistaTen years later.I stand in front of Lily Lane Pup Daycare after ending my workday at Rexellen University, holding a stack of books in my arms trying to shove them into the backpack I’ve taken with me.It’s three in the evening, and the kids should be out in a few minutes.It’s summer again, the weather is pleasantly warm, and everything brims with life. There are bees flying everywhere, suckling nectar out of the numerous fully blossomed Leanderrs.The Rexellen pack town is as busy as ever, with people bustling around after clocking off from work, going on their errands, and their outings.Everyone seems happy, and they’re open and very friendly.Upon noticing me, everyone who passes greets me with a simple.“Good evening, Luna!”“Good evening to you too!” I always greet back.Some parents stop by near the daycare to collect their children, and we start pleasantly conversing with each other.I’ve been the Luna Queen of the Rexellen pack for ten years now, and honestly, those
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 321. Ceremony
CallistaFour weeks later.I walk down the shoveled path with a single lily flower in my hand, a smile on my lips, and my heart overflowing with joy.I’m dressed in an ankle-length, heavy-set gown that accentuates my form as if it had been sewn with me in my mind.It’s a silverish white in color in accordance with tradition, and a million tiny rhinestones create spiraling patterns all over the skirt. The long sleeves and the woolen cloak that accompany them give me warmth on the cold winter night.On my neck, there is a white gold necklace with a diamond as the pendant, the only piece of jewelry I wear, which is a gift from the witches who'd arrived a day before to celebrate the ceremony.The mating ceremony for Theon and me.In the background, a string quartet, comprised of two maids of the Rexellen pack castle and two guards, plays a tune that I can't quite name but can’t help but think is so apt for the situation.On either side of me, my closest friends whom I consider my family s
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 320. Gift, not Curse
CallistaA week later.Valencia Everhart was sentenced to life in prison by the Supernatural Council for assisting the devil in his criminal endeavors such as kidnapping and harboring a werewolf, orchestrating a pack takeover on the orders of the devil, attempted killing of two pack members of the Rexellen pack and the biggest crime of them all, assisting the devil in massacring the entire Galdine pack.I thought the last one was a bit harsh because Valencia never really did know about that charge, but as Valencia had confessed in the court, she’d given the devil the location and information regarding her pack.She had been under the impression the devil was going to protect the Galdine pack from Theon’s retaliation against the pack takeover, but she’d been lied to.We attended the court on the same day as Valencia did, and I’m sure that the cries that ravaged her as she learned the horrible fate that befell her pack would never stop haunting my nightmares.I felt sorry for her, and a
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 319. Afterlife
CallistaQaetanya and Xaveraq reached the afterlife together.One was willing, the other was not. One sacrificed herself, while the other, well, I had to kill the other.Xaveraq’s soulless body lays in the circular chamber, and I don’t look at it again as we exit the room, both of us still in wolf forms.I feel numb as we stumble out of the temple as soon as possible after I release the devil’s and the deviless’s souls into the gateway.None of us speak, although I could feel everyone except Theon patiently waiting for the right moment. They look stunned as we walk through the doorway. For a moment I’d been afraid the doorway wouldn’t be present because of it being only shown with the blessing of a devil and all, but fortunately, it stands.As soon as we all exit the temple doorway, it starts to shudder. And then the most bizarre thing happens.Numerous high-pitched screams ring through the air, and greyish white mist starts to shoot from all directions towards the doorway, getting su
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 318. Defeat
TheonI can’t process half the things that are happening as I stand outside the little circular room, trying and failing to get in.One moment, Callista is being choked by the devil, and the next moment, in the place of Callista, stands a majestic white wolf! The wolf shimmers as if she were the Moon Goddess herself in wolf form, stepping down from the moon to aid us in our time of need.But when the wolf looks at me for the briefest moment and howls in ecstasy, I realize that this wolf is no Goddess.That’s my mate!After months, no, years, of agonizing, Callista has finally found her wolf.But then she turns towards Xaveraq and leaps towards him with no hesitation.My scream deafens my own ears, wondering what the hell she was doing. I witness the whole scene as if it’s unfolding in slow motion.As Callista nears the devil, whose shadows are closing in on her to consume her, a flash of blinding white light erupts from her, filling the room with a glow akin to the sun.I shield my e
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 317. Amazed
QaetanyaHer wolf is beautiful, reminiscent of the first wolfwoman I met in the forests of Gaul all those years ago.She is larger than most wolves, were-creature or otherwise, and when she stands, she cuts a majestic figure, even in the confines of the squat, circular room. Her coat is a silverish white, and it glistens as if it was created by moonlight, as if the Goddess molded the wolf herself.Her emerald eyes shine as she stares at Xaveraq in confusion, and amazement, stunned to her very core.She can’t still process that after years of hope and dream, she’d finally transformed into her secondary form.I had watched her wolf grow from a pup to an adult within her as I was trapped in her mind ever since she was born. Throughout the three thousand years I’ve been with Callista’s bloodline, I’ve witnessed hundreds of pups being born within the babies, but never have I seen a wolf as beautiful as this one.Even I was in awe when she first appeared, sleeping soundly, growing along wit
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 316. Shift
CallistaThe very first time I witnessed a werewolf’s first shift I was just five years old.It was at a birthday party, and of course, it was for Ruelle.Naturally, almost everyone from my adoptive parents’ families was invited. I liked my relatives because they didn’t favor Ruelle over me to the extent my parents did. At this time, all I had were Ruelle’s hand-me-downs. Her clothes, her toys, her books…The only thing I had for myself was a pair of shoes because Ruelle’s feet had always been smaller than mine, and there was no way my feet could fit in her shoes.I loved those shoes so much.That didn’t mean I never got gifts. My parents’ relatives would always give me presents of my own when they came to visit. It didn’t matter if it was Ruelle’s birthday or mine.It didn’t matter if it was a special day, a holiday, or even a plain, random visit to see how we were doing: clothes, shoes, toys, and new books; everything a little girl could want.Granted these things would be taken awa
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 315. Goodbye
Callista“My, my, Qaetanya, you’re actually stronger than I thought. Here I thought that you wasted it all by giving that werewolf a special scent,” the devil taunts the deviless as he circles us, his eyes set on us as if he’s a predator.“I was blessed by the Goddess,” arrogantly, Qaetanya declares, flexing her digits so the electric sparks flicker around them. “Such a power cannot be hindered by anything, least of all you!”“All except the summer solstice,” Xaveraq grins before hurtling another wave of shadows towards her.Qaetanya ducks them swiftly, and the shadows hit the wall behind us, getting absorbed into the stone. Using her momentum, Qaetanya attacks Xaveraq with a light wave of her own, which Xaveraq detracts by a shield of shadows.“I told you that information because I trusted you,” Qaetanya replies to the jab. “Because I believed the man I loved wouldn’t even think of hurting me with that information. But you did exactly that. You might preach about me manipulating you
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 314. Monsters
TheonA pillar monster falls right in front of me, nearly crushing me, but I jump away just in time. The sheer force of the fall breaks its stone arm in two, and the eerie silverish glow in its eyes subsides. The pillar monster stops moving.“I think he died,” I tell Haden, who is panting on the other side of the fallen monster.This is the only one that we managed to fall, and by the looks of it, kill.“Holy shit, did that actually work?” Kiran screeches.He was the propellent of bringing the monster down. Now, he jumps back to the ground from the shield he’s been standing on and jogs closer to the pillar monster.Tentatively, he reaches out and touches its cracked shoulder, where some of the previously seen symbols are visible. I remember them running all around the pillars before the monsters came into being, glowing.I look at him and nod, trying to confer my thoughts via body movements.Yes, I think it actually worked.“Guys, we managed to bring a monster down!” Kiran yells back
