Callista.I knock on the thick oak door with much more finesse than I did with Theon's this morning and wait until I hear footsteps coming from the other side of the door. "Coming!" A sweet feminine voice comes from the other side of the door, accompanied by the giggle of a small child. Kellin's mate Gemini opens the door with her baby girl perched on her hip and smiles upon seeing me."Oh, hello, Callista!" she greets."Hey," I smile at her."Hewwo, Ca-ww-is-tah!" Her daughter, Sadie squeals imitating her mother, and my heart melts at her cuteness."Hi, Sadie!" I extend my hand towards her, and she takes it in an enthusiastic manner, pumping two of my fingers in her tiny fist. It’s the most adorable thing ever, because her lips purse all serious-like, and she looks so proud of herself when she lets my hand go. "Nice to meet you again!""Too!" She says, probably meaning 'Nice to meet you too!’ I enjoyed these little interactions with Sadie as well as her little brother, Simon, who w
Theon."Goddess," I exclaim, not taking my eyes off her for a single second. I literally cannot look away from Callista.She is dressed in a plum purple-colored, sleeveless dress that shows off her pale, shapely arms and perfect shoulders. The dress is held by her raised cleavage which squints tantalizingly over the shimmery fabric, cinched at her slim waist with a simple strap of fabric, and the bottom skirt is shorter on the front while being longer in the back, nearly touching her ankle. There is a layer of gossamer purple fabric over the skirt, and it adds a voluptuous effect. She wears a single gold chain on her long neck, along with the crystal ring she always wears. Her hair is tied in an elaborate bun on the top of her head, but her bangs fall framing her face, lightly curved. On her ears are dangling earrings, and thin chains of gold that fall from her earlobes like mini waterfalls. Her feet are encased in glass-like high-heeled shoes. The makeup on her face accentuates the
Callista.I cannot believe he's taking me to a human city!"Remember how you said that your dream was to go and visit a human city after your high school graduation?" Theon asks me out of the blue, making me turn towards him. He stares ahead at the road, carefully maneuvering the narrow streets. "Yeah," I reply giddily. "Of course, it’s been my dream for like…forever. All I wanted to do even back in the Leighwen pack was to get away, at least for a day, and see what the world had to offer.""Well, I know that you've been outside two times already now, but both times, you didn't really get to experience the best of what the city had to offer, right?" he inquires, although he knows the answer already.Because yes, the first time I was outside, I was homeless and trying to run away from the Rexellen pack. The less said about that the better.The second time, we'd been on a road trip to the Guild, and it was quick. We barely stopped at any cities and even when we did it was only for rest
Callista."Yeah?" Theon prompts me. "Callista? Are you okay? You're staring at your drink…"The tremors don't stop. They're uniform and consistent. A feeling of dread crawls up my spine just as the ring on my finger hums."Look at your drink," I tell him. "Doesn't that seem strange to you?"Theon squints at me, and opens his mouth to speak just as he looks down at his drink.His eyebrows hike up his scalp, and the next thing I know, he’s springing out of his chair, making it topple behind him, catching the surprised attention of all the guests on the dining floor."The ground is tremoring," he says, and then yells in a much higher voice. "Get the hell out of the building, there's an earthquake coming!"Just as he screams, a sudden jolt propels through the floor, and the restaurant descends into chaos. I hold on to the table to keep my balance as the floor moves beneath me, shuddering, making tremors run up my body. The lights start to flicker, and then electricity sparks fly out of th
Callista.That's when I realized I have yet to tell Theon about my ring. "It's a gift from the witches," I say with an apologetic wince. "Specifically, the Headmistress. Thought it was on loan first, but she insisted that I keep it.”"So, what exactly can it do? Conjure a very handy shield?" he asks, giving it an admiring glance. "Because of that one back there? Probably saved both of us from some serious pain.”I squirm in my seat trying to find a good explanation for the ring, because there is much more it could do than being a shield conjurer. I know that I should have told Theon earlier, and I was meaning to. But I was too afraid that someone might eavesdrop on our conversation and try to steal the ring or something. It wasn't really a rational fear, but I am oddly attached to the ring. So much so that where it's concerned, the very thought of not seeing it for a moment gives me anxiety."Not exactly," I say."What do you mean?""Well, I found it in the Headmistress's crystal an
Theon.As soon as I see the partially collapsed tower, I call for Callista. Then we run to the castle.A hundred thoughts pass in my brain because the west tower is where Elias is housed in. Letting myself think of what might’ve happened makes my heart race, and I try to remain as calm as possible, because no matter what, I can’t afford to let my people see me losing it. Especially at a time like this.As we near the castle, the commotion starts to get thicker.Has anyone died? Has the rubble from the collapsed part of the tower hurt someone? Or hurt more than one person? Elias can’t die like this. I hope to the Goddess that he's safe. I pray that the guards manage to get him out in time before his room gives out because it's the topmost part of the tower that has sustained the most damage.The rest of the castle appears to be stable and standing with only a few houses and buildings in the town are damaged, but as I note while running, it's not as serious as it had been back in the hu
Callista.There is no time to wait and rest. We have work to do. Theon immediately goes to work, getting an itinerary of the damages suffered by the Rexellen pack town and the castle, and directs the castle staff to aid in repairs to the power grid.In no time, the Rexellen pack regains electricity. After that, the castle staff goes to work, cleaning up all the damaged items in the residence, and the guards assist in securing the damaged area of the tower.Theon and Kellin go to the town to survey the damage, and because of my stealer scent, I can't join them."Go to bed, Callista," Theon tells me before he leaves, "It's late now, and there's no point in wasting time panicking over a natural disaster.""It wasn't natural," I insist. “The earthquake, that is, there was something off about it.”"Yes, I believe you. But we don't know if another will come. And if we do get another, it's better to get some rest before any other disaster strikes," Theon replies, giving me a kiss on the for
CallistaElias moves to a room in the eastern wing, in the least used hallway of the place. Apparently, he’d protested the decision at first, saying that it wouldn't be safe for the residents of the castle if he is kept that closer to them.To us.He wanted to be stashed in a tower, or if that's not possible, the dungeons."Hell, no!" Theon had yelled.We'd been in his office; him, me, and Elias. I was there to make sure that Theon went straight to his room after the discussion so he could get some sleep. I noticed that he had a bad habit of running himself to the bone, and I couldn't let him do that.As his mate and girlfriend, it was my duty to make sure he didn't do anything stupid like neglect his health. "Why not? As the Alpha, you should always put the safety of your pack before a single wolf," Elias argued. "Well, why can't I do that while making sure you're comfortable?""Theon, you have families staying in the east wing," Elias replied, sounding tired."I'm aware, Elias, I
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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