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17. Dream
Last Updated:
2024-01-12 22:04:01
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Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 18. Trouble
Callista.A week goes by, and my life becomes one series of events repeating from sunrise to sunset.Every morning I am woken up before dawn and given food. After, I’m taken for a walk around the inner courtyard. That’s what the friendly guard meant when he came to take me outside the very first day it happened. I’d been afraid that the King had finally had it with my nuisance and decided to dispose of me before I could become a real problem. Then I wondered it I’d been transferred to the dungeons. But neither of them happened. As the friendly guard says, Theon had thought that I needed some daily exercise to help me fight off the effects of being drugged with Wolfsbane. I’m a little touched by this, and I scold myself for being pathetic. The man had literally bought me, for Goddess's sake. Whether it’s knowingly or unknowingly did not really matter to me when I was pissed.After that, I’m taken back to my room, where I am to spend the day as I please. I have been given a heavily form
Last Updated : 2024-01-13Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 19. Comfort?
Callista.“What the actual hell?!” My mate growls, storming his way into my room. The guards are standing outside, silent as stone. Theon is seething, his lips pulled back into a snarl.Yet all I can think is how good he smells, and how much I just want him to take me in his arms and maybe just kiss me a little.'Pathetic, Callista, really pathetic.' I tell myself. The man looks like he wants to murder me! I need to grow a spine someday soon, I don’t owe him anything, much less subservience.“I save you from exile and give you a comfortable place in my castle, yet you don’t do the single thing I ask of you?”Oh, is that what he thinks this is about?“Comfort? What’s the use of comfort when I’m a prisoner here! It doesn’t matter if it comes with a shower and some cushions, a jail cell is a jail cell!” I yell back at him. “I’ve been ripped from the life I’ve led and locked up in a tower! The last thing I’d do is find it cushy!”For a second, Theon seems stunned at my outburst. Good.“Y
Last Updated : 2024-01-13Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 20. Audacity
Callista.I remain near the bed as my adoptive sister circles me, like I’m prey caught in the web she has woven. Her face is deadly serene as if she doesn’t have a care for this world, yet her voice is hard as steel when she talks.And again, she is wearing my clothes. These further cement my theory on how she’s deceiving my mate.The audacity of this woman, I swear.“What’s up with your closet recently, Ruelle?” I ask, instead of answering her question, “Did Mommy and Daddy forget to pack your own million-dollar walk-in closet or something?”“Answer my question!”“Pass.” I sneer.She halts her pacing and stares at me. “Were you trying to tell him about feeling his scent again, Callista?” She asks, “What did you say he smells like, wet fur and dog vomit…”“What the-no, he smells of pinecones and sea breeze and everything warm and nice!” I burst out. Immediately, I realize what I said, and curse myself for giving Ruelle that information. “Oh, you bitch.” I'm blushing like an idiot.It
Last Updated : 2024-01-13Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 21. Fight
Callista.The crunch of Ruelle’s nose breaking under my punch is so, so satisfying.I’ve never been a violent person, hell, I've never even liked violence, which is kind of contradictory to what I’ve witnessed all my life. When you’re a werewolf, violence is an inherent part of life. So are blood and death. If a wolf wants to challenge their Alpha, they will challenge the Alpha to fight till the death. Then, the one who lives gets to be the next Alpha. The punishment for most crimes here is death or a gruesome beating. Or, if you’re really unlucky, a whipping. Jail is really a privilege for a crime, wolves weep in relief when they get life sentence with hard labor. The worst of it all is being exiled. I’ve actually heard some wolves say they’d rather be killed than be exiled. It’s a matter of honor. Personally, I prefer the latter option. Being without a pack doesn’t seem all that bad to me, especially when being in a pack is proving to be such a disaster these days.But I digress.“Y
Last Updated : 2024-01-16Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 22. Mistake
Theon.“Ruelle!” I yell as I run down the stairs of the tower, chasing after my mate.My wolf is rebelling in my head. Before, after I had spoken to Callista and returned to my office to take care of pack business, my wolf had suddenly screamed at me that my mate was in danger. Immediately, I had taken off, my wolf guiding me up the stairs that led to Callista’s quarters. My vision had immediately gone wolf-like, the colors paling around me, and my mind had become singular focused. I had barely kept from turning into a wolf.When I’ve seen Ruelle on top of Callista’s, her fist colliding with the stealer’s eye, my wolf had roared. I didn’t have control of my body anymore.If I had, I wouldn’t have done what I’d done.With my actions, I have deeply hurt my mate. She had been the bleeding one, but I’d cruelly shoved her off in favor of Callista, the stealer. I hated myself for that. Yes, she had been hurting her, yes, I didn’t know what had happened, but Ruelle was the one who was hurt m
Last Updated : 2024-01-16Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 23. My Ally
Callista.I look at my face in the mirror, hours after the assault, and realize that yeah, I do look as horrible as I feel.My face is swollen with purple bruises, and my eye which got hit was blackened. My eyes are tinged with red from all that crying, and my white t-shirt is white no longer. I look like I’d gone a few rounds in a boxing ring and lost the fight at the end.I have no one but myself to blame for this whole thing. If only I had controlled my temper and not fallen into Ruelle’s ploy... A knock comes from my door, and boy, I’ve had enough human interaction for the day.“Go away,” I reply petulantly, cringing at how wounded my voice sounds. Ugh, it’s going to take a while for me to heal, given how I was still wolfless.“Yeah, not doing that.” The friendly guard says as he opens the door. I turn to him, only to see him holding a Ziploc bag in one hand and my dinner in the other. I didn’t even realize it was nighttime already, and I don’t particularly feel hungry, but the
Last Updated : 2024-01-16Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 24. Meeting
Callista.“Ruelle,” I greet her, vowing to be on my best behavior this time although the very sight of her makes my blood boil. The last thing I want is to associate with her in any way, seriously, can’t she leave me alone?Not to mention what she said about meeting my actual mate. A sense of foreboding settles in me once again, and I force myself to be calm and collected rather than panicking.“Hello, Callista, don’t you look nice?” She gives me such a sunny fake smile that I feel like gagging, “How’s the eye?”“Perfect, how’s the nose?” I retort. The guards around us are watching us like an interesting football match.Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes, “Healed the same day. You know, because I’m a full werewolf.”Ouch. I walked right into that one, I need to do better.“So, what’s on the itinerary today?” I ask in a cheerful tone. “What’s this about my actual mate then? Ready to give up your ruse, finally?”Instead of denying anything, Ruelle gives me a shark’s grin, “Theon’s Beta to
Last Updated : 2024-01-18Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 25. Hospital
Theon.She’s in the hospital, having lost too much blood. As a result, her healing had slowed down, so we had no choice but to take her to meet the head doctor of the Rexellen Hospital. As werewolves, we rarely ever visit hospitals, as our natural healing factor takes care of most of our scrapes and sicknesses before they can become problematic. When a wolf goes to a hospital, it could mean only one thing. They’d caught an unnatural sickness, had a mental ailment, or had been grievously injured.More often than not, the case is the latter.“She’s going to be okay.” Says Dr. Haeger, “At first, she was in a critical condition, and her body had slowed down healing to keep her alive But her natural healing accelerated as soon as we did a blood transfusion. She’d passed out from the mixture of blood loss, pain, and shock, I believe. She might possibly have a brain concussion, albeit a mild one. Other than that, Ruelle is steady and out of the danger zone for now.”“What about the stealer?”
Last Updated : 2024-01-18
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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
