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221. Teleport
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-01-15 04:55:42
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Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 222. Pry
Theon“We've kept Valencia in the dungeons,” I tell the Headmistress as we make our way back to the castle. “The dungeons are in the cellar. I’ll bring her to a better room for you, it’ll be easier for the interrogation.”Walking through the hallways of the castle with the Headmistress attracts as many stares as it did while we crossed through the town. They’re much more discreet in the castle, but no less surprised and reverent.The Headmistress simply looks that ethereal. I don’t believe she’d ever visited the royal pack before, much less an ordinary pack.“Actually, I think it's better if we keep her in the dungeons,” the Headmistress points out. “Less chance for her to escape or be broken out. The dungeon cells are lined with silver mixed iron bars, correct?” “Err, yes, they are,” I answer, wondering what she was implying.“Most of the supernatural creatures find silver lethal. Perhaps this devil does too. Having the prisoner kept behind silver bars would be prudent.”“I understa
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-15Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 223. Xaveraq
Callista“You haven't even touched the food I brought you,” the devil's voice comes out of nowhere all of the sudden, making me flinch. He's invisible yet again. “Why? Is it not up to your liking?”He'd bought me a tray of food a while ago. It literally just appeared in front of where I was sitting by the bed, startling me. It looked appetizing enough, containing a bowl of soup and pieces of grilled cheese cut into bite-size triangles, with a glass of orange juice. But I don't want to eat anything.“Well,” I quip back. “When someone kidnaps you from your home only to chain you to a bed, you don't really have much of an appetite.”The devil tsks. “That's not a very wise action to take, Callista, even if it’s to spite me. Don't human bodies need nutrition daily?”I look up at that.“You talk as if you don't need that,” I remark. “As if you're different from the rest of us mortals.”“That's because I'm not a mortal, Callista,” the devil replies conversationally. “I'm immortal. I can liv
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-15Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 224. Aspect
TheonThe Headmistress looks inside every crevice and corner in Valencia’s mind, navigating through her memories. She doesn't even feel it, as Matron Aldar, who'd wandered down to the dungeons, tells me. Reading one's mind was a taxing process that did no harm to the person whose mind was being read. It could also only be done by someone as powerful as the Headmistress. “An average witch cannot reign their mind in the way a witch of the Headmistress's caliber can unless they have an affinity to telepathy. Unless it's their aspect,” Matron Aldar explains in a low voice so as not to disturb the Headmistress. “If a less powerful, aspect-less witch attempts it, then they will lose control of their own memories. They will be destroyed, or worse, mutilated into something dangerous. In the end, the witch who attempted it would go insane.”I raise my brows at that.“That's quite a risk to take,” I express.“That's why you need to be licensed to engage in telepathy unless you have an aspect f
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-15Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 225. Master Tsertinand
Theon“That is the ring she always wears,” Ophelia says, looking excited at the new development. “This is a miracle!”“It is indeed,” the Headmistress comments, holding the ring to the light. In her hand, the ring looks uncharacteristically old.I distinctly remember how when Callista wears it, the ring looks new and polished.Callista had told me before that the ring worked for her because it was somehow powered by her soul. I've wondered many times how that was even possible. How did that work? Was her soul like a password to reveal the ring's powers? Although I was skeptical, I was always glad that she had the ring to protect herself with, and I've only seen her without it a handful of times. Did Callista leave the ring here on purpose so we could find it? Or was it by mistake? Either way, the ring was in our grasp. That should mean something. “Can you use it to find her?” I ask the Headmistress as she rolls the ring in between her fingers, her inquiring gaze focused on it.“I'
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-15Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 226. Fast
Theon“Of course,” I reply, and we all make our way toward the castle. Leita stays to wake Dan and take him to where he's being kept, and I fall into step with Kiran as the Headmistress hurries in front of us.“Why are you all scared of this dude?” I ask him. “Of this Master Tsertinand?”“We aren't scared, per se,” Kiran replies. “It's just that the man is a pain in the neck. Always acts as if we're dragging him to hell whenever we try to talk with him. When he's out of his cave, he's always pissed. I don't know what his problem is.”“Sounds like a very interesting character,” I note, more curious than ever.We enter the castle, and the witches immediately sigh in relief. I feel bad for not knowing that the cold was affecting them that much.“Would you like to wait in a sitting room? I can have some refreshments brought, perhaps some hot chocolate?” I suggest, wanting to accommodate our guests. Leita joins us again, having placed Dan into his resting place. “That would be excellent,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-15Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 227. Dream
CallistaI grip the chain with both of my hands and hit the padlock with it, using all my might. The sound of iron hitting iron echoes through the room, and I hit it again and again. My plan is to break the padlock somehow, but I don't know if this will work. Frankly, I don't think it will, because no matter how much I hit it, neither the padlock nor the chain even tarnishes.But I can't just keep staring at the walls and do nothing. I need to escape.After noticing that my ring was gone, I panicked. Had the devil taken it? Had the pack members that this house belongs to take it? Where was my damn ring? I've gotten used to the amulet so much that because I'm not wearing it now, I feel as if a part of me is missing. I'm constantly touching my finger, actually agitated about the lack of the metal band just below my knuckle. I'm sure I was wearing the ring when I followed the disguised Xaveraq to the forest.So, what had happened to it?As soon as the devil reappeared after my discove
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-15Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 228. Trace
Theon“You're right when you said the ring is shielding her,” Master Tsertinand mutters as he opens his eyes for the umpteenth time after yet another failed attempt at finding the trail that would lead to Callista. “This stupid thing thinks I'm trying to harm her! Who the hell made it? Fucking amateurs!”“Does that mean you can't trace her?” I ask, my hope running low with every passing second. “Come on, Tsertinand, you cannot give up on this,” the Headmistress insists. “A girl's life is in danger.”“Who said anything about giving up?” Master Tsertinand snaps. “You've known me for 500 years, Beadohild, have you seen me give up anything? I just need some more time. I'm starting to figure out the pattern the ring is trying to lead me on, and I need to 'crack the code' as the kids say these days.”“How do you know anything about what the kids say these days? You don't even come out of your cave!” Kiran mutters next to me, and then stammers when Tsertinand gives him a withering glare. “U
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-15Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 229. Visit
TheonFive trucks are filled with prisoners and my own guards. There's a guard for each prisoner, and they sit in the trucks facing each other. I don't think the prisoners will try anything along the way, but we can't be too sure. I get on the truck in the front while Haden takes the one in the back. That way we could cover the whole fleet. Ophelia helps glamor the trucks so they would seem like transportation trucks rather than those holding people, so the humans won't get suspicious. So, I thank her and climb to the passenger seat of the truck, which is driven by Terrel, we start the journey. “So, what's the game plan once we get to the Former Leighwen pack?” Haden asks through the phone.We are engaged in a group call with all the guards except those that drive so we can discuss strategy. I have my phone on speaker so Terrel can listen in.“Find a new name for it, first and foremost,” Terrel mutters. “Saying Former Leighwen all the time is tiring.”“Seconded,” Haden replies.“Fi
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-18
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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
