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32. Enough
Last Updated:
2024-01-24 01:44:16
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Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 33. Eavesdrop
Callista.It’s about 07:00 PM, and I’m carrying a load of laundry that belongs to the Beta’s family. It was heavier than any others and had mostly baby clothes. I’ve heard in the kitchen that the Beta’s mate’s third child had been born just weeks ago, and all the nappies were his.I navigate the maze of corridors that make the east wing of the castle. This wing hosts almost all the bedrooms and studies, sitting rooms, drawing rooms, and a big library last I checked. All the enjoyable aspects were in the east. The west wing had the kitchen, laundry rooms, the servant quarters, and the guard quarters, along with the parking lot, storage spaces, and the weapons room. The infirmary was a separate building that was in the north of the castle connected to the keep via a passage, while the entrance was on the south side.Today I am on laundry duty. My arms hurt from moving stinky loads of clothes and I was just counting down the time till it ended. As I pass a certain door, I hear raised vo
Last Updated : 2024-01-25Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 34. Theon
Theon. Ruelle told me that she needed to be away from me for a bit. No matter how much that hurt me, I agreed, because regardless of what she thought, I did really care for her feelings. Also, I felt that a little separation would do us both good. I didn’t want to chase her out of the rooms she’d already become familiar with, so I moved out into a much smaller room in a different corridor, closer to my study. This had been my childhood room, way before I became the King. Ruelle was getting too aggressive with her advances. Every time I tried to kiss her or hug her, she’d start to act provocatively and try to get me to have sex with her. To be fair, it was getting annoying. I did want to do that with her. I wanted to make her my mate. But my wolf wouldn’t listen to me. He’d put up a frenzy every time I touched Ruelle, commanding me to stop and go find my own mate. By which he meant Callista. When she was getting tortured, my wolf was horrified. He’d yelled in my head to go to her,
Last Updated : 2024-01-28Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 35. Kiss
Callista.I’ve been kissed before. Numerous times, in fact.My first was a boy in fifth grade who’d told me my hair looked pretty that day, and I had been blushing like crazy. Back then we were yet to go through puberty, so it didn’t really make sense. It was just something we had seen older people do, which automatically meant it was a cool thing to do. Then, at recess when we were playing, he'd suddenly appeared next to me, and asked for a kiss. Just like that. I was honestly taken aback, and my mind had been screaming, “Take it! Take it, you fool, this is a one-way ticket to the big leagues!” at me. Back then, all the popular girls had all been kissed, and who didn’t want to be similar to them? This is the fifth grade I’m talking about, and yes, I’d been that dramatic.So yeah. It had been a wonderfully clumsy, orange lollipop flavored kiss, and at the time, it rocked my world.After that, I was kind of popular, but no one asked me to kiss them. I did hold hands with some boys, but
Last Updated : 2024-01-30Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 36. Gasp
Callista.A gasp comes, breaking the moment.A very recognizable gasp.With it, Theon and I return to reality. The feverish happiness I’d been bathing myself in before vanishes, instead mixed with cold dread. For a moment, I catch Theon’s eyes, unguarded, loving, and wish that he’d seen the truth of who I am. My heart races in my chest, and I try to put the truth into my eyes.But in the end, it doesn’t matter. Prejudice wins over the reality and my heart breaks when his brown irises turn exceptionally hard.I know that the look he's giving me now, after pushing himself off me and shuffling back a few feet, is going to hurt me forever. Its shock and disgust, with a thin smear of anger, mixed with gallons of disbelief. So, so different from before. He looks at me as if I’m a monster who’d come to destroy his world.Something inside me withers at that. Then, deep in my mind, another decision reinforces.Ruelle starts to scream.“I knew it! I knew you were fucking her behind my back! Tha
Last Updated : 2024-01-30Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 37. Full Moon
Callista.I don’t sleep that night.I don’t cry either. Although the sadness in my heart, mixed with anger, indignation, and desperation combined is the size of the sun, and just as hot, I don’t cry. My eyes remain dry as I listen to the soft breaths of other maids, nothing pulling the lids of my eyes down and dragging me into a slumber.How can I sleep, when I know this is the last night I will be spending here?In the perfect world, I would be sleeping by Theon’s side, bearing his mark on my neck, the voice of my wolf in my head, secure in the knowledge that I’d finally found the one place in the world where I belonged. But the reality is far from that, and I couldn’t dwell on what would’ve been, not when I wanted to keep sane.But oh, how I wish for that dream to soothe the hurt in my very soul.In the morning bells sound, rousing the staff of the castle.Helen lets me know that I’ve been punished for my ‘insubordination’ from last night with two more months in community service. S
Last Updated : 2024-02-01Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 38. She escaped.
Ruelle.“Well?” I ask the panting guard after transforming back to my human form, “Where is she now?”The guard, Derrick, is a middle-aged man who’d been in Theon’s personal security for ages. Just days ago, he’d been in an accident and had been injured severely. His arm was broken, and even as a wolf, it was going to take at least a week to heal, and coupled with other injuries, he was advised by the doctors in the hospital not to participate in today’s run.So, I’d taken it upon myself to ask him to keep an eye on Callista.I knew the little shit was up to something the moment she’d told us she was done with Theon that night. She’d gotten a cold, determined look in her eyes, and I’d seen that before. It meant that she’d made up her mind to do something, and even an idiot could figure out what someone in her position would want.Freedom.If anyone wanted to attempt to escape, today was the best window for it. The castle was as empty as it could be, and the whole pack was in one place
Last Updated : 2024-02-02Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 39. Forest
Callista.The moat isn’t as deep as I thought it would be, and I’m thankful for that.I’m dripping wet after crossing it, my clothes heavy on my body. I wring whatever I can and shake the water out of my shoes. My backpack hasn’t soaked, which is a relief.I’m finally outside the castle.Now the time was crucial.I start to run. I’m as strong as I’ve been before, and that helps me to cross the town in no time. I avoid the main road and any important buildings, opting to weave my way through the residential area. My aim is the forest, and even though the town of the Rexellen pack is bigger than the Leighwen pack’s, it’s still small enough.I’m panting hard by the time I make it to the tree line.I halt after I pass the last house, taking one last look at the town and the distant castle.Had it only been two months since I’d arrived here? It feels like I’m escaping a place that had caged me forever.The forest is hard to navigate. Unlike the Leighwen pack’s forest, this one lacks any wa
Last Updated : 2024-02-02Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 40. Sacrifice
Callista.The force of my attack rattles Ruelle, and she immediately transforms back into her human form. She staggers, crying out and clutching her head. I held the tree branch threateningly in front of me, knowing that if I ran now, she’d get the chance to chase me. I need to take her down here and now.“You’re going to pay for that!” She cries out, voice slurry and eyes flashing with anger.But she does not transform into her wolf, although it looks like she’s trying.“Can’t transform back?” I ask, “Too weak? I knew there was a reason you didn’t transform often.” I mock her, “Who’s the weakling now? One swing and you turn back to a human.”“Theon!” She screams at the top of her lungs, “She’s here! She’s attacking me! Help!”But Theon doesn’t answer her calls.Instead, at that exact moment, a large grey wolf bursts into the clearing.For a moment, Ruelle and I gape at the beast.And then we scream because this is not a wolf of the Rexellen pack.Nor is he a sane one.His eyes are bl
Last Updated : 2024-02-07
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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
