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37. Full Moon
Last Updated:
2024-02-01 20:41:58
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Once 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 : 2024-02-07Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 41. Frenzy
Callista.So much happens during the next few hours.Ruelle is taken to the hospital through a frenzy of wolves seeing their future Luna Queen pale and dripping blood, because Theon doesn’t believe she’s dead. I can’t blame him. How could she be? She was alive just minutes ago. Besides, even if we’re sure she’s dead, we need to take her to the hospital for them to make an official report.Theon had carried her himself, wrapping his arms gently around her and running as fast as the wind. It’s more than clear that she’s dead, but he doesn’t want to accept it.He doesn’t speak a word with me, he doesn’t even acknowledge me. The minute the rogues are either killed or apprehended, he turns his attention on Ruelle, sees her bleeding out, and takes her away.I’m still dazed with shock. I can't believe what just happened had actually happened.I sit on the mossy ground wet with Ruelle’s blood, my eyes unfocused.Ruelle’s dead.She’s actually dead.She won’t be stealing my scent anymore; she w
Last Updated : 2024-02-11Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 42. Murderer
Callista.The castle is silent as if a storm is about to be unleashed on it. As we return, black curtains are already being hung along with black banners bearing the crest of the Rexellen pack on them.Haden and the Beta sneak me into the tower. I’m once again in my old room, which looks the same as I left it. It feels surreal being here, doesn’t even feel like a place I had stayed in. I suddenly recall my room in the Leighwen pack home. Everything that made me Callista was there, probably trashed now that I’d successfully been chased off. This room feels so sterile in comparison, even though it’s hundred percent better than sharing quarters with the maids. At least I have the privacy to break down properly here.“You’re covered with blood from head to toe, it cannot be comfortable at all.” The Beta says, voice paternal and kind. “Take a shower, please, take as much time as you need. I can’t imagine how difficult this is going to be for you. Your previous clothes are in the wardrobe,
Last Updated : 2024-02-11Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 43. Council
Callista.I stand in the middle of a hexagonal room with tall windows that are covered with black, lace curtains, shrouding the chamber with darkness. Surrounding me, there are six people, seated behind a hexagonal roundtable. Even if there weren’t anyone in the room, the way the chamber’s design is enough to make me intimidated.And the people gathered do not help at all.Right in front of me sits the Alpha King, hidden by the shadows. I can’t see him clearly, just his silhouette, but I know that his eyes are piercing me with a glare that threatens great danger. To his right sits the Beta, whose name I’d learned is Kellin, and to his left sits Haden. There are 2 more men and 2 women, all disguised in darkness.It feels much more sinister than a mere trial.“Callista Leander,” Hatred drips as Theon spits out my name, “You’ve been charged with the murder of a fellow wolf, your own sister at that.” He leans forward, and I can’t keep from gasping.His eyes are tinged with red, and his f
Last Updated : 2024-02-17Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 44.
Callista.“I didn’t kill her,” I reply, trying not to be afraid. Stick to my truth, Haden told me, stick to my innocence. That was what I was planning to do. If I were to die, I’d die innocent.“I called her parents just moments ago.” Says Theon, sounding far too calm. “They were absolutely heartbroken. They asked me how I let that happen to their daughter after they trusted you both with me.”“I didn’t kill my sister,” I fight against the tears and repeat. Stick to my innocence. I need to stick to the truth. “I had no intention of anyone getting hurt.”Theon goes on like I didn’t speak.“I told them it had been sudden, and I’d told her to stay with the pack. But she’d been too worried. About her sister,” He looks at me, with an expression of a damned man. “Her sister wasn’t even her own sister, really. A girl who’d mistreated her for years, a girl who just recently broke her nose, a girl who tried to seduce her mate.”Is it possible to be so angry at one’s mate? It has to be because
Last Updated : 2024-02-17Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 45. Strength
Callista.The day of the funeral arrives faster than I could blink.I still don’t know what my punishment is. I’ve been kept in the dungeon for the day, thankfully without the dungeon master this time. Nor did I get any visitors. Haden and Kellin don’t come down once, and I fear that they’ve been harmed by Theon for defending me.I get some prison food, for which I’m thankful. At least I’d be able to stand and take my punishment. I don’t sleep, because the dungeon is so nightmare inducing, and I’m just glad that I don’t suffer any panic attacks. The dungeons are cold, so I’m shivering the entire time I’m down there.But no one gives a damn about that.The morning of the funeral, Haden comes down to my cell along with a squad of guards.“It’s time.” He says, his face pinched. “I’m sorry, Callista. But he just won’t listen to reason. We’ve all been trying to get him to back down, but he’s the damned King…”I nod, not knowing what to say.I feel bad for him, as well as Kellin. It’s not t
Last Updated : 2024-02-20
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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
