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56. Human City
Last Updated:
2024-02-28 13:33:20
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Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 57. Bus
Callista.There are two transportation options I can take because I do not have enough cash to rent a car.So, train or bus. Train or bus?I decide on the bus.I march straight into the terminal and ask the lady behind the counter for a ticket. This is my first interaction with a human, and I try my damndest to be natural. I don’t want to look like a scared teenager out here, that’s bound to backfire on me. I already look bad, don’t need to add more to the story and make them think I’m a runaway. I don’t know enough about humans to wonder if they’d take me straight to the police if they think I’m running away because I do look a bit young. But in my state of being essentially a ghost in the human system, I refuse to take the risk.She looks at me, surprise evident on her face. My stomach drops. Did I do something wrong? Is that now how people ask for things around here?“Um, hello. May I ask to where you want a ticket to?” And then she rattles off a bunch of questions with ticket type
Last Updated : 2024-02-28Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 58. Interlude
Interlude.Four days later.“I found a human,” A man said with his head held high above his shoulders. He stood facing the window that looked into the far city, its light pollution preventing him from seeing the stars. “A very strange smelling one.”He was a large man, at least seven feet tall with a broad muscular frame. He was clean-shaven with russet brown hair that grew past his ears, brushing the top of his shoulders. All in all, he looked like a man who’d seen much in life, and who’d done much as well. There was a scar running down his cheek, from his eye to his jaw like a tear track. He wore only a pair of pants, standing barefoot on the plush carpet of the office.Another man sat behind a desk facing the same window. He was as big as the other one, but with dark blond hair, dressed in a casual outfit. His face was covered in a thick beard, and he wore an expression of interest.“What kind of a smell?”“Beautiful, really. Enticing.” He shook his head, “It smelled like her.”“He
Last Updated : 2024-02-29Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 59. Shelter
Callista.“So, does that mean we can sleep here, for free?” I ask my new friend, looking at the run-down building in front of us.There is a line of people near the building, dressed like us. Some of them have the same look of misery on their faces, their hands tucked into various pockets in their layers of cloth, some carrying bags and some without anything. Some others look cheerful, some just look ordinary if this is a regular occurrence for them. When I was researching, I never did get a clear idea of what being homeless was like, and thought that it was misery all the time. I basically resigned myself to a sad existence when I decided to run, but seeing some of the people here I start to think that maybe it won’t be so bad. Maybe with the right friends, I’d be able to make it through.We have to stand in line for some time more because the building was still closed, only opening at 05:00 PM to take the people in. Apparently, it was only a night shelter, where you came in, had a m
Last Updated : 2024-02-29Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 60. Shower
Callista.Somehow, we got in.I honestly didn’t think that it would be possible, given how long the line was even if we had come relatively early. But about fifteen minutes after the place opened, we have two cots in the female section with a small bag of supplies each. I place my bag on the top of my cot, which doesn’t look much compared to the accommodations in the Rexellen castle. But I’ve been sleeping on park benches and even the cold, hard ground, which means that this cot would be heaven to sleep in tonight.Jenny looks happy as well. Well, calling it happy might be stretching it. She looks content for now, but her eyes are still so tired.We sit on our cots for a moment in silence, taking in the sudden change and making sure that it won’t go away anytime soon.“They told us that dinner's in an hour, right? Better get ready.” Jenny reminds me in a quiet voice. “Wanna take a shower? Bathrooms are communal but the water’s hot.”“That’ll be nice.” I don’t remember the last time I'
Last Updated : 2024-03-01Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 61. Advantage
Callista.As I predicted, they don’t go after her.Three were-creatures chase me through the city. I don’t know what kind they are, wolves or otherwise, but I know that their intentions toward me are far from benevolent.I navigate through various streets, trying to get away. Being in the midst of humans means that they can’t transform, and I take that to my advantage. I weave through the alleys and lanes, entering two-doorway shops from one end exiting from another, and passing street vendors and street shops trying to lose them. But they don't fall away.“Excuse me! Coming through.” I yell at people getting in my way leaving a lot of angry people in my wake.My legs are burning and my heart is beating like a jackhammer. No matter what I do, I can’t lose them.I run and I run and I run. I turn left, right, and further right. My head spins, my breath coming out in short pants.There’s a mall in front of me and it seems crowded. Yes, it is perfect.I enter the mall and pull the hood of
Last Updated : 2024-03-01Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 62. Story
Callista.I wake up in an office room with a moan.“Oh, Goddess…” My head throbs so much and my mouth is dry as parchment. I try to move my limbs but to no avail. My whole body feels heavy yet floating at the same time, a common feeling after regaining consciousness. This is not a new experience to me by now, given how many times I’ve been knocked out over the past few months, but I’m getting really tired of it.As my vision focuses on my surroundings, I realize that I’m in a rather nice office. There’s a plush carpet under my feet, and a sturdy desk in front of a large book cupboard that covers an entire wall. The books are neatly lined behind the glass panels of the cupboard. I sit in front of this desk.I try to move my legs, but I cannot. I look down, the inclination makes my head hurt more.I’m bound to the chair.“What the hell…” I mutter.Memories come back to me, and I remember how three men chased me through the city. I remember separating from Jenny and toppling a bookrack i
Last Updated : 2024-03-04Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 63. Let me go
Callista.“LET ME GO!” I scream at the top of my lungs, desperate to rectify this mistake. “PLEASE, LET ME GO! I’M NOT A HUMAN. I’M A WEREWOLF!!!”I've made a mistake. A huge one at that. I cannot curse my own stupidity enough. I’d thought that trying to convince them that I wasn’t a supernatural was the right course of action, but I’d been so very wrong. It was the worst course of action I could’ve taken.I mean, how on Earth was I supposed to know that bears were screwed wrong in their heads? Who does human sacrifice to commemorate a genocide? You use flowers and candles for that shit. Not blood!Why does this keep happening to me? I came to the human world to get rid of the supernatural bullshit. I was happy last night, sharing a shelter with Jenny and knowing that the humans only saw me as one of them. I was free. I could breathe without worry, and that had been the case ever since I came out, regardless of my homelessness.I have been expecting something to happen. How can I not,
Last Updated : 2024-03-05Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 64. Unlucky
Callista.The phantoms accompany me as Edwin carries me through the foliage. My head falls off his shoulder, limp, and my blurry sight upside down. I see other white-clad youths walk behind us. Edwin leads this lethal parade. The whole forest is bathed in moonlight, and my scattered mind travels back to my own coming of age ceremony.The phantom of Farris walks nearest to me, dressed in the same way I last saw him. Seeing him makes me feel strangely nostalgic. Back then, things weren’t this bad.“My, my Callista,” He muses in a reverberating voice, walking next to me leisurely. “What happened to you?”Theon appears next to him, his face frozen in an expression of rage and pompous glory.“Serves her right. I gave you all the luxuries you ever wanted, but you couldn’t agree to the one simple thing I asked of you. And then you made me out to be the villain for trying to follow our agreement!” He decides to add his two cents.“You killed me to get him,” Ruelle walks next to the other phan
Last Updated : 2024-03-05
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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
