LOGINShare
88. Festival
Last Updated:
2024-04-03 16:17:38
Related chapters
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 89. Alpha
Callista.For a moment, I just stand there blinking, because his voice is the last thing I expected to hear at this hour. But soon I get over it and rush toward the door to unlock it, wondering what’s going on. Is it Elias? Had he somehow broken out? But why would he come to me if that’s the case, it’s not like I can calm him with my scent. In fact, my scent does the opposite of calming to him.“Alpha,” I greet him. “Is something wrong?”That’s when I notice what he’s wearing, and feel my cheeks heat up involuntarily.He stands at my doorway, dressed in a black tux that makes me catch my breath. His hair is styled perfectly with grooming products, and his jaw is clean-shaven. His dark eyes glitter under the dim light of my room, and the suit makes them pop out. His jacket molds onto his body, straining against his muscles. His powerful frame is accented nicely by it, all the curves and edges flexing with each movement, and I feel heat rush through my belly.Oh, by the Goddess, what is
Last Updated : 2024-04-03Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 90. Static
Callista.“You killed my only daughter.” My mother sits in the darkness, kneeling next to a blonde-haired woman sprawled on the ground. Her face was hidden by her hair, but I could recognize that blood-soaked sweater anywhere.My head hurts once again, a static ringing in my ears. Overhead I hear thunder cracking, a terrible sound that echoes in my aching mind, and a shiver of terror runs down my spine. My mind feels foggy and unfocused, and the shadows dance all over the walls of the room.“You’re a killer, Callista.” In a lilting, sing-song voice that feels like nails scraping against a stone wall, the shadows sing. Their blood-red eyes stare at me from the dark walls, following my every movement.My mother’s face is as pale as a corpse, and she wears a tattered dress that looks like the one she wore to Ruelle’s funeral. Her eyeliner runs down her cheeks mixed with her tears, and her dark blonde hair fans around her face.She looks mad with grief. I want to look away desperately.He
Last Updated : 2024-04-05Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 91. Broke
Callista.This time I see a wolf. He’s in the corner of the room, and his ebony black coat shines all imperious under electric lights. His red eyes stare at me as he shows me his teeth, snarling. I never knew a wolf could look so angry, and vengeful; I don’t know why it’s directed at me.But if there is one thing I do know, is that the wolf is familiar. I know that I know him from somewhere. But I can’t remember his name.“Hello, Callista,” Suddenly the wolf talks, his voice distorted and resonating, and it’s bizarre to hear words come out of his snout. “We meet again.”“That isn’t possible, I don’t know you,” I tell the wolf, stepping back. “I’ve never seen you before.”“Oh, you have,” The wolf grins and it’s a scary thing to behold. Pristine fangs glitter like they are blades. “You just don’t remember me.”“I’m sorry for that,” I try to sound sincere, because I really, really hope that I can remember him.“I doubt you are.” The wolf snarls. “You might tell people that you’re sorry,
Last Updated : 2024-04-06Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 92. Home
Theon.One moment we were talking, and the next, all hell had broken loose.Dr. Haeger, Haden, Kellin, and I chase Callista down the hall, trying to catch up with her. But in her delirious state, she's so much faster and stronger than us, which is shocking because she hadn’t gained those qualities from her wolf. How is she doing that? What had the bears done to her? We had no idea, which means that we had no idea how to deal with her like this except to somehow restrain her.Our footsteps ring through the castle corridors, our voices calling out her name, imploring her to stop, but she doesn’t care about it. Before we can get to her, Callista manages to open the auxiliary entrance doors that lead to the ballroom, where almost all the pack danced in.Oh, no...The moment I saw Callista shudder as I leaned into her before, I knew something was wrong. Then I realized that I paid a witch earlier to alter the bubble protecting the pack borders to be rain repellent, so the festival could b
Last Updated : 2024-04-06Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 93. Mother
Callista.The dark-haired man sputters, shock evident on his face. He looks back at my mother and me several times before taking a deep breath. When his eyes find mine again, there is an unprecedented sorrow in his expression.I don’t know why I never expected to see that, but it surprises me, nonetheless."Your mother isn't real, Callista." The dark-eyed man says with a gentle voice. "You're dreaming. It's raining and you're in an illusion. You know this deep down, don’t you? Wake up, please, before you do something bad."I feel hurt. “Why would you say that? It’s not very nice.”The dark-haired man groans. “I know, I’m screwing this up yet again, but that’s the truth and it’s not nice. But she is not real. I’m sorry, but you have to trust me on this.”"But it feels so real..." I muse, staring at the beautiful woman beckoning me to join her. I wonder what it would have been like to grow up with her. I don’t think she would’ve called me ungrateful every single day of my life like my a
Last Updated : 2024-04-07Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 94. Guild
Theon.I'd told her. Finally, I accepted the fact.I don't get to ponder more on it, because the rain still falls, and Callista's episode continues. But this time she doesn't do anything as dangerous as nearly following a phantom towards her death. I hate the fact that her own mind is trying to kill her. How could it happen? What dark magic did the Chamber use to wreck Callista's mind so much within a few hours?I don't think she would be able to handle this happening again. Goddess knows I won't be.Callista's my mate. I'd acknowledged it before, but I had been reluctant to act on it. How could I when I'd betrayed her so much from the moment I met her? I'd paraded another woman in front of her, I'd imprisoned her to be mated to my brother, and I'd falsely accused her of murder. I was the antagonist in her life so how can I suddenly turn a page and be her mate?I still don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm sure that Callista won’t remember what I said before. She always forgets her
Last Updated : 2024-04-08Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 95. Car
Callista.The Witches’ Guild is situated on the other side of the country, deep inside the mountains. Since the beginning, it had been hidden from humans with stronger wards than the ones used in the Were packs, spelled into place hundreds of years ago.The Witches’ Guild consists of the Training Academy for young witches, the Magical Crime Investigation Unit, the Witches’ Council as well as the Hospital for Magical Maladies, abbreviated as 'HMM'. Never let it be said that people of magic did not have a sense of humor.I am to be admitted to this hospital, and for that, we’re going to have to travel about 200 Km across the country.In a car."Can't we use a plane or even a train?" I'd asked Theon the morning after the festival, after the storm had subsided and restored my mind.I couldn’t believe I had another episode. That meant this problem with me was not a one-off."Oh, if it were an option, we could definitely take them, but what’s going to happen when you have an episode midair,
Last Updated : 2024-04-10Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 96. Trip
Callista.Once upon a time, I'd dreamed of going on a road trip.There was something so classic about them that appealed to my childish mind, something that we could have in common with humans, like school, but much more enjoyable than school and certainly more adventurous. Being confined to the pack was suffocating at times, regardless of the freedom if afforded, so escaping even for a little while was a dream.At first, I'd wanted to do it with my adoptive family, but the moment I'd asked them if we could, the answer had been a stout no. Followed by incredulous laughter. Later, I'd hoped that maybe I could make a trip after I graduate, along with Farris. I'm embarrassed to say that I planned the whole thing using a pink glitter pen in a little red scrapbook. I'd spent weeks on it, really.I was ready to bring it up to him after the coming-of-age ceremony. I was certain that he would jump on board, and it wouldn’t be hard to leave too because he was the Alpha after all. We didn’t hav
Last Updated : 2024-04-10
Latest chapter
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 263. Chaos
CallistaAs soon as I exit the room, I stumble upon a girl who screams upon seeing me.I arm myself with my chain, not caring about her age. She looks old enough to have found her bear. The chain is bundled up with the piece of the bed post and the padlock, giving it a good heft, and I for a fact know that it would knock her out with one strike. “No, please don't hit me, I'm innocent!” She raises her hands in her defense as she stumbles back against the wall.“Who are you?” I snarl, not believing her entirely.“I just work in the pack house, please, I got nothing to do with what's going on!” The girl pleads, her expression filled with panic and fear. “I'm the one who brought you the food so Master Xaveraq could take them to you!”A quick thought passes through my mind.“You know Xaveraq?” I demand and she nods. “I was the one tending to all his needs. My Alpha assigned me to him,” she answers, and I hold the chain and point to it.“In that case, you got any idea where the key to thi
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 262. Fight
CallistaI can't believe it, Theon is here!Theon is finally here!The sheer relief I feel as soon as I see him nearly brings me to my knees, and I can't help but cry out his name. He's battling two bears at once, expertly dodging their lumbering attacks and hitting them with some of his own.He's fast and he's precise, and in a few minutes, he manages to draw out blood. Next to him, Haden fights, targeting the bears who come toward Theon. They act as a team to take the bears down. Haden has a scratch on his back already, but it doesn't seem to bother him.I find myself screaming at them whenever a bear turns towards them, and every time Theon glances at me, I feel better than I did in the last few days.It's kind of pathetic in hindsight, I guess, but I don't care.This is the first time I'm seeing my mate after four days, and dammit, I'm going to be as sappy as I want. I have so many questions. How is the Rexellen pack? What happened to Farris and Elias? Is Elias really dead? How
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 261. Punishment
TheonAs soon as the Headmistress gives us the signal, Ophelia lifts herself off the ground using her vines and shoots out of the trees.We follow her out, Haden and I shifted to our wolf forms, Master Tsertinand wielding his magical disc, Kiran holding two daggers that look lethal along with a multitude of amulets, and Leita with her vast knowledge of spells and ability to call any animal within the range. As soon as we burst through the tree line, I notice the house and the army of werebears. There might be three or four dozen of them surrounding the hunting lodge-style house that stands in the middle of a grassy field. Some of them are turned while many of them are still in their human forms.I noticed the Gamma who I fought against, Edwin Teller, in the front, standing with his claws out, ready to attack in any given movement. The Headmistress is standing facing a man who is not visible through the trees. The bears get ready to face the witches, and as soon as we appear, they st
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 260. Crimes
CallistaI rush to the window of my room, thankful that the chain is long enough to allow me the movement, and throw open the windows. There is an army of werebears, both turned and in human form, surrounding the house, facing the forest from the east.Near the tree line stands a woman dressed in the white garb of the witches, flowing pants tucked into her boots, a white tunic over a long-sleeved bodice with a sash tied around her waist, and a scarf wound around her neck. Her snow-white hair is tied back from her face, and her pale eyes glisten with an ethereal light.She stands in a posture that radiates power, her head held high, her spine straight, standing tall against an army of bears.I can't help my astonishment. The Headmistress is here!Her eyes flick upwards to the window and focus on my face. They widen slightly, and I can't help but wave like a lunatic and scream, “I'm here! I'm here!”The Headmistress gives me the smallest nod, visible relief in her eyes.“You are the He
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 259. Murderer
CallistaI can't sleep. I anticipated this before. Although the unrest outside had dwindled, I was still alert and wide awake, listening to every little sound. I'm pretty sure it's past midnight at the moment.I'm not a stranger to insomnia, but after having some good nights of sleeping blissfully before this whole fiasco started with Farris taking over the Rexellen pack, my old sleeping habits were making an appearance. The information the devil revealed today doesn't help me either. I still can't wrap my head around all of it.Of all the things to happen to me, I never expected that I'd end up a prisoner to an ancient being who killed thousands just because he wanted to ‘unify all races to save the world’. I mean, come on, that sounds like the plot of an action-packed Hollywood movie. And certainly not one with the supernatural in it. But that is the reality I'm living in. Both the earthquake and the Geraldine pack were his doing. How could he be so callous? So emotionless abou
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 258. Deviless
Theon“Now, the deviless, who'd been raised apart from her parents because she was blessed as a deity, didn't know what love even was,” the Headmistress continues. “It was a different time than ours, and back then, even language was at its infancy. Books were not invented yet. When she asked her servants about the strange emotion she felt whenever she saw the devil they wouldn't give her a straight answer. The servants were certain that the deviless couldn't feel love the way the normal folk did. The poor deviless was confused about herself and decided to ask the young devil warrior for answers herself.”The Headmistress pauses to glance at the barrier, and then turns back to us. It's nearly midnight now, and fortunately, we haven't had any animals wander into the campsite so far. We heard some chirping and rustling here and there, but it was nothing big.My bet was that they were rabbits or squirrels, or some other critters that size. Haden and I were alert, nevertheless, just in cas
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 257. Clan
Theon“Where's Aldar?” Master Tsertinand asks, making way for the Headmistress to approach the camp.She's dressed unlike I've ever seen her before. The Headmistress usually opts for long dresses and cloaks that look gothic and ancient.But now she's dressed in a costume similar to what the protectors like Kiran wore while they were in the Guild, although it is pure white in color. The protector outfit suits her significantly, making it easier for her to blend with the surroundings and accentuate her strong frame.Her hair is tied back from her face in a severe style, highlighting her angular features. She wears rings studded with stones on all of her fingers, and a stone pendant around her neck. “She had to stay behind to take care of the Guild in my absence,” the Headmistress replies, smiling at all of us in greeting. “The Academy is very busy at this time of the year with the first years getting ready for the Annual festival. Matron Aldar and I can't afford to leave together at su
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 256. Hiding
Theon“We saw a dirt path,” I reply as soon as I transform back to the human form from behind a boulder, using it to hide my nudity. “It's just a moment away from here. There are rocks all around so we can have a cover.”“A dirt path?” Master Tsertinand questions and send the ring a dirty look. “Couldn't have shown me that, could you, you little shit? We're trying to save your damned owner!”The ring, of course, does not answer. “We nearly ran into the barrier when we saw it,” Haden chimes in next to me, having transformed back himself. “Your bird was a great help.”As we say that, the bird itself arrives, chirping. It spirals around us, nearly touching us, and then flies straight towards Master Tsertinand. As soon as it collides with the weapon smith's body, it vanishes. “Did you call the Headmistress?” I question, pulling on my clothes.They're at the same spot I left them. Master Tsertinand was right when he said that the perimeter was smaller than that of the Rexellen pack. It o
Once A Luna, Now A Stealer? 255. Absorb
Callista“Holy shit, you're the one behind the earthquake too?!” I yell out, unable to believe what I'm hearing.I expected him to reveal a lot of things, but this was not one of them.“I did not mean to. I was never a fan of causing an unnecessary ruckus, and the earthquake did exactly that. It even sapped up some of my own powers in doing so, that I had to absorb more souls to compensate,” Xaveraq says. “Anyway, after that-”“Woah, Woah, Woah,” I stand up from my bed, my heart beating fast in my chest.I'm trying to piece together this puzzle in my head with all the information I'm being given. That part of absorbing souls, whatever that may be, rings a bell in my mind.A very disturbing bell.“So, where did you get your souls?” I demand.“Is that really important at the moment, Callista?” Xaveraq questions in a bored tone. “I thought you wanted to know how I found you.”“Tell me where you got the souls from,” I insist, feeling dread mount within me.I desperately hope he would not
