Chapter Two

Sephora's POV

I walked outside and into the glorious sun. I walked among my people and soon, the kids were swarming all over me. They pounced on me and I fell down playfully. They were simply a delight.

"Suprema Sephora, look what I can do."

The young girl shifted into her wolf and closed her eyes. A pebble on the ground began to levitate and I picked it from mid air.

"Wonderful little one. If you keep practicing, you shall be a powerful wolf."

The little girl shifted back and the others around playfully swarmed on her.

"You are such a show off."

I got off the ground and left the little ones to their game.

My wolf pack was a magical one. We had all been born from the waters of the Lunaria stream under the essence of the full moon. As we were bestowed with their wolf, we were each given a unique element to possess. The little child had definitely been given the gift of the earth.

We were also well trained in hand to hand combat and I could see some older wolves training. I stopped to observe them and as soon as they saw me, they all stopped and bowed deeply.

"Suprema Sephora."

"How are you sisters? Have any of you seen Luna Artemisia?"

They shook their heads silently. It was as if she had disappeared into thin air. I exhaled sadly.

"Very well then. You may carry on."

As soon as I took a step away from them, I could hear airy howls fill the air. I knew that they had heard it too. It wasn't a howl of the hunt but one of sadness and it was unmistakable to who it belonged to.

I ran into the forest and shifted into my wolf. It was a bright fiery red. Flames encircled my fur without setting it ablaze and I tore through the forest following the sound of the howling. The trees were thick but my paws were light and quick, darting through the trees soundlessly. Suddenly, I saw her, sitting on a rocky ledge that overlooked a stream. She didn't see me and continued to howl. I watched her mesmerized as the waters danced to her sad howl. I shifted into my human form and watched the droplets encircle her. She had always been talented and that was why I chose her as my Luna.

She finally sensed my presence and looked around and saw me watching her. She was stunned to see me there and she immediately shifted into her human form. She walked towards me, her figure was tall and imposing but beautiful and elegant.

"Suprema, do you need my presence?"

I looked at her and couldn't help but smile sadly.

"Walk with me."

I turned away from her and walked away and she hurried to my side and we walked together, deeper, into the forest. She was sad and I could sense her sorrow. I felt guilty for leaving her and I had no idea how to comfort her. We continued to walk silently and finally I spoke up.

"The moon is in four days. I need you to help me prepare my successor."

She nodded silently and didn't say a word. Her sorrow was heavy.

"Artemisia–"

I stopped and turned to her. She had tears brimming in her eyes and I felt moved as well.

"I know this is hard for you and I don't want to leave you as well. But this is my destiny. You have been more than a sister to me."

I watched her fight to keep the tears at bay. She never showed weakness.

"I understand. It's your duty and I will miss you. Your successor will never be as good as you."

I was stunned but I smiled. Her loyalty and faith in me were powerful.

She broke down and I pulled her into a hug. She had been the best Luna ever. She was strong and loyal and she helped me when I had troubles. I couldn't help but cry too and we stood there in each others arms. Two sisters soon to be torn apart from each other. Finally we stopped and I pulled away from her. I wiped her eyes and smiled the best I could.

"We should head back. I need you to help me prepare. It would be my greatest honour to have you with me closer than ever. I need to do this."

She nodded and we headed back. The walk was silent and we admired the beautiful pack we lived in. I had to begin preparations immeditately. My successor couldn't know who I was and my identity had to be kept secret until the time was right. The older wolves knew what to do but the little ones were going to be much harder to control.

"Artemisia, get the little ones together. We need to let them know what to do. I'll leave you in charge of that while I talk to the older sisters."

Artemisia left and I was alone again. I closed my eyes and felt a light breeze on my cheek. My time was running fast. I gave orders to the wolves in the palace. Every trace of anything that would compromise my identity as the Suprema had to be removed. That included the paintings of the former ones. If my successor found out who I was, she might not be able to do what must be done, just like I had almost failed to do when the mantle was passed to me.

The memory of that day spun in my head and I felt sorrowful. I couldn't forget the look in her eyes. She smiled and then she fell down motionless. She had to die so that I might live and take over. This was the order of the Mystic Shadow Pack.

I supervised the clearing of the pack house and watched as Artemisia talked to the little ones. They were wonderfully attentive. Our youngest member that had been born a month ago was in front and she was silent and serious. Her caretaker sat next to her but her ears and eyes were directed at Artemisia. I could feel the spirit of a leader in her. I couldn't forget what she had been named when she came out of Lunaria's waters. Niylah was her name.