Prologue: Roe

Moon rays pierced through the canopy of tall trees overhead and coupled with the lanterns stationed at specific posts, provided illumination to the large gathering surrounding the stone carved platform adorned with different exotic flowers.

Not that they needed the source of light, because these extraordinary kind of people were used to seeing in the dark. Darkness was a good cover for them. It was an ally. The darkness never brought harm to any of them and it proved it's services by providing them with a perfect opportunity to bury one of their own.

Her name was Ophelia. Luna to the Silver Moon pack and a mother to all who came her way. No one expected her death. Infact,no one expected her to die the way that she did.

Her personal servant had gone to remind her of her daily evening stroll and had found her in bed, foaming from the mouth. She had panicked and had reported to the Alpha, straight away. When the pack doctor had been invited,he acknowledged her dead and had noticed her closed fist. On opening it,two silver pills were found.

The Luna had killed herself.

Her two children,both very young and with blank faces,stood closer to the platform than the rest of the pack. Twins,Hyde and Roe could barely believe that their mother was gone but they made no move to show it.

The Alpha, himself stood at the foot of the platform and stared at the pale body of the woman that he had been with for centuries. His jaw was set and his face was even more blank than his children. He stood there with his arms behind him and his eyes were pitch black as he stared at her corpse.

After a full thirty minutes of silence,he turned to face the large gathering and cleared his throat to attract their attention,

"Members of the Silver Moon pack!" He called out in a loud voice,"We are here to commiserate with each other as we mourn the death of a great woman, your Luna!".

Loud howls were heard from every side but they all paused when he put up his hand,

"Ophelia was a great woman,an enviable co-leader of this noble pack but most importantly,she was a companionable partner to me and a wonderful mother to our children. She fought against the harassment of lower wolves such as the Omegas and those of us who are wolfless. She undertook the intellectual training of our young ones for centuries and nutured them while their parents were off, doing their bound duties. What she lacked in strength and fighting skills,her accommodating and generous heart made it up by a thousand folds. She loved to sit by the river during the full moon festival and sing songs for the little ones because these are what made her,who she was. She would be greatly missed!".

The howling continued and increased their volumes as the Alpha stepped down so that he could kneel on one knee infront of the platform and according to tradition, he began,

"Fate has deemed us to be and now,fate has taken you from me. All honour to the moon goddess for the life that you have lived. May you meet the wolves of our past and reign with them in peace, beyond.".

Then,he stepped down completely and went over to stand by a corner, with his Delta and Beta flagging him on both sides. Four male pack servants stepped out to carry the body of the deceased Luna but they waited patiently for their Alpha's signal.

The Alpha raised his head and nodded stiffly at the servants, which they took as a sign and began to raise the stretcher which held her body, from the platform.

A loud piercing scream was heard and everyone turned to see where it was coming from. Even the male servants dropped the stretcher as they got ready for any sign of danger. But it wasn't an intruder. It was Roe and she was screaming on top of her lungs while her brother, Hyde tried to hold her back from rushing to the platform.

"No!" She screeched,"Don't take my mum away! She's all I have! Mum,wake up! This is isn't funny, anymore! This can't be happening!".

While she wailed uncontrollably,the pack members were touched by her outbursts and were trying so hard not to join her. It didn't matter that werewolves lived longer lives than the average human,it was always saddening to loose someone that you cherished and it was no news that Roe was her mother's favorite child. Loosing her mother at a young age of fourteen,they felt sorry for the young lady.

"Hyde, they're taking mum away! Don't you care?!" She wailed, turning to her twin brother that held her captive in his arms. His face was screwed up with pain and sadness but he said nothing to his other half as he tried his best to stop her from interrupting the funeral ceremony.

"Mum! It's me, Roe! Please, don't go!" She cried as she grew limp in Hyde's hold as she could no longer fight her way out,"I need you, mum! I can't survive on my own!",

"I'm here,you know that?" Hyde whispered with hurt clearly written on his face after hearing his sister not acknowledge him but she ignored him,

"Please,mum! I ...",

"That's enough!" Alpha Zephyr bellowed and Roe's cries reduced to a sniffle,"Hold yourself with dignity and do not interrupt this ceremony again,am I understood?!".

Roe instantly stopped crying and Hyde let go of her, hoping that she was done with her tear fest and she glowered at her father,not minding the streaks of mascara which now adorned her beautiful face,

"Oh you are one to talk, Mister!" She snarled and took a few steps forward,"All that bullshit you gave as a speech,who do you think that you are fooling?! You might have fooled the rest of this pack but I know the truth! I know you killed my mother!".

"Roe!" Hyde cried out in horror as he took hold of her arm, just as the rest of the pack broke out in gasps and murmurs while Alpha Zephyr looked on with a stony look on his face.

"Admit it, father!" She kept it up, challenging him with a look to match his,"You are the reason that mum killed herself! She was never enough for you,was she?! The only way that she could ever please you was by taking her life!",

"Roe,stop this nonsense!" Hyde ordered softly, glancing to see the tick of his father's jaw,"We are all grieving, Roe. There's absolutely no need for you to point fingers at anybody.",

"I will calm down" Roe assured her twin before turning back to face her father,"As soon as he admits killing mum".

Her words were slow,terse and laced with hatred as she glared at her father. The other members of the pack were also patiently watching this exchange between father and daughter as they waited for the outcome.

Unfortunately, Alpha Zephyr was not there to give them a show and without a word to his daughter,he turned to give the four male servants, the go-ahead to bury the body.

"Roe!" Hyde yelled but it was too late as his sister lunged and shifted in mid-air, landing on her father's back with the aim of inflicting harm on any available part of his body. She sank her claws into his back but before she could bite him anywhere, Alpha Zephyr dislodged her grip and with a hand circling her neck,he threw her to the ground without even shifting.

He held on with a deathly grip while his Delta and Beta stood by and watched,as so did the rest of the pack members. Hyde,on the other hand was frightened and ran to his father's side to stop him from strangling her. He held his father's wrist and tried effortlessly to pull his father's hand away while Roe's wolf whimpered in pain and struggled to let go.

Lost on what to do, Hyde began to hit his father's back, crying and begging that his sister be released,

"Let her go! You are going to kill her! Leave her alone!".

But Alpha Zephyr held on until Roe was forced to shift back to her human self and her breathing became shallowed. Then he released his hold on her and she turned to her side, coughing and massaging her neck while Hyde rubbed her back, trying his best to avoid the tears glistening in his eyes to fall.

"Resume the ceremony!" Alpha Zephyr ordered and gave his nod signal to the four servants carrying the body of his wife.

The pack members,as if held spellbound at the scene that they had just witnessed, broke out from it and began the traditional howling and started marching, behind the servants carrying the corpse to their gravesite.

Roe managed to breathe in a lungful of air and pushed her brother aside when he tried to help her up. She staggered up, not minding her favorite forest green dress which she had worn specially for this occasion.

She had ignored everyone who had told her to wear black to show that she was mourning because green was her mother's favorite colour and she had always told her that she found black, depressing even for burials. Now her dress was ruined due to her, shifting but that didn't bother her as she made for the Alpha.

Before she could come close to him,Delta Malcolm and Beta Rocco stood in front of their leader to prevent her from getting anywhere near him.

"He killed her!" Roe managed to say but what she intended to be louder, came out as a strained whisper,"He killed your Luna,are you going to let this stand? Is there no justice for the oppressed? He said that my mother stood up for the oppressed wolves in our pack and now, I'm standing up for her. You can't let him get away with murder!".

"Roe,if you attempt another attack on the Alpha then we would be forced to send you to the dungeon for an attempted act of treason. Do not bring this trouble on your head." Delta Malcolm said to her calmly but firmly and turned to leave with Beta Rocco, following behind.

Roe collapsed on the ground and gathered her legs together as she buried her face in her palms and let out a tear-jerking wail. Hyde rushed and dropped down to her side, palming her back and whispering softly to her,

"Everything is okay, Roe. I'm here for you, Roe.",

"Everything is not okay." She protested weakly,"How could you even be so calm about this? Mum is gone and one day,you would leave me too.".

Hyde's heart squeezed as he held his twin to his side,

"I will never leave you, Roe. I'm with you, anywhere that you decide to be." Then he kissed her temple, "It's me and you, against the world.",

"Promise me?" She begged, looking up with teary eyes and fear written all over her,

"I promise." He said firmly,"Roe and Hyde forever, never forget that.".

Then they slumped against each other, providing comfort the only way that they could.

****

I would personally want to thank all of you who had picked this book over other books and I hope you find it worth your time. *smiles*

This is my first paranormal book and I would love to know what you guys think in the comment section. Please, refrain from hurtful words but I do accept constructive criticisms.

This work is a pure work of fiction and the names of my characters do not refer to others in real life.

Thank you once again!