Chapter 4

*FLASHBACK*

It was my favorite night of the year. A celebration that was just for our pack that everyone took part in.

We lived on blessed lands, ones gifted by the Moon Goddess herself, and tonight, we thanked her for it and honored our history.

Most of the pack thought that at least, but I, as an Alpha’s daughter, knew that it was much more than a celebration.

Tonight was the night that our lands regenerated.

It wasn’t the Alphas who were blessed but the land itself from which we took our strength. We had a reputation for being fair, but we were strong, and my dad made sure that we lived up to the gift we had been blessed with.

Our pack was known for being fearless warriors, some mistook us for ones that had an insane amount of bloodlust, but we never went in a fight unprovoked. We trained to defend our lands so that no one thought of going up against us. We had a reputation to uphold long before my dad became Alpha.

We were untouchable. 

The Blood Moon pack hadn’t lost a battle in a hundred years. No one was foolish enough to test their luck with us, and we lived in peace, content with what we had, not setting our sights elsewhere.

I was trained since I could walk in the art of fighting, of killing. I worked daily on it to improve, and one-day training became something that I wasn’t forced to do but genuinely enjoyed. 

Even more, I was good at it.

I bounced around my room, fully ready to go for hours now. My mom made me wait to put on my dress until right before the celebration started.

I ran my fingers over the light blue dress with a gossamer overlay that flared out behind me every time I walked. Intricate moon and star patterns were embroidered into the gossamer material in a thick silver thread that shined.

It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever owned.

A soft knock on the door, and my mother came in. Her black hair was curled and pulled away from her face in intricate braids. She was already wearing her dark blue gown that swished behind her, and she walked up, taking my hands in hers.

“I thought you could use some help getting ready.” She smiled at me, her light green eyes twinkling. I always wanted her eyes, but I got her hair instead and my dad's gray eyes. My mother said that she loved that I got his eyes, they were her favorite physical thing about him, and now she could look at them in me too.

She pulled me to my chaise in front of the mirror and brushed my hair, “How would you like me to do it?” She asked, humming to herself.

“Anything you want.” I smiled at her reflection in the mirror.

“I have just the thing, then,” Her eyes sparkled, and she grabbed a blue velvet box that I didn’t notice she set down when she came in. She resumed her position behind me and placed a white gold tiara on my head.

A large diamond hung in the middle, and sparkling sapphires adorned the woven gold that was made to look like branches. I have seen this before, many times. My mom used to find me sitting and staring at it for hours where it sat in my mom's office when I would watch her work. One of our oldest family heirlooms.

“Are you sure?” My voice sounded small.

“Yes,” My mother smiled and me and started weaving and braiding my hair around it, “You’re almost an adult now, and it will soon belong to you.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and watched her work until she was satisfied. She placed her head on one of my shoulders and studied us in the mirror.

I had her same full lips and straight nose, but the thicker eyebrows and long lashes were thanks to my dad.

“You are radiant, Simone, even without that tiara. Your worth comes not from your title but what you make of it, from who you are and who you are becoming. I am so honored that you are my daughter.” My eyes felt hot as I grabbed my mom's hand. Pride swelled through me at her words.

“Now,” She patted my shoulder with a brisk smile, “Your father is waiting for us.”

She led me down arm in arm to the banquet. Everyone was invited, and after the omegas served dinner, they sat with us too. No work for the rest of the evening, just a celebration.

“Luna Lilian, Simone, over here.” My dad's Beta, who was an uncle to me, even if not by blood, called us over. He passed a glass of wine to my mother and one to me, earning him a small frown of disapproval from my mom.

“This is shaping up to be one of the best Moonlight Celebrations we’ve ever had.” He scanned the crowd.

“You say that every year.” My mom countered.

“And every year it gets bigger and better,” He clinked his glass to hers as my father walked up. His chestnut brown hair shone in the candlelight.

I loved tonight, especially because everything felt ancient like we were celebrating the same way that we did in the past. My dad wanted to honor those who came before us and uphold their traditions tonight, and I felt like I stepped into another world. In the dining room, where candles and the fireplaces were the only sources of light, everyone enjoyed themselves sitting wherever they pleased, draped in blankets on top of thick rugs.

“My two favorite girls.” He put an arm around each of us and gave his Beta a wide smile, “And one of my favorite guys.”

Miles gave me a look but smiled back, pouring him a glass of wine, too.

“To old traditions,” My father raised his glass to his Beta.

“And to new ones,” He replied.

“Where is that Gamma of mine anyways?” My dad frowned, surveying the room, “I haven’t seen him since breakfast.

Right on cue, my dad's Gamma, Drew, walked up. His mate was in his arms, and he flashed me a wide smile, ignoring everyone else. “Do you mind if I borrow your parents for a bit?” He addressed me.

“Of course not.” I knew they were about to start the ceremony officially and then slip off to my dad's office before doing whatever they did that night every year. The curiosity killed me, but I knew I would understand in a few short years.

My dad cleared his throat, and the room quieted immediately. He waited a few moments for complete silence before he addressed the pack with his booming voice, “Thank you all for joining us,” He started as if this wasn’t a pretty much mandatory event, an event that everyone wanted to join.

 “Each year, we take tonight to thank the Goddess for blessing our pack and to thank her for all of her continued blessings, large and small, over our history. We are grateful to you all for being part of this pack and helping us uphold its name. Now, let's celebrate!” Everyone cheered, and music started.

My dad winked at me and took my mom's hand, leading her out.

I strolled through the party, taking it all in, the plates of food, the fancy dresses, the chatter, and the laughter that fell into the most wonderful background noise.

I grabbed a bit of food, saving my appetite to eat with my parents, and found some friends sitting with their families.

“Simone! Join us,” They scooted over to make room for me, and we fell into excited chatter about the boys we thought were cute and who we were hoping to be paired to train with next.

A lone howl sounded in the distance, not the distance. No. They were close.

That didn’t make sense; no one shifted tonight. We couldn’t shift tonight, and our pack was commanded not to speak of it to anyone who wasn’t sworn into Blood Moon. No one could deny an Alpha’s order, even if they tried. 

A chorus of howls joined in.

There had to be hundreds. A cold fear slipped down my spine, fighting against my confusion.

The air in the room turned cold, and all of the excitement was gone immediately.

Everyone froze, trying to figure out what was happening, and a moment later that felt like hours, everyone scrambled at once.

Plates clanged to the floor, tables, and benches were flipped as everyone rushed to the exits. I didn’t understand what we were running from or running towards.

I felt rooted to the ground; all of my extensive training left me, and I couldn’t remember anything or feel anything besides blank panic.

“Simone, with me.” One of my friend's moms grabbed my hand and whisked me out. We fought through a throng of people, the air suffocating until we reached outside. I took a deep breath of the cool air, but it did nothing to stop the fear that felt fiery coursing through me.

Mom, Dad. - I tried to link them both, but I couldn’t reach them. 

They might still be in my dad's office.

Screams sounded from all around us, and my friend's mom dropped my hand as her daughter was dragged through the crowd by a wolf. Her scream was like nothing I’d heard before. Anger and undiluted sorrow pierced the sky with her voice.

I felt sick, my stomach rolled, my heartbeat pounded in my chest, and my ears were ringing, blocking out all the screams, so many screams.

I fought a sob. I had to get to my parents. An ache consumed me, and I thought of nothing else but seeing them again. 

I would be safe with them.

Amongst the chaos, I fled along with the others that were still - that were still alive. 

I rushed through the closest door that was thrown off the handle and ran to my dad's office.

My brain couldn’t comprehend the snarls, the pleas, the screams, and the sounds of the dying that were loud even back inside the packhouse.

Nothing made sense. I couldn’t process anything that was happening. I couldn’t feel anything but sharp consuming fear and the yearning to get to my parents.

My lungs were protesting at my speed, but I didn’t stop; I couldn’t stop until I found them until I was safe in their arms, and this was all over.

I halted and grasped the wall next to me, a silent sob choking out as I took in my dad's Gamma Drew lying in his own blood outside the office. His hand was outstretched to his mate, reaching for her even in his last moments of life.

She lay near him, her wide-open eyes staring at the ceiling as blood still trickled from the wound in her neck.

I stepped over Drew on shaky legs, forcing myself not to look, and pushed open the door that was already ajar. I knew what I would find; I felt it in me before I saw it.

Blackness consumed me.

When I awoke, I was thrown into a cold, drafty room, a dungeon, probably.

A light flickered on, no a fire. I could barely tilt my head in the direction of the soft light that crackled and popped, angering me for a reason I couldn’t place.

Someone said something, and it didn’t register. I swayed again, craving the blackness, but my back hit something hard, wooden.

The door was shut behind me, and I didn’t know how long I sat there. Eventually, I must have forced myself up and turned to the bed behind me.

I found myself tumbling into or onto it. I wasn’t sure; my feet stopped doing what I willed them. My beautiful blue dress was blood-stained, along with the rest of me.

I prayed to anything left out there, anything that cared, that I could fall asleep and never wake up.

*PRESENT DAY*

I forced myself to keep my eyes closed even as the memories swirled behind my shut lids. I evened my breathing, which felt unnatural against the adrenaline pumping through me. I adjusted myself in bed, so I lay on my back and faced the door.

Soft footsteps sounded outside my door, a pause, and then my door creaked open, letting in a soft light that flickered across my shut lids. Another pause and then a few footsteps toward my bed before they turned and closed the door behind them.

A small smile played on my lips; someone was checking on me, making sure that I was safe from the threat.

What they didn’t know was that I had been the one behind the disappearances, that I was behind that Alpha son’s murder.

And that one day, very soon,  I would kill them all.