Chapter 2: Inheritance

"Come in!" I shouted, not bothering to lift my head from my arms. 

I heard the old wooden door creak open and instantly recognized the scent of the werewolf that entered my home.  Reed smelled like the forest after a rainstorm. Notes of cedar and earth combined with a musk that was distinctly male, the latter developing in our teen years. 

"Hey, Bri-...Luna" He quickly corrected himself when my head shot up as a warning not to use the nickname he had called since we were pups. I wouldn't allow it. I physically could not.

Ever since I had assumed the role as Luna, the intense urge to establish dominance over every pack member was in full force.

My dad had warned me that would happen when I became Luna. He'd told me since I was little that one day his power would shift to me and I would become something new. My old self would blend with a feral, ancient instinct that would make me the strongest female werewolf in the pack- the strongest in any pack for that matter.

The new me refused to let anyone, even Reed, forget my place above them or my authority over them. Any sign of disobedience made me want to sink my teeth into the pack member that was stupid enough to challenge me. 

Reed's gaze shifted uncomfortably for a split second before returning to me, understanding in his moss colored eyes. He had changed too when he lost his father. We'd been together when we were struck with the sudden influx of power, responsibilty and grief. 

It happened on a beautiful spring evening six months ago. Reed had set up a picnic for us, complete with a plaid blanket and basket full of my favorite muffins. We were laying out under the stars in an opening under the cedar trees. I could still remember how content and safe I felt while resting my head against his chest. We had been pointing to constellations our ancestors had names after the legends the old packs told. 

First, we found the group of twilight that formed the shape of a woman's body. The stars stretched out to the left, making it appear the she was reaching to capture a single star that sat just beyond her grasp.  She was the Goddess of the Moon and named after the diety believed to be the first of our kind. The star out of reach symbolized her human lover who died from a wound  us werewolves would have easily healed from. After his death, she howled at the moon with so much sorrow that the moon answered her mournful prayer. The Goddess's wish was that us wolves would not fall in love with humans, only to be consumed by the void left when their fragile lives ended. Instead, we would be bonded to only one of our kind, our fated mate. 

We had also pointed to the Three Sisters constellation, three stars that sat vertically in a line. The bottom two were brilliant and twinkling orbs, making the the top star appear smaller and lackluster. The old wolves' tale was about triplets who had all become Luna. When the power fell upon the oldest of the three, her love for the other two acted as a shield. Some of the inheritance ricocheted off of her and landed in the souls of the other two. Together they formed the stongest Luna presence ever known. That was ridiculous, as all fairytales are,  since Alphas and Lunas never shared power. That would contradict everything we are.

The last constellation sat barely visible behind a canopy of galaxy. Only the faint outline of a wolf could be seen through the thick curtain of stars. This grouping of burning light was named after The Ghost. The Ghost fable warned us of a cursed wolf who could fade into the shadows and be invisible at times, silently stalking any and all. 

As Reed had been telling me about all of the scandalous and mostly illegal things he would do if he were The Ghost, his eyes suddenly rolled back in his head. His chest arched violently off of the blanket while all of the muscles in his body tensed. I shot to my knees and grabbed ahold of his shoulders, trying to shake him out of whatever trance he had been sucked into. He gasped once...twice..three times before his body stilled. He closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath.

"Reed, what happened?" My voice thick with panic as I continued to cling tightly to his shoulders, begging him to lie and tell me his father hadn't just fallen to the enemy. "Reed, No. Please tell me it didn't happen."

He opened his eyes and the tears that had been dammed behind the lids escaped and slid down his cheeks. Before I could offer comfort for his breaking heart, I felt mine shatter.

As agonizing as the instant grief was, under that emotion there was something even stronger.  It was ancient, primal and all-consuming.  It felt like the power of the moon had exploded and all of its light was seeking to fill me. I felt my chest reach towards the night sky to welcome the power that was meant only for me. I could no longer see the twinkling stars and towering treetops above me. All I could see was piercing white light. I could feel the light encompassing me, changing me, whispering to every cell in my body to become something more. 

Through the brightness, a vision of my father in his wolf form came into view. The beautiful chestnut colored figure stared into my soul with fiery topaz eyes, the same eyes as mine.  I felt an overwheling sense of pride for what a extraordinary leader, pack member, and father he was.

As quickly as the inheritance had come upon me, it was over. I lay there gasping for air, trying to process what had just happened. The realization hit me like a tidal wave. My father was dead. 

We had spent that night in our wolf bodies, bounding through the forest and howling in misery at the cresent in the sky.  The others in our pack had heard our cries and felt their allegiance shift to a new leader.  They joined us atop the highest cliff in our territory, mourning the loss of their beloved Alpha and Beta.

That was the night that everything had changed between Reed and I. While his Beta inheritance made him stronger, it also ensured his loyalty to me. He was in my service and under my control.  Once the inheritance happened, we knew we would never be equals again.