Traces of destiny, part 1.

MARY VAN HELSING ADOPTS THE BABY

Even though the order was clear, Ruby refuses to follow it and at that moment she declares that she's no longer a member of the pack.

Although her body was much smaller, and her fangs were not sharp like those of the other members, Ruby, in her lupine form, didn't flinch as she threw herself at the Lycanthrope that was biting her sister.

"Run! Save the child," she said to her sister, positioning herself in an attack position to defend her.

"What do you think you're doing?" growled the wolf that rises from the ground and shakes its body to remove the snow from its fur.

"I won't let you kill my velut luna! You're going to have to go over me first!" she said firmly. In her eyes was possible to see the fervor of her words, her fidelity to her velut luna and above all her love for her sister.

"She's no longer the velut luna, she's a traitor! Traitors don't deserve compassion, forgiveness or anything!" snarled the beta, positioning himself in front of the others, taking the place of leader on the attack against their luna cimex and her sister, the traitor.

"She's my velut luna! My sister!" she growled in response.

"Forgive me. Please forgive me," Emerald whispered with eyes full of tears as she rose from the ground. Hugging the baby to her chest, she ran into the forest lit only by the light of the full moon.

Her heart was bleeding; she knew what was going to happen to her sister. The icy wind carried her plea for forgiveness.

A half circle of wolves stopped in front of Ruby. Her entire body trembled. She was never exposed to so much dominance before, and it almost hurt her physically. Her instincts wanted her to lower her head, but instead she didn't lose her ground and did not lower her head. For the first time, she stood up in front of those who had repressed her, mistreated her and despised her all her life.

For the first time in the history of cimex lunas, she was defending something she loved. And that was being seen. She was being seen. In the dark corner of the forest, at the top of one of the trees, the enemy was lurking, watching everything with their red eyes.

"Kill the deserter!" The beta orders and everyone jumps on Ruby, who still tries to defend herself with her small claws and round fangs. But, unfortunately, she had no strength or skills to begin with, so it didn't take her a minute to be defeated.

Ruby howled one last time. In her last moments, she asks for the goddess's protection for her sister and her helpless little cub.

Her lifeless body returned to its human form and her spirit returned to the great moon. The wolves, not satisfied with just killing her, trampled her until she was completely deformed and unrecognizable.

The night sky began to drizzle, fine drops of water from the sky as the goddess wept for the cruel death of one of her beloved daughters.

"We're going after the traitor," the beta declared after approving the job they did on what was left of Ruby.

The wolves returned the hunt as the wind carried with it the traces of the traitor. The enemy, intrigued with the baby, jumped from the tree. With their long-range vision, and their extreme sense of smell, they could track the blood on the ground, its smell and its carrier and so they knew exactly where Emerald was.

The former velut luna can no longer run; her leg had broken in a sharp fall at the root of one tree and the constant drizzle didn't help either. If she transformed, she could heal quickly, but she couldn't do that. She needs to take care of the baby. But her situation was too drastic. Her fear of losing the baby was too great.

Her ears detect the sound of someone approaching over the trees. Her heart throbbed in fear, and all her senses became more sensitive.

"Please, moon goddess, don't let anything bad happen to my baby..." Emerald trusted the goddess as she was one of the few wolves who still worshiped the moon as being the force who moved their life, but her request was interrupted.

"Don't you think it's useless to ask her for protection now?" said the voice in the woods.

With her red eyes and black clothes, there was no doubt for Emerald of who that was. It was the enemy, that was clear. But the person in front of her was not only the enemy, it was the dreaded Mary Van Helsing.

"No. She's our goodness, our–"

Emerald was interrupted by the menacing howls of the wolves that hunted her. She gasped in fear. Despite her dominance and force losing only to her mate, she was weak, and they were many. The female was vulnerable, her male should be there to defend her, but instead he wants her and their baby dead and that, the longing for her mate, makes her even more weak.

"They're close. Their smell is everywhere; it's only a matter of time before they find me."

Mary saw the terror in the green eyes of the weak, powerless woman sitting inside the root of a large, twisted tree in hopes of keeping herself and her baby in hiding. In hopes of saving their lives.

"Please. Please," Emerald's lips trembled, not from cold, not from fear, but from sadness. She knew the fate she would have, she knew she wouldn't be able to protect her cub, but she wanted him to live. If he was born this way, it was for a purpose. She believed in it because the goddess never fails. "Please. Please save this child. He has never committed any sin, he's innocent in all of this, so please... Please take him and keep him safe. Please."

Mary looked deep into Emerald's eyes. She knew that at that moment, Emerald was just a desperate mother. Mary also knew that this situation was not normal. A cub born in the shape of a human was something impossible. They were beasts. He had to be born a wolf and only show signs of humanization after his first six months of life.

Mary knew that the baby was something abnormal.

"I beg you, please. Please don't let them kill my puppy."

Mary didn't say a word, just stretched out her arms and took the child.

Emerald smiled, relieved. Even if she died in that place, her little cub's life was going to be preserved and that was enough for her. She could die in peace.

"His name is Rudolf, the mighty wolf," Emerald's voice came out low, but Mary could hear perfectly.

She didn't find the name appropriate for the boy, for it was clear that this child didn't look at all like a wolf. Nothing about him was anything like those terrible cruel beasts.

The wolves were close, Emerald could hear them run in the woods and howl at the moon. Any minute now. She took one last look at her baby's face, committing his features to memory, but Mary didn't extend the farewell. Soon she turned her back and returned to the top of the tree, jumping from branch to branch until she stood at a long distance. But not too far; she wanted to see what would happen to Emerald.

"Thank you, my goddess. I've always trusted you and I'll always..." but Emerald couldn't finish her last prayer to her maker.

The beta grasped the female's head and ripped it from her body without any difficulty and the ground was bathed in her blood. The fine drizzle turned into a great storm, hail fell violent upon the earth, thunder cut through the dark in the sky. Not long after that, the wolves rushed back to their dens inside the castle.

Mary jumped from tree to tree to the nearest base. All the way through she took care that no stone or ice hit the little child in her arms.

"Welcome back, ma'am," the guard who opened the gate greeted Mary who only nodded in response.

"Whose baby is this?" Margaret asked as soon as Mary entered the base.

Margaret was adopted by Mary five years ago after her parents were killed and devoured in front of her by werewolves. Mary managed to save her from having the same fate and since then has she been raising and training the girl.

"He's part of our family now."