Destined Queen, Prophesied Warrior

A Heartfelt Goodbye and An Ominous Foreboding

Leonidas and Lucas's Initiation Celebration was lasting into the wee hours of the morning. Everyone who remained was still lively, aside from the twins who were both asleep and snoring from the comfort of their stroller. Aurelia thought they looked so angelic while they slept. She looked upon their precious, little round faces with their dark brown, curly hair and she pictured their hazel eyes, even though they were closed, as they dreamt. A perfect mix of her mother and their father, Demetrius. She was saddened that she wouldn't be able to see them day to day and watch them grow however, she was also comforted by the thought that the twins had their Whispering Woods Kin-Fetch Tribal Spirit's protection should they need it. She knew they would be safely guarded by the large pack of Whispering Woods as their future Alphas as well. Knowing these things put Aurelia's mind at ease and helped her enjoy the remainder of the commemoration.

"Why was the dog stealing shingles?" Beta Orion asked prior to revealing the punchline, "because he wanted to become a woofer!" Orion laughed at his own 'dad joke' and continued, "What do you call a dog with no legs?" Orion paused for effect and finished with, "It doesn't matter, he still won't come when you call!"

He roared with laughter slapping one hand on his knee and the other across Nikolaos' back; who shook his head in embarrassment but couldn't help but smile. He jabbed his fist playfully against Orion's shoulder in retaliation replying, "Your dad jokes need some serious work!"

Orion placed his hand to his heart feigning hurt by the sentiment, followed by that playful grin of his. Adrian laughed at their antics and looked to Aurelia and jokingly shrugged. He put his hands to his temples and rubbed, clearly humiliated, but appreciative of their wiles. Aurelia chuckled learning that Adrian's Beta, Orion, was definitely a jokester. She pictured him as a prankster, a class clown if you will, and she gave herself a pat on the back because she predicted as much based off his mischievous smile when they were first introduced. It was obvious that he loved to make other people laugh.

Adrian's Gamma, Nikolaos, was the "boy next door" type of wolf. He had a positive attitude and friendly aura about him. He was very humble and genuine, never turning down a single she-wolf who approached him for a dance. He was such a gentleman despite his "bad boy" appearance caused by his sleeves of tribal tattoos. Aurelia could tell that Adrian, Orion, and Nikolaos had a special, brotherly bond by watching how they interacted with each other. Orion cracking jokes and taking jabs at Nikolaos who would then make some witty comeback about how horrible Orion's jokes were.

"Evie, dearest?" Her mother called over the chatter of the crowd, waving her hands for Aurelia to come sit and chat with her.

Aurelia nodded her head in acknowledgement noticing the group of Pack Elders who were standing in front of her mother. Aurelia, her hand interlaced with Adrian's, gave him a gentle squeeze and motioned towards her mother. "My mother, and quite possibly the Pack Elders, appear to be summoning me. Would you like to accompany me?" Aurelia asked. "I'm not sure what this conversation might pertain to, but you're my Moon-Fated and I don't want to have any secrets or pertinent knowledge kept from you..." she continued, "so, what do you say?"

Adrian raised her hand to his lips where he dropped a gentle kiss and whispered, his breath tickling lightly across the top of her hand, "After you, My Moon."

He stood from his storm-blue velvet side chair, placed his hands on the back of Aurelia's seat and silently scooted her chair back, it scraping gently across the floor. She stood and looped her arm with Adrian's as they meandered through the crowd towards her mother and the Pack Elders. As Adrian and Aurelia approached, the Pack Elders bowed and tilted their head to the side baring their necks, showing submission and respect for their King Alpha.

"Good evening, King Alpha Adrian Marcos Damon Vassilis, we thank you for coming all this way and attending the twin's Baptism of Fire as their Rite Master." Head Pack Elder Theseus declared while the rest of the Elders all nodded their heads in agreement.

"It was my honor to attend and bless their initiation into your pack. I am forever grateful that I was invited, because it seems my arrival here was fated by The Moon Goddess herself, as she finally led me to my Moon-Fated Mate." Adrian stated. He tenderly wrapped his arms around Aurelia's waist and laid his stubbled chin upon her head and continued speaking, this time addressing Aurelia's mother. "You've raised a lovely young woman Luna Carissa. I'll forever protect and cherish your daughter. You can trust that she'll be in safe hands with me at the Capital Palace in the heart of my Royal Storm Riders Pack and I assure you it's the safest place in the nation, only accessible by boat or by seaplane."

"Thank you, King Alpha Adrian for your sentiment. I've the upmost faith and trust that you'll safeguard my daughter." Luna Carissa replied, tears mixed of happiness and slight sadness filling her bright brown eyes. "I must admit, I have prayed to Selene, Blessed Be, that Aurelia would find a mate worthy of her. A mate willing to shelter, protect, and provide for her just like my husband Demetrius and my former Moon-Fated Mate, Aurelia's father, Cassius." she expressed.

"Oh, mom!" Aurelia sat next to her petite mother and squeezed her into a tight hug declaring, "I love you so, so much!"

Aurelia noticed that two Pack Elders remained with them as the others dispersed into the crowd. The Pack Elders all kept long gray beards, usually braided, and wore dark green hooded robes. The velour robe's sleeves were adorned with intricate silver accents displaying images of their pact's pictograph and The Moon Goddess, Selene. Their robes were held together by a simple steel-gray, twined sash. Aurelia recognized the two pack elders who remained as Head Elder Theseus and his Head Advisor Odysseus.

The Head Pack Elder, Theseus, wore half-moon silver spectacles over his gray eyes, kept his beard loose and had long white dreadlocks in his hair. He appeared as a frail old wolf but Aurelia knew he was more powerful than he seemed.

His Head Advisor was Odysseus; he had a gray and black braided beard, and kept his long peppered hair tied in a knot at the top of his head. Odysseus was young for an Elder but he was special; an Ansin who has psychic abilities and can connect to nature's past and see past events. Aurelia heard rumors that he could see events that have yet to transpire, so she was anxious and on edge, wondering what on Gaia Earth this could be about?

Luna Carissa broke free from her daughter's embrace and exclaimed, "Enough of that Evie, you're going to make your poor mother cry in front of all her pack members!" she fanned her hands in front of her face to dry her tears as they formed. When she was done she waved her hand in a twisting motion stating, "Now, you know I hate 'shop talk' during a pleasant event, but The Pack Elders have important news that I feel they need to share with you darling." Her mother nodded her head towards Head Elder Theseus giving him permission to continue.

Aurelia, hating surprises and with butterflies forming in her stomach, turned slightly in her chair and gave Head Elder Theseus her attention. She patted the empty seat next to her, indicating for Adrian to sit. She needed the support of the mate bond and the comfort of his touch to calm her nerves.

Head Elder Theseus cleared his throat and began, "Aurelia, I'm aware that your auspice Moon is the rare Super Blue Blood Moon. Is this correct?" Aurelia nodded her head in agreement and Pack Elder Theseus continued, "After tonight's Baptism, Odysseus was saying prayer to Mother Gaia Earth when he was suddenly bestowed with a vision, gifted by Mother Gaia, predicting a Super Blue Blood Moon to appear over the Winter Solstice. He was shown instructions pertaining to The Chosen, The Prophesied Wolf and Warrior. When the wolf born under the Super Blue Blood Moon receives their Baptism of Fire, he or she will be endowed with rare and astounding abilities in order to protect Selene's children in their time of need. In addition, he was also presented with a warning, an ominous threat looms on the horizon. There is one who wants to manipulate, capture, or even kill The Chosen in order to absorb his or her abilities for their own vile, wicked endeavors!"

Aurelia gasped in air, bringing her hand to her mouth, shocked. She thought to herself there was no way she was this so called Chosen, this Prophesied Wolf and Warrior that they are speaking of. She furrowed her brow and nervously played with the hem of her cotton dress. She chose her next words carefully, addressing Odysseus and questioned, "Did Mother Gaia Earth give any indication who this wolf could be or how many wolves were even born under the same Moon as I?"

"I'm sorry to say that I wasn't blessed with the identity of The Chosen. When I remembered your mother speaking of you never being able to receive a Baptism of Fire while we were preparing for your brothers' ritual, we came as quickly as we could to inform her." Odysseus was sullen as he added, "I believe your mother has made the right decision to inform you of what I was shown." With that Head Pack Elder Theseus and Head Advisor, Ansin Odysseus bowed their respects and headed back towards their Sacred Grounds.

"There are records of birth for every wolf pup born in Canada or the States at the Capital Records building of my pack. We keep very detailed records and I'm sure that we can ascertain if there were any other pups born under the same auspice Moon as Aurelia." Adrian offered, obviously worried for his future Luna. "Luna Carissa, if you'll excuse me I'm going to send word to my Royal Storm Riders Pack's Capital Palace and have my most trusted advisors working on discerning this information for us."

Luna Carissa nodded in agreement, trusting the King Alpha would keep his promise to protect her daughter. She was proud of the fact that he was already showing such initiation to safeguard her beloved Aurelia. Carissa stood heavily from her seat and embraced her daughter knowing that what she was going to ask of her next would be very difficult for her.

"My beautiful daughter, my precious Aurelia," she held each side of her daughter's face lovingly as she said forlorn, "I need to know you'll be safe. King Alpha Adrian has the means to protect you my daughter, and he is your Moon-Fated. I know he'll do everything in his power to safeguard you. I know he'll cherish you and love you until his last breath. Although parting with you is going to be the next most difficult thing I do, I know this is the right thing to ask of you." Aurelia's mother started to cry as she hugged her daughter, staring into her eyes which reminded her so much of Aurelia's father and asked, "Please, will you let King Alpha Adrian take you to the safety of their Capital Palace tonight?"

Aurelia didn't know how she could possibly leave her home of the past 11 years on the drop of a dime. How could she leave her mother, her brothers and her stepfather without proper goodbyes?

Aurelia noticed that the Recreation Hall was eerily quiet. The string orchestra had left an hour ago so it had been easy to clear it of the few remaining party goers. Aurelia watched as Alpha Demetrius ordered the Hall to be cleaned as he pushed the boy's stroller out the door, heading back to the main Pack House. The Omegas were quickly beginning to dissemble the decorations and clean the Recreation Hall. She glanced in Adrian's direction who was giving orders to his Beta and Gamma, filling them in on their situation.

Aurelia noticed her hands were nervously playing and twisting at the hem of her dress again and after giving her mother's request deep thought, Aurelia agreed to her plea. "I love you mama and I'll do as you ask…" sobbing incoherently adding, "Please give Leonidas and Lucas my love and thank Demetrius for being such a great husband to you, an amazing father to the boys, and an inspiring Alpha. This isn't goodbye mother, it's only an 'I'll see you later' okay?"

Aurelia held onto her mother's loving embrace a few more moments, savoring the feel of her hug and the way that she always smelled of roses. Her mother was her best friend and thinking of leaving Whispering Woods, her second home, felt so surreal but so did the Pack Elder's warning. Aurelia's mother placed a tearful kiss on each side of her face and began walking with her towards Adrian's direction. Aurelia looked on as Beta Orion and Gamma Nikolaos rushed into the night carrying out their Alpha's demands.

"King Alpha Adrian Marcos Damon Vassilis," Luna Carissa addressed, "I fear for my daughter's safety after hearing about Odysseus' vision and their warning. I know she'll be far safer with you and your pack at the Royal Storm Riders Pack's Capital Palace. Please take care of my daughter. She's the last thing I have of my beloved Cassius. I'll ensure that her belongings are immediately brought to your caravan for transport. My husband has already made sure to have a chest packed and ready for your immediate departure. Are you able to leave behind two of your carriages while they're loaded with Aurelia's effects? This way you can head for the Capital Palace immediately."

Adrian nodded his consent. "I'll protect her with my life and I speak for the Royal Storm Riders Pack when I say that my warriors would lay down their lives to protect their future Luna, my Moon-Fated. I'll send word to you once we arrive at the Capital Palace, Luna Carissa. Please keep me updated if Pack Elder Odysseus is blessed with anymore forewarnings." Adrian affirmed.

Aurelia's whole world was spinning, her lungs hyperventilating, blackness edging in on her vision while ringing resounded in her ears. Her knees buckled and the last thing she remembered is starting to collapse and being caught before she hit the ballroom floor of the Recreation Hall.