A Tale of Three Lunas-Completed

Chapter 12

Zinnia's POV

By the break of dawn, I am able to see that I am only about two miles away from the Realm of Goodwill. A wave of relief washes over me, followed by a bit of trepidation before I start on the remaining area.

Was everything here the same as it was when I was a child? Would I be accepted and allowed to tell my story? Were there any dangers that I was not aware of?

I rummage through my bag and pull out a clean dress and a pair of thick leggings to wear on my first day there. I gulp down some water and stretch a bit as I jump from my tree, hoping that it will be my last night sleeping outside.

I take a slow walk up to the gate that goes around the massive town for what appears to be miles and I am mesmerized by the sight before me. I can't believe that everything here looks even more grand and mystical than it did the last time I was here.

Close to where I stand is an immaculate, pristine town filled with happy looking townspeople just going about their business. Children skip along the streets, not an unhappy face is detectable as merchants laugh along with their buyers. Werewolves in their wolf form freely traipse about. The stores seem never to end, save for an enormous castle off in the far distance. Behind the castle are lush hills covered in snow that lead to a forest.

"Can I help you?"

I am caught off guard as I am approached by an intimidating looking man inside the gate.

Just before me is an area smaller than the town, closed off from it, from where this man is addressing me.

"Are you a resident here?" he queries.

"No, no. I had to flee from my pack. I would like a chance to expl-"

"Well, you don't smell like a rogue, so that's fine." I get closer to the man and he ends up smelling my hands.

"Blood. Anything to say about that?" he asks me, his jaw locking.

"Oh. I delivered a baby on my way over here. There was no soap, so I couldn't really wash my hands well."

"Hmm." The man doesn't say anything else before he takes a clipboard off the table and writes something down. "I have to put this electric collar on you before we can let you in. If you resist, we will have problems."

I don't move a muscle as he fastens the collar to my neck.

He opens the gate and leads me to one of a few small medical tents over to the side. I enter feeling my heart jump in my chest. Once I am in the tent I am met by two people in protective gear. He hands them the clipboard and leaves the tent.

They take my bag, lead me to a small shower and ask me to strip my clothes off. They use brooms to scrub me down in the freezing cold water quickly. They give me a burlap gown and tell me to have a seat.

After a brief interview where they ask only for my name and former pack, and a short medical examination, I am led down a long underground corridor. At the end is a small room where I sit with one guard who is busy on his phone.

My phone got burned in my house fire. My heart is beating so fast, suddenly thinking about everything that I had to leave behind, everything that was taken from me, my whole way of living, including KJ. I have no idea what is going to happen to him.

"Ugh, sorry I took so long."

A tall, slim man in a tailored blue suit rushes in and greets the security guard before taking the clipboard that has been placed on the table.

"Zinnia Wilkins?"

"Yes sir, that's me." I answer, making the man laugh.

"There's no need to call me sir. My name is Roman and I'm the Gamma here and in charge of intake for our Rogue Prevention Program. I see that you are from the West Moontrail Pack? Is that right?"

"Yes."

"So you really came here through an area where Ihowtons were spotted. Did you see any?"

"What are Ihowtons?"

He continues to look down at the page in confusion.

"Okay, well we will probably have more questions about that when we debrief you tomorrow." he says. "Now I see here that you say you delivered a baby on your way here."

"Yes, just some people I saw on the road on my way. I took a class, so I figured why not help." I shrug.

"Hmm, yea I bet. For now, we will be temporarily inducing you into our pack." he smiles an insincere smile.

"I, Roman Alloway, Gamma of the New Moon Pack of the Realm of Goodwill, representative of Alpha King Koa, now accept you, Zinnia Wilkins, into our pack. Now please read this Intake Information Summary while I find a suitable hut for you to stay in."

I am informed, by the Intake Information Summary, that I will have a week to either complete the ceremony spilling my blood in honor and loyalty to the New Moon Pack or if I am rejected for the offer to be rescinded.

"We are going to take you to our intake quarters so you can rest from your journey. While you are here, we expect all of our visitors to behave in a manner befitting of the New Moon Pack. There is not much wiggle room when it comes to that. We definitely don't tolerate lying here so keep that in mind."

Roman leads me out of the underground area up some stairs as he walks toward a big, open space with a bunch of cozy looking huts. I am thinking about how excited I am to take a nap in an actual bed when I hear something behind me that startles me.

"Zinnia! Hey, Zinnia! That's Zinnia."

I turn to see a woman being pushed in a wheelchair.

"Hey Leilani, you made it!"

Carl gives me a big hug when I go over to greet them.

"We just left the hospital. I'm fine and the baby is as well, thanks to you. They just wanted to run some tests on him before we could take him home. I had to get out of there as soon as possible though, I feel perfectly fine and I hate hospitals."

Leilani greets Roman from her wheelchair.

"This young girl saw us in the forest on our way back from visiting Carl's old pack and delivered our son yesterday." she tells him, taking my hand. Roman's face drops as he looks at me in shock.

"You delivered the Alpha King's grandson?"