Luna Rising: The Prophecy

Chapter 1: The Last Summer

Present day

Aeliana

"How much longer, Lionel?" I poked my head out of the carriage window.

"Another hour or so, miss," the driver said politely, adjusting his grip on the reins. "We lost some time taking the south road."

I sighed. "Thank you, Lionel." I drew my head back inside the carriage and settled into my seat. "I wish we could travel in wolf form."

"Why Aeliana!" My younger sister Stella exclaimed, properly scandalized. "You know we couldn't do that! It wouldn't be proper to show up at Blue Moon without any clothes. Besides," she said, smoothing her skirts. "It's dangerous."

"I'm glad to see you put your fear of being publicly naked ahead of the very real dangers of rogues and enemy packs in the woods," I said sarcastically. "Besides, I could carry my clothes with me and dress when I get there."

"Well, the danger is a possibility. Showing up naked at Blue Moon is a certainty." Stella shook her head. "Plus, you know you can't get dressed by yourself anyway, you'd never lace your corsets!"

I laughed. "Oh, Stella. I'm glad you're coming with me this year. It gets a little lonely when I go alone and have to rely on letters to feel close to family."

She smiled prettily, a dimple indenting her left cheek. "I'm glad too. It will be an exciting summer!"

"Except it will also be the last summer that will be like this," I lamented. "We won't even have the whole summer, either. In just a month, I turn eighteen, and Derek and I will be mated and become Alpha and Luna of Blue Moon."

Stella sighed dreamily. "Isn't it wonderful? Derek is so handsome. You're so lucky to know who your mate is this early."

"This early? I've known it since before I was born!" I replied. "Alpha Axel shared the prophecy with our parents before I was even growing in Mother's womb. She had just given birth to Reagan."

"Exactly," she said, pulling a handkerchief out of her sleeve to wipe away some road dust that got in her eye. "You don't have to worry about who your mate might be, or whether or not you'll ever find them. You know who he is and where he is. It truly is a gift."

"I suppose," I said noncommittally, turning to look out the window. In truth, I knew I was lucky. Derek and I had taken turns visiting each other every summer since we were young as a result of the prophecy, so I knew him well. He was strong, handsome, and good to me. I should feel blessed. Except, sometimes I couldn't help but feel a little claustrophobic. My whole life was planned out, before I'd even had a chance to live it. It would be nice to feel like I had a modicum of say when it came to my own fate.

"I wish Derek had a younger brother," Stella said morosely. "Then he and I could be mates, and we could all live together."

"You know that was impossible, Alpha Axel died before Derek was born," I said chidingly.

"I know," my little sister sighed dejectedly. She was only a year and a half younger than me, but I'd always felt this need to teach her, to protect her, to take her under my wing.

I did it now, moving next to her and putting my arm around her. "You'll find your mate, Stella, I'm sure of it," I said soothingly. "Who knows, they might be a part of Blue Moon, and we really can be together." I smoothed her hair. "You still have a couple years left before you even have to worry about it, sweetie. Just enjoy your life as it is right now, the rest will come."

"I know," Stella said again, this time sounding a little happier. We were alike in many ways, she and I. We were both on the shorter side for werewolves, only about five and a half feet tall. We both had the same precise shade of dirty blonde hair, too. But my eyes were a warm brown and my face was more heart-shaped, with full lips. Stella's eyes were green, and she had more narrow features, inherited from our mother. Sometimes she reminded me of a pixie or a fairy from the stories we were told when we were young.

We sat like that for awhile, feeling the bumps of the carriage wheels going over ruts in the road beneath us. The south road that led to Blue Moon was rougher than the north road, but we were on this route because we had heard about sightings of Black Claw warrior ambushes along the north road at our last stop at an inn. So, the more meandering, less well-maintained south road ended up being the safer choice.

The carriage went over a particularly large root and came crashing back down, tossing my sister and I a few inches into the air. "Ow," I said as I landed hard, my breath hitching painfully in my corset. I hated dressing up in human clothes. What was with women's fashion these days? Constricting corsets, layers of petticoats, and dresses that didn't allow for free movement of the body. Not to mention it required a team of two just to dress properly. At home, we had our own seamstresses that made dresses in a similar style, but were much easier to take on and off by ourselves, and were blessedly only a single layer. But for traveling through human villages and towns, we had to look the part.

"Could you loosen my corset a little?" I begged Stella, still struggling to regain my breath. "I can't breathe."

"I shouldn't, we're getting close now, aren't we?" she questioned, looking out the window. "I'd just have to tighten you back up again, and without a bedpost for you to hang onto, I couldn't possibly get it back where it needs to be."

"Ugh, you're right," I groaned, straightening up and trying to give my lungs a little more room to expand. Feeling a little grumpy now, my mind drifted once again to the prophecy, only this time, I focused on the latter portion of it. "...and together they shall win the final battle."

It was a mistake that I'd found out about that part. Up until a few years ago, all I'd known of the prophecy was that I, the eldest daughter of the Howling Rivers pack, was destined to be mates with Derek, the Blue Moon alpha heir. Nobody else was even supposed to know that. The public story is that we were arranged as chosen mates to form an alliance. But I had woken late one night in need of something to drink, and I overheard the low voices of my parents arguing about the battle on my way to the kitchen. I don't know whether I was foolish or smart to stop and listen. Either way, the secret was out. I was not only going to be mated to Derek, but I was supposedly going to be winning some battle. The one that would end the war.

I shivered. I'd known of the war all my life, but we were fortunate that Howling Rivers was the realm's oldest and largest pack, and were well protected by both warriors and the natural mountainous landscape around us. As such, we were largely untouched over the years, with very few skirmishes related to the war.

The same couldn't be said for most other packs, Blue Moon included. There were many battles and fights amongst the different packs, and many were lost over the years. Quite frankly, I wasn't even sure what the war was about at this point. I knew it had to do with pack lands and disagreements over territory, but the details were hazy. Either way, lately it seemed as though everything was coming to a head. Tensions were higher than they'd ever been, and attacks were starting to occur more frequently and on a larger scale. So much so that my parents almost didn't let us take the journey here. But our older brother Reagan was ascending to the title of Alpha this summer, and they had a lot to do to prepare for the transition, so they relented. Instead, we got full warrior detail to accompany us on our journey, slipping through the trees in wolf form, ever vigilant.

The more I thought about the prophecy, the more scared I became. Since it was hidden from me for so long, I hadn't realized just how important my combat training was. I threw myself into it over the last few years, but I still felt woefully unprepared to fight in an actual war.

"We're here!" Stella squealed, pulling me out of my depressing reverie. I looked up. Indeed, the wrought iron gates at the main entrance to Blue Moon were opening to admit the carriage.

I smiled a little. We were finally here.

---

Unknown POV

I paused in the woods at the sound of clattering wheels. Finding myself near the front gates of the pack, I carefully set down the firewood I was collecting and crept closer, hiding myself behind a sturdy oak tree. A few minutes later, a simple black carriage with gold accents came into view. Finely crafted and tasteful, not overly gaudy like other carriages you saw that other well-off people owned. It was smart not to travel with obvious wealth in this day and age.

I crept a little closer and managed to see inside the carriage window for a moment as it drove past. As I suspected, the carriage was from the Howling Rivers pack.

Nice Girl was finally here.