The Cursed Luna

Chapter Two

Picking up her daughter from the highchair and holding her tightly to her chest, Charity softly kissed her chubby cheeks before saying 'Ok my Bella Boo, lets get you washed up and off to play with Miss Sarah so mummy can ring Auntie Chloe on the phone'

'Annie Cowee' gurgled Isabella happily, bouncing in her mothers arms as they made their way upstairs to their room on the top floor.  Pushing the door open, Charity carefully popped Isabella on the floor with some building blocks before going into the bathroom to put the plug in the bath and set the taps running.

Stepping out again, she crossed the room to her daughter, lifting her up and laying her on the changing mat, removing her food covered clothes before making her way into the bathroom and checking the bath temperature with her elbow.

As she placed her daughter in the shallow bath, she smiled as she watched her baby giggle and splash, holding a rubber duck in one hand that she occasionally put to her mouth.  'Mummy! my yuckie' she said, waving the duck under Charity's nose.

'That is a wonderful duckie' agreed Charity smiling as she splashed the water over her daughters back before carefully covering her eyes to wash the butter from her hair.

Soon enough, Isabella was clean, dry and dressed, ready for her morning at pre school.  Refusing to be picked up by her mother, she grabbed Charity's hand and wobbled her way down the corridor toward the stairs which she stepped down one at a time whilst her mother counted 'one, two, three'

Soon her little legs got tired and she allowed herself to be lifted into her mothers arms, 'Five floors of stairs is a lot for little legs isn't it my angel?' Charity whispered to her as she snuggled into her mothers chest contentedly.

Walking through the foyer and out of the front door, they made their way to a powder blue building to the side of the woods, situated on the grass, there was a small fence surrounding it with a gate, cordoning off an area just for the preschoolers to play without being in danger.

Juggling her daughter, Charity opened the gate, walking through to where Miss Sarah was sitting on the grass with 4 other toddlers, each holding a teddy bear whilst sat on a picnic blanket.

'Hello Isabella, you are just in time for a teddy bears picnic' called Miss Sarah waving, as Isabella wriggled out of Charity's arms and toddled over to the blanket, seating herself between two of her friends and grabbing a teddy from a nearby pile, hugging it too her chest.

Waving goodbye, Charity backed out of the gate, feeling the same pang she felt every morning that she dropped her baby off, before turning and walking back to the pack house and making her way up to the Alpha's office to ring her best friend and finally find out what this new lead could be.

Settling herself in the Alpha's office chair, she leaned forward and lifted the phone from its cradle, punching in the numbers that would connect her directly to Chloe's private office.  The phone rang three times before the authorative tones of her friend came through the speaker.

'Hello? Luna Chloe speaking' she said in her clear crisp voice.

'Hey Luna Chloe' replied Charity grinning 'This is Luna Charity speaking, are you free for a chat?'

quickly pulling the phone from her ear she could hear Chloe screeching at the other end 'Oh My Goddess!' Chloe screamed 'You took your time ringing me back, talk about tenterhooks girl!'

Laughing Charity replied 'sorry bestie, your god daughter decided to wear her breakfast this morning so I had to give her a bath before I dropped her at preschool, I think Miss Sarah would have had a stroke if I had brought the future Alpha to her care covered in butter'

'Ugh' replied Chloe, sympathetically 'It's OK, Riley decided that his daddy's office needed decorating'

'Oh no! what did he do?' giggled Charity, swinging her legs up on the desk as she cradled the phone under her chin and began to doodle on a pad on the desk.

'Felt tips girl' Chloe said dramatically 'Literally all over the walls and the carpet'

Holding her sides as she laughed, Charity chortled 'and I bet Lucian spaced out and James just said how talented his boy is' 

'You know it' laughed Chloe 'As far as James is concerned, his boy is now a future artist and people will pay thousands for a piece of his carpet when he's older, he won't let Lucian get it cleaned, its driving our poor Beta insane'

After a few more minutes of swapping news, Chloe sobered up and got down to business, 'anyway Char, the book I found, I was cleaning out one of those cupboards that are in various recesses on the second floor, throwing away all the crap that seems to have been stored by your grand father and those before him, I swear none of these men knew how to throw stuff away' she grumbled 'where was I? oh yeah the book, well I found this old story book, I mean its like ancient old, all the pages are yellow and its bound in what looks like real leather' she continues.  'I flick through it and there are all these bright colourful pictures and I figure, hey, maybe i'll read it to Riley one night, so I sit down and read it, Char, it tells the story of 3 brothers and a sister and how they created a white wolf and how a curse was laid upon the wolf.  I know its a pups book, but I think you should come here and see it' she finished breathlessly.

Charity mulled over her friends words before slowly replying 'I don't want to get my hopes up Chloe, we have had so many dead ends . . '

'I know bestie' interrupted Chloe 'but we have never before found something that mentions both the white wolf AND the curse' she exclaims emphatically 'Surely it's worth a trip over? you could bring Izzy, you know Riley has been asking when she's coming to play' she wheedled as Charity sighed with amusement.

'You are totally using my god son to force me to come visit' she scolded

'I can have Antonio will make fresh cream eclairs with toffee and chocolate topping' wheedled Chloe pleadingly 'plus I haven't seen you in months!'  Charity could hear her friend pouting down the phone,

Rolling her eyes she replied 'fine! we will come visit, but I want my old room or there will be trouble' she warned as Chloe squealed happily

'You can have any room you want' she promised 'now I have to go and prep Antonio about your eclairs, when will you arrive?' she asked hurriedly,

'We have to make sure Justin is up to speed on the pack and get Isabella's entourage of stuff ready, so shall we say Thursday? That gives us 3 days to get ourselves sorted and for you to make sure Master Riley hasn't decorated my room with his artistic skills too' she laughed before bidding her friend goodbye and hanging up the phone.