To The Moon Goddess and Back

04 - Eleonora Right

Third person:

After breakfast, the entire group went to the palace where the meetings with the king would take place. From the hotel it was about a twenty-minute drive to the palace. The conversations that would take place were only with Alpha´s and their Luna´s or Beta´s. That would mean that Zino and the warriors, who had traveled with them, would not come to the meetings.

However, Hailey would lead the training the next day, for everyone who wanted to participate. That´s the reason the warriors went along, even though they had no reason to be in the palace today. They would set up the equipment that would arrive today so Hailey could lead the training tomorrow. It was Zino´s job to see to that and, by the time Hailey could ask about her mother's past, the warriors would have finished setting everything up and Zino could be there for his sister. To stand by her when she discovers who her biological father was.

It would change a lot for the siblings, because although they were not related by blood, they had grown up together. Hailey called John her father and Zino had called Eleonora his mother.

Eleonora had passed away two years ago, during a rogue attack. She had been in the hospital, tending patients. Eleonora was a healer. It was her job to see to it that all warriors received proper care and were back on their feet as quickly as possible.

During the attack, a rogue had come in unnoticed and stabbed Eleonora with a silver knife. Her wolf could heal a stab wound, but the fact that the blade was made of silver affected her healing abilities. Having spent an entire day healing others, Eleonora didn't have enough energy to save herself.

The medical staff had done everything they could to help her, but things went from bad to worse. After an operation in which the wound was completely flushed, Eleonora fell into a coma and after several days in a coma, she died at the age of 54. Everyone was devastated.

-*-

Twenty-nine years ago

Eleonora Right had crashed at the borders of Blood pack. The beta at the time was the one that found her at the border and saw immediately that Eleonora wasn't a threat, but in desperate need of help.

Eleonora had been walking for two weeks from the pack where she had been rejected by her mate and banned for a crime she hadn't committed. She was exhausted, dehydrated and starving. The beta took care of her and that's how the relationship started between Eleanora and John.

John had just become a father and widow. When his son was born, his mate had died and, as a widow, he was now left alone to care for his son. Eleonora offered to help John raise his son, in exchange for a place to sleep and get better. It wasn't until a few weeks later that Eleonora found out she was pregnant. She turned to John for help, who in return assured her that he would do anything in his power to protect Eleonora and her baby from her former mate.

Hailey, Aurum, Right was born on October 31. After a night in the hospital, mother and daughter were allowed to go home the next day. It was there that John and Eleonora learned that the Moon Goddess had given them both a second chance. A second chance at love and that's what they did. They loved each other. Eleonora raised Zino as her own, and John hadn't been a lesser father to Hailey than he was for Zino. They were a family. Eleonora worked in the hospital as a healer and John worked as Beta.

Zino and Hailey went to school together and it soon became clear that Hailey could skip a class. This put her in Zino and Jared's class. There she came into contact with Kelvin and others. Eleonora and John had never made a secret of the fact that, despite their great love for each other, they were a blended family. Zino regularly visited his birth mother's grave, but Eleonora never spoke of Hailey's father.

Hailey carried her mother's last name, it wasn't until Hailey wanted to reject Kelvin that they found out that Hailey's last name was relevant to the rejection. Before Hailey could speak to her mother, Kelvin fled. With the help of Eleonora, Hailey was able to survive when Kelvin cheated again. Since Eleonora's death, Zino has been the one helping Hailey. While Eleonora helped her daughter with her healer's powers, Zino helped her with injections of wolfsbane. This ensured that the immense pain was numbed and Hailey was not weighed down by the pain when Kelvin decided once again to enjoy the pleasures of life.

Hailey and Eleonora had never talked about Hailey's father. All Hailey knew was what she'd gotten out of her mother's diaries. Her mother worked as a healer in a hospital on the border of the kingdom and two other packs. Eleonora and her mate had just met and

had mated, but hadn't yet marked each other. Hailey wasn't sure what or when, but shortly after, her mother was accused of something that caused her father to reject and banish her.

Eleonora had been frightened and had run away. The fear was great because, now twenty-eight years later, Hailey still didn´t know who her biological father was. While clearing out her mother's things, after the funeral, she had come across her diaries and had gone looking for information. Hailey had called every pack with her sources as Beta, but no one had heard of Eleonora Right. The only one who never answered her question was the royal family and its pack and a pack not far from there.

That was the reason for the visit by the high-ranked members of the Blood pack. Never before had they accepted an invitation. Simply because they lived too far away. This promised to be a few interesting days.

-*-

Jared, Hailey and Zino arrived on their motors, which would be sure to get a lot of attention. They were welcomed by the king's son, the soon-to-be-alpha of the associated pack. The young man was in his mid-twenties and many were already appointed Alpha by that age. The son had introduced himself as Chris. Chris had looked a bit odd at Hailey, something that not only Hailey, but also Jared and Zino had noticed. Mara and Vince were already inside, waiting for Jared and Hailey. Zino had meanwhile gone to the location where he and the warriors would set up everything. Mara and Vince had been to these kinds of meetings with the king before, but that didn't mean they knew a lot of people, let alone be friends with them.

In the end, it was just the way it was in the world of werewolves. Every pack was on their own and some became allies, but never more than that. From a distance, Aiden and his beta had been watching everyone in the room, and it had certainly not escaped his notice that Hailey was there too. Perhaps he had judged too quickly yesterday, when he assumed her mate wasn't there. Although he still didn´t understand how it was possible that she had slept in his arms and not with her mate. Not that you heard him complain.

The moment Chris was sure everyone was inside, he went straight to Aiden.

Chris and Aiden had known each other for a long time. Chris' father had taken care of Aiden when it turned out that he was his best friend's long-lost son.

"Did you see that blond girl?" Chris asked Aiden, as he scanned the room looking for her, so he could point her out.

Seth couldn't contain his laughter. Chris and Aiden both looked at him. Chris looked puzzled, at what exactly was so funny and Aiden looked with a warning look.

"What is it?" Chris finally asked.

"Isn't she finger licking good?" Seth asked with an amused grin.

"Seth, I swear, shut up!" Aiden growls warningly.

A smile appears on Chris's face, "That's not what I wanted to say, but apparently there is finally a she-wolf good enough for our picky Alpha!" he says, slapping Aiden on the back.

"I'm not picky!" Aiden snaps back.

"Yes, no, of course not. What's her name? Where is she from? Why do I feel like I know her?" Chris fires his questions at Aiden one by one.

"Hailey. Blood Pack. No idea," Aiden muttered. Seth and Chris both look surprised at Aiden and each other.

"So you really know her?" Chris asked once more in surprise.

Aiden shook his head, "No, not really. She arrived at the hotel yesterday with her pack. The lady at the front desk made a mistake and gave her my keycard. One thing led to another and she ended up sleeping in my hotel room last night. More than that, I don't know and no! Nothing happened!" Aiden emphasized his last words, looking sternly at Seth again. Who in turn held up his hands as a sign of surrender.

"Isn't Blood pack kilometers from here?" Chris asks when he suddenly realizes that that meant they couldn't know each other under any circumstances if she came from so far away.

"Yeah, I looked it up, it's about an eight hour drive from here and that is, if you drive it in one go. Maybe they're here for tomorrow's training? It's not every day we get to have the opportunity to train with one of the best wolves in the werewolf community. What can I say? I don't think anyone has ever had the opportunity to train with that brand before."

"Sounds plausible. Is that Alpha with her, her mate?" Chris asks as he once again scans the room. But before Aiden or Seth could answer that, the main hall doors opened.

"Dear guests, thank you for coming. On behalf of the King and Queen, I hereby invite you to lunch. If you want to follow me," announced the beta of the king. After that, everyone slowly walks through the doors, towards the hall where there are rows of tables.

Mara, Vince, Jared and Hailey walked through the doors together and were assigned to a table. Two more alphas arrive at their table, one had his beta with him, while the other is in the company of his Luna. They introduced themselves as lunch was served to everyone. Aiden, Seth, and Chris sat together at a table behind Hailey's. That way they could hear and see her, but she couldn't the other way around.

Lunch was delicious and everyone at the table enjoyed it immensely. There was chatter and laughter. Until it was time to exchange the dining room for the conference room. Jared and Hailey were one of the first, followed by Mara and Vince. The conference room was filled with several rows of tables, each time allowing four people to sit side by side. There was a podium in the front of the room, with a screen which could be used during the meeting.

Jared, Hailey, Mara and Vince decided to stay together. The men on the outside and the ladies next to each other. Aiden and Seth took their seats diagonally behind them. Chris took a seat at the side where his father and his Beta would also sit.

Before the meeting started, Hailey walked back and grabbed four bottles of water, when an arrogant Alpha walked in and summoned her to get him some water too. Hailey had to bite her tongue to hold back a sneer and grabbed five bottles of water. She walked first to her own table, where she put four bottles away. She then unscrewed the top of the fifth and walked over to the Alpha. He had taken a seat in the front and Hailey stood in front of his table. Without saying a word, she held the bottled water over his head and poured it over him.

"Oh sorry!" she said sarcastically, "That didn't go spotless," then ran her tongue over her teeth.

"I think you're a little wet, but with all that steam coming off you, you'll be fine, right?" she winked at him and then went back to her table. Where Mara couldn't recover from laughing.

"What?" Hailey asked her, his face straight, but clearly audible to all.

"Every seed needs water to grow, Mara. I just did as I was asked!" Jared and Vince both struggled not to laugh out loud, but that didn't stop Jared from fist bumping Hailey as a sign of approval.

"f**k you!" sneered the Alpha.

Hailey had to look past Jared to see the alpha. She casually pushed her back off of the seat and looked past Jared, "No, but thanks for the offer," and lowered back down.

That only made the Alpha angrier and he stood up and stomped over to the table where Hailey was sitting. There he just stood there breezing, but said nothing. The table paid no attention to him, and not to lose face, the alpha stormed out of the conference room angrily. The moment he was out the door, Mara and Hailey burst into laughter and Vince and Jared didn't even bother to hide their laughter.