The Magic of the Full Moon

Chapter 4

Everyone at the party stared at Gwen as if she had just grown a second head. All of Amelia's friends and family knew how she felt about taking over as Alpha of the Dark Moon Pack. Nick was the first to find his voice after the unwelcome surprise announcement.

"Mother! What is wrong with you?!" Nick roared as he stalked toward his mother.

His father, Ethan, quickly moved to stand between Nick and his mother. Everyone could feel the anger radiating from the Alpha wolf as he glared at his parents.

"Nick, calm down. Amelia is the oldest child and the only one of your children with pure blood. That makes her the only real choice, even if she does not want it now. She will understand and appreciate it when she is older," Ethan explained.

Nick's mouth dropped open as he looked at where Emma was with their children, Damian and Darla. Damian was seething with waves of rage flowing from him. Tears had welled in Darla's eyes before one slid down her cheek. Nick's parents, their grandparents, had just announced in front of everyone that Nick's children were less than they were because of who their mother was. To Nick, his children were even stronger and more powerful because they were mixed with dragon and witch. What they said was unacceptable for any reason.

"You need to leave. You need to leave not only this party but Obsidian, and when I return to Dark Moon, you will be leaving the pack. I will not stand for this antiquated, ignorant belief that only pure werewolves are worthy. That is why I fought so hard to change the laws governing the pack and refused to return until they had been changed," Nick told them with authority as Alpha. "If you want the pack to be run like that, I will step down, and the two of you can have it back."

Nick turned to look at Tyson and asked, "Tyson, if my family and I leave Dark Moon, will you allow us to stay here?"

"You and your family are part of mine. You will always have a home here," Tyson told him.

"Well, Mother? What will it be?" Nick questioned Gwen.

"Don't be silly, son," Gwen scoffed. "None of us are going anywhere, and Amelia IS coming back with us."

Before Amelia could object, a bright flash of light filled the garden. Aggie, the only witch in Obsidian, Emma's mother and grandmother to Damian and Darla, stood before them with Emma's father, Drake, a dragon, glaring at Gwen and Ethan. She mumbled something under her breath and smirked as tablecloths wrapped around the pair tightly, preventing them from moving. As she did, Drake moved to comfort Emma and his grandchildren.

"Now," Aggie grinned as she approached the struggling werewolves before her. "Tell me to my face how my grandchildren are not worthy because they are a mix of werewolf, witch, and dragon. It seems to me that I have the upper hand, and I am only a witch. It is safe to say that my grandchildren are far more powerful than you since you are only werewolves."

"That wasn't what we meant," Ethan tried to backtrack.

Nick leaned in toward Aggie and softly said, "But that is what they said. And to me, since they insist that Lia be forced to take over because she is a pure werewolf and not mixed, it seems pretty clear what they meant."

"Lia?" Logan said through the mind link.

Amelia glanced over to Logan and Everly sitting with their grandfathers, Joe, Tyson's father, and Arthur, Olivia's father. She shook her head as she linked him.

"You and Everly stay out of this. Let Nick and Aggie deal with it, and when they are done, I will address this stupidity of the situation they have created."

"Way to go, Alpha!" Logan cheered her on with a smile before closing the link.

Aggie called out, "Tyson! This is your home and clan. As the Dragon Lord of Obsidian, do you have any requests as to what to do with these two mutts?"

"Whatever happens, they are to leave the Obsidian Clan and never return. After today, if they set foot in this territory, they can consider it a death sentence. Alpha Jake?"

"Consider the same for the Obsidian Pack. As of now, Gwen and Ethan Williams, you are no longer welcome here. If you enter the Obsidian Pack, the punishment will be death," Jake echoed.

"Nick! You can't let them do this!" Gwen yelled at her son.

"What do you mean, Mother? You are in Obsidian. I have no control over what happens in this clan or pack. You and Father nearly destroyed not only my life but the lives of many here who had to seek asylum from Dark Moon. All because you failed to tell me I have a half-brother who is one day older, meaning he was the rightful heir to Dark Moon. He poisoned me with magic to get even with our family when I had no idea that he was anything other than a childhood playmate. Everything you do is for yourselves, not me, not our family, not the company, and not the pack. It is for you and you alone. I will not force you to sever your ties with the pack and become rogues, but you are no longer welcome in Dark Moon," Nick told his parents.

"What would you like me to do with them?" Aggie asked Nick as she tightened the tablecloths around them to squeeze them until it was difficult to breathe.

"As far as I am concerned, if they leave within the next thirty minutes, let them go," Nick told her.

Aggie gave him a slight nod in response.

"Can the two of you be out of the pack in thirty minutes, or do I need to let Aggie do what she wants with you?" Nick asked his parents.

"We can leave by then," Ethan gasped as Aggie tightened the fabric, holding them in place.

"Fine. Aggie, would you be kind enough to make sure they go straight to the house where they are staying?" Nick asked.

"Of course," Aggie said with a wicked smile.

"Wait! I want to say something," Amelia interrupted.

"Of course, dear. You should say what is on your mind. Maybe they will listen to you this time. Especially since they are such an attentive audience," Aggie encouraged her.

Amelia held herself tall, saying, "How dare the two of you treat me like you wanted nothing to do with me my entire life? Then you come here and tell me what I will do for the rest of my life, even if it is against my will? I have always said I did not want to be the Alpha of Dark Moon. My family knows that. Damian will be the best Alpha that Dark Moon has ever had. It's a shame that the two of you are too blinded by your prejudices to see how amazing he and Darla are. I am proud to have them as my brother and sister; you should be proud they are your grandchildren. They are stronger, smarter, and braver than I am, and Dark Moon is lucky to have them. Now, it is time for you to leave."

With a snap of Aggie's fingers, Ethan and Gwen vanished from where they stood. In the distance, their screams could be heard briefly, leading Nick to look at Aggie with a raised eyebrow.

"I might have materialized them eighteen feet off the ground while they were still bound and let them drop. I figured a foot for each of Amelia's birthdays they have missed over the years would be fitting," Aggie said before she and Nick hurried to where their family was. Aggie and Nick began to hug and comfort the children and Emma.

"Darn, and I was hoping that I would get to deal with them," Kevin grumbled from where he stood with Tyson, Amelia, and Olivia.

Amelia looked at Kevin with confusion. She had not noticed he had joined them and had no idea how long he had been there. Kevin smiled at her and gave her a wink.

"I'm big, but I'm stealthy. I figured it would be best if I tried to keep the three of you from killing them in the middle of the party. It would have spoiled the vibe to get blood on the cake," Kevin said before kissing both Amelia and Olivia on top of their heads. He gave Tyson a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he walked back over to Anne.

"I wish I could have seen their faces when they materialized eighteen feet off the ground," Amelia giggled.

Tyson gave his daughter a wicked grin before he called out, "Hey, Kev, do you have security cameras that show the front of the house where Gwen and Ethan are staying?"

"Yeah, why?" Kevin asked as a grin formed on his face. "Oh!" Kevin pulled out his phone and went to work. After a couple of minutes, he burst out laughing. Soon, everyone's phone began to sound as notifications were received. "Happy Birthday! You will all love this. And don't worry, Billy is supervising them and will escort them to the border."

Everyone began to watch the video that Kevin had sent to all of them. It showed the empty yard in front of the home Ethan and Gwen had used while there. A bright flash filled the screen before the pair appeared supine and wrapped tightly in the tablecloths. They hovered momentarily before falling flat on their backs, knocking the wind out of them when they hit. They were not injured, but they were disgraced, which was good enough.

Amelia walked over to where Damian and Darla were with their parents and grandparents. She hugged her brother and sister tightly and kissed their cheeks. She had to make sure they were alright after what had happened.

"I know Gwen and Ethan pretty much spoiled the mood, but you two are to have fun for the rest of the time you are here. Please don't make me Alpha order you to have fun. Ordering someone to have fun would be horrible," Amelia said, making them laugh.

"You giving an Alpha order?" Damian laughed. "That will never happen."

"Don't say never. It might happen down the line. Like way, way, waaaay down the line, years from now. How about I give you an order as your big sister? I am telling you that you have to have fun the rest of the night!" Amelia grinned.

"Now that I believe, and I will do my best to follow it," Darla smiled as she wiped her damp cheek.

A sharp shriek sounded from the house, making Amelia sigh, "Oh, for the love of…" Amelia turned toward the house and yelled, "We are all in the garden, Blueberry!"

The little blue and green dragon shrieked again as he flew off the balcony above them and swooped down to land on Amelia's shoulder. He gave an excited trill when he noticed Darla.

"Well, Darla, it looks like this one wants to cheer you up and most likely cause trouble," Amelia laughed.

"I can handle that," Darla chirped as she held out her arms, and Blueberry flew into them. "Please, I beg of you, do not give him a lot of sweets, or he will be hyper all night. If you do, I will lock him in your house till morning," Amelia laughed.

"I will make sure Blue behaves," Nick told her before he hugged her. When he let go, he told her, "Lia, I am so sorry for what my parents did today. They had no right to do it. We all know your wishes and will do everything we can to follow through with them. And thank you for standing up for Damian and Darla. I could not be more proud of you and the way you behaved tonight."

Amelia smiled, "You don't need to apologize because I know you had nothing to do with anything they did. As for Darla and Damian, you don't need to thank me for stating the truth. We all know how great they are. It's sad that Ethan and Gwen can't see it, too."

Amelia returned to where she had been at the table with her parents. When she had left, she had a half-eaten piece of dark chocolate marble cake with fudge frosting. Now, where her plate had been, there was a plate with a whole slice, a brownie, chocolate chip cookies, and a slice of angel food cake. She looked at her dad, who grinned at her.

"After what just happened, you deserve that plate and more. Your mom is putting together your favorite bacon mushroom Swiss burger and, I think, some grilled chicken and loaded potato salad," Tyson told her.

"That sounds good. I just want to forget about what happened and have fun for the rest of the night," Amelia replied.

Tyson grinned, "Then fun is what you will have, baby girl."