The Gifted Luna

PROLOGUE

(Warning: R-18)

18 Years ago...

The hall was filled with music, endless laughter and cheers from everyone who was excited to see the newborn princess, daughter of the Alpha of the Night Walkers pack. Everyone was beaming with joy as they waited for the Alpha and the Luna to emerge from the door.

However, a chilling cold hung in the air. The howling winds were whispering, a fair warning to the looming sense of danger.

Adrianna, the Luna of the pack, had a gut feeling that something was bound to happen. She kept on rubbing the locket pendant of her daughter's necklace. It contained their family picture, and on the back of it was her daughter's name...Athalia.

She murmured a soft chant...a protection for her child, despite the assurance given by her husband, Alpha Sebastian. Still, her racing heartbeat couldn't be calmed.

"Come on, honey... I assure you, nothing will happen. I will make sure the guards are alerted," he promised.

The Alpha kissed his wife's forehead, if only it could take away her worries.

"You know what, why don't we ease that worry? It won't take long," he whispered, his hand finding its way into her waist. Slowly, he rubbed and stroked his wife's waist, up to her breasts as he lowered his face onto her, and claimed her lips.

Adrianna let out a soft moan as her husband explored the sweetness of her mouth. Maybe she's just being paranoid. Maybe her husband was right. Nothing's going to happen because they won't let it.

Letting her inhibitions go down the drain, Adrianna found herself responding to his kisses with the same ferocity. He kissed her, like a predator hungry for his prey. In a snap, their clothes were thrown and scattered on the floor. The baby was in her crib, sleeping soundly while the Luna and Alpha were lost in each other's warmth.

The scent of their arousal hung in the air. Adrianna gasped and moaned as the Alpha pushed himself deep within her. She gasped for air, only to drown in his kisses once again. She was writhing in pleasure as he pinned her down to the bed, with each thrust digging deeper inside her.

"Ahh, Sebastian!" she moaned.

All rational thoughts had fled her mind. She couldn't think of anything other than the pleasure he was building inside her. Heat pooled in between her legs as she clenched her walls around his thick shaft. She couldn't stop moaning and screaming each time he pushed himself, until his pace quickened.

A few more thrusts, and they both groaned in pleasure. Their eyes were both closed and a sense of satisfaction and security filled them. Sebastian kissed her lips slowly, before he planted a soft kiss on his forehead and whispered, "There... now, don't think of anything negative. I will not let anything happen to our daughter."

She nodded her head. She believed him. She had known Sebastian ever since they were kids. He wasn't one to break his promise.

A little later, they had already cleaned up and changed clothes. Adrianna lifted Athalia from the crib and carried her downstairs. The party was held in the mess hall, where everyone was gathered. They were only a small pack, but they were harmonious. And under the leadership of her husband, they had begun expanding their territories. Sebastian was kind and fair, but he was also strong and strict when it came to the regulations of the pack.

Beta Wallace came to them the moment he spotted the couple walking in. He had that bright smile on his face as if he was so happy to see them. His eyes, however, lingered on Adrianna a little longer. She knew he had feelings for her. He had confessed to her a few years ago, but her heart had belonged only to Sebastian. The mate bond had strengthened their relationship even more, and now, they were blessed with a princess who would surely own her husband's heart. She didn't mind it though.

"Hey, man. Congratulations!" Wallace greeted Sebastian.

Sebastian smiled at him and tapped his shoulders. "Thank you, man. I hope you find your mate soon."

"Oh, I sure will," he replied without taking his eyes away from Adrianna.

Sebastian ordered his men to stay on-guard and to never allow anyone who looked suspicious to make sure that the party would go smoothly as planned.

It was an important day for them because they would finally let the pack members see their daughter. But nobody knew what was about to happen that night.

Adrianna was agitated. Despite all the assurance, she just couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen. A few days ago, she dreamed of an old woman, warning her of something...a prophecy. They tried to get pregnant for years, but all their efforts were futile until she dreamed of Selene, the moon goddess, promising to give her a special gift. And then, she finally got pregnant. It was a joyous moment, not only for the couple, but for the whole pack as well.

However, along with that gift, Selene had warned her that her child would be a bearer of prophecy. She was a gifted child.

She didn't know what it meant, yet before she could ask, her dream had ended. And just a few weeks after her child was born, she dreamed of a woman whose face was blurry, yet, she felt familiar. In that dream, the woman held her hand tight. There was panic in her voice.

"There's no time! They will come soon. They will find her...hunt her!" the woman cried.

"Who?" Adrianna asked in confusion.

"Your daughter has a gift! Men will find her and use her to change their prophecy! They will hunt her down!" she replied.

Adrianna could remember vividly the chant that the old woman taught her in her dream. It was a chant of protection -- to hide her daughter from anyone with ill-intentions who would try to seek her. She will be hidden, secured...but the spell will only last for a week.

After that, the protection will be removed. And that's what frightened her. Something in the wind tells her that tonight is the night. They will start to hunt them down.

As if on cue, a strange and chilling howl filled the air, making her feel goosebumps. She held the little Athalia tight in her arms, while Sebastian pushed himself in front of her to protect her.

Just then, the guards came rushing into the hall. "Rogues! They're attacking us!" one guard shouted.

Everyone panicked. Sebastian growled angrily. In a snap, she heard his bones break, his clothes ripped as he shifted into a large reddish-brown wolf. He looked at her and nodded his head.

"Go, hide yourself and our daughter," he said through the mind link.

They had shifted and were ready for a battle. Adrianna ran down the hall, holding her daughter tightly as she thought of a good place to hide. She stopped in her tracks when she bumped into Wallace who was running towards her.

"Adrianna, come here! Quick!" he called.

She strode behind him, but she was stunned to see unfamiliar men in front of them.

"What's this, Wallace?" she asked.

Before he could answer, the men began shifting and lunging towards her. A large wolf jumped in front of her, growling in anger. He ran towards one of the wolves and knocked one down, clawing his throat.

"Run!" Sebastian commanded.

The last thing she saw was her husband fighting with those wolves. Adrianna ran without looking back at her husband. Her only goal was to keep her daughter safe.

The hall became a mess. Lifeless bodies of their pack members lay down on the floor. Blood was scattered everywhere as the wind echoed the helpless cries of despair. Adrianna didn't have time to cry or mourn. She ran so fast until her legs began to hurt.

She was panting, gasping for air, but she knew she couldn't stop. Those wolves who were running after her wanted her daughter. She ran and ran without looking anymore. Her desperate cry echoed when she tripped on a stone. She bit her tongue, it was a wrong move.

She stood up, despite the pain, and managed to find a place for her daughter. She doesn't care about her life anymore. She placed her beneath the huge rocks, hidden behind the thick bushes and the tall tree where the light of the moon doesn't reach. She covered her with a cloak, kissed her forehead as the tears streamed down her face.

"I will find you, darling. I promise... I will find you," she whispered.

Just then, she heard footsteps. She began running again. Her feet began to swell, making her limp on one foot. She could hear her daughter's faint cry, but she trusted the spell to protect her. She needed to believe that her daughter would be safe.

"Ahh!" she screamed when she felt someone grabbing her hair.

Despite the weakness she felt, she managed to shift. Using all her strength, she fought with all her might. Her whole body was aching from the pain, but she couldn't give up now. She promised to find her daughter.

She fought for her life even when she was alone, facing a number of rogues. Two wolves attacked her at the same time, pinning her down. She fought back, but was met by a forceful bite in her neck, making her go numb. As if the predator wasn't content, he clawed out her chest, ripping her heart out of her body in the most excruciating way.

The wind became more restless as the lifeless body of Adrianna laid down under the glowing moonlight. Howls of despair filled the whole forest as the remaining pack members ran for their lives. The howling was replaced by an eerie silence.

Soon, the morning sun began to rise, promising new hope to those who were left. Bodies of dead werewolves were scattered throughout the territory. The survivors had already fled, leaving behind the young girl— the princess of the pack.

From a distance, a couple was travelling. They left their pack in the hopes of escaping their painful reality, to find a pack that will accept them and treat them fairly.

A chill ran down their spines as they passed through the dead bodies that were scattered around the Night Walkers Pack territory. The woman held her husband's hand tight.

A piercing cry tore the silence of the morning. Behind the rock, hidden under the tall bushes, a baby girl wrapped in a cloak was laid down.

Their eyes widened in surprise, mouths hanging open at the sudden realization.

“It's a baby!” the woman screamed.