"These are amazing!" I exclaim and devour the pancake in seconds. Everyone laughs at me and we just make little chit chat amongst ourselves. Everyone's actually really easy to get along with and it makes me a little less nervous about meeting the rest of the pack.
"Well, thank you for the amazing pancakes," I say to the four of them and they smile at me.
"Welcome, Luna," they say at once. I smile back, then proceed to walk out of the kitchen. When I make it to the stairs, an arm wraps around my waist.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Axel asks me and I shake my head, smiling. Once I get used to it, I think it's actually quite fun.
"No, it wasn't. I'm not sure how I'll react to the rest of the pack though," I admit nervously. Axel pulls me to him and kisses my temple.
"You'll be fine," he reassures me as we head toward our room. I go straight to the window wall and look out over the trees.
'I wonder what it would be like to run for the pleasure of it?' I wonder to my wolf.
She sighs. 'I'm sure it would be a wonderful feeling, but we've just never had the chance.'
I sigh as well. 'I know.'
"Do you want to go for a run tomorrow?" Axel suddenly questions and I whip around to look at him.
"I'm sorry?" I question and he looks at me amused.
"You do know what a run is, right?"
I whack his chest and he chuckles.
"I would love to go for a run tomorrow," I tell him and kiss his cheek. He smiles widely.
"Can Callum and Comrade come too?" I question him and his face slightly falls.
"Sure, I'll just tell them," he mumbles. He's quiet for a few minutes before looking back down at me and smiling. "Done," he says. He must've used the mind link.
"Well then, I guess we're going for a run tomorrow," I say excitedly.
For the rest of the day, we just hang out in our room and muck around. I doubt anyone apart from Callum and Axel's family has ever seen him like this before and I feel honored to be able to witness it firsthand.
As we get ready for bed, I think over what happened today. I think mine and Axel's relationship has taken a step forward today. I'm getting more comfortable around him and I’m actually giving him a chance. I don't know if he's gonna walk out on me or not. But I want a chance at love, and who else is better to try it with than your mate? It may take some time, but I think we'll eventually get there.
"Goodnight, sweetheart," Axel whispers while kissing my forehead. I close my eyes and cuddle up in the sheets.
"Goodnight, Axel," I murmur. I fall asleep knowing that tomorrow will bring something new.
9
CELINA
I wake up early the next morning, again, and once again I'm met with the sight of Axel sleeping on the couch. I really should ask him about that...
I get up and do exactly what I did yesterday: brush my hair, wash my face then head to the wardrobe. Today I choose a white satin dress with red roses on it. It reaches just above my knees and it's strapless. I love flowy stuff. It makes me feel free when I never was. I guess I am now, though.
I walk out and check the time, about seven this morning. Today I'm expecting answers, about Axel's powers to be exact. Also to see if they’re related to me in anyway, and why I had that vision when I touched the door. I expect answers and I want them now.
I walk over to Axel and shake him lightly. I really don't want to disturb his rest, but he needs to get up to get us breakfast. I am not, I repeat not, having another run in with pack members.
"Axel, come on, wake up," I murmur. He just groans and rolls over. I sigh. Heavy sleeper, I see.
An idea then comes to mind, my first move of his little game. I head to the bathroom and look for a jug of some sort. I eventually find one in the cabinet below the sink, and fill it up with ice cold water. This is how I'm going to play the game. He can seduce me all he wants for all I care, but I'm just going to pour ice cold water over his head.
"Axel, this is your last chance. Get up," I warn. I'm met with silence, causing me to sigh. "You asked for it," I mumble before I tip the whole jug of water over his head.
He jumps up with a fright and looks ready to murder whoever just did that to him. I hide the jug behind my back and put on an innocent smile. Axel looks at me
"Celina..." he growls and my smile grows bigger. "Did you just tip water over my head?"
I giggle and nod my head.
He takes a step toward me and I take a step back, dropping the now empty jug. He stops and runs his fingers through his now drenched hair. My smile falters slightly when I notice that the water is running agonizingly slow down his bare chest and into his boxers, the only thing he's wearing. Axel notices this and gets a devious look on his face.
I gulp.
"Celina, why don't you come here for a second? I want to give you a big hug!" he exclaims and then runs to me. I squeal and run to the bed. I jump over it and see that he stops on the other side.
"Come, on Celina, you know you want to," he teases.
Yeah, I want to! I can just imagine sucking every little droplet off his perfect body... Whoa! Where did that come from? I never think like that.
In my little moment of inner shock, Axel effortlessly jumps over the bed and takes me in his arms.
"Axel!" I squeal. He laughs at me and it's hard not to join in.
"You tipped water over my head! Ice cold water at that!" he exclaims and starts spinning me around. I can't stop the continuous giggles that escape my lips and I make sure to imprint this moment in my mind. When Axel's laid back, fun and laughing along with me.
He sets me down after a bit, but I'm still giggling slightly. He kisses my forehead.
"Good morning," he whispers, his lips still on my forehead.
"Good morning," I mumble, releasing a content sigh. I push him away after that and point to the bathroom. "Go dry yourself off. I don't want any more hugs," I say seriously, but he can see the amusement in my eyes.
"Of course, sweetheart." He mimics my seriousness, but bursts out laughing when in the bathroom. I giggle and shake my head. Men.
After Axel's fully dry and clothed, he heads downstairs to get us some breakfast. He wanted me to come, but I refused. He turns back up with two plates on a tray. One filled with crumpets that had strawberry jam on them, and the other a bowl of cereal.
"Take your pick," Axel tells me and I take the cereal. I'm not that hungry anyway. Axel takes the crumpets and digs in straight away. I'm gonna have to remember he likes strawberry jam.
"I have an idea," Axel suddenly says after about two minutes of silence. I look at him, waiting for him to continue. "I want to know more about you, you want to know more about me. Why don't we play twenty questions? Cliche, I know, but we'll get to know each other better."
I agree to the idea and Axel tells me to start off. Like he said, it may be cliche, but it'll help us get to know each other better than we do now.
"Ok, um..." I mutter as I think for a second. It's good to start off with simple questions, right?
"What's your favorite food? Can be entree, main or dessert," I ask. Axel looks at me weird and I just stare back at him.
"That's a wise choice, um... I think my all-time favorite food would be a thick, juicy, steak," he admits. I laugh through my nose. Should've guessed that one.
"What about you?" Axel questions and I grin. He will not see this one coming.
"My favorite? Well, that would be chocolate mud cake covered in whipped cream with strawberries on top." Axel looks at me with wide eyes. I smile at him. "Don't knock it till you try it."
"It's not that. I just don't see a small girl like you actually eating something like that. I thought you’d be a salad type of girl," he mutters the last and I playfully glare at him.
"Looks can be deceiving," I mutter, an image of Damon popping into my mind. I quickly push it away and refocus back on what Axel is asking me.
"Okay then, what about your favorite color?" he asks and I think for a second.
Do I have a favorite color?
"Um, I actually don't have one" I tell him honestly and he looks at me stunned.
"Everyone has a favorite color!" he exclaims and I just shrug. He shakes his head, but continues to tell me his. "Well, mine is yellow."
"Why yellow?" I ask out of pure curiosity. It's not a very common favorite color from what I've gathered. It's usually blue or pink or something like that.
He shrugs. "It's the color of happiness," he informs me. My mouth forms an 'O' shape and I proceed to ask the next question.
"What do you like to do?" I question in an innocent manner. Axel suddenly gets a devilish smirk on his face.
"There's a lot of things I would love to do, sweetheart," he purrs and my eyebrows pull together in confusion.
“What?”
Axel chuckles at my expression. "You're really innocent, sweetheart."
I shake off his comment and he continues to say what he likes to do. "I like playing football, soccer, cricket, any sport really. You?"
"I like cooking, sewing and a little cleaning every now and then," I tell him shyly. He chuckles at me and I look up to see him shaking his head. "What?"
"I've never met someone who actually enjoys cleaning. It's usually a forced thing, you know?" He questions offhandedly. The question strikes home for me though.
"Oh yeah, I know," I mutter. I'm not sure if Axel heard me or not, but we continue on with the game.
In the end, I learn that Axel is 20 years old, he likes to play sports, his favorite color is yellow, his favorite food is steak, he hates reading and that he has a lot of wrong thoughts in that head of his.
What he has learned about me is that I'm 16, hate sports of any kind, don't have any siblings, don't have a favorite color, my favorite food is chocolate cake and that both my parents have died. I don't say how they died, we don't really dig into each other's pasts.
"I have one more question," I say nervously and Axel looks at me expectantly. I fiddle with my black hair nervously and look into his grayish silver eyes. "What are your powers?" I rush out and Axel freezes. Please answer me, please answer me, I beg in my head.
"I really don't think-" Axel begins, but I cut him off before he says what I know he's going to say. "I know you don't think I'm ready, but I need to know what's happening. I need to know if I'm somehow connected, and you keeping it from me isn't helping," I beg as he looks into my golden eyes.
He sighs and gets up from the bed and heads to the still broken door. That's the last thing on my mind though.
"Follow me," is all he says before he walks out of the room with me following close behind.
We walk down the stairs, through the hallway, and out the front door. He doesn't stop though. He keeps going until we're at the edge of the woods. He pauses for a second, then keeps walking forward.
I follow without a second thought.
We step over outgrown roots, duck under low hanging branches and eventually come to a clearing after twenty minutes of walking. Axel sits down in the center and I follow suit.
"Do know where you're sitting right now, Celina?" he questions, and I shake my head silently. "You're sitting on what once was the birth place of the first Shade Wolf and battle grounds of the Shaded Wolves against the Colored wolves." His tone was full of seriousness, no humor present.
I gulp as I absorb this information. What have I gotten myself into?
"Long ago, back in the sixteen hundreds, there were thousands of Shaded and Colored Wolves. They all lived in harmony for hundreds of years and disputes never arose," he begins like he's telling a story. "In the mid-seventeen hundreds, one Colored Wolf named Alastair decided that he was jealous of the Shaded Wolves. They had special powers and gifts that no Colored Wolf possessed. He worked up an army for the rest of the seventeen hundreds and in the eighteen hundreds he attacked. The Shaded Wolves had no idea and were unprepared for the attack." He stops when he sees the look on my face, probably horror.
"Why did he do it?" I question in a whisper. I don't think I can speak any louder.
"Well, you see, Alastair used to work for the King and Queen of wolves. We don't have one anymore because of this certain dispute. The royals were both Shaded Wolves, one white and one black. They were kind and fair, but when they exiled a Colored Wolf for a crime that Alastair believed the wolf didn't commit, he took action. He fled from the palace and took his followers with him. He trained them to perfection in order to be the best killers of all wolf kind," he tells me then pauses for a moment, to let all this new information sink in.
"What happened to the other Colored Wolves that didn't follow?" I question confused. Surely not all of them followed him, some would have seen his intentions.
Axel just shakes his head. "Let's just say that if they refused the offer Alastair submitted to them, they wouldn't have very long to run," Axel says darkly. I shudder at the thought of him killing children and inexperienced women, as well as their husbands came to mind.
"Tell me more," I push and Axel doesn't waste another second before continuing on.
"As I said before, he attacked. The Shaded Wolves were totally unprepared, but the King and Queen knew it was coming. The Queen had the Moon Goddess herself speak to her and tell her to not fight back, but to bear a child," he explains and my mouth hangs agape. A child? Why would you bring a child into this mess?
"Of course, the Queen had her doubts, but she and the King did bear a child a few years later. A beautiful baby girl was born with hair the color of night and eyes as bright as gold. She was destined for greatness. The night after she was born, the Moon Goddess confronted the King and Queen in person. She explained that the baby girl was not safe there and she was going to take her away. The Queen instantly objected, but her husband soon convinced her to let her baby go. It was hard for both of them to see their baby fade away with the moon goddess, but they knew she was safe with her," he says with a smile.
He takes a deep breath, as if about to reveal the most important part of all this.
"They hadn't named the baby yet, they didn't know if it was going to be a boy or girl. Before the Moon Goddess took their precious child away, the King called out to her. The Moon Goddess came back and the King took his baby girl in his arms. A name just fell out of his mouth and the Queen agreed. After that, they let their baby go and they never saw her again," Axel finishes and leans back on his hands. So many questions are swirling around in my head though.
"What was the baby's name?" I question and Axel looks hesitant. What comes out of his mouth next shocks me to the bone and millions of questions erupt in my head.
"Celina."
10
CELINA
Frozen. That is me at this moment, frozen in shock. The daughter of this King and Queen that was taken away from them by the Moon Goddess, has the same name as me. Oh my god...
"Celina? Are you ok?" Axel questions, once he takes in my shocked expression. I stare over him and it suddenly hits me. That's why he was so hesitant! That little girl was me. Is me.
"The little girl, Celina, that was me, wasn't it?" I whisper and Axel nods.
"Oh my god," I whisper again and put a hand to my mouth. This can't be happening, this just can't be happening.
That would mean I'm hundreds of years old though! How could that be? If the King and Queen were my real mum and dad, then who were my recent mum and dad that died? Why was I put in the Moonlight pack if the Moon Goddess knew they would treat me badly? These and many more questions swirl around in my head.
"I know you'll have a lot of questions that you want me to answer," Axel starts and I'm still in so much shock that I just nod. "Probably starting with how you can be hundreds of years old?" I nod again. "No one knows where the Moon Goddess took you after that night. She never returned and neither did you. Rumors spread that she handed you over to Alastair, she trained you to be the next Moon Goddess, or even that she planned to kill you. No one could confirm them though, not even your mother and father," he explains whil
e a crease forms on his forehead.
A sudden thought strikes me. "That carving on your office door, that's the war that occurred, isn't it?" I question and Axel nods. "That means when I touched it and saw that vision, that I saw the battle and my... Oh my god," I mutter to myself and Axel looks at me curiously.
"Vision? What are you talking about?" he questions, sounding totally and utterly confused. At this moment, I would usually giggle because of the look on his face, but not today.
"When I touched that carving on your door, because I was curious, I was sucked into this vision like thing. It was a battlefield with black, white, brown, all sorts of colored wolves. Two wolves caught my attention, though. One was bigger than the other and black, while the other had a more petite frame and was white. I was so confused and didn't have time to register anything before I was back in this time frame," I explain and Axel stares at me in shock. I look at him expectantly and wait patiently for him to answer.
"Celina, you do realize you met your real mother and father?" he questions inquisitively. I freeze for the second time in less than five minutes.
"What? That's impossible," I tell him. He shakes his head and that's when I know he's serious. "B-but..." I'm at a loss for words and it seems as though Axel is too. "I don't understand," I finally mutter after what seems like hours of silence, when in reality it was only a few minutes.
"Let's move on from that question and back to the one with how you're hundreds of years old, shall we?" Axel decides and I agree. "Well, it is believed that the Moon Goddess has the power to stop life as we know it. Whether it's on the whole werewolf race or just one special person. For example, you."
My eyebrows scrunch together and I'm about to ask how before Axel continues again. "She could do this by harnessing her power and focusing it on that sole person. She must've done this to you, to keep you in a state of frozen life, until it was your time to rise again."
"Why was I given to my... fake mum and dad though? Why was I given to the pack I came from? Why did all this happen to me?" I fire off questions and each one seems to be a blow to the heart.