"I don't know the answer to those questions, your old pack might though," Axel suggests and I hurriedly shake my head.
"No, that is not happening," I say sternly, leaving no room for comments. Axel looks at me blankly, but I don't elaborate on it.
"I want to know what happened, with the battle I mean. What happened to the Shaded and Colored Wolves?" I ask, changing the subject. Axel quickly turns back onto the original path of the conversation.
"Well, when the battle began, the Shaded Wolves were succeeding and effectively killing off the Colored Wolves that betrayed them," he begins, but a dark look crosses his face that sends shivers down my spine. "As the fight progressed though, the Shaded Wolves fell one by one. The Colored Wolves advanced, they highly outnumbered them now. The King and Queen stood proud at the front of the Shaded Wolves, with their heads held high and their followers loyally behind them. All of them knew they were going to die that day, there was no escaping it. When the Colored Wolves launched their final attack, the Shaded Wolves did put up a fight, but it wasn't enough. They fell and the Colored Wolves conquered," he finishes there and I look to him, expecting more.
"That's it?" I question astonishingly. He looks at me like I'm crazy.
"Yes, that's it. You’ve just learned in hours what I've been learning over years and years. What else could you want?" He questions exhaustingly and it's only now that I realize how tired he looks from searching his brain for all of that information.
I push on though, wanting to know more. "What happened to Alastair? What happened to the other Shaded Wolves of that time that didn't fight? What happened?" I beg to know more and Axel answers each question.
"Alastair went on to be the ruler of all werewolves. He was ruthless and didn't listen to reason. He's the reason why wolves are in packs instead of having one ruler, apart from the Moon Goddess, of course." I absorb this information then motion for Axel to continue. "After the war, there were no Shaded Wolves left. They all fought alongside their royals and no one knew of you. The only ones who knew were your parents and the Moon Goddess," he answers my second question, but that only brings up a new question.
"How did no one know about me if everyone respected their King and Queen so much? That seems a little strange," I mutter and Axel nods his head in agreement.
"That's true, but the King just announced that the Queen was ill. This led everyone away from her. However, it did bring grief to the kingdom, knowing that their Queen was sick," he informs me and I nod my head. "Any other questions?"
I think for a moment. I think I know everything I want to know... Except one thing.
"What's my destiny?" I innocently ask. It's a three word question, but it's a complicated answer.
Axel shrugs and looks me straight in the eye. "I don't know," he concludes, leaving even more questions whirling around my head.
For the rest of the day, Axel and I sit out in the clearing and talk about how my parents used to be amazing and fair rulers. My mother was kind and had a heart of gold, always cared for others and only looked on the bright side of things. My father was a proud and honorable man; he was respected by all and had the mind of a true King. This is all from what Axel says of course, but you couldn't help but wonder.
According to the books he's studied about them, I look exactly like my father with pitch black hair and gold eyes, but have the frame and structure of my mother, small and petite.
When it hits sunset, I look up into the now red, pink and purple sky. I sigh and close my eyes. I began to wonder what it would be like to have met my mother and father in person. I would've loved them to bits.
"We should probably head inside. You haven't eaten anything all day, I can hear your stomach growling from here," Axel tells me amused and I giggle a bit. Even with everything that Axel just told me, we can still joke around a bit and have fun. Something I rather enjoy.
As we take the long walk back to the pack house, Axel asks me an unexpected question.
"Why do you talk so lowly of your old pack? I mean, when you asked me that question about being given to them, you sounded so hostile towards them." He sounds concerned, probably expecting some confession out of me.
We reach the pack house door and I turn to look him straight in the eye, something I don't do much.
"That's another story that should be left for another day," I tell him boldly. With that, I open the door and head straight to the stairs. I ignore the curious looks from the pack members that seem to be occupying the pack house, and go straight to my room.
When I get there, I notice someone has fixed the door. I smile slightly, remembering why Axel actually broke it down in the first place. I guess when I look back on it now, I realize he was only caring and worrying about me, something he tends to do a lot.
I head to the bathroom and take a nice, long, hot shower, letting everything that was told to me today sink in and be stored somewhere in my brain.
I walk back out into the bedroom with a fluffy towel on. I head to the wardrobe and pull out a red silk night gown that will probably reach just below my butt. I can really care less right now, though, so I pull it on and chuck on a matching pair of lacy red underwear.
As I slip into bed, my mind goes back to the image of my mother and father, the way I saw them in my vision. They looked so happy and contented to finally see me after all these years. They finally saw the daughter they never got to know, and I never even got to say goodbye.
As I slip into dreamland, a single tear escapes my eye. The reason? For not knowing my mother and father and never being able to say I love them.
I run through the fields of lavender with the bright blue sky up above. The sun's shining and the birds are chirping. I've never been happier.
I laugh as I run through the field and come to a lake. I gently put my feet in and giggle at the feel of it on my bare feet. It's perfect.
"Celina, darling?" A feminine voice calls out. I look up to see two figures standing on the crystal clear water. One lady, who's probably the one that called out to me, with snow white hair and bright golden eyes like mine. She has a small frame and a kind smile plastered on her face. The other is a man with pitch black hair and also golden eyes. He has a large build and is way over six feet tall.
It suddenly hits me. These people are my parents. The parents I never got to really love or care for.
"My little princess is all grown up," my father whispers in a soft voice. I beam at them.
They slowly make their way over to me, moving gracefully on the water, not even creating a ripple.
"Look how beautiful you are," my mother gushes and brings her hand up to stroke my cheek. I want to say something, but it's as if my voice has been stolen from me. My mother giggles at me.
"You can't speak in this dimension, darling. You're not strong enough yet. Only the dead and well trained can speak here," she whispers and my smile drops.
They're dead.
A single tear slips out of the corner of my eye, causing my father to gently wipe it away.
"Don't cry, princess. We're still here with you. We love you no matter what and we will never leave you or let you go," he comforts and rests a hand on my shoulder.
I look at these two strangers in front of me. That's what they are to me, strangers. They're strangers with a heart though, and love for the daughter they will never know and never knew.
'I love you, guys,' I whisper in my mind, but of course they can't hear.
"You grew to be a beautiful young lady, darling, definitely something to admire," my mother praises and it's such a good feeling to know that my mother accepts me.
"A true beauty," my father adds and I beam at them again. "Never let anyone tell you otherwise."
They both engulf me in a hug and I gladly hug them back. This is what I'm missing, the family moments that can never be erased from your mind.
As time passes on, their bodies turn into ghosts. Their arms go straight through me, making me feel cold and alone.
; "We must go now, darling. Be safe and never forget us," my mother whispers as her body starts to fade.
"Always know we're with you and that we love you," my father also whispers and with that, they disappear.
Tears stream down my cheeks. 'No! Don't go, please don't go. Come back!' I scream in my head, but yet again, they can't hear or even see me. They're gone, they're truly gone.
I wake up with a scream, bolting upright. Axel jolts from his sleep on the couch and falls to the floor with a thud. He rushes over to my hyperventilating form and pulls me into a hug. I cry into his bare chest and hold onto him for dear life.
"They love me, Axel. They said they love me," I whisper once I calmed down and Axel pulls away to look into my eyes.
"Who did, Celina?" he questions, making me smile a bit.
"My mother and father. I saw them, Axel, in my dream," I whisper and Axel pulls me into another hug.
We just sit there hugging each other until I feel my eyelids getting heavy and a yawn escapes my mouth. It must be at least early in the morning.
"Come on, sweetheart, let's get you back to bed," Axel whispers in my ear. After he lays me down on the bed, he makes a move to go back to the couch, but I grab onto his arm before he can.
"Stay with me," I whisper to him with my eyes closed and sure enough, I feel a dip in the bed and strong arms wrap around my waist. I sigh contently at the feeling.
"Good night, Axel," I murmur.
"Good night, Celina. Sweet dreams," he mutters back and with that, I fall into a peaceful sleep with no more dreams of my mother and father.
11
CELINA
I wake up the next morning wrapped tightly in Axel’s strong arms. As I slowly open my eyes, I see he's still asleep. I smile slightly at the sight of him. He seems so relaxed and at peace with himself. I don't know how long I lay there, but I just stare at him until I see his eyes flutter a bit.
I brush some stray hair from his forehead and stare into his grayish silver eyes that seem to captivate me no matter what.
"Good morning," I whisper as I stare up at him. He's definitely a sight for sore eyes.
"It certainly is," he mutters, grinning in his sleepy state. Most people will consider this cliché, but I just think it's sweet.
I never really had someone who can honestly say that to me before.
"How did you sleep?" he quietly asks, tightening his arms around me.
"I’ve actually had the best sleep in years," I tell him truthfully and he grins again. I smile back and kiss him on the cheek before slipping out of the bed and onto the plush carpet.
A growl rumbles from behind me, and I turn, confused to see the lust-filled eyes of Axel roaming down my body. I look down at myself and gulp. I'm still wearing the nightgown from last night with the matching underwear. Oh boy...
Axel slowly lifts himself from the bed, exposing his boxers, and slowly advances towards me. My eyes travel down his body despite the situation, and my breath hastens once I see his very prominent erection through his boxers.
"Axel..." I warn. "Control yourself."
Of course he doesn't listen.
With every step he takes forward, I take two steps back. This continues until my back is against the wall. Axel closes the gap between us in a second making me breathless, not even an inch is left between us. I release a shaky breath.
"Axel, don't-" I'm cut off by my own moan when Axel starts to expertly kiss the soft spot on my neck.
He guides my hands to his shoulders and around his neck, locking them there while he places his hands on my hips.
"Axel," I breathlessly moan as he starts to massage my hips with his thumbs, the little action slightly lifting the nightgown up.
He continues to ravage my neck and collar bone, making me throw my head back against the wall in ecstasy.
"Do you know how sexy you look?" Axel whispers in my ear and I bite my lip to keep me from moaning. Axel picks up on the movement and slowly leans forward. I stare at his full lips and he stares at mine. All we have to do is lean a little bit more forward.
And we do.
Axel makes the final move and roughly puts his mouth to mine. Sparks shoot from my lips down to my toes and back up, that's how amazing it is. I moan into his mouth as he works his lips on mine. This is my first kiss so I just let Axel take control; my first kiss with my mate, just like a fairytale.
He licks my bottom lip asking for entrance, but I keep it tightly closed. He growls at me as his hands start to travel southward. They slowly slip under the nightgown and up my back. I bite Axel's bottom lip to keep myself from moaning, but I hear a grunt from Axel instead.
"You can't win this," he tells me before tucking his hands into my underpants and cupping my butt. I gasp and Axel takes advantage of the moment. He pushes his tongue into my mouth and immediately claims it as his own.
He explores every inch of my mouth and I in his. By the time we pull away, we're gasping for breath then Axel starts kissing my neck again. I moan when he softly bites my soft spot and he forcefully lifts me up by my butt, making me wrap my legs around his waist.
He pushes me up against the wall, closing any space between us. He removes his hands from my butt and travels to my very wet core. He strokes it through the fabric and I let my head fall to his shoulder as a loud moan escapes my lips. Oh god, that feels so good!
His strokes are long and teasing as he continues to massage me through the fabric. Just as he is about to push my underpants sideways, someone knocks at the door. That breaks me out of my trance and I push Axel while jumping from the wall and run for the door. Wait! I should probably change first. I race to the wardrobe and pull out a random dress, throwing the nightgown off and pulling the dress on. It turns out to be a sleeveless, bright red dress that’s just above my knees.
I yank open the door to see a very impatient Callum standing there, ready to knock again.
"Callum! Hi, how are you? That's good. Let's go get some breakfast," I rush out and pull him away from the door, leaving a smirking Axel in his boxers. I'll get back to him later...
"I can't believe he did that to me! That's so embarrassing! I don't even know what he did! I'm just an innocent 16-year-old..."
"Um, do I want to know?" Callum asks, confused then takes a whiff of the air. Pulling me to an abrupt stop, he sniffs down my neck and pulls away with a smirk.
"He didn't," he says astonished, and I nod, blushing red to match my dress. Callum bursts out laughing and I lightly shake him to stop.
"Callum, stop, please. This is embarrassing enough," I grumble and Callum sobers up eventually. I cross my arms against my chest and decide to ignore him while walking ahead.
"Oh, Celina. Come on, it's funny! You gotta admit," he exclaims as he jogs after me. I just ignore him and head to the kitchen. Luckily, it's a Monday, which means all pack teenagers are at school and the older members are at work.
"Celina, talk to me," Callum pleads, but I just ignore him again and proceed to get some cereal from a cupboard. This is his punishment for laughing at me.
I think it can be Axel's punishment, too. Not a word to them for the rest of the day!
For the rest of breakfast, Callum tries to get me to talk and I just ignore him and pretend he isn't there. He even tries a horrible magic trick just to get me to laugh, it doesn't work. At this point, Axel saunters down the stairs, fully clothed. I keep my face neutral.
"Axel! Help me! She isn't talking to me because I laughed at her!" Callum explains and Axel looks from Callum to me and chuckles.
"You're in your own boat, man. She's still very satisfied with me," he says with a smirk, sending a wink to Callum. I set my jaw to keep myself from bursting.
Axel heads over to me and pulls me to his lap. Oh no! I get up and move to the couch in the living room, still sipping my coffee.
"See! She ignores you too and you can't do anything about it! I even tried to make her laugh!" Callum burst out while I suppress a giggle.
"Please
, she can't resist talking. She'll crack eventually, won't you, sweetheart?" Axel says confidently and I raise an eyebrow at my coffee.
'They're in for a shock,' my wolf mumbles to herself. How is it that she shows up in the most ridiculous moments and not the important ones? I swear I have the laziest wolf in the world.
'I know,' I tell her, making us laugh silently to each other. I put my coffee cup in the dishwasher and head out to the backyard. It must be a bit past nine now, and the clock on the wall confirms that it's 9:03am.
"Um, Celina? You know there'll be people in the backyard, right?"
I stop and turn to look at Callum, raising an eyebrow and putting my hands on my hips. They can't fool me, everyone's either at school or work.
"It's true, you know," Axel adds and shrugs, looking away. I smirk. He's lying. I turn back around and push open the back door to find that a few children are running around playing.
I smile and take a rest on a wooden rocking chair that is set on the back veranda. A soft breeze whips some hair onto my face and I delicately brush them away. Callum and Axel join me and soon Comrade finds us. I beam at him.
"Hey, Comrade," I greet him cheerfully and he smiles down at me while Callum and Axel huff in annoyance. He doesn't laugh at me like you do, I think to myself.
"Hey, Snow," he greets back just as cheerfully. Axel growls at him then stares at me confused. Why is he growling?
"Snow? What's that, a nickname?" Axel mocks and Comrade nods his head while I run my tongue over my teeth and stare straight into Axel's eyes. We have a bit of a staring contest, but Axel backs down first. I grin in triumph.
I'm actually not sure why Comrade calls me Snow. I mean, I know my wolf is Snow White, but my appearance isn't. I have black hair, slightly tanned skin, and gold eyes. I guess for anyone who doesn't know me, it'll confuse them.
"Miss Luna, will you come play with us?" a little girl about six asks while pulling on my dress. I beam at her as the other children behind her stare at me hopefully.