Chapter 185
“War?” Everyone froze.
Rowan’s hand tightened at my waist and I wanted to shiver, but I nodded. “War.”
“How do you know?” Toya leaned closer. Everyone had finally settled in and forgotten that the king of our kind was sitting next to me.
“Has the goddess ever spoke to you?” I looked at her.
“The goddess? Like the moon goddess?” Micca nearly fell from her seat, but I just nodded.
“Some of us are blessed to communicate with our goddess. Some get feelings, guided by her hand. Shamans get visions.” Rowan looked at me, and I could see the question in his eyes. But I knew it wasn’t time. I shook my head slightly, and he refocused on Toya. “Some others are gifted from the goddess herself. Lycans, when they come of age, are visited by the goddess.”
“Visited how?” Wendy was almost enthralled.
“When my father died, and I inherited the throne, and when I came of age, the Goddess visited me in my dreams.”
“How do you know it wasn’t just a dream?” Hanna asked.
I could feel my forehead burn and I rubbed it. I heard a gasp go through the room, and Rowan chuckled. “As you can see, our goddess makes herself abundantly clear.” I looked at him and he slid his phone out of his pocket and snapped a photo. He turned the phone to face me and I was on his screen. My black curls hung over my shoulder, my lips held a bemused smile, and my blue eyes were soft. Hidden in their depths, I could see a hint of the longing I tried to deny for the man next to me. But it was the blazing silver crescent moon on my forehead that caught my breath. I nodded and he raised an eyebrow. “You are moon blessed?”
“Yeah.” I turned back to the girls, and they were just staring at me.
“Moon blessed…” Wendy’s voice held wonder. “I’ve read about someone being moon blessed, but the last one recorded was over three hundred years ago.”
“Fuck” Toya swallowed.
We all turned to her. “What’s wrong?”
“My father’s pack is new. Newer than most around today. But he learned to be an alpha from an old pack in Canada. It was one of the oldest packs known in the country Almost as old as the Silvermoon pack.” I nodded.
“The Oakangan pack in BC.” I offered, and she nodded.
“They had the last shaman before, the one that we have today.” Rowan pointed out.
Toya nodded. “Exactly. And the Shaman left them a vision that has been passed down since her time.”
“What?” Rowan’s hand tightened again, accidentally pulling me closer to his side. “I wasn’t informed.”
“It was supposed to be a secret. Alpha Warner told my father, and my father told me.” Toya wiped her face. “1 don’t even know if I should even tell you this, but…” Toya straightened her back. “When the moon blessed appears, the shift has begun. If the moon blessed fails, if the shaman is corrupted, the world as we know it ends. War will decimate our kind, and we will wither. The moon blessed is the first fight, and the shaman is the second. Both will have to succeed to save our kind.”
“Both?“
Chapter 185
“War?” Everyone froze.
Rowan’s hand tightened at my waist and I wanted to shiver, but I nodded. “War.”
“How do you know?” Toya leaned closer. Everyone had finally settled in and forgotten that the king of our kind was sitting next to me.
“Has the goddess ever spoke to you?” I looked at her.
“The goddess? Like the moon goddess?” Micca nearly fell from her seat, but I just nodded.
“Some of us are blessed to communicate with our goddess. Some get feelings, guided by her hand. Shamans get visions.” Rowan looked at me, and I could see the question in his eyes. But I knew it wasn’t time. I shook my head slightly, and he refocused on Toya. “Some others are gifted from the goddess herself. Lycans, when they come of age, are visited by the goddess.”
“Visited how?” Wendy was almost enthralled.
“When my father died, and I inherited the throne, and when I came of age, the Goddess visited me in my dreams.”
“How do you know it wasn’t just a dream?” Hanna asked.
I could feel my forehead burn and I rubbed it. I heard a gasp go through the room, and Rowan chuckled. “As you can see, our goddess makes herself abundantly clear.” I looked at him and he slid his phone out of his pocket and snapped a photo. He turned the phone to face me and I was on his screen. My black curls hung over my shoulder, my lips held a bemused smile, and my blue eyes were soft. Hidden in their depths, I could see a hint of the longing I tried to deny for the man next to me. But it was the blazing silver crescent moon on my forehead that caught my breath. I nodded and he raised an eyebrow. “You are moon blessed?”
“Yeah.” I turned back to the girls, and they were just staring at me.
“Moon blessed…” Wendy’s voice held wonder. “I’ve read about someone being moon blessed, but the last one recorded was over three hundred years ago.
“Fuck.” Toya swallowed.
We all turned to her. “What’s wrong?
IF
“My father’s pack is new. Newer than most around today. But he learned to be an alpha from an old pack in Canada. It was one of the oldest packs known in the country Almost as old as the Silvermoon pack.” I nodded.
“The Oakangan pack in BC.” I offered, and she nodded.
“They had the last shaman before, the one that we have today.” Rowan pointed out.
Toya nodded. “Exactly. And the Shaman left them a vision that has been passed down since her time.”
“What?” Rowan’s hand tightened again, accidentally pulling me closer to his side. “I wasn’t informed.”
“It was supposed to be a secret. Alpha Warner told my father, and my father told me.” Toya wiped her face. “I don’t even know if I should even tell you this, but…” Toya straightened her back. “When the moon blessed appears, the shift has begun. If the moon blessed fails, if the shaman is corrupted, the world as we know it ends. War will decimate our kind, and we will wither. The moon blessed is the first fight, and the shaman is the second. Both will have to succeed to save our kind.”
“Both?”
1/2
+25 BONUS
Chapter 165
“I don’t even know who the shaman is.” Rowan had a slightly panicked look on his face.
“I do.” I grabbed his other hand with mine. I could feel his wolf settle as he stared at me. “We can do this.”
He nodded. And Toya sat back. “War really is coming.” Her voice was a little breathless. Rowan and I turned to look at all the girls, and I nodded.
“It is.” I squeezed Rowan’s hand. “But we will be ready. And all of us will fight for our packs, for our families, for our future and the future of our kind.” I could feel Nix and Megan sliding closer to the surface. “The rogues don’t care about the future of our packs, nor the future of werewolf kind. They are kept apart for a reason.”
Rowan nodded. “These wolves have either gone rabid, or banished from their packs for committing heinous crimes. These wolves are at the end of their rope and willing to change it all.” Rowan pulled his hand from around my pack and he inadvertently trailed his fingers against the exposed skin on my back, causing goosebumps to prickle at my skin.
“How does a wolf go rabid?” Hanna asked.
This was such a hard question to answer. “We don’t know one hundred per cent. But there is usually a high emotional loss to the wolf.” Rowan tried to explain,
I nodded. “Three years ago, a woman in my father’s pack was killed in an attack. She was eight months pregnant with a pup. I went with my father to inform the guard that his mate was attacked, and she was lost to the goddess.”
