Page 11 of Rejecting the Future Moon Goddess

“Yes. Their reasoning, from what we could gather, is that a week before you were born, the Blakes suffered a stillbirth. Their pup would have been a little girl like you. Their initial goal was to kill you, but clearly, something changed.” Ira, the black-haired she-wolf, repeats this information to me once more, information that was still hard to grasp. Alex had explained that a month before his sister was supposed to be born, his parents sent him to summer camp. By the time the Blakes would have had their daughter settled into life at home, Alex would be just arriving back from camp to start his role as a big brother. Instead, he came home to me.

“I always felt something was off with you, especially when I returned home from camp and saw you crying in the crib, but no one cared about helping you.” His voice brings me out of my thoughts as I turn to look at Alex, sadness deep in his eyes. Knowing we aren’t related must be killinghim, but knowing his parents kept the death of his baby sister from him must be destroying him even more. I carefully climb out of the bed, happy that before our discussion started, Ira had given me a long nightgown to put on While Alex went to find an Acolyte to bring us food. I close the gap between me and Alex, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him in for a hug.

“Alex, no matter what, you are my brother. You’ve been there for me since I was a baby. You protected me to the best of your abilities and gave me food and familial love. We are siblings no matter what happens.” I whisper, feeling the tension in his body slowly release as he buries his face into my shoulder. His body starts shaking, and the feeling of a wet spot where his eyes rest clues me in that the strong wolf before me is sobbing silently. Reality is cruel and harsh, knowing that the day that Sorus and Reena were killed was because of the Blakes.

Alex never learned the truth of his biological sister because the Blakes wanted revenge on my mother for something that unfortunately happens in life and was out of her control. I was ripped away from my own birth parents and blamed for many things, all because I was the physical target for the Blakes’ rage, not knowing nor able to prove my innocence.

Tears of my own begin to fall at the injustice that had been given to me for eighteen years and before I know it, I find myself clinging to my brother as we both grieve in our own way for the lives we have lived until now. With our emotions now spent and the flood of grief now open, I feel the weight on my shoulders that I’ve been carrying since being disowned by the Blakes finally fade away. My mind feels clearer and my body lighter by the time the tears run dry, and I am left taking deep breaths with Alex.

A box of tissues is placed in front of the two of us, causing Alex and I to look up at Ira with surprise and thanks aswe each dry our tears away, and I find myself sitting back in bed. Today would mark the start of my life not as Geminie Blake, but as my true self, Geminie Starlight.

“Ira, what happens now? Where do Alex and I go, and what am I supposed to do?” I ask, giving this she-wolf a determined look. It was time for me to change my destiny and take my life back. I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing and allow what the Blakes did to Alex and me to go without justice. But I need to grow stronger before I can take any revenge.

“You train, Geminie.” She starts, giving me a smile as another member of the temple walks in with a cart full of what I assume are necessities for our stay.

“You, as well as Alex, will train here for a week. We will get you in contact with your father, and at the end of the week, you can decide whether you want to go to his pack and train there or create your own pack.” With that, Ira bids us good night and leaves Alex and me to ourthoughts.

?Chapter 12 – A Shift in Life?

Morning comes quicker than I thought as light streams in from the large window and into my eyes. After Ira’s last words to us, Alex and I concluded that no matter what, we would create our own pack. I will accept my birth father when I meet him and build a relationship with him and any family from either side of my true mother and father. But the thought of joining another pack over being able to create my own brought a sense of unease. I know this unease comes from never wanting to be under someone else’s power again.

Looking at Alex, who is still fast asleep beside me, I smile and silently creep out of bed before I tiptoe to the door and make my way out into the hallway. My goal is to shift for the first time consciously and figure out how to move in my wolf form.

The halls of the Temple of the Goddess twist and turn, making it hard for me to find any exit to the outside where I can shift without worry of accidentally destroying something. Every time I try a new hallway after retracing my steps from a dead end, I find myself at another dead end. Whoever built this temple is a genius at creating security features with the maze-like halls, but also an asshole since it’s too easy to get lost in here.

Finally, a member of the Temple Acolyte notices my lost and confused self, taking the time to talk with me and guiding me to the nearest exit much to my relief. Fresh air surrounds me quickly as I take in the view of a clearing full of wildflowers mixed with moonflowers. Large trees surround the clearing, their fall colours indicating winter will be coming faster thanexpected, adding to the beauty surrounding the Temple.

Old Canadian maples, large birch, many species of straight pines and many sturdy oak trees in the forest before me that I could not wait to run through capture my attention the most. The scent of pure nature brings a comfort to me that no place other than the Hidden Valley has brought.

“If you need anything else, Miss Geminie, let a member of the Temple know.” The she-wolf brings my attention back to her and away from the beauty of the forest. After thanking her, the Temple Acolyte walks back inside, leaving me alone to bask in the peaceful nature.

With a smile, I make my way closer to the forest, the sun warm against my skin and the cool soft grass tickling my feet. The carefree feeling I have never felt until now feels so liberating. I take a moment to sit in the clearing, the scent of wildflowers mixed with the scent of maple and pine surrounding me. I understand why the temple was set up here after the first Moon Goddess ascended her position, and why wolves use it as a sanctuary to escape a horrible pack. It brings a sense of security and calmness to one’s mind and soul, a place to be closer to the Moon Goddess, to my mother.

This also makes the perfect setting to consciously shift for the first time.

I jump to my feet and stretch, a grin of excitement on my face thinking about finally being able to run in wolf form and what my wolf may look like. I take a deep breath, letting the calming scent of my surroundings wash over me as my mind is cleared of everything but the shift. My body will change from human to beast, paws hitting the forest floor and running past the trees, wind flowing through fur. And then the pain comes.

Falling onto my hands and knees, I feel my spine contort and bones snap as the pain causes me to openmy mouth in a silent scream. Tears flow from my eyes, and fearing for my life, I fight against the shift. But fighting only makes the pain worse. My heart begins to beat faster as if my body is fighting death itself.

“Let it happen.” A deep husky voice calls out, causing me to turn and face the owner of it. Leaning against the nearest oak tree is a tall male dressed in a navy V-neck shirt and dusty jeans. A pair of black hiking boots on his feet. His body screams of a powerful male, with sun-tanned skin that I know, even if he were to hide inside for a month, would never change in colour and long black hair pulled back into a bun on his head. Traces of tattoos peek from the collar of his shirt, and an easygoing grin graces his lips.

“If you keep fighting the shift, you’ll kill yourself. You don’t seem like the type to give up your life, so accept the shift. Accept the pain and take a deep breath.” He continues, pushing off from the tree and slowly walking towards me. I feel no malice or threat in him towards me, only amusement and concern. I whimper from the pain but nod in understanding and close my eyes. I think about the shift, accepting it as the speed of my bones breaking moves from a slow torture that has me wishing for death to a breakneck speed, a speed that, although painful, is gone in a split second.

My body realigns itself with each break and shift in bones, my face elongates into that of a muzzle, and my hair retreats into my scalp while fur sprouts from my skin. Soon, I find myself panting, laying in the clearing with remnants of the nightgown I was wearing now, nothing but torn rags around me.

“Better, Little Wolf?” The mysterious man asks with a chuckle. I nod in response, letting out a sigh and rolling around on the grass happily. It felt liberating in fur form, more natural to me. The man chuckles at my pup-like actions, his dark, forest-green eyes never leaving my form even as I lay back quietly, my tail thumping against the earth.

“Why don’t you try standing and testing out your legs?” He suggests, getting a yip of approval from me in response and another chuckle from him. A small pang shoots through my heart with his constant chuckling, thinking about the mate bond I had lost days ago due to the rejection. Although the mystery man is attractive and definitely the definition of a true man, my heart still yearned for the bond of my soulmate, even if my brain knows it will never happen. I guess my emotions must have shown on my wolfish face as I soon find fingers running through my fur in a comforting manner.

“What or whoever made you sad and seek sanctuary here, Little Wolf, they aren’t worth it. You have a beautiful wolf form and a bright future ahead of you. I can feel it.” His compliment and gentle words settle the pain in my heart. This stranger is right; Mika did not deserve me after the years of pain he put me through. I will do better than Hidden Claws.

“Now, about that standing thing.” The subject changes, causing me to roll my eyes at this friendly stranger as he slowly backs away from me, giving me enough space to move but close enough that I feel like he will catch me if something happens. I knew from my rolling around earlier that I can move in some form, but standing would be another challenge to me.

Assessing each limb gingerly, stretching, and moving to see the strength I have, I slowly push my body off the ground. Some attempts leave me tumbling back to the soft grass, happy to be close to the ground already, until finally, on shaky, unsteady legs, I finally stand. Throughout my attempts to stand, which I assume took about thirty minutes, give or take, the man before me laughed every time I fell or my paw slipped out from under me, causing me to growl in frustrationat his “moral support.”

“I’m going to take a guess and say you are new at this, Little Wolf.” He states with a deep chuckle. I roll my eyes at him and respond silently, Thank you for pointing that out, Captain Obvious. I think wishing I could link him this sarcastic retort but sadly cannot. The eye roll seems to elicit another chuckle from this friendly jerk, and I let out a small growl at him.

“Okay, okay. I get it, not amusing.” He surrenders, hands up as he backs away with a grin.

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