Page 16 of Rejecting the Future Moon Goddess

“What do I do with that?” I ask, accepting the art supplies and opening the book to a blank page.

“Well, as you know, many packs had to be built from the ground up the hard way. But, with you being the next Moon Goddess, all you have to do it is draw any design you want, and then we will place the book on the spot where the pack house will be under the light of the moon, and voilà, a pack is formed.” Ira explains, the theory behind creating a pack of the Moon Goddess making me smile.

“So, sort of like a witch’s spell?” Comes my follow-up question.

“Similar to it, but purer.” Ira continues with a smile, tapping on the book in my lap. I smile and take a moment to look at the land before me, the lake, the clearing as a whole and begin to draw.

I start with the pack house, deciding on a building big enough to house offices, a large pack dining room and kitchen, a lounge as well as a few entertainment rooms. I add rooms where pups can go into and play, rooms wolves coming from patrol duty can come watch a game on the TV and relax with a warm meal before returning home for someneeded rest.

With the basement being designed as one of many training areas I plan to have, I move on to a separate area just behind the kitchen where a laundry room will be. I hated the basement laundry room, the dingy, dark, moist air and the lack of sunlight of a place I never wanted to be in again.

This pack will be different, with a state-of-the-art laundry room, windows to allow both sunlight and fresh air in, and multiple clotheslines to be used in the summer heat to air dry the clean laundry. The finishing touches end on the third floor, with guest rooms.

“How far away is the mountain base?” I ask out of curiosity.

“About an hour run in wolf form away.” Ariven answers and I smile, deciding where I want my own home to be. I start right away on my house, deciding on a modest three-bedroom cottage with a large garden and an even larger pond. I smile as I design the quaint area, the pathway leading from the forest to my house, the large bay windows where I can sit in and read, a kitchen where I can cook food and never feel hunger again.

Of course, there will be a well, one that allows the moonlight to shine inside and down into a moon pool, a place to meditate, like the one in the Temple of the Goddess on the Full Moon and be able to see my Mother.

My hands move on their own after that, my mind focused on my own pack, the school I will have built, the training center, the supply room for storing food, goods and everything else that will be needed for the pack, and then a pack infirmary for our sick and wounded. Keeping in mind other needs of a pack, needs that were never met at Hidden Claws, I design a dorm meant for new wolves as well as for those wanting their own space once coming of age. No one will be homeless in my pack.

Finally, I add small cottages dotting the pack scape, some around the lake, some in the forest and some just before the mountains, each with varying size to fit my future pack members needs.

“I think I am done.” I state, putting my pencil down and flipping through the designs, smiling at the work I have created, knowing that soon this will be a reality.

“Good. The next step is to place the book where your pack house will be and say what comes to mind. The magic will work right away, and your pack will be established.” Ira instructs me, giving me a smile. I stand, stretching my stiff body for a moment before making my way towards the place I want my pack house to be. I know it will take a few years to establish a pack, as I take in the lush land under the moonlight and the scent of the lake on the wind. Reaching what will be the centre of the pack house, I turn to look back at everyone waiting where I left them, a look of anticipation on their faces. Then Alex appears out of the forest behind our group giving me a smile.

[Go on, Gemmy, you’ll make a great Alpha.] My brother links me and I smile, turning back to the spot in front of me where I promptly place the sketchbook on top of. Taking a few steps back, I look up to the Full Moon now directly above me and take a deep breath.

Mother give me strength. I pray, taking a moment to allow the right words to flow.

"I, Geminie Starlight, declare these lands as the Alpha of Silver Crystal Crescent Pack. Those who oppose me are my enemies and those who seek a family shall become part of mine." I state, power radiating from my voice and body as the light of the moon illuminates the land that will be mine.

The sketchbook on the ground glows brightly, the earth moving causing me to back away as walls begin togrow out of the ground in various places, the earth turning to stone as pathways and driveways are created. I soon find myself beside the group once more as we all stare in awe at the display of magic.

Houses are formed within minutes, the training facility erected and ready to be used right away, and the dirt trail we took to enter the pack grounds now paved in an even road, leading into the forest and hopefully towards the main road.

Finally, the clearing becomes quiet, and a fully formed pack stands before us, the pack house a welcoming cream-coloured building with both a vegetable and flower garden, a driveway big enough to house multiple cars, and large windows to allow as much sunlight as possible.

I smile, a sense of belonging and home filling me. A shimmering light directly above me halts my steps, my body tense in anticipation for anything amiss. But the shimmering light soon forms multiple papers, hovering just above my head.

“Take it. Those are the deeds to the land and the paperwork for utilities. It’s yours, Geminie.” Ira declares, encouraging me with a smile to reach for the papers, which I gladly do. I watch as the blank sheets slowly fill with words, my name bright and bold at the very end, and pride swells inside me.

"Welcome home, Alpha." I shiver at Ariven's voice, his lips behind my ear and I smile up at him.

"Let's go home."

?Chapter 16 – Mother?

"Alpha, are you in here?" A voice calls out, the sound distorted and dreamlike as I float in the moon pool. The silver water shimmers with the light of the Full Moon above me. It has been over two years since my rejection, two years since founding Silver Crystal Crescent Pack, and two years since meeting my mother Lisandra for training in the dreamscape.

“Quiet, she is going to the dreamscape to train with her mother.” Ariven warns in as low a voice possible while my eyes close and I let the magic surround me.

My eyes open and I find myself gazing down at earth, the sky alight with stars as the galaxy shines above me. I am in the dreamscape, a lush garden of moonflowers growing from moonstones surrounding me with the trickle of a small stream sounding from my left.

"Gem, you're late." The melodic voice of my mother reaches me, and I smile as I rush to her arms and hold her tight. For the past two years, I have gotten to know her, and came to realize the death of the Alpha and Luna from my old pack was caused by my kidnapping. My mother had learned I was hidden in Hidden Claws and told my father such where he promptly ordered my retrieval. Their death was caused by some of his pack members defying orders and seeking their own revenge by killing the Alpha pair. It was a tragic event that should have never happened, and the wolves involved were punished with the death penalty as well.

“Sorry, Mother. I had some unexpected events in the pack happen that had to be taken care of.” I answer, enjoying the warmth of her embrace as if I was a pupagain. Our hug ends too soon as she links her arm with mine and leads me to a gazebo where a tea set and snacks wait for us.

---