Chapter 3 Meeting the Moon Goddess

~ KELANI ~

For a while, my anger dissipated and I stared in awe, my mouth wide open. Nothing I had dreamt or imagined could compare to the glorious view in front of me.

The Moon Goddess was draped in a flowing, diaphanous gown that shimmered like a million stars. Her raven hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, the fine strands writhing like they were alive. Her skin radiated as if the very essence of the moon had been distilled within her.

She looked at me with bright eyes were impossibly fierce and yet shone with compassion.

I bowed my head in complete reverence. "Moon Goddess."

"Child, what brings you to my presence tonight?" she asked calmly.

I swallowed hard. Surely the Moon Goddess must know the fate that had just befallen my pack.

"My Goddess. I am Kelani and I have just become the Luna of Left Stone pack because my parents have been killed. We suffered an attack tonight and were betrayed by our trusted ally pack, Right Stone. They helped the enemy invade us."

"Betrayals are one of the many evils of life, child. Expect them. That is the first lesson you would learn on your journey," she paused, "What would you like from me?"

"Revenge," I stated simply, almost cutting her off, my anger back in full force, "I want revenge on Shanakoi and Right Stone."

"Revenge is not given, child. Revenge is taken by the ones who are hungry enough to chase it."

"I am hungry enough, Goddess. But not strong enough. I am a sickly wolf, been one since I was born."

"And do you know why?"

My head snapped up to look at her. There was a reason? I thought I was just terribly unlucky.

"No." I muttered, scared of what I might hear next.

"It is for the same thing you seek: revenge. You see, your parents were not fated mates but they were in love and wanted to be together. Except there was a problem - your father's fated mate. She didn't want to let him go. So your parents set her up to be banished from the pack. The poor she-wolf came crying to me for revenge and cursed your parents with a childless union."

My brows connected in a small frown. My parents never told me any of this.

"Your mother used her Saturni El-Ron chant to ask for a child but it wasn't granted," the Moon Goddess continued, "When Alpha Trojan himself appeared in my presence and his only request was a child, not prosperity for his pack, not long life or wisdom for himself as Alpha. Just one child. Any child. I lifted the curse and granted his prayer."

'Any' child. Fresh tears began to well in my eyes.

"My parents never told me any of this." I sobbed.

"Of course. Many people don't tell their sins. That is the second lesson you will need to learn on your journey to revenge. Do not tell your sins."

I nodded even though I didn't quite understand.

"I need strength to avenge my parent's death and the annihilation of my pack, Goddess. I pray to you to take away my ailment and transform me into a strong wolf."

"Your sickness is a curse; a punishment for an offense so it cannot be healed without a reparation. It wasn't the betrayal that broke your father's mate. Or the banishment. Or the beatings. It was the shaving of her head that broke her. She had never cut her hair and never intended to but the pack members cut it all off to humiliate her. If I must lift the curse, you must lose what she lost. You must give up your hair."

My hair?! I frantically ran my hands through my long silvery hair, my heart pounding in my chest.

"No, no, no! Not my hair, Goddess. I can give anything else."

"I don't bargain with wolves," she said curtly, a hint of annoyance in her tone, "In any case, your hair can grow back. On the condition that your first s*xual intercourse is with your fated mate. Since your parents disregarded the mate bond so viciously, it is only fair that their only child - who was not meant to be born in the first place - fulfills it."

"Please, Goddess," I cried desperately, "Anything else. You can give me bad skin, crooked teeth, poor vision. Anything but my hair."

"You are free to refuse my terms and continue to live as you have. But you have to make your choice fast; you have limited time to be here. Do not waste your sacred chant. You only get to use it once in a lifetime."

I slowly began to dry my tears. Truly, it was a miracle that the Moon Goddess answered my summon even when I hadn't gotten my wolf yet. I would not waste this opportunity.

Besides, I barely survived even with the support of my pack. If I had to fend for myself as a sickly wolf, I would be dead before the next full moon and the slain wolves of Left Stone would never get their revenge. Surely, I can give up my hair for a greater good.

Rising to my feet, I looked boldly into the Moon Goddess's eyes. "I would do it. I would give up my hair to lift the curse."

"In that case, your third lesson is that fated mates are not always as they appear. Do well to remember this." she said pointedly.

I am not sure what I expected to happen next but it wasn't the deep feeling of drowsiness that overcame me. In seconds, I lost consciousness and was staring into pitch blackness. I didn't know how long that lasted before I regained consciousness and fell to the ground with a loud thud.

The first thing that hit me was a strange coolness on my scalp. I brought a hand to the top of my head and immediately started crying. My head was now bald and smooth. The long silvery hair that used to grace it sat beside me, tied into a neat knot.

Bostin looked at me wide eyed. "What... what... what happened?"

I gave him the shortest summary of my encounter with the Moon Goddess, conveniently leaving out the part about my father's fated mate being set up by my parents.

By the time I finished, he was looking at me with weak eyes. "It is good that you have gained strength. Now I can die peacefully knowing that you will get revenge for Left Stone."

Die??? I followed his eyes to see a wide patch of blood on his left lumbar region. Lifting his shirt, I gasped at the sight of a deep ugly gash.

"Dear Goddess! Did they attack you when I was away?"

"No, I came here with the wound. It has been getting worse and I am losing blood. Sadly, I didn't leave home with any potion that would be helpful and the cut is too deep for my old wolf to heal naturally."

I felt so guilty and stupid for not noticing Bostin's wound earlier.

"I'm so sorry, Bostin. Let me help you dress it."

No sooner had I said that than loud swishes of arrows reverberated through the forest, the mere sound of them enough to kill.

"They are looking for you, Kelani. To kill or to capture. Run to the tunnel and hide there."

"But you... your wound-"

Another swish. Then the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Run, Kelani! Don't worry about me. You are our only hope for revenge. Run! Run! Run!"

In seconds, I had stuffed my lock of hair into Bostin's bag and set off like my legs were on fire.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I ran. Oh, I ran. Faster than I had ever done in my life. But I was no match for seven Shana warriors who looked like they lived on a diet of liver.

They caught me before I could make it to the tunnel, tied my hands behind me like a criminal and forced me to walk ahead of them back to their ship at the harbour.

On the way, we passed through the pack square and I saw with my own eyes the evil that the Shanas had done to Left Stone. The pack square was unrecognizable and held no mark of the ceremony that was holding in it just hours ago. Most structures were burnt or broken. Bodies were scattered on the floor, some bloodied beyond recognition. I noticed some were still writhing as they battled with death. The metallic tang of fresh blood was thick in the air.

My eyes scanned the bodies for my parents, yearning to see them one last time, but when they landed on two heads displayed on a makeshift table, I wished they didn't. The heads of Alpha Trojan and Luna Misella - my parents who had loved me beyond my imperfections.

I was now in a cubicle aboard a ship I believed was heading to Shanakoi, my eyes dry because I had no tears left but my clothes soaked with my own urine.

The leader of the group of warriors was a man I learnt was called Lord Yuso and he had already slapped me at least thrice and called me a swine more times than that.

The journey was long and tumultuous. By morning when we finally reached our destination, I was half dead, but alive enough to admire the beauty of Shanakoi kingdom. Even my hate for Shanas - one that had been born and reached full maturity in the last few hours - was not enough to deny the sheer geographical perfection.

Most of the territory was a savannah and the grasses sprawled for acres with short trees sparsely scattered along the way.

Beyond the landscape were the architectural structures. One look in any direction and you could tell that the Shanas loved art - and they were wealthy! There were golden statues, magnificent buildings and intimidating murals everywhere.

One of the warriors untied my hands before clamping a black cuff around my left ankle. Then I was thrown into a large prison cell that held about a score of other captives who looked just as dejected as me.

Minutes turned into hours as I counted all the cracks in the high walls over and over again, ignoring the stares of the other men in the cell.

By evening, I had concluded they actually brought me all the way just to let me die of hunger when the door slammed open and a guard barged in.

"You!" he pointed a finger at me, "The king wants to see you."

I rolled my eyes so hard, I feared they would fall off. The king. You mean the man who beheaded my parents? I want to see him too.