On the full moon

A few days have passed since the brutal ordeal dealt to Nia in the pack house. After her mother tended to her wounds, she returned to the house that same day for her night shift which entailed giving the Luna her routine foot massage. Although she was handed a few slaps for not doing her job well again, it did not bother her much since she had suffered worse in Jaxon’s hands. With the festival of the full moon at hand, Alpha Talon and his family were busy preparing for the ceremonies. Hence, she hardly saw them. Instead, she was assigned to clean and clean and clean in preparation for the upcoming rituals.

On the other hand, she was also preparing for her eighteenth birthday which coincidentally fell on the full moon. Once, the shaman had told her that she was cursed to suffer a misfortune on her eighteenth birthday but Nia chose to pay no heed to superstitions. Besides, she had already suffered a lot of misfortunes to worry about some silly curse. As she carried the newly washed bed sheets to Lyra’s room, she rejoiced that she would not see the brat just as she prayed that she would be let off in time to blow out her candles before the clock struck twelve. After all, delivering Lyra’s bed sheets was supposed to be her last chore if the Luna decided to stick to her word. Since she had been told that Lyra was out with her father, she entered the room without knocking and instantly regretted it. There sat Lyra on the hips of her mate, tongues buried in each other’s throats.

“You fool” Lyra cursed as she snatched her earlier tossed shirt and hurriedly pulled it over her head.

Nia could feel her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach in fear. The last thing she wanted was another beating. Her body was yet to recover from the one she suffered a few days ago.

“My apologies. I was told you were with Alpha Talon, inspecting the preparations for the festival.”

“oh really?” Lyra got up and stalked toward Nia who retreated a few steps, visibly shaking like a leaf. “How about I teach you how to pay attention to details.” With that being said, Nia watched in horror as Lyra’s claws extended. In one swift motion, her hand left a bloody trail across Nia’s face. The room went shrill quiet as the sound of claws meeting soft skin resounded in Nia’s ears. For a second, she thought Lyra had planned to claw her heart out. She was certain she would die. But, she heaved a sigh of relief after feeling the sting on her cheek. She would live to celebrate her eighteenth birthday.

A knock on the door Stopped Lyra from going for a second strike.

“Who is the idiot?” Lyra bellowed

A timid omega stepped into the room with her head bowed. “The Luna sent me to fetch you.”

Lyra turned to Nia with an evil smirk. “Thank your lucky stars” and with that, she gave Nia a head shove and walked out of the room. Her puppet of a mate followed her closely. He also gave Nia a blow just as she passed by her. All Nia could do was wipe the blood streaming down her face with the sleeve of her black and white servant uniform. The wound would leave an awful scar but it was the least of her worries. All she wanted was to get home and have a peaceful eighteenth birthday-celebration with her mother. Soon, evening came and it was time to begin the ceremony.

As the goddess of the moon would have it, Nia was shoved aside as the other wolves prepared to shift and hunt under the silvery glow of the full moon. In her usual nature, Nia sneaked off under the cover of the woods and the howls of the hunting wolves. The aroma of the not-so-lavish dinner filled her nostrils as she stepped into the cabin she and her mother shared. In the middle of the table sat the bare cake with a crooked candle stamped in its center. Nia smiled with satisfaction. It was all she ever wanted. The imperfections did not matter but the thought and love behind it did. A fact that the members of shadow-fang pack refused to see.

“There you are” Kira emerged from the cramped kitchen with a smile. “Do you like it?”

“Like? I love it Mother, thank you so much” Nia felt a gush of loving emotions tumble in her belly as she gripped her mother in a bear hug. This led to Kira feeling emotional.

“I apologize for the little we have and I’m sorry for not giving you a good life or a complete family.” Kira’s voice cracks.

“Mother, please. Don’t cry. Tears won’t make our situation any better. All that matters to me is you and I am grateful to have you by my side even after eighteen years of hardship. I love you and I hate to see you worry. I am doing just fine.” Nia reached out and wiped her mother’s tear-stained face. But, Kira still regarded her with an expression of guilt and regret.

“If only you knew” she sighed.

“What am I supposed to know?” Nia’s smile slowly fades as her Mother’s countenance suddenly changes.

“Don’t worry about it. But, always remember that everything I do is for your well-being.” Kira tightly gripped her daughter’s shoulder. “Promise me that you will always remember this fact.”

“I- I promise.” Nia stuttered

Amid the distant beating of drums, animalistic rituals, and wild dancing, Nia celebrated her birthday. Though it wasn’t up to half of Lyra’s celebration, she was contended for she knew her mother had put her all into making the day a special one. Deep down, Nia felt disturbed by her mother’s shaky behavior and her look of guilt earlier. She knew that Kira was hiding something from her but she decided to trust her mother, knowing she would never hurt her. If only she knew.

As the night gradually came to an end, Nia made a wish and blew out her candles. Somehow, she felt the blowing of candles signaled a new beginning in her life. She didn’t understand the feeling but she welcomed the thought of new and better beginnings. If only she knew.

As the members of shadow-fang pack rounded their festival, Kira bid her daughter goodnight and they both retreated to their respective rooms. Nia went to bed with a feeling of satisfaction but, Kira had other options in mind. She looked over her shoulder one more time as she disappeared into the shadows of her room. She lit her candles and began her strange ritual to the moon goddess. In Kira’s mind, she did not have to worry about Nia finding out because she had drugged her. Her daughter would be knocked out till morning. Or so she thought. In the cramped room situated a few steps away, Nia fell asleep after a few seconds due to the exhaustion of being a slave and punching bag to the Valen family. But, her Sleep was interrupted by a nightmare of some sort.

There she stood in the middle of the dense forest, feeling alone and afraid as always. Chills ran up her spine as she spotted a dark figure hiding in the bushes. Slowly, the monstrous figure emerged from the shadows. It was a midnight black lycan. Its bloodshot eyes shot daggers at Nia and she stood there petrified. It stalked towards her like a predator and grabbed her by the neck, squeezing tightly. “I have finally found you after many years of searching. Die. Die. Die.” his guttural voice echoed in Nia’s head as she struggled to breathe. All of her wiggling and slapping were in vain as black dots covered her vision.

The bedside lamp flickered on as Nia shot out of bed. She searched around frantically for the monster from her dreams but saw no one. She heaved a sigh of relief and hurried out of the room to find her mother. She would find comfort in her Mother’s arms. She has to. Nia’s heartbeat quickened and she felt an impending sense of doom. Her outstretched hands stayed frozen on the doorknob of her mother’s room as her ears perked up. She heard her mother’s voice and the………….shaman’s?