this was not what I hoped to see when I did.” Her eyes were sad as she looked across the field at the blood and bodies that were littered about. She met her mate’s eyes and, as one, the pair lifted their free hands. The deceased wolves melted into the earth as though they hadn’t been there moments before. “And so they return to start the cycle again,” she murmured.
“What’s going to happen to Luna?” I questioned, my wolf howling, desperate for the pup. Selene’s smile was soft.
“We are not taking her from you, Beta, do not fear,” she assured me. “Luna’s place is here with you.” I sighed in relief, a sound I felt echoed down our bond. Luna was pack, and she was mine.
“There are bad ones left,” Luna told Selene, her eyes still glowing silver.
“There are,” Selene agreed with a regal nod. “You are not yet strong enough to deal with them all, little one, nor am I strong enough in this form to remove them all either.”
“We’ll keep her safe,” I promised, pushing to my feet, helping to balance Shannon. “She’s our pack.”
Luna tilted her head. “They need to learn not to hate, to know what pack is.” Her hair whipped behind as, and one by one, certain wolves began to glow. They gradually became brighter and brighter, enough to burn the eyes. They whimpered and howled before her power released them, and then they sagged to the ground. Selene and Faron caught Luna between them when her eyes slipped closed, and Selene lifted the pup into her arms.
“Rest, little goddess,” Selene murmured, stroking Luna’s head. “You have done well.”
I shifted when movement caught my eye and saw Alpha Due—the only other werewolf besides Shannon and me still in human form—kneel. “Goddess, may I ask what the pup just did? One of those wolves was mine.”
“She stripped them of the gift I granted so many centuries ago,” Selene told him. “They are simply wolves now, no more, no less. No complex thoughts, no memories, no ability to hate—just a chance to start again with each other, as a pack of their own.” She shook her head sadly, turning her eyes up to her mate.
“The pup is strong, but she is still a pup. She searched their hearts for hatred, for those who would come for her and those she loves, those who could not change,” Faron explained, his voice a deep rumble. “But she could only touch those who are here within the confines of this field. There are more who are a threat, more who will search her out in time. They will hide for now, wait and watch as they lick their wounds and assess the threat now that they have seen what it means to face a goddess, but in time they will not be able to hide their hatred.” His opaque eyes met mine, a warning clear in their swirling depths.
“When I made the first pack, I made one pack,” Selene said, her eyes trailing over all those who remained. “Yet, as the centuries have passed, my sons and daughters have grown further and further apart. They have learned to scorn, hate, and fear each other. They search out power and wealth rather than the comfort and love of the pack song.” She leaned her head on Faron’s shoulder. “Again and again, we sent the moon blessed to you with words of comfort. They were each struck down before their power could be realized, before they could be taught to remove the hatred from the hearts of those who threaten our ways.”
“Like Gwyar,” I murmured.
“Yes, daughter.” Selene nodded. “I created the werewolves to be one pack, one people, yet you have never been more divided—and if you do not come together, you will be erased from this world.”
“How?” The word was a plea as I glanced at my packmates.
“Discovery,” Selene stated simply. “The world grows more diverse every day, every moment more visible, every secret more easily discovered. Eventually, the secret of the werewolf will be found. Humans have invaded almost every corner of this world, and there is only so much longer our kind can hide. If you are fighting yourselves at every turn, how will you have a chance against the humans or anything else that may come along?” Her silver eyes were serious as they looked across us all. “I made you one pack for love. Yet you divide yourselves with hate.” She bent down, letting Luna drift gently