a hindrance in all areas of life.
"Lift your head, Aurelia."
"Am I even worthy to be here?" I lifted my head after asking the question, surprised by how big the full moon was now as it took up the majority of the sky. To view its beauty up close suddenly brought tears to my eyes as I lowered to my knees and looked upward as an idea of the identity of the voice flooded my mind.
"Mother Moon?" my voice trembled, not out of fear but nervousness at the idea of the sacred being in the sky being in my presence. For as long as I could remember, Father spoke of our savior, Mother Moon.
She was the spiritual essence that protected wolf shifters, the being that shielded us from the evil of the lands and guided us along our journey on the surface of life.
With her blessings, there would come a time you'd find a mate compatible with you, and her continued guidance would deliver you to the moment when you can fulfill your destiny.
She was at the level of what many would call a god - an elemental master of her own element that peaked at the strike of midnight. Even as a hybrid, her presence and importance were just as vital in the wolf realms as they were with the witches, for many spells required to be done at the peak hours of the night, when the walls between the norm and spiritual realms thinned tremendously.
"No matter the blood that runs through your veins, nor the magic that inks itself along your flesh. You are a part of my children, Aurelia, no matter half or whole. You are worthy to stand within these lands of the In-Between, but you must not delay, for time is ticking away."
"Time is ticking," I wondered to myself. "The land of the In-Between? Is that where I am?"
"Yes, Aurelia," she replied. "The land between life and death."
"I...died?" I was in shock at the possibilities, and even when I tried to remember what brought me here, it was impossible. My mind was blank like a sheet of white paper, and nothing was bringing back the memories of the past I'd currently forgotten.
"Do not worry, half-child, for the strings of hope and fate have tied themselves to you," Mother Moon assured me.
I looked to my biceps then, noticing the strings that were still wrapped in place and glowing with vibrancy like the flowers all around me.
"Mother Moon? Can I go back?"
"You can," she admitted. "But the task ahead will be a long, lonely one."
"Long and lonely?" I pondered, wishing she'd bless me with more information.
"Some have betrayed you, and such actions will cost you a lot of heartaches. Not just you, but those who will be tied to you as well. The path I had written for you has been tampered with, and thus another reason why I've brought you here."
The winds picked up, which made my hair blow wildly as the petals of blue and gold lifted in the sky and danced all around me. That was when my eyes grew wide as I watched my white strands begin to glow like the illumination of the moon, each strand beginning to shift into a transition that left me gasping at the beauty of the color change unfolding before my eyes.
My white strands were now two tones - the roots of my hair now teal blue, and slowly shifting to an extraordinary gold. It was the most unique color style I'd ever witnessed, one that only extremely powerful witches and shifters carried.
It was far different than those who carried pure white strands during their ultimate stages of absolute power - a gift many people assumed I carried simply because I'd inherited my mother's powerful hair genes.
"I've gifted you with the power I rarely give to my children. You will need it to protect yourself from what those of enviousness have set out for you."
"Why...why do people hate me, Mother Moon?" I genuinely asked. "I did nothing wrong," I voiced the obvious. I could imagine this spiritual woman smiling as the soft giggle that echoed through the sky gave me a bit of hope and invited more peace to thrum through me.
"Aurelia. You are a blessed child. One born of a very powerful Alpha and an extremely gifted witch. Your birth was a controversy in the lands of power, but the being who blessed your birth prayed that I'd always have a hand in your protection. I'm fulfilling