Magic of Moonlight

Prologue - History of the Werewolf King

Quietly… Quietly… A young she-wolf crept along the corridors of the packhouse, her vibrant red hair barely seen over the top of the upstairs railing as she ghosted along. Emerald green eyes searched everywhere for any hint of movement. Dad's going to be mad at me. She giggled quietly to herself before continuing down the stairs to the ground floor. Slipping into the door and shutting it quickly behind her, she let out a breath she had been unconsciously holding. "I made it," she whispered to herself.

Turning she took in the great expanse of the old pack library. She wanted to learn about the motherly voice that would often visit her in her dreams. She would encourage her to seek out a particular book in the library. She scanned the titles until a very old tome caught her eye. Gold scrollwork rolled down the spine. The History of the Werewolf King.

"There you are!" she whispered in excitement and pulled the heavy tome down from the shelf. She awkwardly carried it to the couch and turned on a reading lamp. The tome was heavy on her legs, pinning her to the chair, but her eagerness to read outweighed her discomfort.

In the beginning, before the word was written down, wolf packs were numerous and lawless. The sanctity of true mates was abused and suffering abundantly. The Moon Goddess grieved over her beloved children who had lost their way. Determined to give them another chance, she created the Werewolf King and his mate, the Avatar of the Moon.

The Werewolf King's purpose was simple. To be the mediator, controller, supporter, executioner, and everything else to ensure that werewolves lived safe and abundant lives. The Werewolf King title was not to be passed down from father to son but instead was chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. While reigning, his name is hidden, and only revealed when the next generation of their court come forward.

The first Werewolf King, Riles, created order from chaos. Laws were formed and bound to the fibre of every werewolf's core. He asserted dominance as King and built a system of justice using the basic tribal traditions as a starting point. The Moon Goddess granted him and his mate the ability to have seven sons who were charged with moving to the seven continents of the world to exert law and bring the warring packs within under control. Today, the descendants of his eldest three sons make up the ten Ancient Packs.

The second Werewolf King, Lomas, drew out lands, territories, neutral zones, for the various packs. He solidified the family unit by establishing pack houses and layouts for communities.

The third Werewolf King, Mellow, established schools and created the holy city where the palace of the Werewolf King resides. It was in conjunction with his mate, Elmira, that they sought and formed the other three Avatars and their mates, the Knights.

The fourth Werewolf King, Faust; also known as the fake King; oppressed werewolves and began to amass power to attempt to take down other supernatural beings of the world. Werewolves united and tore him from the throne. His death freed the Avatar of the Moon, Ella, until she found her true mate.

The fifth Werewolf King, Siegheart, established an impartial council to maintain the laws. As a true mate to Ella, he saw first-hand the damage caused by someone who had a thirst for power and took it no matter who it hurt. The council's purpose was to ensure that the laws were upheld but impartiality was maintained. The council was determined to consist of retired Alphas from the various packs with no pack having two retired Alphas at once in the council. Along with his mate, they appealed to the Moon Goddess to hide the defining marks of the Avatars, for them to only be revealed when they are marked and mated.

The sixth Werewolf King, Saburo, negotiated the Bloodlines Treaty. Out of all the supernatural species of the world, werewolves were the most abundant and the most powerful. Humans became fearful of all supernaturals and began to hunt them tirelessly. Fearful of dying out, ten supernatural creatures blended their bloodlines into the packs. As mentioned previously, the descendants of the first King's sons became the ten Ancient Packs.

The seventh Werewolf King and the one currently ruling has only one notable change during his peaceful reign. Upon the death of his mate, Ebony, he discovered the cruelty and thirst wolves had on finding the Avatar of the Moon so they could be the next Werewolf King. He placed a curse on underage marking to ensure no she-wolves were forced into a mating bond unwillingly and the perpetrator was unable to be mated to anyone during their life.

The young she-wolf rubbed her eyes. The brief synopsis of the history was a lot to take in. She sighed and turned the page. The gentle, motherly voice in her head urged her to continue.

The Werewolf King is only identifiable by the presence of his mate, the Avatar of the Moon. He is the first of the pair to name himself, and in so doing, unlocks the powers and memories of both the Knights and himself. He also attains a secret guardian. Not much is known about this guardian as there is no documented record of his existence. Only old folklore describes a gigantic wolf with storm-coloured eyes standing over the fallen body of the Avatar of the Moon.

Among werewolves, only four divine werewolves exist who are the link between us and the divine. The Avatar of the Moon is the original avatar and linked to the Moon Goddess. Marked with a silver crescent moon over her heart, that only she and the other Avatars can see until she is marked and mated. The strength of her bond to the Werewolf King determines his strength in battle.

She paused and touched the crescent moon on her chest. So that's who you are. You're the Moon Goddess.

That's right, my child. The motherly voice purred affectionately. I've been trying to guide you to learn about who you are so you can be with your true mate when he presents himself to you. The she-wolf tilted her head curiously. I understand why no one can see my mark… But why can Violet?

Keep reading and find out. The Moon Goddess' voice teased her lightly. Smiling, the young she-wolf continued to read.

While the domains of physical strength and endurance lie with the Werewolf King and the Knights, the four Avatars have magic at their disposal. Their deity link allows them certain powers and abilities.

Firstly, as mentioned before, the Avatar of the Moon is linked to the Moon Goddess. She is identifiable by the crescent moon on her chest. She's a healer, able to draw someone away from death's door. She is able to amplify the power of any of the other avatars. She is able to summon and utilize all five elements, Spirit and Light being the only elements that are uniquely hers alone.

When the Avatar of the Moon reveals herself, her magic flows through all the minklinks giving the knowledge to all wolves that she is once again awake and a new Werewolf King reigns. This revelation calls forth the pack leaders from all the packs around the globe to the Palace. Her revelation is always made at a crossroads in time, a peak point in a battle, or during the brightest full moons.

Going in chronological order, we have the Avatar of the Past. She is linked to Urd, the Fate of the Past. She is identified by a silver hourglass over her chest. She has the power to see the past, to travel back in time, and summon long-deceased werewolves to speak as if they were alive still for a short period of time. Her elemental powers consist of Darkness, Earth and Water.

Her mate, the Knight of the Past, is the master of bladed weapons. He has strength and dexterity at his disposal. His ability to analyse the movements of enemies and strategize the best means of combat comes from his extensive knowledge of history. One notable Knight of the Past; Kyle, Knight to the current Werewolf King; who improved the archiving process and developed ways to slow down the deterioration of the oldest known literature of the werewolf race.

Next is the Avatar of the Present, linked to Verdandi, the Fate of the Present. She's an illusionist, able to hide in plain sight and imbue objects with the ability to conceal. Her mark is a clock face with no hands as she represents the moment in time, the very second that is present before it moves to the past. Her elemental powers consist of Earth, Fire, and Metal.

Her mate, the Knight of the Present, is a master of blunt force weapons. He has brute strength and force to drive through enemies. He oversees the day to day training of all recruits into the palace guard. One notable Knight of the Present; Edward, Knight to the Fifth Werewolf King; drew up the Charter of Chivalry which outlines the rules of engagement and battle between packs competing for land rights. He was also responsible for the uprising against the Fourth King due to his recognition of his false stature.

Violet's an Avatar! The young she-wolf gave out a restrained squeal of excitement. She's the Avatar of the Present! That's why she can see mine! Her eyes widened in excitement. More… I want to know more. She felt like bouncing in her seat despite the large tome in her lap.

Lastly, is the Avatar of the Future, linked to Skuld; the Fate of the Future. She has the power of clairvoyance and precognition. She wears the symbol of infinity on her chest as the future knows no limits. Little is known about the abilities of this Avatar as her powers change with each generation and can often be an indicator of what the future holds. Her elemental powers consist of Fire, Ice, and Wind.

Her mate, the Knight of the Future, is a master of projectile weapons. He has agility and dexterity to ensure his weapons always fly straight and true. He ensures the maintenance of the Palace as well as bringing it up to speed with the current technology of the are. One notable Knight of the Future; Jasper, Knight to the Sixth Werewolf King; developed the servers for the continued digitization of the historical records before they are processed, protected, and stored in the archival vaults.

Eagerly, the she-wolf continued to read long into the night. The gentle voice no longer urged her to read but instead remained patiently waiting to answer any questions the young pup had.

***

"I don't know where she is Dad," A dark-haired, green-eyed pup whined at his father. "She went to bed last night. That's all I know."

The wolf paced around the lounge waiting to hear news from his teams on where his daughter could have gone. A soft giggle interrupted his pacing. "Why are you laughing Becky? Our little girl is missing!"

"Because I found her," The she-wolf smiled. "Marcus, Caius, come with me." The two looked at each other before following her to the basement level and into the old library. "Doesn't she look adorable?"

All three took in the sight before them. The young red-haired she-wolf had fallen asleep over the arm of the chair that was clearly too big for her. A large tome with gold scrollwork sat open on her lap and looked to be about halfway through. Her hand rested on the page as if marking where she was reading before she had fallen asleep.

All teams stand down. We found her. The wolf known as Marcus mind linked with a sigh. He knew his daughter was curious about everything. She devoured books like they were candy and absorbed all the information within easily.

Yes Alpha.

Alpha Marcus gently picked the book up off the young she-wolf's lap and glanced at the cover. The History of the Werewolf King… I wonder why she wanted to read that. Turning, he placed it back on the shelf before picking up her petite body. You're going to be a handful for your mate when you grow up. A wry smile formed on his face.

"Since she's been found, can I go out and play with Sebastian now?" The other young pup, known as Caius, hopped eagerly from foot to foot. "We've been talking about what our sixteenths will be like." His eyes turned slightly starry. "I can't wait to meet my mate."

The she-wolf, known as Luna Rebekah, laughed lightly. "Of course dear. Your sister will probably sleep most of the morning away so go have some fun." She watched Caius happily run outside to catch up with his best friend.

Alpha Marcus looked at the little wolf in his arms and sighed. "What are we going to do with her Becky? Ember is so eager to learn but it'll be all for nought if her mate doesn't want or need it."

"It'll all work out," Luna Rebekah replied with a knowing smile. "Trust me. The Moon Goddess wouldn't make her this curious if it was for no reason."

"I hope you're right," Together, they took her upstairs and tucked her into bed.

***

Another dark-haired youth watched as Caius approached him. He had been waiting a while and noticed the frantic activity earlier. He was curious to know what had happened and why the activity just suddenly stopped.

"Oh… that?" Caius laughed lightly. "My parents couldn't find Ember and had everyone out looking for her before they realised she was fast asleep in the old library."

"Is she ok?" he asked, worry rising within him. "Why was she there in the first place?"

"Reading as usual," he replied with a shrug. "And perfectly fine. She just fell asleep reading." He glanced at the youth with a curious gaze. "Sometimes you act more like her big brother than I do…" He watched the blush spread across his face. "You know your sixteenth is in a month…"

"I know," He ran a hand through his hair. "I can't help it, you know."

"My sister is only twelve, Sebastian!" Caius said a little more forcefully than he intended. "Once you turn sixteen you'll need to focus on finding your mate." He put a comforting arm around his shoulders. "There's no guarantee she's your mate despite you having a huge crush on her."

"If…" The wolf known as Sebastian took a deep breath. "You know I'm saving myself for my mate. But if I get to my eighteenth, still haven't found my mate, and Ember comes to me to ask if I can take her first time… I will."

Caius sighed. "I know…" Part of him hoped Ember's mate was Sebastian as it would save his best friend some confusion and heartache. "But I don't know if she feels the same way about you."

"I wish I knew…" Sebastian let out a heavy sigh.