The Future Luna

Safely in her room with the door shut, Anabelle cried into her pillow. After a while, she got up and looked out the window towards the forest where she could hear the howls of her fellow pack members out on their run.

At times like this, she wished she had her wolf. She missed talking to Lily, feeling the familiar comfort of her in the back of her mind. As if Lily could feel her pain, she felt a whimper deep in her head. "Lily! Is that you?". She was met with silence.

Hope surged through Anabelle, nonetheless. If Lily was starting to get stronger maybe she had a chance of surviving. Just then she heard the phone ring and an exasperated sigh from Jenna as she left the couch to answer it. She heard Jenna murmuring and then pounding footsteps on the stairs and the door to their bedroom slamming. Just then she heard a ferocious growl that only could have been Alpha Kevin.

The sound erupted through the pack link and Anabelle could feel the entirety of the pack whimpering in submission. No one knew why the Alpha was angered but they all knew it couldn't be good. She heard Alpha Kevin approaching her room and she quickly pretended to be asleep. The door flew open and in he charged. He simply stared out the window. She dared not to speak and sucked in a deep breath waiting for a blow that never came.

"You might as well be informed" he started, "your brother has run away to be with your traitor mother, leaving me with no heir to the pack". A million thoughts raced through Anabelle's head, how did he find her, where is she, why was she exiled? Then as if a lightbulb went off, she realized there would need to be a new Alpha after him.

There was hope for the pack to return to its glory. "I will be naming you the future Luna and whoever you marry will be the new Alpha. We will begin sending out invitations soon. Your brother is now a traitor and will not be talked about." With that, he left her room without another word and slammed the door. this was the best Annabelle could hope for but at the same time, she was filled with a sense of dread.

The only Alpha she knew was her father and now she was to marry one? What if he was worse than her father? Is she just to never talk about her brother again? What will become of him and where is he now? A million questions swirled in her mind as she fell into a restless sleep.

The following morning Jenna called her for school the same as every other morning. There was something different about the atmosphere in the house though. When she entered the kitchen there was no chores list waiting for her. Instead, she was greeted with cereal, fruit, and a pot of tea. Anabelle was beyond confused. Did they have guests she was unaware of?

Jenna entered the room and told her to sit and eat the needed her strength. Now, this was weird she thought. Jenn proceeded to clean the kitchen which in all the years Anabelle had lived with her she had never seen her do. "Today after school you to stop by the packhouse your grandmother wants to speak with you about your duties as future Luna ... and your mother", she trailed off at the end, but I caught it nonetheless. What does grandma know about Geraldine?

Anabelle thought to herself, but she wasn't given time to think about it as Jenna had dropped a lunch bag in front of her and told her to be on her way in ten minutes. She finished her breakfast with cautious delight, grabbed her bag and lunch, and headed out the door. That was the best meal she'd had in years. During lunch, she was left alone which was unusual. On the rare occurrences she had lunch, someone would usually throw it in the bin.

This time no one approached her, and she did not miss the furtive glances being cast her way in the hallways. Her father must have informed the warriors of her new title. She finished lunch and returned to class just as an announcement came over the speaker. "Congratulations to our future Luna Anabelle may the goddess grant her a long life". She felt her face go red as she noticed the entire class staring in her direction. She raced out of school when the bell went off and ran towards the packhouse.

She couldn't run at the speed of the other wolves, but she couldn't remember the last time she had the energy to even jog. Must have been the breakfast and lunch she thought to herself. She felt a purring in her head in agreement. LILY! She's getting stronger. Anabelle decided that she needed to find a way to find food if Jenna's new attitude didn't last long. She never thought she'd hear Luna again and she wasn't going to give up on her. She entered the packhouse and the wolves hanging around immediately bowed their heads to her. "Anabelle get in here" she heard her grandmother yell from the kitchen. Wondering what this was all about, she made her way to the kitchen.