Chapter 1: Awakening

For centuries, the children of Isis worshipped her on the night of the blue moon.

It was the day when those she fated together would find each other and the gifts she bestowed on them would awaken. It was also the day when the Alphas could be challenged by other Weres and overthrown.

The night of the hunt was near once more, Maaike sat under a tree hidden deep in the woods.

Sunset was approaching quickly, but she refused to join her Clan in the square. She clenched her hand around the crescent shaped pendant hanging from her neck.

Her heart was beating quickly, and her wolf was restless making her shudder uncontrollably. It was not a good day for her unlike others, it was the anniversary of her mother's death.

Her mother was the original Clan Alpha until the Ipomoea Clan head defeated her and took over. It was supposed to be an exciting day, Maaike was six, old enough to connect with her wolf, yet it was a nightmare in the end.

All she could remember was how much blood there was. Her mother was brutally and cruelly killed, Alpha Varick had ripped out her throat, and crushed her head till she was unrecognizable. In the end, he had her body burned to ashes.

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"Maaike! Maaike!"

Startled, she tucked the pendant into her shirt and quickly hopped up, brushing off the dirt and leaves on her pants. She looked back and saw her partner Laila approaching.

"Ah...Hey Laila! What's up?" she asked, avoiding the scrutinizing gaze.

"You don't really think I'm blind, do you? Why are you still wearing that outfit at this time!?" she looked disdainfully at Maaike's outfit. Grabbing her arm, she pulled the middle Eastern girl behind her, marching home for a serious fix up.

While Maaike was washing up in the bathroom, Laila had immersed herself in a wardrobe dive, trying to find an outfit suitable for the occasion.

"What do you even have in here? Urgh! It's like you only have school outfits!" groaned Laila.

"Cuz, I do! I usually avoid the blue moon festival. There's no need for pretty outfits if they are at risk of getting shredded to pieces." she responded, not helping her friend's frustration.

The bathroom door suddenly slammed open, and Laila stood there holding up a shimmery black dress.

"You're wearing this!", she declared and walked out leaving no room for argument. Maaike stared at her back mouth agape, she huffed out an annoyed sigh and pulled the tub's plug, letting the water drain as she turned on the shower head.

A while later, after getting ready, the two girls hurried to the square to join the other Clan members for the ceremony. The groups were all spread out according to necessity.

The mothers were with the kids below eighteen, the six-year-olds were with their adult siblings or cousins, and the rest of the members were together standing closest to the Alpha.

As they wove their way through the crowd of testosterone filled males and overly hyper females, the two girls finally made it close to the centre of the square where they could clearly see the Alpha and his mate.

"You girls shouldn't get too close, it can get dangerous." A masculine voice came from behind them startling the two of them. Maaike held back a wince at Laila's tightening grip when they saw the man addressing them.

It was of course the beta's first son, Matthew, Laila's long-time crush and hopeful future mate, and it was hard not to see why. He was a total gentleman, always gentle to the Clan's females, a hardworking werewolf, and he had a good family background. She turned away, as the crowd went silent.

The air was electric with anticipation as the members of the Ipomoea Clan gathered in the village square under the light of the blue moon. Maaike could feel her wolf stirring restlessly inside her as the villagers filled in the spaces around the makeshift stage where Alpha Varick stood with his mate.

She glanced around, taking in the sights and sounds of the ritual preparation. The sharp scent of bonfire smoke mingled with the earthy aroma of the surrounding forest. Excited whispers and laughter rippled through groups of young women adorned in their finest dresses. Elders in ceremonial robes murmured incantations, waving bundles of smoldering herbs.

Maaike nervously played with the beading on her dress. She should have felt exhilarated by the promise of the awakening ritual ahead, a chance for her goddess-given powers to finally manifest. Instead, bitterness curdled in her stomach as she watched Varick soak in the admiration of his pack.

She couldn't forget what tonight signified, the anniversary of her mother's violent death at Varick's hands. Maaike unconsciously gripped the crescent moon pendant hanging around her neck, her mother's pendant. It had been twelve long years since Varick defeated her mother in a challenge match and seized control of the Ipomoea Clan...twelve years that Maaike had bowed her head in submission to the Alpha who destroyed her family.

Tonight, her chance at vengeance felt like a possibility. At nineteen years old, the powers of her lineage still lay dormant inside her. She was no match for an experienced Alpha like Varick. Her wolf whined and shuddered at the thought of even attempting to challenge him tonight.

Swallowing down bitterness, Maaike lifted her chin. The blue moon ritual was her opportunity to finally awaken. She had to trust the goddess would gift her the strength she needed to reclaim her rightful place as Alpha, no matter how hopeless her chances seemed now.

As the crowd quieted, the village elder stepped forward to begin the ceremony...

"We have gathered today for yet another blue moon, let us kneel before our Alpha in honour of the leader she has gifted us!" he declared, and they all kneeled, bowing their heads toward the Alpha and his Luna.

"You may rise! It is an honour to receive your absolute respect and loyalty.", called out Varick, and Maaike bit back a snort of ridicule at his pretentiousness. It was a perfect response to his speech; he spoke as though he was royalty.

Maaike could not ridicule him, but neither could he behave as he did. The wolves had a strict hierarchy that could only be broken through strength, Varick had toed around a line, speaking as though he was King Alpha and not a Clan Alpha.

As they rose, a shout came from the back of the crowd as mumblings started to fill the air, "Lord Merrick is here!" A shocked expression appeared on Varick's face; it was no understatement to say that he messed up terribly.

Lord Merrick was a very conservative follower of the royal family; he was very young but extremely brutal to whomever undermined the power of the Alpha King.

Usually, he would pay visits to various packs and Clans during the blue moon ceremonies, but the recent news said he was still in Germany. It was the eighteenth birthday of the Alpha King's daughter.

One question filled everyone's minds, 'why was he here?' The crowd split in two making way for the man as he made his way to the square and stopped in front of Varick.

"Absolute loyalty and fear...", he uttered calmly, as though savouring the words. " Our goddess has yet to reveal herself! This is because of a few disloyal children I presume?"

It sounded more like a death sentence than a question, there was no doubt about it... something was going terribly wrong within the Clan. The Alpha King's left hand would not leave the capital on the Princess's eighteenth birthday if nothing was wrong.