Anima Mea

CHAPTER 1

„Selene," little boy slightly tugged my lavender dress, when he saw that I was done with  washing the floor „Can you tell me another fairytale, please?" Smile found its way on my lips and my hand caught his small one in the gentle hold, slowly taking him to his bed.

„And which one, sweetie?" I asked, tugging him under blanket, „About the boy and the magic forest or the princes and dragons?"

He shook his head, I sighed. „You want to hear the one about the forbidden love, right?" He clapped his hands together and started giggling.

I sat beside him and began: „Once upon a time, there was a Moon Goddess looking at the Earth from far above, dreaming about life on it's surface, about normal, human life, about life she couldn't have because she belonged in the Sky. Her place was up there, between stars, comets and planets, she was a part of the universe, she couldn't leave, she was trapped within the clouds and the control of her father, the Sun. It lasted milions of years for her to understand that her fate is already decided and once, when it looked like she was finally accepting position the Sun put her in, she saw a man. Man with the esmerald eyes and tanned skin standing near the lake, the only place where she could see her reflection, staring at the sky, stars and her. It seemed like he could see her, truly see her. So Goddess did what was banned, she showed him her face, only for a second, but even that was enough for the man to fall in love. For months they were seeing each other. They talked and laughed and not even the distance between the Sky and the Earth could keep them seperate. But in the night of the full moon, the Sun roamed around the Sky with the want to see his daughter and this want was, unfortunately, fulfilled in the moment, when she was looking on the man with the pure love and desire in her silver eyes. The Sun was furious, his own daughter betrayed him, putting everything he built at risk. So he decided to curse both lovers. The man was changed into the huge dark wolf, so he couldn't speak to her anymore and the Moon Goddess was left blind, changing her silver eyes into the glass ones, with no chance to see the Earth or the man again. But love is a powerful thing and the Sun loved his daughter so dearly that he decided to give them the Blood full moon, so they could, once a year, meet again. In the night of the Blood moon, Goddesse's eyes lost the glass glaze and the big dark wolf could turn in the handsome man once again." 

I paused for a moment, stroke his blonde hair and added a few last lines I knew he was waiting for. „This continued for over fifty years, but unlike the Goddess, the wolf, man, was mortal and on their last Blood moon, he died while looking into her eyes. She was left devasted, broken crying mess lost within her own desperate love, but even though the love of her life died, the feeling, the true love never lost it's power and when the tears, streaming down her cheeks, fell from the sky in the form of small pearls and touched human skin, they awakened the love in their hearts. The love, that can survive all the enternity."

The only sound that could be heard after my voice was blown away by silence, was peaceful childish snoring sometimes changed into almost quiet breaths. I brought my reddish lips to his soft sand hair and placed there small kiss. „Sweet dreams, Jacob."

After the door closed behind me, I slightly jumped with fear because of the heated gaze of Jacob's mother, Alexandra, Beta female: „He is fascinated by your stories, Selene and I have to admit so am I." Small smile lightened her white, round face framed with the red curls and big blue eyes, same as Jacob's.

I bowed. „Thank you, madam."

She was wolf, my master, owner, wife of the second most powerful being in this pack, wife of our Beta, Simon. On the other hand, who was I? Only a slave: weak, pathetic, invisible... the least important creature in this world ruled by Alphas, powerful, dominant, feared wolfs. I was no one and I was left to be unheard, unfree, unimportant no one for the rest of my life.

The truth was that my heart felt some kind of gratitude to this intimidating woman, who was standing right before me. She saved me from the living hell of being the sex object for the wolf males, whose soulmates died and their wolf needed distraction from going completely insane. The women, who were not fortunate enough to be chosen by one of the wolf families as maids, were sold, raped, chained and in the end killed. Mercilessly murdered in cold blood.

Alexandra chose me six years ago, when she was pregnant with Jacob and needed someone to keep the household running. Since then, I have been here, in their house, sleeping in one of their bedrooms, taking care of their child, talking to them, but most importantly still living.

But for all those years there was a question deeply hidden in the corner of my mind, the question I have always wanted to ask, but hadn't enough steady words to fullfill my desire or it never felt like the right time till now. I had to ask, I couldn't wait anymore, six years was enough.

„Madam," she stopped, „why did you choose me? Back then, in that trade. Why me?"

My eyes were still glued to the floor until she came closer and by the light pressure of her finger under my chin forced me to look into her deep ocean eyes. „Selene," she said my name slowly, softly, quietly, „Your name, do you know the meaning of it?"

I carefully shook my head: „No, madam."

Alexandra smiled once again: „In our tradition it's believed that the Moon Goddess had a name, name that was part of her being, name which represented what she really was, name picked by her father, the Sun." I have never heard about that story before, surely, I have lived among werewolfs my whole life, but I didn't know all of their habits, traditions, folklore.

„You are named after the Moon, Selene. You wear a name which si deeply rooted within our history, entangled with our lifes, our fates," she sighed, „Your being is a connection between our worlds, bridge between the humans and wolves. A human girl named after the Moon Goddess."

Midnight

It was dark outside, the clouds hid the stars between their airy arms, whirlwind was thursting into the windows, the raindrops were pouring from above, the thunderstorms were crossing the sky. I was awake, aimlessly roaming around the house, when I overheard a conversation, which should have stayed only between the Beta and his wife.

„Alpha Nathaniel is going more restless as time goes by, his wolf is slowly turning insane," Beta's voice resonated through the house, nervousness clear in his tone, „Today not only humans were killed, Alex. On the south border three villiages full of pack members, men, women and children were murdered by his wolf. I saw it. I saw it all. The blood, death, fear."

„Where is he now?" Beta Female asked, fear with worry mixed in her words.

„In the cell, chained and drugged as he ordered," Beta paused for a moment, then continued, „Alpha is frustrated, sexually, emotionally...he needs her, he needs his other half."

„It has been years, Simon. He has been looking for her over past ten years and found no one. With his thirtieth birthday nearing, the time is running out and I am not going to sit here and just watch how people around me are dying, when one day he can come here, in our home, and kill us all."

„His soulmate is our only ticket to safety, we need to find her and we need to do it now." For the first time in my whole life I saw a wolf, especially the wolf with high rank, afraid. He was afraid of his own Alpha. He was afraid for his son and wife, for his family.

Alexandra stood up and aggressively walked over to her husband: „Yes, you are right. She can save us, but do you know what happens if he finds her now, after all those years being mateless? Do you?"

Beta nodded. „Alpha will destroy her, Simon. Claim her senselessly multiple times, control her, dominate her, make her his in every way you can imagine. That woman will not have her own life. Our Luna will be trapped in his room, his house for the rest of her life. Maybe she wolf could endure his temper, but what about the human? It will kill her."

Her last words were nothing but a mere whisper. „I am a woman, Simon and I will, as a woman, Beta female, protect our Luna wherever she is."

„Alex, we don't have any other choice, we..." Alexandra iterrupted him, „Tomorrow morning I will take my son, Selene and a few bags and I will go, Simon. I am leaving this pack, this territory, this part of the world and if you want, you can join me." Beta wanted to protest, but nothing came out of his mouth.

„So now, Beta, make your choice," and with that she was gone, leaving her husband torn between his love and his loyalty and me leaving terrified.