CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED

Chapter 7

Luca's POV:

Once the Artemis pack knows that their luna is here, there is a scramble to get things in order for a pack meeting. Ember looks around, dazed, and confused about the happenings. I pull her aside to sit on a bench and face her.

"You okay?" I ask, "Wow. You really are their luna. I mean you're already my luna but now you're theirs too. This means WE are the chosen pair. Kinda sounds like a pair of balls." I joked, lamely, trying to make her smile.

Ember rolls her dark blue eyes at me.

"Only you would think the prophecy is a joke." She takes my hand and gazes into the trees.

"We'd have to run the two packs together right?" She asks.

"Yes. This pack needs a luna more than an alpha. We could try to move this pack closer to our town thoug-"

"No. THIS is our town too Luca. We can't disrupt their home. As leaders, we have to adjust to the pack, not the other way round. I understand that you won't see that as your own for a while. But I'll need your help."

I lean towards her and brush my lips against hers. She pulls back and looks at me with astonishment, and leans back in for a kiss. I feel her lips against mine and something comes alive in me, making me pull her closer by her waist.

"Of course. Anything you need, luna." I kiss her forehead and pull away.

"Thank you. Then tell me, how do you feel about this whole thing Luca. About us fulfilling the prophecy." She asks me sincerely.

"I mean, now we run two packs. And our mating is a supernatural event. Other than that, nothing too great." I shrug it off. "Unless it's all a huge failure and we are doomed forever because the prophecy turns out to be bullshit." I add.

"LUCA! Sometimes I wonder why your mother even gave birth to you" Ember exasperates.

A lean, athletic man walks towards us, with dark, gelled up hair and a wide forehead. His eyes were filled with intensity, but it seemed like the kind that was omnipresent.

"Luna, I'm Brendon. Your beta. They're ready for the meeting now." He beckons her with his head.

"Give me a moment."

Brendon moves out of earshot and Ember stands up to face me.

"I'm a bit nervous. What happens in the first pack meeting?"

As their luna, she had to make a good impact here on her own, whereas with the Bloodmoon pack I am still capable of being by her side in front of our people. Ember was naturally likable and mature, seemingly stronger and smarter but her skills as a luna were yet to be tested.

"First, you'll meet your beta and your delta. Those two people will be your primary confidantes for decision making and running the pack. Then you will be introduced to your warrior wolves, they are basically wolves who do a daily check of your boundary to ensure that the pack is safe, even the luna, the beta and the delta can go on patrols whenever they want to. There is also one pack healer in every pack, supernatural doctor of sorts. Don't worry about the rest, they will give you all the essential details about the pack."

"Okay that doesn't sound so bad. Will they allow you to come along as well? Even though you're from a different pack, you're still their alpha-figure right?" Ember asks, pushing away a lock of her brown hair from her face, the movement capturing my gaze for a second.

"I think they might, as I'm your mate, but I think I'll head on over to your grandmother's place and gather anything I find important. It wouldn't be seen as fit for me to just barge in. Let them get to know you first. One at a time. You said everything is packed in boxes right?"

"Yup. It's all in boxes and the key to the apartment is in your glove compartment."

I give her a quick hug and whisper, "You'll be fine. Don't worry."

I watch her walk towards the center of the bound woods with Brendon and turn to jog to the car. The meeting would take a while and I wanted to be back before it got over.

The ride to her grandmother's apartment without Ember by my side to keep me occupied meant that my thoughts ran wild.

Thoughts of managing two packs, a soulmate, the prophecy and the outcome it would have on my pack ate at my peace.

I grab the key to the apartment and run up the flights of stairs towards the door. The scent of a life lived hits me as the door opens into the house. Lingering scents of flowers that weren't in their vases, of the musty sofa that had once been dust free and most of all of the vitality that had filled the house.

It takes me about thirty minutes to sift through the boxes and when there are just a couple more left, I find a weathered book, worn out by the fingers that had flipped through it.

I opened the book to read its title, "The History of the Hunters, followers of Artemis."

I flip the pages to read further.

Author's note: Tell me how you like the book so far and if you have any suggestions for improvements. Stay safe. <3<3 <3