My very own wolf family

Chapter 17.

A gentle nudging left moist smudges on my cheek. I rolled onto my back, shifting and repositioning when I felt a sharp rock digging into my spine.

"Ugh," I muttered, trying to wave off the prodding attack. "I'm sleeping."

When the attack didn't stop, I hid my face with my arms, hoping whoever was bothering me would just quit it and find someone else to torment.

Warmth enveloped my hand, squeezing it. "Wake up, darling. It's time to get up."

Well, that was a much better wake-up call than the prodding, thank you very much.

I slowly stirred, bringing my fingers to my eyes to rub the sleep which gathered. After I felt slightly composed, and the stale taste in my mouth was too much to bear, I opened my eyes and looked at the surroundings.

I lay in a grassy clearing, Liam in his wolf form inches away from my face and Jesse in human, massaging my hand. Sighing, I brought my other hand to Jesse, wordlessly implying for him to switch hands.

"Get up," Fynn gruffly said, "we need to get moving – the celebration is about to commence."

My wolf pack, along with hundreds of other wolves, gathered around a weathered stone statue of a human with their hand resting on a wolf's head; both turned to face each other.

Everything was silent, save the whistling of the wind and the rustle of trees – a serene atmosphere which allowed peace to instantly wash over me.

I looked around. We stood fairly close to the front, so I was able to turn and see all the wolf-shifters waiting expectantly for something to happen.

Suddenly, the bright afternoon sky dimmed, and a beam of light shot down from the skies onto the statue, bathing the human and wolf in a fiery glow.

"Wolf-shifters," a voice echoed.

I could tell the voice wasn't spoken aloud. Instead, projected into my, and all the other attendees' heads.

The voice was regal and strong, commanding every being's presence down to the molecular level. My body could sense the power of the voice's owner and surely wouldn't hesitate to obey their every wish command.

"For thousands of years, I have blessed special humans with special wolves; nothing you haven't heard before. And every subsequent year onwards, the Moon Celebration is held to commemorate the history of all wolf-shifters."

My breath held as the female voice paused, awaiting what knowledge she would reveal next.

"As such, welcome back to another year of the Moon Celebration. This year, in particular, is more special than all previous years. The long-destined prophecy regarding the Rise of the Original Subcinctus Lupi has begun."

Murmuring began as shifters speculated.

"The original wolf shifters?"

"I heard it was prophesied over two thousand years ago."

"Wasn't it written on a stone slab recovered from the Queen's tomb?"

Rumours filled the air, confusing me even more. I turned to Jesse who stood beside me for an explanation.

He leaned into my side and whispered, "I'll tell you more in private later."

***

A/N:

I'm so sorry for the late updates guys. I just haven't got around to updating until today (getting settled at my grandmother's house, getting Wifi, sleeping off the jetlag [ugh]).

This is a short author's note, but there's nothing much to say other than that.

-Hilda

Chapter 18: I'll try to get it out by 2July2022 (might be later as Canada Day is on the 1st).