122 Full moon of their eighteenth
birthday…
Lyla
My heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, I was at a
loss for words.
I glanced around, my eyes darting from Nathan, who sat a few paces behind me, to the council members and finally to Ramsey. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his stance stiffening as if he were bracing for an announcement from me.
Trying not to scoff, I turned to the priestess and forced a sweet smile onto my face. “I haven’t found my
mate yet.”
I tried not to roll my eyes as another ripple of surprise passed through the hall, some of the elders didn’t have the decency to hide their disdain. The priestess’s expression shifted from surprise to disbelief and then to a frown settling on her brows as she studied me.
“That’s impossible,” she said. “Every Moonsinger throughout our history always find their mates on the
122 Full moon of their eighteenth birthday.
full moon of their eighteenth birthday.”
Except I had just celebrated my nineteenth when I found mine and he didn’t think I was suitable enough. So, maybe the history does lie after all.
“How old are you now, child?” the priestess asked, her eyes narrowing slightly at me as her stare penetrated
- me.
“I am Twenty–Three now.”
“And not once have you seen your mate? Is that even possible? The mate of a Moonsinger is as crucial as honing their skills. Are you sure you didn’t find him and rejected him?” the priestess pressed again.
My gaze flitted to Ramsey again, who remained motionless in his seat, not even the slightest body movement to show this was distressing him as much as it was to me. I turned to the priestess, a huge smile on my face.
“No. I haven’t found my mate yet and at this point, I’m not sure he exists or perhaps he’s mated to someone else, I couldn’t care less.”
From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Ramsey shift
again but I refused to dwell on it feeling so refreshing
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122 Full moon of their eighteenth birthday..
that I finally get to reject him in front of his subjects.”
Before the priestess could try to extend the talk, I decided to change the conversation.
“I understand the importance of training and learning to control my abilities as a Moonsinger,” I said, “That’s why I’ve made my decision.”
The hall quieted, all eyes on me.
“I choose Nathan,” I continued, glancing back at him briefly. “He’s the one I trust and I want him to be my
trainer.”@
Nathan flashed me a smile and I responded with a slight nod as I turned back to face the priestess.
“Not only is he my Alpha but we’ve been best friends since we were kids and he’s patient, kind and a good teacher. I’m sure, I’ll flourish under his teachings.”
The priestess studied me carefully, her eyes seeming to peer straight through my soul. “You understand the significance of this choice?” she asked. “The person who trains you will be bound to your journey,
connected to your destiny in a way even I cannot fully predict.”
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122 Full moon of their eighteenth birthday….
I nodded. “I understand and trust Alpha Nathan
completely.”
Suddenly, Ramsey rose from his chair turning
everyone’s gaze to him. From the look of his face, he seemed frustrated and something else I couldn’t place my finger on.
“Nathan? Really?” he said, his voice was low but filled with tension.
I turned to face him fully, wearing a serene smile. “Yes, Alpha Nathan. I trust him completely, and I believe he’ll be the best person to guide me through this.”
He opened his mouth as if to argue but stopped himself. Instead, his hands beside him clenched into fists and he stepped back, his gaze darkening.
A ghost smile settled on Nathan’s lips as his eyes met mine again as if he was conveying his silent support.
The priestess and the other elders were still perplexed by the stunt, Ramsey pulled a while ago but as soon as they recovered, the priestess turned to Nathan. “And you, Alpha? Do you accept this role? To guide, protect and train a Moonsinger is no small task. It will require dedication, patience and absolute loyalty.”
AB
122 Full moon of their eighteenth birthday…
Nathan rose to his feet and came to stand beside me. “I accept and I will do whatever it takes to help Lyla reach her full potential,” he said, addressing the council and the priestess. “You can all count on me.”
Ramsey’s chair scraped against the stone floor as he shifted again, returning the attention that had been on me back to him. Although his face was a mask of blankness, barely betraying what was going on in his mind, I didn’t miss the look in his eyes. They burned with something between anger and desperation.
“You do not seem to agree with the arrangement, Lycan Leader?” The priestess asked.
About time someone did if you ask me.
“Will my displeasure stand in the way of the decisions that seemed made already?”
The priestess opened her mouth to respond but Ramsey interrupted her. “I was thinking a Lycan would be suitable to train the Moonsinger. Don’t you think?”
“Anyone can train the Moonsinger. She doesn’t need the best trainers… she just needs someone who will be loyal to her and teach her the basic steps. They adapt quicker and you’d be surprised at how skilled Lyla
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122 Full moon of their eighteenth birthday…
would become in a few weeks from today.”
Ramsey scoffed but said nothing else. Then she turned to both me and Nathan, studying us again for a moment – something that I found strange before she nodded.
“Alright,” she said. “Your training will begin
immediately. The powers of a Moonsinger are vast and complex, you may think since your power was taken away that you have none left but with the right amount of training, you’d see yourself transforming into what you’re supposed to be. Without proper guidance, however, this can become as much a curse as they are a gift.”
I felt uneasy at her words but I didn’t let it show.
“The path ahead will be difficult,” the priestess continued. “Without your innate powers, you must work twice as hard to achieve what your predecessors
did. Also, Neriah’s sword will not reveal itself to one
who is unprepared.”
My mind flitted to the Xander’s mark on my spine, showing his claim and in that moment, I wondered briefly if the priestess knew more than she was
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122 Full moon of their eighteenth birthday.
revealing about the connection between the Dark One and the Moonsingers‘ lost powers.”
“I am ready,” I said, despite uncertainty settling in my
gut.
The priestess nodded. “Then let it be recorded that today, Alpha Nathan has been chosen as the trainer of our Moonsinger. May the Moon Mother guide your path.”
I caught sight of Ramsey again and his brooding gaze was on me. And for a moment, I saw raw pain etched across his face. The mate bond we shared the one I had just denied existed – pulled at my heart but I steeled myself against it.
The choice had been made. I had chosen someone who
had never rejected me, never pushed me away, never made me question my worth. I had chosen Nathan and with that choice, I had set myself on a path that was different from the one tradition had laid out for me.
But I was forgetting something…
I had a life outside this world the life that was dying
–
to go on a date with Paul, the one that was looking
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122 Full moon of their oightoonth birthday….
forward to having my project approved by my professors at school, and the one whose perfect picture of happiness is one without my pack.
Was I giving up that already?
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