Chapter 21: Chapter 21
Ava's POV
Getting married to the blood moon alpha was going to be tough but I did not expect talking to my people to be tougher.
It didn't go down well with them that I was going to marry a blood moon.
"It's for the good of the pack." I tried explaining to them.
"Good for the pack or good for yourself!" they yelled rebelliously.
"Ava is right about this. This has to be done because we have no choice. The pack needs to be protected." Uncle Phil intervened.
"The pack needs to be protected uh?" elder John scoffed. "I can't believe you're part of this treachery, siding up with Terra to marry the blood moon, shame on you for that Phil, shame!" he spat out angrily.
"Enough!" I said in a voice full of authority. "Is that all you've got to say or you've got more?" I demanded and they began murmuring. "Listen to me," I ordered moving towards them.
"Ava," uncle called softly trying to stop me.
"No uncle, not this time," I responded. "I won't stand here and watch the people you fought so hard to protect ridicule you to nothing," I said indignantly.
I turned to the people. "What were you all doing when my uncle here, took over the reins of leadership when I was still too little to rule? You all wanted to flee to different parts of the world in fright of the blood moons, who stopped you?" I questioned but no one spoke. They remained quiet.
"Who sought to keep this pack together so it won't fall apart? Him, Uncle Phil." I said pointing at him. "He shaped us all from the weak and fragile pack we were to what we are today. Ten years ago, we all lost the ones closest to our hearts that fateful night. He united us and made us see a reason to live once more and how do you all want to pay him back? Ridicule him? Defame him? Question his authority?" I demanded in anger.
They remained silent and shifted their gaze from me. My words made them uneasy and I could see it.
"This marriage between me and the blood moon alpha has been sealed and I've accepted it. Y'all should also accept it because it will save us all from this demon king who is said to feed on the descendants of white wolves." I said.
The elders gasped and the rest of the pack whispered among themselves.
"I thought he was only a myth," Daniel said.
"Is he alive?" elder John asked.
"Is he here?" elder Mary asked in a panic way.
The questions the elders asked made me suspect they knew about the demon king.
"I believe the elders know this is no myth," I said staring at them and they reluctantly nodded. "The demon king is probably alive and lurking around or I won't be getting married to the enemy," I said.
Most of the pack agreed with me but a few were still rebellious and one of them was Fernandez.
••••• ••••• ••••• ••••• •••••
A meeting with the elders was organized after the pack dispersed.
"Phil, is this true that the demon king is back?" elder John asked.
Phil shrugged. "No death of any crescent has been reported, either in the pack or outside the pack, so we're not sure of his return yet," he said.
"So why the hurry to marry?" elder Elijah asked.
I was quite infuriated by his question. "We can't wait till we get a death report of a member of the pack before we do the needful. We need to protect this pack." I said.
"And besides, Ava can't rule as the alpha without getting married. That's the tradition and we all know it." Uncle interjected.
John and Mary nodded in understanding.
"The last time the demon king attacked, we barely survived. He is worst than the blood moons. He's the greatest and most fearful enemy of the crescents." Mary said shaking her head.
"Last time? What do you mean by the last time?" I asked inquisitively.
Uncle looked away when my gaze met his. Mary shook her head. "Phil's mate was not fortunate enough. She was made as a sacrifice to the demon king." Mary said.
I looked at my uncle but he wouldn't look at me. I could see from his side view he was in pain and was still agonizing from the death of his mate. There I remembered what Fernandez said to me. He was right, I didn't know enough of uncle Phil. He has been suffering the heartache of losing his mate.
"Phil fought with him but didn't win. He was left only with a broken heart and an everlasting scar on his back." John said.
"Scar?" I questioned. Phil nodded and took off his shirt. His back was looking like it was smite with a hot iron.
He wore his shirt back. "I swore never to talk about it again."
"When did it happen?" I inquired trying to piece this puzzle together.
"Twenty years ago before you were born. Julia wasn't a pure white wolf. But as you'd have it, the demon feeds on all descendants of white wolves and we crescents happen to be the only descendants left." Uncle Phil said.
"How did we escape from him?" I asked.
"Oh, young child," Mary said sighing. "We never did. He just went away and we heard nothing of him again," she said.
"And the prophecy?" I asked.
"It came up after you were born but no one believed it. We doubted it the more after you had your first change and you weren't a pure white wolf. We had no idea the late queen Delilah was disguising your true self." Elijah said.
I nodded. "Once we move to the new house, I want every member of the crescents under one roof." I declared with an authority befitting an alpha.
Skye's POV
I stood before the whole pack outside the pack house. Robin had gathered everyone around and I had to address them on the marriage between I and the crescent alpha.
"I know you were all brought down here on a short notice. You had to leave your place of work or what you were doing to honor your alpha and this pack but, this is a meeting that not a single blood moon, either young or old should be left out." I said and they nodded in agreement despite not knowing what I wanted to discuss with them.
"A marriage between me and the crescent alpha has been confirmed and sealed today," I said.
"What?" they said with shock evident on their faces and they began to murmur which slowly caused an uproar.
"She's a crescent!" they yelled in anger and I understood that pretty well but they didn't.
"It's not just about the marriage, it turns out as fate will have it, she's my mate," I said. They stared at me momentarily in astonishment and immediately raised an uproar.
"A crescent wolf cannot be our queen!"
"A crescent wolf will never be part of the blood moons!"
"She'll never step her feet in the territory of the blood moons!"
They yelled in defiance and rebellion.
"Listen," I tried to calm them down but they wouldn't.
"The alpha is still talking!" Robin who was standing beside me yelled through the noise but they won't back down.
"Enough!" I bellowed and immediately the room went silent as a graveyard. The fear and respect they had for me as their alpha was still installed in them despite their disagreement with my decision.
"This prophesied marriage will unite both packs and we'll also get the protection we need from the rogue wolves," I said.
"We are the blood moons. The strongest of all wolf packs in the whole of Britain and perhaps in other countries too. We do not need to be in alliance with the crescents just to defeat the rogues." One of the pack members spoke out her mind.
"Yes," I confirmed. "We are the blood moons blessed by the moon goddess with strength and resources but I must remind you all that over the few years we have not been able to subdue the rogues. I've been told by a seer that this marriage that has been prophesied long ago, will aid us in defeating the rogue wolves who have been a thorn over the years." I said and they stared at me.
"In what way has this prophesied marriage been proven or verified? What if it's false?" Justin, a member of the pack who had a mate with a human and was living in the city asked.
I turned to Robin and he nodded and went into the pack house. He returned back with the outcast we rescued from the hands of humans after she was found practicing witchcraft. I was talking about Anna.
"This here is Anna, a witch," I said and paused to let it sink into their heads. "She'll let you all know it is real," I said.
"What if this is a scheme by the crescents?" Justin questioned again.
"The crescents hate us very much. They won't want a marriage just to get back at us. Their only consent to this marriage probably is to protect themselves." I responded.
"How do we know she's really a witch and not lying to us?" Justin questioned again. I hated when my authority was being questioned but I managed to hold my cool.
"Show him, Anna," I said.
She lifted him from the ground and he yelled. "Put me down!" he said in fear. She sent him flying to a nearby tree and he landed flat with a thud. The whole pack gasped.
"Now, who else wants to know if she's really a witch?" I asked smirking as they stared at Anna and I could see a slight hint of fear in their eyes.