The Alpha's Bald Luna

~ KELANI ~

"Fix your face, Kelani," my mother ordered in a whisper, "The pack members are watching."

I sighed. It wasn't my fault I had a face that always showed exactly how I was feeling and right now, I felt horrible. Who cared what the pack members thought? They weren't the ones who had to live everyday as the child of disappointment to a powerful Alpha.

Tonight was a festive night for Left Stone pack. We were celebrating the success of yet another harvest season. Our land was so rich and fertile, it had earned the tagline, "If it dies on Left Stone, it cannot be grown."

Our wolves were mainly farmers and tonight, they littered the pack square presenting a portion of their harvest to their Alpha and my father, Alpha Trojan Hulker. I sat by the left side of his magnificent seat while my mother sat by his right, all three of us getting the clearest view of the ceremony from the raised platform.

The pack square was bustling with excitement - the wolves of Left Stone worked hard and partied even harder. Drummers beat their drums like it was a thief caught in the market, caterers stirred large cauldrons of assorted food, members of the pack danced like it was their last night on earth.

It was a big party, yet like every other celebration that has ever been held in Left Stone, it paled in comparison to the celebration of my birth. That was a week-long celebration and nearly all the packs in the north were represented. My parents had narrated the event to me so many times that it now felt like I could remember parts of the celebration even though I was just a few days old at the time.

My arrival was an answered prayer after years of painful waiting by my parents. With every year that my mother's belly stayed flat, tongues wagged and eyes rolled. An Alpha without an heir? Unheard of!

Other she-wolves in the pack began subtly presenting themselves to my father. He was afterall the richest and most powerful wolf in Left Stone pack. He could get any she-wolf he wanted so why did he have to wait with a barren one? But my father stayed by my mother. Their bond was unbreakable.

Finally, the Moon Goddess showed her heart of mercy and my mother conceived me. My parents were overjoyed when I was born but their joy was short-lived.

I didn't talk when pups my age talked or walk when pups my age walked. I was constantly falling ill and the pack healer became a regular in our home. As I grew, it became more and more obvious that I was a sickly wolf. The most notable sign was that my wounds took ages to heal, unlike the quick healing trait werewolves were known for. And I would easily pass out from any strenuous exercise.

So I was gradually exempted from any activities that might cause injuries or stress - which were pretty much all werewolf activities. I sat on the sidelines and watched while other wolves trained and played. I even had to be homeschooled as the pack school proved impossible for me to manage. I was the definition of weak yet I was supposed to be the heir to my parents' position in the pack. How pathetic.

"Kelani, you heard your mother. If you're feeling miserable, the pack doesn't need to see it." my father growled at me, loud enough to rattle my bones but low enough for no one else to hear.

My face stayed as it was - sour as rotten lemons. My parents were kind and supportive to my plight but even they were just werewolves not gods; the side remarks got to them sometimes.

"How is she supposed to lead us as Luna if she is so frail and fragile?"

"I am scared that the wind will one day blow her away. We should put some stones in her dress pockets."

"She has no wolf, no mate, no strength. Surely, she is cursed by the Moon Goddess herself."

I remember how I cried when I overheard my parents talking about me after I still didn't get my wolf on my 18th birthday last year, their hushed tones giving away the distress in their hearts. Most werewolves had their first shift anywhere from age 14 to 18 so it was kind of settled that I would never get my wolf.

"It is better to have no child than to have one as unfortunate as this. She is a burden and a source of ridicule to us." my father had lamented.

And tonight, the ridicule was clear as day. While other wolves my age proudly displayed their harvest at the ceremony, I was sitting beside my parents like a life sized doll.

"Kelani?" The growl from my father was deadly now.

"Actually, I think I'd just leave." I snapped and jolted up from my chair. I could feel my parent's eyes boring holes into my back as I stormed off the platform and out of the pack square.

The full moon lit my path as I walked the long distance to the village lake and sat by it, hugging my knees to my chin. Voices and music from the ceremony still reached my ears although barely discernible.

I picked a pebble and threw it into the lake, watching it ripple twice across the surface before disappearing into the shimmery blue water. Another pebble followed, the splosh in the silence a strangely comforting sound to my ears. And another. Then ten more.

"Panda!" The unmistakable voice of my best friend called, "You left the ceremony."

I turned to look at him. Normally, calling me the annoying nickname 'Panda' would earn him a playful (or not) jab to his side but not tonight. "Go away, Nikolas. I want to be alone."

He took a closer look at me and his voice shifted from playful to concerned. "Kay, are you... alright?"

"I am."

"You're not-"

"Just! Go!! Away!!!" I yelled in frustration.

Nikolas's shoulders fell as he turned away and I immediately felt bad about taking out my foul mood on him but I didn't call him back. There would always be time to apologize to him, and to my parents.

I returned my attention to the lake, resuming my game of pebbles and thoughts of self pity. From here, I could see the gigantic mountain that separated us from Right Stone, our neighboring pack and ally. For centuries, Left Stone and Right Stone have lived in harmony, each using their strengths to support the other.

Right Stone provided us with every tool that could be made by hand; homeware, timber, even weapons. While my beloved pack, Left Stone, supplied them with all the crops and spices they could ever need. Since we shared a common boundary, we also looked out for each other's territory, fighting off rogues and intruders.

I threw the last pebble in and watched as the ripples distorted my reflection in the water. I loved seeing my reflection as my beauty was nearly the only good thing I had going for me. The pack members could call me whatever they liked but they could never call me ugly.

My cat eyes which were nearly identical with my mother's, were the lightest shade of blue. My silky straight hair reached my waist, their silver colour a wonder to the entire pack. My pearly skin shone from the care of the best ointments and eating the finest foods the forest had to offer.

Unfortunately, these perfect features were fixed on a faulty frame and they weren't enough to be a deserving Luna.

Lost in my thoughts, it took a while for me to realize that the shouts I was hearing were no longer shouts of joy but of panic, and the music had stopped. I immediately jumped on my feet, my heart rate doubling in seconds.

I heard movement coming in my direction, fast and precise. Too late to run, I held my breath and stood as still as a statue. When the approaching figure came into view, I heaved a sigh of relief. It was our pack healer, Bostin, an old chubby wolf skilled in potions and medicine.

My relief didn't last for long because the words that breathlessly left his mouth drove a jagged dagger through my heart.

"Kelani! Our pack is under attack! Your father and mother have been killed!"