Blue Moon

The moment Oliver hung up the phone he knew something was wrong with his promised mate. He could feel the negative emotions churning through her. He rushed upstairs to check on her and found her still in the bathroom. The water was running and the bathroom door was locked. Her pain was palpable and Oliver was concerned. She told him she was worried about her family. He tried to confirm that with their link but hit a brick wall.

Curious he thought. Then decided to file that information for later. He had a smile on his face as he left the ratty old dilapidated house to secure a rental car for the two of them. Today was the first day of his new life. Oliver was leaving behind the remnants of the self-destructive Oliver that he had come to loathe and was working on finding the new and improved better Oliver. It took him only a few minutes to run to the car rental location. The car was ready for him the moment he finished signing all the paperwork. He hopped in thinking that it would be a breeze figuring out how the car worked. However this new vehicle was nothing like the cars Oliver had driven before his hiatus from life.

After several failed attempts to get the vehicle to do what he wanted it to do he pounded his fists on the wheel in frustration. It snapped in two like a Popsicle stick. Oliver immediately starting berating himself. How foolish he was to think that he could let hundreds of years pass by and that he would still be relevant when he decided to re-join the world. He was fool. A worthless fool. No wonder why he was forced to serve as an indentured slave for twice as long as the others. Now, because of his stupidity, was no longer capable of providing for his promised mate.

Oliver growled loudly in anger and frustration and climbed out of the car. There was no way that he was going to be able to drive his promised mate anywhere in this vehicle without lessons. He would need to figure out a different way of getting them to her pack territory. Oliver hung his head in failure as he left the now broken car in the rental lot and ran back to the farm.

He entered the house quietly and moved to grab the phone that he left on the desk. Once he had it firmly in his hands he rushed back outside into the woods. Oliver knew that he was incapable of caring for his promised mate without some assistance. While he wanted to continue to berate himself… after all old habits die hard, Oliver realised that his promised mate deserved better than that. He needed to be done with wallowing in self-pity and depression. His pride has already cost him enough already. It was time to grow up and be a bigger, better person. Oliver lost so much time and knowledge of the world by sitting in this decrepit hovel. Now in order to help Adalyn, he would have to learn this new world.

His pride wanted to do this on its own, but Oliver couldn't risk Adalyn’s life on his pride. He knew, he needed help. Relevant, capable help. There was no way he could adjust to the new world fast enough to protect and care for his promised mate. Oliver would need help; real help and he trusted no one but his birth family for that. His family always loved him despite his very clear short comings and would want to help. Oliver could swallow what little pride he had left for his promised mate Adalyn. He punched in his mom’s number and waited for her to answer.

“Hello”

Oliver recognised his da’s voice immediately. He swallowed hard and forced himself to tell his da everything and to beg for help. At first each word burned like acid as Oliver forced them from his mouth. Words like help and need. Then oddly enough it became easier. His da made it very easy for him. His da understood him at times better than Oliver understood himself. He even went so far as to fill in much of the blanks himself.

Then he excused Oliver’s behaviour by saying that he too made bad decision in the years he lived in solitude waiting for his mum. By the time Oliver hung up he felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He even felt confident that his family had his back and that Oliver wasn't a failure simply because he needed them. Now all that was left for him to do was let his little promised mate know about the change in plans.

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Adalyn heard a car pull up and pulled herself together. She could do this. Hell, she’d been treated like an outsider her whole life but she still managed to smile every day and was able to fool the entire pack into thinking she was happy. Adalyn was sure that she could keep Oliver in the dark. She washed her face with cold water, checked her brick wall and headed down the stairs to join her devious promised mate.

She wanted to trust and believe her promised mate but the more Adalyn looked at the two Oni Warriors standing in the room not far from her, the more her heart stammered in fear. Adalyn had never before Oliver met an Oni Warrior nonetheless three Oni Warriors. Before running for her life Adalyn had never even been off of pack territory, now, she was in a very small room with three Oni Warriors.

Adalyn swallowed back her fear and listened as Oliver explained the other Oni Warrior presence. He was babbling about rejection and fear but finally some of his words started to make sense in her brain. Adalyn suddenly remembered the mummified being that she saw sitting in the chair that first night. Something clicked and she realised it hadn’t been a dream after all. That corpse was Oliver.
“Adalyn, I wallowed in self-hate and pity because I thought I would never find you. I apparently sat there for over a hundred years, as a result I have lost touch with the technologies of this world and I need time to adjust.”

He paused for a moment and Adalyn could feel he was trying to get a read on her emotions. She kept her wall firmly in place. Eventually he took a deep breath and pointed over to the very beautiful dark haired woman and said

“This is my baby sister Chloe. She was born while I was sleeping. Mum and da felt Chloe would be the best person to help us. See, Chloe is not a typical Oni Warrior. She’s also a medical doctor and trained in most forms of magic. She will be able to help us figure out what’s wrong with your pack. Whether it’s medical or magical she is our best bet to get answers.”

Chloe smiled tentatively at Adalyn but didn't try to move forward or touch her in anyway, and then Oliver pointed over at the male and said

“This is Chloe’s husband Cooper. He’s been a friend of our family since before Chloe was even born. He is an ancient Oni Warrior; according to him he has walked the earth longer than any other being alive. The truth is Cooper is strong and loyal but most importantly I trust him to protect you when I can’t.”

Oliver looked over at her and Adalyn could tell, he was again looking for her approval and acceptance. Adalyn realised that it was probably his sister he’s spoken to earlier today. She suddenly felt very foolish for doubting her promised mate. It only made sense that he would ask his sister the doctor slash magic practitioner to help. She let the wall covering her soul drop and allowed her emotions to flood Oliver. She watched as his face lit with joy as he felt her acceptance and approval.
The moment he smiled his sister and her husband moved forward both extending their hands towards her. Instead of shaking his sister’s hand Adalyn moved in and threw her arms around her in a big hug.

“Chloe, it is such a pleasure to meet my promised mate’s family. I am so happy that you could come and help me and my pack.”

Adalyn held her tightly in the tradition of her wolf pack and attempted to give her wolf a chance to smell Chloe. As Adalyn pulled away Chloe eyes glazed over and she spoke in an eerie ghostlike voice

“The time has come for the wolf spirits to be unbound. You were born to be the vessel that frees them. Just as Oliver was born to be the warrior that unleashes the warrior within you. So many wolves have been sacrificed to keep just the one alive. You and Oliver will set their spirits free so that they can roam free again.”

Then she nearly collapsed. If not for her Oni Warrior husband catching her in his arms. No sooner did he firmly have her in his arms when she said

“Adalyn reeks of magic, someone was very careful in putting that little spell on her. It was meant for one of us Oliver. It would only have ever been activated on female Oni Warrior. Someone knew she was going to find us.”

Her words convinced her beyond a shadow of a doubt that Adalyn was in the right place with the right people. Her da placed that spell on her with his dying breath. It was meant to protect her from false friends. Adalyn knew now that Oliver and that even Chloe and Cooper were in the right place and had a part to play in saving her pack. Adalyn dropped all her defences and told them everything she knew about her pack. She told them about how it was prophesied that she would be the saviour and how her da did the spell that Chloe just felt. Then Adalyn told them the one thing that no one in her pack knew but her and her family.

She told them the truth about why her pack was really losing their wolf. She told them how her great great grandfather is technically responsible.

“Five generations ago everything went wrong. My great, great grandfather Scott McCall was the Wolf Moon alpha. To save his wife he sold the soul of his wolf and every wolf in their pack to a nasty Nogitsune for nothing more than a lie. The Nogitsune tricked him into believing that it could keep his promised mate alive even after she had already died in childbirth. The Nogitsune we call Elizabeth was very clever and worded the blood oath to say that as long as the mother of his child continued to live he would sacrifice the soul of his wolf and the spirits of every wolf in his pack to continue to keep the mother of his child alive.

They signed in blood then the Nogitsune completed a very difficult spell. When she was done my great great grandfather Scott was holding the women he thought was his promised mate in his arms. In truth it was the Nogitsune. She used her magic to trick him into believing she was his promised mate so that he would make love to her before he died with his wolf. While making love she got him to agree to even more by saying things like

“Tell me I am your Luna. Give me power over your pack so that I can rule them when you die. Don’t leave me with a young child defenceless child and at the mercy of the pack. They will fear me when the realise I live without you.”

Elizabeth played her cards right since she also managed to get with child yet again. My grandfather was that child and his birth sealed the fate of all the wolves born to the Wolf Moon pack from that day forward.”

Adalyn took a deep breath and looked around the room before continuing.

“So, it’s no disease. See, the Nogitsune Elizabeth uses her Luna powers to call the spirits of the packs wolves. Then she eats them to keep her body young and nubile. She’s been eating the packs wolves for years. This is the truth as it has been told through my family line. My great grandfather Styles to his daughter Sandra who told my da. Elizabeth is dangerous and only cares about herself. We have to stop her. My own da sacrificed his own wolf to prevent Elizabeth from stealing and using mine.”
Again she paused but this time she played with her hands before she took a big deep shaky breath and continued.

“Okay, I’ve told you the prophesy a couple of times but not both sides of it. One the one hand it says I would be the healer and saviour of my pack. All I needed to do was find my promised mate and unleashes my power but, it also says if I fail then I could become the vessel of my packs destruction and Elizabeth would gain eternal life.

That’s why my da and my mum did their own binding blood spell. They died creating the spell. Elizabeth used Oni to kill them and all the children that they made. Only I survived. I was not born of love, I was born with one purpose. My wolf and I would find our promised mate, unleash our power and save the Wolf Moon pack for the Nogitsune. I am the one and only person that has the ability to break the blood oath between Elizabeth and Scott McCall. I alone can save the spirits of the Wolf Moon pack.”