Chapter Eighteen

Serentiy’s POV

Her smile widened, revealing her perfect white teeth as she shook her head, “Yeah, it’s me, my sweet child.” 

“How is this possible? I thought…” More tears streamed down my face as I bit my lip, unable to say it.

‘You are correct; I am no longer a part of this world,” she said, her echoing voice soft and warm.

“Then how are you here now,” I asked, still biting my lip.

“I have unfinished business, which is what allows me to be here now,” Her words seemed filled with sorrow and regret as she spoke.

“What unfinished business do you have?” I wondered.

She shook her head, “It doesn’t matter. I’ve always been watching you and want you to know I am very proud of you. You are so much more powerful than you know, and I believe you are the only person who can end the war.” 

“But why does it have to be me,” I asked, unsure how I was so special.

“Ren, you are the only one that can do this because you were born from the purest form of love, the love of true mates.” She wrapped me in her translucent arms. 

‘How can it feel so warm when she is just a spirit?’ I asked Arty.

‘I don’t know, but it is warm and comforting.’ Artemis said with a soft sigh.

“Wait, what are true mates? Isn’t that the same thing as being mates?” I asked, pulling back from her embrace to see her face.

‘No, a true mate is entirely different than a usual mate. True mates strengthen their partners beyond what traditional mates do. But that is for another time. My ability to slow time is waning, so I must tell you what I came here to say. Soon, a woman named Ondine will come and find you. She is a friend and will help you however she can, so let Alpha Derrick know that she will soon be coming.” She paused, waiting for me to acknowledge what she said, so I nodded, and my mother continued, “Also, there is another that is on her way here. I’m not entirely sure what her purpose is, but she isn’t a bad person, no matter how prickly she may be. Her name is Melean, and she is a vampire. I don’t believe she will harm you or anyone there, but you should still be cautious around her.”

“Okay,” I said as my body began to ache.

A tender smile touched her face, “It would seem my time is up. I love you, my beautiful child, and tell your mate that he better protect you because if he doesn’t, I will haunt him for the rest of his life.”

“But I don’t have a mate,” I said in confusion as I furrowed my eyebrows. 

“You do. You just haven’t met him yet, but I assure you he knows of your existence and the incredible bond you will share.” She said as she disappeared. 

Suddenly, the full force of my transformation washed over me, causing me to crumple to the ground in a ball. I tightly clenched my eyes closed, and a whimper of pain escaped my lips as another wave of agony rolled over me. I took in as deep of a breath as I could manage when the pain completely stopped. 

Opening my eyes, I looked down at what I thought would be paws, only to find I still had hands. However, they were much larger than my regular hands. They had long, black claws and were covered in soft, velvet-like black fur just past my wrist, where the fur faded from black to gray and finally white. My feet and legs had elongated and enlarged, and just like on my hand, long black claws came from each of my toes, and my short, velvety fur faded from black to a beautiful snow-white color. And every inch of my body was covered in long, lean, highly defined muscles.

I rolled my eyes and began to pout, “What did I do wrong?” I asked Artemis.

“I don’t think you did anything wrong. This is what we look like transformed. Why is there something wrong with the way that we look?” She sincerely asked as someone entered the veil behind me. 

I whirled around to find my adopted mother staring up at me, flabbergasted. “I…I…I don’t…” I couldn’t find the words to say to her, so I stared at the ground, ashamed that I didn’t look like everyone else when they transformed.

“Oh my gosh,” My mother exclaimed. I began to apologize when she grasped one of my sizable hands, cupped it within hers, and continued, “You are incredible! I have never seen any wolf so incredible in my entire life. You’re magnificent and completely gorgeous! And your eyes in this form are even more beautiful; they almost seem to glow a neon purple, and against the white of your fur, they stand out even more!” 

She continued to rave as the hairs on the back of my neck rose, and an involuntary growl rumbled in my chest.  ‘Why did we growl,” I asked Artemis as I began to turn around.

‘I don’t know, it just came out. I am finding that my instincts are much harder to control in this form,’ Arty said as we turned around to see Alpha Derrick staring at us with wide eyes.

He glanced at my mother, “She’s a Lycan?!” 

“Yep,” She said with a massive grin on her face. “Let’s see if your snooty Luna calls her weak now.” Mother said, pride spilling from every word.

“Hey,” Alpha Derrick snapped.

“Sorry, I just hate how she always looks down on Serenity. I couldn’t help myself.”

He waved his hand in her direction, “Never mind that.” He ran his hand back through his hair, saying, “How are you going to keep her hidden from those Vampires when she is the only Lycan in our pack?” He held his finger as if he remembered something, “Wait.” A scoff escaped his lips, “I almost forgot she won’t be the only Lycan in our pack.” 

“Who is the other one,” I asked, curiosity thick in my tone. 

“Elder Reiner,” Derrick stated with pride.

“So your father has finally surpassed his plateau and can transform into a Lycan. You know, I always knew that he would reach that level. He was never satisfied with his strength.” My mother said, nodding her head.

As my mother spoke with Alpha Derrick about Elder Reiner, Artemis asked me, “So, have you noticed? Because I know that they haven’t.’

‘What are you talking about?” I asked her, confused by her words.

‘Have you noticed? You have been speaking with them using the pack link this entire time.’ She inquired.

‘No, I hadn’t noticed. Wait, if I am using the pack link, does that mean everyone in the pack has heard what I have been saying and hearing?’ 

‘You don’t have to worry about that. Controlling who we speak with through the pack link isn't complicated. All we have to do is think of them; they are the only ones who can hear us. So no worries.’ Arty said as my mother patted me on the shoulder to get my attention.

“Did you hear what Alpha Derrick said?” She asked me.

“No, I didn’t. Sorry, Artemis was talking with me.” I said as I chewed on my lip. 

“It’s alright,” Derrick stated and turned towards the entrance.

Just outside the entrance, someone said, “Knock, knock.” And Elder Reiner entered the veil. His eyes widened, and he placed his hands over his mouth, “You are absolutely magnificent!” Tears of joy filled his eyes, “Luna Emily will never be able to call you weak again!” 

“Reiner!” Alpha Derrick said in an irritated tone.

“What? You know that she is always picking on Ren, and she…” 

“Dad! That isn’t what we came here to talk about,” Derrick ran his hand over his face in frustration. “Can you help her transform into her werewolf form?” He asked him with questioning eyes.

“Yeah, I can, but it could take some time unless she is complete,” Reiner paused for a moment, then shook his head, “Actually, forget what I was saying. I am almost positive that she will be able to do it tonight.” Elder Reiner touched my shoulder, “Okay, are you ready?”

“Is it going to hurt?” I asked, not looking forward to more of the pain that I felt with my first transformation.

“It shouldn’t.” He said. At his words, I nodded for him to continue. “Now, close your eyes and pull back some of your strength. Once you have pulled back enough of your power, your body will follow suit and change naturally into your werewolf form.”

I nodded and focused on pulling back my strength, but no matter how much I pulled back, there was still more. 

‘Can I try something?’ I nodded my approval, and nearly half of our strength was gone within seconds.

‘What did you do,’ I asked.

‘Let’s just say I put it in storage,’ Artemis stated as Reiner voiced his approval.

“Excellent job.”

I opened my eyes, realizing I was on all fours with big fluffy black paws covered in long flowing fur that, like in my Lycan form, faded from black to snow white. I glanced back to look at Alpha Derrick when the flick of my tail caught my eye. It was a furry white color that faded to black at the very tip. I took a deep breath and readied myself for my first pack run.