Mysteries of the Moon │The Zodiac Series

1.

❝...She moves mountains for those she loves. She is warm like the sun, she shines so much love and light to all that know her.❞ - Sistersvillage (via Instagram) on Woman of Fire

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The sun is warm and unrelenting on my skin. It's been too long since I've been outside - three weeks to be exact. Ever since that Luna was taken, father has kept us hidden in the walls of the pack house. 

I was desperate for an escape. 

My fingers played with the wisps of grass by my sides, not caring that my dress would be stained with mud. There was no one here to see. No prying eyes to decide whether or not I was living up to their standards. It was just me and the warmth of the sun. 

Where are you? Father is looking for you. He heard you escaped your guards again.

My brother's interrogation came ringing through our mindlink. I would give just about anything to be able to turn it off for a day. Everytime I find a sliver of peace, they manage to come and snatch it away from me. They're living in fear, and trying to force it upon myself. 

I knew I had to answer Sawyer before he pestered me again. I'm outside in the gardens, I pushed through, trying to rid the irritation from my thoughts. There is no need for a search party. I just wanted some air.

I pushed myself up from the ground, dusting my dirty hands off on the skirt of my dress. My escape was short lived, but worth every moment of it. What was the point of having all this land if we were going to hide amongst walls? I know it's for our safety, but selfishly I don't care. 

My strides were slow as I made my way up the hill. I paused at the peak, turning my head up to face the sun one last time. It's quite funny. Werewolves are a direct descendent of the moon - a creation of the Goddess herself. Yet, I've always favored the sun. 

Unforgiving, radiant, and full of power. 

I smiled before walking inside, trapped once again. 

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"Don't do that again, Samantha." My father's voice was tearse, speaking up over the cluttering of silverware. I had managed to escape him up until dinner. "I know it's not ideal, but it is a precautionary measure. We don't know what lengths the Humans will go." 

I knew he was going to say something about my escapade sooner rather than later. The tension at the table was nail biting. My mother had long come to term with my antics by now. She knew I wasn't someone who liked to be controlled, but my dad still played with the idea. I blame his unwavering Alpha need to always be the one in charge. 

"The Humans are nowhere near us. They'd have to go to great lengths to get here - and pass through the other packs, as well." 

Our pack sat at the top of the mountains, nestled deep into the wolf terrain. We were the farthest pack out of the twelve from Human territory. It would be impossible to get to us without risking one of the other packs discovering them. 

He narrowed his eyes, "Like I said, it is a precautionary measure." 

I let a moment sit before responding, thinking over my words for a split second. "And how long will we be taking these precautionary measures? I feel like a prisoner in our own land." 

"A prisoner? Don't you think you're being just a tad bit dramatic, Sam?" Sawyer sent me a sly grin, shaking his head at my flare for dramatics. It was ironic that he was calling me out. Out of the two of us, he was the more theatrical twin.

"You are not a prisoner and you know that." My father grumbled, clearly irritated with the path the conversation was going on. "I am protecting my family and my pack. And I will continue to do so, despite your displeasure. I need you all to be on your best behavior, especially with everything coming up."

This piqued my interest. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing on our calendar. No mating rituals or pack parties. Nothing even slightly exciting to motivate me to behave. 

"Charles, what are you talking about?" Mother chimed in, tilting her head with curiosity. She was always a soft spoken woman. Where her volume lacked, my father's made up for it. I could never live a life like her - letting a loud man talk for me. 

"The council is meeting," He breathed out, releasing some tension in his shoulders with the confession. "With the kidnapping, there are a lot of unanswered questions. We've all agreed to meet for the duration of next week to sort this issue out and get to the bottom of it." 

There hadn't been a council meeting in years. Not one that Sawyer and I could remember, at least. They only happened in times of turmoil. The Goddess created our packs for a reason - twelve equal packs that balance each other out. All derived from her greatest inspiration besides the Moon, which was the Zodiac signs. There should be no need for council, if we all worked in harmony. 

"Where is the council being held?" I asked, long forgetting the untouched food on my plate. My stomach was hungry for answers, not steak. 

A few fleeting moments passed, before he answered: "Here." 

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A/N: (5/11/2020) It's 3:43 AM and I can't sleep, which is how this first draft was born. 

(5/12/2020) I am publishing this first chapter strictly for feedback and editing purposes from my peers, but if you happen to stumble upon this and have some thoughts - let me know! Hopefully, this book will be ready to start publishing soon :)