**This is the last chapter!
I had hoped to get some answers from the other 'flame masters', but it turned out they knew even less than I did. But just like me, they discovered their abilities by accident. And since I was older I became the teacher of our little group. I made sure to include Gavon and Mave, and anyone else that was interested. Much to my surprise Elise decided to join us most days, she explained that she needed to teach her own pups about their abilities if he or she had any.
And after a few weeks our group continued to grow and became a sort of 'Philosophy' gathering, centered around the teachings of the Goddess. Most of her nature stories had become bedtime stories, but there was a new resurgence for our people to discover a new meaning in life.
I was always reminded of what they saw. Every wolf saw the Goddess, they all had memories of how she cared about and saved the world. The Goddess was no longer a bed-time story, but an actual force beyond our normal existence.
Most wolves understood about many of the other philosophies in the world, and ours became just as important and just as relevant than any others. The 'Goddess' revival was in every pack in every part of the world, and many packs took my speech to heart and started to form more comprehensive social 'safety-nets' for the young, old, weak, and even for rogues. Many rogues who weren't enveloped in the bloodlust affliction were able to be rehabilitated, and many packs started posting therapies that worked.
This grew into a type of mental health system that hadn't existed before, with web postings and doctors and healers traveling between packs. And all of them traveled to our pack at some point, but always checked with Stephen or his Betas first. These 'healers' usually joined our morning discussions, then I spent time with them discussing my experience in person. Even though they all felt and experienced what I did, they needed to talk about it and I sighed and helped them understand to the best of my abilities.
And Stephen kept these visits to only two a week so I didn't get too burnt out.
Another wonderful thing that happened is that Matt always accompanied me in the mornings and we became very close. He was so little and loved to crawl and then walk everywhere, playing and I always kept an eye on him along with my Guard. He was well loved and well protected like every child should be.
***********
A few years later I was in a meadow on a wonderful Summer morning, and Matt was playing with his younger brother and sister. He would only play with them for a short while before becoming bored, but his siblings adored him and always followed his lead. He was a natural leader and was just as bossy as Stephen, and I smiled when he got his younger siblings to do his chores for him, but always gave him a lecture and made sure he did his fair share of chores.
A visiting Alpha and pack Healer were sitting with us discussing philosophy in a meadow when Matt ran over to me and gave me a huge hug. I grinned at my energetic 'interruption'.
"Mama?" Matt asked, his little five-year old voice made me smile some more.
"Yes love?" I asked him back.
"Will you fight the Demon again?" he asked me with a little fear in his voice and eyes.
I stopped to look at him and tilted my head slightly and had a terrible thought. "Matt, do you remember that at all?" I didn't think it was possible since he was just an infant but needed to ask.
"I have nightmares, mama, I sometimes see that man trying to kill you!" he shouted at me as tears started to run down his face.
I held him close and comforted him, rocking him back and forth in my lap. The other adults just sat and watched, they had felt this way at the time also. I felt with each visit I was healing the travelers also.
"Did you see the huge wolf save me Matt?" I asked him as I comforted him some more.
"Yes, mama. I saw the Goddess. I saw her save you and I saw her bow to you." I remained silent as Matt calmed down.
"Do you know why I fought so hard?" I asked him as I saw Stephen walk up to us.
"No, mama," he said as he leaned back a little looking up to my face.
"I fought so very hard because of you and your father, my little boy," I told him with tears in my eyes. "I wanted you to be so proud of me if..." and I choked back my own sob and looked up to the distant tree tops.
"If what, Mama?"
"If I ever had to leave for any reason, Matt, I want you to know how very much I love you and your Papa."
"And, and... and the whole world too?"
I brushed the hair back from his head and shook my head 'yes' and kissed his forehead. "Yes, the whole world too."
Matt gestured to everyone sitting in the circle and around the meadow, "Is that why all these people love you? I hear them talking about how you saved everyone and how brave you are."
I blushed and looked around at everyone, it was almost like seeing them for the very first time. They were all looking at me intently and listening to our talk.
I thought for a moment and responded to his question, "They love me because they can feel my love for them. That's the way 'love' works, you give it to people freely and then they can choose to love you back if they want to."
Matt smiled and reached his little hand up to my cheek and patted it gently. "Do you want to see what cool trick I learned?"
"Of course sweetheart, show me." And all of the sudden I felt butterflies in my stomach, I had a feeling...
Matt stood up proudly and held his hands in front of him, opened them slowly and showed me a small silver-blue flame.
"Isn't that cool, Mama? I can 'tect you now from the Demon man." The crowd around us gasped and Matt spun around closing his hands. "What, Mama? Did I do something wrong? Allison can do it too."
Stephen stepped in and scooped up his son, "Show us again Matt, that's a very cool trick."
Matt held his hands in front of him again like he was holding water in his hands, and a silver-blue flame appeared. "See?" he said excited and looked up at his father.
"You're a very good boy Matt and we're proud of you."
Stephen looked at me for a moment, then turned and scanned all the stunned faces watching us. Turning back to me he muttered, "I'd better contact Timothy."
I shook my head 'yes' and smiled up at Stephen. "I think we'd better start a special training school, I have a feeling there are more that will be coming here. We need to protect them, Stephen."
And looking at all the still shocked expressions of everyone around us I stood up slowly and told them we were done for the morning but could talk this afternoon if they were interested. They all just mutely nodded their heads and started talking among themselves.
I took Stephen's hand and we walked over to our other children who were playing with some action figures in a favorite spot by a fallen log.
"Allison! Kevin! It's time to go," I shouted over to them as they stopped playing and groaned. "It's time for your lessons, you know that."
"But Mama," Allison started whining, she was a whole year younger than Matt but usually spoke for her younger brother. "We're playing."
"Come on 'sweet pea'," I called after her using my favorite nickname, "we need to go. I asked Cook to make your favorite lunch."
"Mac and cheese?" she asked hopefully. I nodded 'yes' and she shouted with glee, "Yippee! Let's go Kevin!" My daughter loved her food just like her Mama.
Matt squirmed in his father's arms and he put him down so he could run after his siblings, he hated to be last in anything. Both Stephen and I watched our children run towards the pack house, still in our line of sight. We started walking hand-in-hand to the back door and onto the porch. Stephen abruptly stopped and looked at me.
"Did you know Matt could make the flame?"
"No, Stephen, I had no idea. I thought I might ask him in a few years, but... no."
Stephen stood still for a few more moments then looked down at me, "How are we going to survive his teenage years, love? I remember what you went through and, well, it's going to be tough."
I reached up and pulled Stephen down for a long kiss. When I was done I answered him. "Well, I think he's got a Papa who can show him the way, just like you showed me. You saved me Stephen."
Stephen held me closer for a deeper kiss. When we finally needed air again he pulled back and put his forehead on mine, "We saved each other."
I smiled and looked into his sparkling eyes and we walked into the house to join our family.
********
A few days later I was sitting on the back porch watching Matt, Allison, and Kevin run and play with some of the other pack children. I was sitting with a group of parents drinking iced tea and enjoying the late summer sun. My boy was growing fast, and I smiled when I heard his laughter. He was looking more like his father every day and constantly wore the same cammo outfits the warriors wore.
I smelled my mate before I saw him, and my wolf started purring when he drew near. I looked over and saw him in the doorway, surveying the scene and taking in all the defensive patrols to make sure everything was in order.
God that man was handsome.
"Danika? Can I talk to you?" I nodded my head and got up, saying goodbye to the group of parents. Stephen reached out for my hand and we walked to his office.
"I got a call from your publisher," he told me as I sat on a couch near his desk.
"Oh?" I replied as I looked outside to see Matt and the children playing.'
"He had to print more copies of your book." I just looked at Stephen and blinked, I didn't really care.
"Oh," is all I said.
Stephen leaned back in his chair, strumming his fingers on his desk. "It appears everyone wants to read and re-live your experiences of your fight and when you touched the Moon Goddess. I just wanted you to know."
I had written a book from my point-of-view, which everyone saw anyway. People kept wanting to see me and I thought this would help them. But instead it only fanned the flames of their obsession with me. But at least I was giving all the money to charities to help orphaned children and the elderly. Assisting packs with taking care of their vulnerable members was something I could help with.
"Danika? Are you listening?" Stephen asked me sounding a little annoyed.
I swiftly looked at him and gave him a half-smile. "Stephen, you know I only wrote that book to help people understand that I can't perform 'miracles' and to try to get them to leave me alone."
Stephen studied me for a moment. "Love, this has been going on for a few years now and we both know it's not going away. Your book actually made them want to talk to you more."
Blowing out a breath I just looked out the window. Stephen stood up and walked over to me and sat beside me. "Would it be so terrible if you tried to help them?" he asked.
Well this was new, and no I didn't want to raise anyone's hopes. "You know I can't do any of those things," I replied with a frown on my face.
Stephen took my hand and kissed my knuckles, and I instantly became aroused when he touched me. I shifted slightly on the sofa but that didn't help my growing lust.
Stephen cupped my cheek and rubbed his thumb on it. "I was thinking that you might start a blog."
Seeing my frown he continued, "We've tried to ignore this but it's not dying, love. You've heard from all our Beta's, they all want to experience the 'World Link' again. They all want that connection to each other, it was so new."
Sighing I leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "I don't know what they... what you want of me? I can't perform miracles, Stephen."
Kissing my hand again and feeling my response, Stephen smiled at me. "You already have, love, you just don't see it like that. They all saw you make the Blue Flame, they all saw you make the Energy Pulse fighting the Dark Ones, they all felt you connect each of us to each other in the World Link- twice. You already do perform miracles and you need to accept that."
But Stephen wasn't done. "I'd like us to take a tour around the world and connect to all the packs, I'd like for you to meet with the Alphas and leaders to diffuse tensions. I'd like for you to write about your experiences in a blog for everyone to read. This isn't going away, Danika, and it's time we both stopped trying to run from it."
I just looked over at Stephen stupefied. I just didn't know how to respond to him.
Smiling at me again he continued, "You are the World Luna and I am your protector. We need to accept this and fully step into these roles that were given to us by the Goddess. Over the last few years I've been bombarded with invitations and requests for these leaders to visit you- and I have denied most of them. But Tyler said something to me the other day..." Stephen stopped abruptly.
"What did he say Stephen?" I asked him gently but didn't know if I wanted to hear the answer.
"Tyler told me he could run the pack while I needed to take you all over the world. While I needed to step into this bigger role that I could no longer ignore or deny. That I was being selfish and a little bit of a coward to keep us both here when the world was in such pain. When the world needed sanity and healing and real leadership."
Stephen paused for a moment.
"What else, Stephen?"
Blowing out a breath of his own, Stephen looked over at me. "He told me we were now recognized as 'Royalty' by all the great leaders and Alphas- and we needed to 'man up' and accept it. We needed to take that next step and teach the rest of the world about 'peace' and what 'real leadership' was. How to treat all pack members fairly, including women."
Stephen flopped back on the couch next to me, but held my hand firmly. "I think Taylor's right, love."
I just sat there blinking and looking at him. In my heart I knew Taylor's words were right, they were... truth. I sort of hated Taylor right at that moment, but in all fairness I was actually angry with 'fate' and the Goddess for putting me on this path. I felt small and unworthy, but there was no one else.
I started to feel alone, but then remembered my connection to my mate and children, my connection to my pack- they were my antidote to 'death', they were my light in the darkness. And my connection to about a million wolves all over the world. I guess I wasn't alone and needed to think about this. Only I had already made my decision, and I felt my wolf supporting me.
"He's right, Stephen. I wish he wasn't but he's right. I need to do the 'right thing', I need to stop wishing people would just leave me alone." I chuckled a little and continued, "And they need to see that I can't perform miracles, that I'm really just like them inside."
"Danika, love," Stephen interrupted, "you're not just like them anymore." He gave me a small smile and looked at me. "You're the World Luna now."
I looked at my precious mate, my heart and my love. "And you're my Protector." Nodding, Stephen stood and pulled me up alongside him.
"Let's go meet up with Tyler, we have a lot to plan," Stephen said as he led me out the door, sounding a little excited to have a new 'op'.
"We're bringing the children along, right?" I asked, I just wanted to confirm this since I couldn't bear to be away from my boy.
"Of course," is all he said as we walked back to find his brother. We did indeed have a great deal to plan for as we both quietly stepped into our new roles. I thought about the scared young woman I was a few years ago and all the changes we both went through. And how my love for my mate gave me the courage I didn't know I had to step up to be what my people needed.
And I took a deep breath and knew I would be ready for our next adventure as long as I had Stephen by my side. But... Royalty??
*The End.
**Thank you all for reading this story, I had a lot of fun writing it. The story actually just wrote itself and I was as surprised as anyone the directions that it took.
The video below is Semisonic-Closing Time, and above is Coldplay's Hymn For The Weekend.
And I just wrote the ending this afternoon, and after everything Danika's had to adapt to- she now has to cope with her new role. But she's strong enough! Please vote if you enjoyed the ending, and I'd love to hear what you would have done.
And feel free to read my other books, Annoying The Alpha King and Alpha King's Chase- both are quite different... and I've started writing a few more for later in the year.
Take care my lovely Readers, and I hope you find the strength to cope with all of life's challenges. Never give up, life tends to lead us in strange directions but always ALWAYS for a reason!
-Olympic Wolf.