MOON (Contd)
The elders of the Screars Pack watched the exchange between Luna and the illegitimate child of the Alpha with most uncomfortable expression.
They hadn’t expected it. It was afterall a popular knowledge that no woman in their world could ever stomach such scorn.
But apparently, the had underestimated the lengths that the Luna would go just to preserve the line of the Screars. They had underestimated the lengths a daughter would go just to satisfy her ill father.
"Zelkov...." Aneris’ husband tasted the na on his lips, "it’s a good na, An." He said rather shalessly while Aneris rose to her height, looking down at the boy.
"I hear you lived with hunters all you life," she said to Zelkov, "Knowing their way of life, I am sure they haven’t done much raising a boy, so do you accept this new ho we offer you?"
The boy said nothing yet again. But slowly, he nodded.
Aneris had figured out that the boy wasn’t much of a speaker. Just like her own father.
She smiled, and then instructed the Epsilon to take the boy to the Pack’s residence.
Sitting back at her original seat, she faced her husband. "Which of my forr maids did you say bore this child to you? I’ve had far many people that served and I can’t quite rember who exactly you speak of."
Her husband looked away... just like the coward he was. He probably thought that since she had accepted the child she would ask no more. Foolishly, he had thought he would escape the liabilities of his gross error.
So in an attempt to nd his wrongs that made no sense, he began to ramble. "There are rumors that the Seven Elders of the Witches have their eyes on certain packs and wish to eliminate them, An. You’ve heard them too...."
"So it was not a mistake then." Aneris said coldly, cutting him off. "You laid with that woman knowing fully well what would have been the result. Now I shall ask you the most imprinting question, why?"
The elders looked away once again, their guilt out for her to see. Aneris wondered when this conspiracy against her had begun. She wondered what she did so terribly that would warrant her husband lying with another woman even before their marriage barely reached the one year mark.
Finally, Elder Malem cleared his throat uncomfortably. "You’re barren, Luna. The prophetess revealed it to us that no viable child will be ford in your belly. The prophecy ca to us before your marriage."
Aneris stilled, unable to move. The only thing she could feel at that stinging betrayal and harsh revelation was the pain in her womb—now evidence of her miscarriage and the cursed revelation of a prophecy she never had any idea of.
"By prophetess, do you an Ada?"
"Yes, Luna. We are terribly sorry, but rule one of the Mandate of the Pack states that the progenity of the pack cos first before any other thing Luna. Since your marriage to the new Alpha was unavoidable, we could only look to other alternatives."
Aneris stood, ready to leave that room... ready to bolt away and lock the world out. "In that case, I must imagine that there are a lot of ’mistakes’ my husband has made. You’re right elders, the progenity of the Pack cos before any other thing."
And with that, she turned he back at her Husband’s bubbling objection, and the elders attempt to beco the voice of reasons.
But before she could take the third step, the loud but desperate voice of Elder Malem stopped her short.
"Those seven elders of the witches have their eyes on us, Luna! They call us an organization when we are a pack and they refuse to recognize us."
Her back still against them, Aneris replied in a strong voice. "I know."
"They are an angry pack of wolves looking to strike. We do not know when it will happen but we must be prepared! We need a true screar of the pack if we are ever going to fight and stand against them!"
Aneris smiled, "I know." She responded again, before her maids held her by the side and helped her back to her room.
On the way back, she suddenly stopped, an idea coming to her mind. She had never believed in gods, visions, prophecies and such.
Her lack of believe in such things was not at all perplexing, especially considering the dire straits her life currently was in.
She imagined she was doing well in her role as the Luna, but as a woman, she was not faring fine at all. She was angry, felt degraded, and she wanted to scream at the unfortunate world that she had found herself in.
Without a child to call her own, and a place to call her true ho, she felt abandoned by the world.
"I want to visit the prophetess Ada." She said to her maids.
"But your condition is not alright, Luna." The Head of her maids protested, "You’ve just lost a...." The maidservant stopped mid sentence, unable to complete the words.
"I must see Ada before evening cos." Aneris declared, and the maids helped her to a carriage that took them all the way to the outskirts of the pack territory and to the Temple that housed a certain old but mysterious woman who called herself a prophetess.
Aneris seed to rember that so of her female ancestors lauded themselves as visionaries and prophetesses true. Although in the last five generations, no such power had showed its face again.
In the company of her personal guard, and guided by her maidservants, they made it into the desolate Temple that stank of incense and such.
It was an abandoned building, and not a single being had been spotted.
Finally, they ca across a large room, and in the middle of the room was a woman who sat naked on an elevated platform, while incense smoke swirled around her.
"Leave us." Aneris commanded her company, while she faced the woman who had prophesied her misfortune even before it started.
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