The Human In The Wolf Pack
Chapter 25

Looking around at the familiar scenery, all I could feel was reluctance. The beige sand, the navy blue sky full of twinkling stars. Accepting these Gifts, those I was glad to meet other humans, I had to leave behind the people I cared about. A year ago, I would have begged for anything to make me less human, so that I might be accepted The Lightened Horizon Pack. But a month ago, I had begun to accept myself for the way I was, and that being human wasn’t a bad thing. Rider’s pack helped me to see that. So why was I given this Gift? And why was I back in this mysterious dessert?

“Vera Stone,” A voice called.

I turned to see the beautiful woman. She was ageless, and lovely, just as I remembered her. Looking at her now, I knew she couldn’t be anything but the Goddess that Tristan spoke of.

“Hello,” I said softly, unsure.

I had wanted to question her. I wanted to know why she would chose me out of billions of people, to end a war I wasn’t apart of, but now that she was in front of me, it was like I couldn’t find my own voice. All the accusations, and the desperate questions seemed to leave my mind as she smiled at me.

“I’m happy to see that you found your way to the other Gifted,” She told me, floating down from the deep, sapphire sky so that she hovered before me, her feet just a hair’s breadth away from the sand.

“I have, but… I’m not sure what you expect me to do. They already have the first five, who have been leading the Gifted well. I am not a Queen, I don’t even qualify to be a Luna yet. I doubt myself constantly, and I am ignorant to what is going on. A war… I don’t even know who I am supposed to fight.”

The Goddess seemed thoughtful as she took in my words. We stood in the peaceful silence of this world between words before she gave me a sad smile. It was one that seemed apologetic, and shameful. Seeing that expression was stunning. Why did she look at me with such pity? Such sorrow?

“Vera, you are a human who has been raised by wolves since you were three, but don’t you wonder what your life was like before that?” She asked me, her tone soft and coaxing.

It was a gentle voice, one that prodded at the back of my mind. It was a part of my thoughts that, subconsciously, I wanted to leave buried. A box that was never to be opened. When I didn’t answer her, she continued.

“There was once two daughters. The eldest was Reviera, and she was a child full of envy. She envied those who had pretty toys, or nice dresses, but most of all, she envied her younger sister, Clea. Both daughters were from a very rare, and almost extinct group of individuals. They believed that the Gods who might have once watched over the living, had long left this world for chaos. So, to prevent an unbalance in the power of this world, they hunted down Werewolves, so that humans might continue to live in peace and ignorance.

This tribe valued the strong, and disregarded the weak. Afterall, only the strongest of humans could take on werewolves. And so, when Reviera and Clea were brought before the Wise Man of the tribe, it was foretold that Clea would save the World, and Reviera would curse it. This sent the eldest sister into a rage. She tried to kill her sister, who was barely able to escape. Clea ran through the woods, and was later taken in by a pack of werewolves, and as she grew, she forgot about where she came from or who she was, but her sister, Reviera never did. Nor did she forget Clea.”

The Goddess’s story sent a shiver down my spine, filled with dread. Even as I tried to deny it mentally, I knew who the little girl named Clea was. As I met the eyes of the Goddess who could only look at me with empathy, I knew it was me.

“You’re saying that my real family are hunters?”

“They were, but they are now long gone. You ask why you were chosen, well, it always had to be you. The moment you were born, no- the reason you were born, was for this. You came into this world with a destiny, and that was to lead the Gifted into battle. You asked who would be your opponent, and it’s the same individual who was born with your opposing destiny.”

“I… have to fight against my b***d sister?”

“No, Vera. You have to kill her,” Even though her voice was gentle, it was firm.

She spoke as if this was a truth I had to accept. There was no way out. I knew by looking at her, that it was either Reviera’s life, or countless others would die. I looked down, my heart beating a deafening rhythm throughout my body.

“But what about Rider? Isn’t he my destiny? Why was I given a mate, if I would only be separated from him?” I asked, my mark stinging slightly, as if to remind me of the bond we had forged.

“Rider is apart of your destiny. Afterall, you cannot win this fight alone. The Gifted need powerful allies, and you are a bridge between two separate worlds. You being Rider’s mate, this was decided before you were even born, and is part of the reason fighting Reveira is your fate.”

It was all crazy. Shock was an understatement. I was just an eighteen year old girl, who barely has her high school diploma. How could the fate of the world rest on my shoulders? What kind of destiny was this? It was almost comical. I, the girl rejected for being mundane and weak, was the one the universe chose to save everyone? Now, I had to take responsibility for an insane sister I don’t even remember? It all seemed too cruel and unfair.

“What happens if I don’t succeed in stopping her?” I finally asked, looking up at the Goddess in defeat.

The world hadn’t gone easy on me, not for a moment, so why would it start now? I had no choice but to keep going. At my words, the Goddess’s expression darkened.

“Reviera will march with an army of Rogue Wolves, and Demons in less than two year’s time. She will come to defeat you, so that she may summon the Bringer of the World’s End: Ragnarok. If she succeeds, every being on your world will perish, and Earth will become nothing more than a wasteland. If you do not defeat your sister, the world will disappear in a cloud of hell fire and smoke.”

My heart squeezed painfully. The faces of the people I loved; Rider, Mom, Dad, Ripley, Rose, and the members of my pack, even the Gifted I had only just met, flashed through my mind. I would lose all of them if I failed. I gritted my teeth. No, if they were at stake, then I had no choice but to win. Seeing the determination come to my face, the Goddess smiled.

“I will help you retrieve your memories from before you came to live with the Wolves, this will give you a better idea of what to expect from Reviera. I will also bestow upon you the knowledge of how to use the many Gifts you have received, along with what you must do to prepare.”

I nodded, gratefully, and knew that our discussion had come to its end.

“Oh, and Vera. Remember these words, and you will know what must be done:

One day when the leaves turn red

A one sided war will come to its end A Human with b***d of the Pack Will give due sacrifice to seal the crack. She will lose that which she can’t regain. For love it was given And it is Death who will take it away. Born with only this in mind And will die to save all of mankind.”