S t e l l a

I was dreaming that I was alone in a pitch dark room. I hugged myself closer to keep myself warm although the place was relatively warm already. But it was just a lonely place.

Somehow though, I had a feeling that a part of me had stayed here for as long as I can ever remember. It was a bit comfortable.

These days, crazy things keep happening and I can't catch up, and the last thing that I remember is being attacked. But this place brought me a sense of calm, I felt that things would be alright now.

I took a deep breath and decided to close my eyes instead of being blinded by the dark, but as soon as I closed my eyes, I was suddenly taken to another place.

Instead of the room of darkness that I was in, I was suddenly in Cassian's pack. I recognized the place instantly because it's the place that has taken me in and where most of the people treated me with kindness.

The night was setting in and people were hurrying to get home. I look up and see a full moon appearing in the night sky. I have never seen the moon seem so big and bright before. Perhaps it was because there wasn't much light pollution here, but I felt way closer to it than when I was in my town.

I was starting to wonder what I was doing here when I notice a middle aged lady walking the streets alone. Nobody seems to notice her as she was passing by, but I felt that there was something different about her.

Her face was wrinkled and stricken with an expression that made it seem like she was in a deep thought. Suddenly, I see myself and Cassian walking by and when the lady saw us, her eyes widened in shock.

In the scene, Cassian was giving me a sort of cake to eat and I looked closely to see what could have spooked the lady, but I noticed that she was solely looking at me.

The scene changed.

I was now in a room, wide and dark. The only thing illuminating the place was a chandelier that hang up above-- way up above.

In the middle of the room, there was a long table with chairs all around and many... people. Important looking people. They sort of looked like politicians. There wasn't any welcoming face all around and I was quick to notice the coldness in the room.

"They've found the fourth warrior and they didn't inform us?! And they are planning to make her the Luna without informing us?!" a man exclaimed and slammed his hands on the table.

I was surprised to find out that the topic was about me so I stood still and held my breath to hide, as if they could see me.

"Alpha Cassian is too arrogant, we must teach him a lesson, not to mention the other Alphas that are starting to question us," another said which earned a round of agreement from the others.

"Quiet!" a lady screamed and finally quieted down the chattering crowd, "There are bigger issues at hand, we can deal with the rebels later on. But this girl, which pack does she come from?"

"The report says that she is... human."

Once again, the room became rowdy, the revelation received was a total shocker and it was definitely not well-received in this room full of important people.

"A human as a Luna?! Ridiculous!"

"How can a mere human be a warrior? Alpha Cassian has obviously been bewitched!"

"That's right, we must investigate this girl, she may just be an impostor."

The suggestion earned approval from many of them. I counted the number of people and concluded that there are 13 of them in the room. They started offering suggestions on what kind of investigation should be done on me, that I must be held captive within the Capitol.

My heart started to beat faster because the tone of their voice has now changed, it was malicious, greedy and malevolent.

I turned around and made my way to the door, but as soon as I opened it, the noise had stopped and when I turned to look back, I see thirteen pair of eyes looking back at me and all I could do was scream.

✦ ✦ ✦✦

The next thing I knew, I was now lying down on a large comfortable bed.

I immediately sat up, my heart was still beating rapidly from the vision, but when I found that I was in a rather safe place and I didn't feel any danger, I relaxed.

But that's when my attention shifted into observing the room. It was bigger than any other room that I have been in, but expensively decorated. I saw a few clothes clattered on the couch, but that's when the scent made me aware.

Is this... possibly... Cassian's room? We must be back in the pack then.

I quickly got up to leave the room with questions running through my mind. How did I get here? What happened after I lost consciousness?

Did Cassian possibly defeat all the Strays that were there? I stopped to take a moment to recognize Cassian's power.

I mean, it's amazing. He was able to defeat all of them on his own. He truly is in another level.

I opened the door and found no one outside which was pretty rare because I was rarely left alone in the pack.

I tiptoed on the hallways, not really knowing why myself, but I noticed that this was the part of the pack house that I also never got to step in because it was the whole wing dedicated to the Alpha.

"Stella?" Cassian's voice asked.

I almost jumped at the surprise and turned to see Cassian looking surprised, his hand still on the handle of his office door.

He looked at me from head to toe and proceeded to envelope me in a tight embrace.

"I'm so glad you're alright, I was so scared that you would never wake up," he whispered, his voice filled with concern.

His hug was warm and comforting, I could feel his relief as he assured that I was fine. Wrapping my arms back on his torso, I was glad and relieved that he looked fine too.

"How about you, are you alright?" I ask when he let me go and I tried to look for any signs that he had been badly hurt, but there was nothing. Instead, he opened the door to his office wider for me to go in and I did.

Claude, his Beta, was there and Ervin, his Gamma, was present as well.

When I walked in, they both bowed their heads and looked back up. Claude smiled at me, "Sleeping Beauty's awake, good to have you back Luna," he said.

"We are so glad you are fine, Luna," Ervin said in his turn.

I could only smile at their concern, "I am fine, thankfully, but," I turned to Cassian who probably had the answers, "what happened? How did we get out of there safely? If I remember right, the Strays hurt me pretty badly."

Cassian and the two others looked back at me stunned, baffled.

"Y-you mean you don't remember?" Cassian asked and held me by the arm. This time, I felt more concerned.

I momentarily looked towards Claude and Ervin, but they were both looking back at me waiting for an answer.

"Remember what?"

"Y-you came here... in your wolf form, that confirms it. You're not human, Stella, you're a werewolf," Cassian says in a low tone, almost in a whisper, careful not to shock me.

But I was completely baffled. Wolf form? What did that even--

"You mean me," I pointed at myself, "as... as like you guys?" I asked in disbelief.

I rummaged through my mind to retrieve the memory, but there was nothing. It was blank.

"Yes and it was you and your wolf who defeated most of the Strays back in the forest. Do you really not remember? Not even when we were travelling back?" Cassian asked me one more time, but all I could do is shake my head.

There really was nothing.

But what's more, the fact that I was a werewolf like them was only beginning to sink in now. It was confirmed. I'm really like them.

I didn't know whether to feel happy or horrified. Happy that I finally found the place where I belonged. Horrified because then it would mean that my town was right in calling me a monster.

I took deep breaths, controlling my emotions and my thoughts, desperately trying not to break down.

"I... don't remember anything," I admitted because it was true.

There was a long silence as if I just ruined a surprise party and now there was lingering question of what now?

As the silence haunted us, the door burst open with the paled face of Ruth, breathless and anxious as she was carrying a letter in one hand.

Claude immediately stood up to welcome her, but stopped when Ruth announced her piece of news.

"T-trouble, there's trouble. The Council is on their way for Stella," she says and meets my eyes. Upon hearing that, Cassian stood up and walked towards her grabbing the letter away from her.

The Council?

I suddenly remembered the vision I had of the people in that room, the important looking people and the nervousness I remembered while being there.

"Unfit to be the Luna?!" I hear Cassian raise his voice in anger, but my vision was getting blurry so I closed my eyes.

But that's when I found myself in the forest, I was was walking along with many others, with a cape covering my head. I saw two men and a woman I definitely recognized, the same woman who spoke in front of... the Council.

She was leading the group but when she looked up and saw that the sky was darkening, she raised her hand and those behind her stopped.

"We will camp here tonight. Prepare yourselves, tomorrow we will arrive in Caelum and something tells me Alpha Cassian will not back down without fight," she says.

"Yes ma'am!" everyone said in unison and started settling down. As for the lady, she looked here and there before going farther into the woods all by herself.

Something about her was giving me the creeps so even when I didn't want to follow her into the forest, I knew I had to.

She walked for a long time and when she was far enough from everyone, she looked back to see if someone had followed her. Confirming that there was no one, she removed her cape.

She had long curly blonde hair that reached her hips. She was most certainly in her mid forties, her pale face stricken with wrinkles, but she was still fair looking.

"What is it?" she asks seemingly to nobody and I was confused as to who she was talking to, but when I looked around, I saw the same guy I had seen in the forest Cassian and I were attacked in.

Instinctively, I hid behind a tree as if they could see me.

"The girl... are you thinking of killing her?" he asked.

She rolls her eyes, annoyed that her time had been wasted for such a question.

"That's a stupid question, we are not like you."

The man couldn't help but laugh heftily as if he was hearing a joke, but the lady quickly shushed him.

"Hahaha, that was a good joke, I gotta give you that. Anyways, I will be around if you need help, besides, I think that girl may be on the brink of death by now anyways."

"What do you mean?! What did you do?" 

However, the man had already started to walk away. "Hmm? What did I do? I just gave a little surprise that's all," he said as he continued to walk away.

"Finn, what did you do? Finn!"

✦ ✦ ✦✦

"Stella, Stella, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Cassian asked as he held my hand tightly. I took a deep breath and when I realized I was back here, with him, with all of them. They were standing around me with a worried look on their face. 

I was panting and was feeling extremely tired already although I just woke up from rest of who knows how long. 

I turned to Cassian who was seated beside me and he was still asking me how I was feeling, but I cut him off.

"Tomorrow, they'll be here tomorrow."

Baffled, he looked from the others and back to me, trying to make sense out of my words.

"What do you mean?"

"I just had a vision, the Council. They'll be here tomorrow."