Rise of the Rejected Luna - Chapter 184

Chapter 184: _ The Home of Ancients
We followed the owl for an entire hour before coming through a bush path that gave way to a large expanse of land where a lone mansion stood.

Although the stone mansion looked formidable where it stood, it wasn’t what caused our mouths to hang open in awe. It was the beauty and splendor that surrounded it.

The mansion was surrounded by a lush garden that displayed the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen, and that was saying something.

With the terrible experience we’d had in this forest, it seemed rather shocking that a place as beautiful as this existed in it.

Holding Phoebe’s hand tightly in mine, we marched on. I could see that she was tired from the journey but she did her best to mask it. She didn’t want to appear weak.

Meanwhile, the Lycan still carried Negan on his back. It was a little disturbing that Negan hadn’t shown any signs of coming to life since he had been knocked out, and even though, I trusted Elder Gita completely, I couldn’t help wondering if the potion she gave him had had any effect. After all, the creature that poisoned him was one that we had never before come across.

The mansion before us looked to have no gates or outward protection, but as we reached the middle of the lush garden, I felt a tingling on my skin.

Choosing to ignore it and continue, I trod on with the rest of the group, but suddenly we seemed to hit a wall. We tried to move forward but were continuously pushed back by this force, whatever it was.

Elder Gita stood back quietly, and motioned for us to do the same, but I refused to be deterred. I stretched my hand forward to the area that we had been unable to get through, and felt a searing pain shoot up my arm.

Drawing it back immediately, I turned to the others with a look of confusion, and saw that their eyes mirrored the same thing. Everyone except Elder Gita.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Alpha.” She said simply and continued to stand quietly.

All at once, the owl let out a loud shriek that was echoed by other owls that we couldn’t see, and there was a hissing sound around us. There was a clanging that sounded like chains being broken, but we could see nothing.

Suddenly, the owl flew ahead of us, and Elder Gita wasted no time in following. This time, there was no pain or tingling sensation. We simply walked ahead like we’d done before reaching this point.

As we got to the large oak door of the mansion, a man pulled the door and bowed deeply.

“Welcome to the home of the Ancients. Follow me.” He said, and we all went quietly with him. The owl, on the other hand, flew in another direction.

We went through a dark hallway before reaching this living room. It looked… normal. Like something you’d see back at the Bluemoon Pack.

There, a stunning woman in a cascading green dress bowed slightly and stood before us.

“Welcome, Wolves of the Bluemoon Pack. You have indeed come a long way.”

Right on cue, Elder Gita returned the woman’s now. “Yes, sister. We have come a long way from our place and time, and have left our people with very little protection.”

She nodded slightly before responding. “Yes, yes, sister. I know that. You have come to see the Ancients in hopes that they will help you find a solution to a big calamity that has befallen your pack.”

Elder Gita nodded briefly, not at all surprised that this woman had just stated our reason for being here without any prior information.

“Please, go with Bradger now.” The woman continued. “He will show you to your rooms.”

“Rooms?” I asked, surprised. Why was she showing us to our rooms? Was this like a hotel or something? We’d come here to see the Ancients. What she needed to do was take us to them and let us be back on our way.

“Yes, Alpha Kaene.” She replied. “You cannot see the Ancients as you are. You must dwell in this abode for three days first during which time, you will each have a cleansing bath, and a cleansing ritual. Do you have any problems with this?”

To say that I had a problem with it would be an understatement. Three days? What the hell? Before I could say any more, Elder Gita spoke in a firm tone.

“Yes, we understand, sister. We are all fine with it.”

The woman motioned for us to go with the man who had led us here earlier. As we all followed, she suddenly stopped Lycan Davos who still carried Negan on his back.

“What happened to him?”

“He was poisoned by a creature that we met on the way.” The Lycan responded, sounding weary. Who could blame him? Negan was not a small man, after all.

She was thoughtful for a moment. “This creature, what did he look like?”

Lycan Davos gave a brief description of the creature and her eyes widened.

“I gave him an antidote that would flush the poison out of his system. He should be awake anytime now.” Elder Gita added quickly.

“Oh, you don’t understand.” The woman said, “This creature that attacked him is called a Rhecla. It is the most vicious beast in the land of the Ancients, and only very few people have been known to survive its poisoning. It’s good that you gave him that antidote, but now, we would have to get him to the healers immediately. Come with me!” She said urgently to the Lycan.

The rest of us went with Bradger and we’re each assigned a small room. Finally, only Phoebe and I were left, and as he opened a door for her, I made to follow, but he shot out his hands to stop me.

“What are you doing?” He asked incredulously.

“Going in with her, of course. She is my wife. We stay together.”

He looked at me like I had grown a second head, and then cleared his throat before speaking.

“Not here! Here, you two must not be found in a room together!”

Phoebe

“Not here! Here, you two must not be found in a room together.”

We both stared at the man who had spoken the words with similar looks of surprise.

What did he mean we must not be found in a room together? We were mates for the Goddess’s sake. And we had even married the human way.

Kaene’s eyes grew angry. “What the hell are you talking about?” He asked.

“You heard me.” The man continued unfazed by Kaene’s anger. “In this place, there are no mates. You are man, and you are woman.” He said pointing at each of us.

This time, it was my turn to look at him incredulously. “Mr Bradger. I don’t think you get it. We are mates, fated by the moon goddess to be together. We need to be close to each other, especially in a place like this where we are cut off from the rest of the world.”

Although I thought I’d explained things clearly, he harrumphed stubbornly and continued to look forward as though I hadn’t been speaking to him.

Tired, I placed a hand over Kaene’s shoulder to calm the storm I knew must be brewing inside of him.

“It’s okay, Kaene. It’s only for a few days, and it’s all for a greater cause. We’ve got this.” I said to him, and turned to go into the room which still remained open.

Even though I could see that he didn’t like this, Kaene followed as Bradger led him to another room.

Inside the small, but comfortable room that I’d been assigned, I headed straight into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. This really had been one hell of a journey.

When we had set out to meet the Morrigan sisters, it hadn’t occurred to any of us that we’d have to travel through a portal to meet another group of people with apparently more power than the sisters.

I said a quick prayer to the goddess asking her to help us achieve what we had come here for. The wound that the loss of my father had left in my heart was still gaping open, but more than me, I couldn’t imagine the pain that my mother must be going through at the moment.

Ever since she and my father had found themselves years ago, she’d never had to do anything without him, and now, the knowledge that she’d have to go on with a life that didn’t have him in it, oh, I could just imagine that she must be feeling at the moment. I would do anything to change that for her.

As I stepped out of the bathroom, the strain of the journey to this place suddenly seemed to descend upon me. I dragged my feet to the small bed at the center of the room, and got into it. I was asleep as soon as I hit the bed.

A knock on the door later that day brought me out of my deep slumber. Yawning loudly, I walked towards the door and yanked it open.

Every member of our small group stood there. Everyone except Negan.

“What’s happening?” I asked groggily.

“Come with us.” Kaene said and pulled me out of the room by my hand.

Brought out of my after sleep weakness by the seeming urgency, I followed them down the hall outside the stone mansion.

“There’s something off about this place.” Kaene said and everyone else nodded. I seemed to be the only one who didn’t understand.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused.

“Our wolves.” Sir Elijah responded promptly, and Kaene continued.

“Yes. Our wolves. I have been trying to connect to my wolf since we got here but it seems to be harder by the minute.”

As soon as he said that, I tried to reach mine as well, and realized that they were right. I mean, I could feel her, but she seemed distant. My heart plummeted I. Fear.

Why were we experiencing a disconnection from our wolves? They were the very core of our existence as werewolves. If there was anyone who should know, then it was Elder Gita. After all, she was the spokesperson for the goddess.

As if we’d all been thinking the same thing, we all looked at the elderly woman, who in turn, looked at us one after the other before speaking.

“I do not know why this is happening.” She said, “The moon goddess is quiet on the matter.”

At that exact moment, the door swung open, and the gorgeous woman in green again appeared before us. This time, there was a servant behind her as she addressed us.

“Is anything the problem?” She asked innocently.

We all exchanged glances that I supposed were supposed to be a unanimous agreement to not say anything, but trust me to never keep my mouth shut even when I needed to.

“I feel a disconnection from my wolf.”I said firmly. “This is unusual, and I would like to ask why.”

She raised an eyebrow before responding. “That’s normal. The Ancients loathe rebellion, and to ensure that such does not come to play while you are here, the mansion is designed to take away as much of your supernatural powers as possible.”

“Even me?” Elder Gita asked.

“Especially you, sister. But not to worry. Once you speak to the Ancients and they confirm that you are here for a good cause, your powers will return completely.” She said.

So that meant that for three days, we would be disconnected from our wolves. That was bad. That wasn’t good at all. I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could get any word out, the woman spoke again.

“Anyways. I had come here for a different reason, Members of the Bluemoon Pack. Your beta has awoken, and you may now see him if you so desire.”