Chapter 5.
I opened my eyes to find myself laying on a bed in a room I did not recognize. They gray cinderblock walls of my cell were gone. The bed was soft and so pillowy I felt like I were floating on air. The room was a brilliant white. The air smelled sweet, like something vanilla and slightly woodsy. It was comforting. I sat up and realized I was no longer in a cotton dungeon dress. I was in silk. I jumped up so terrified I'd find the sheets and gown covered in blood. A soft voice chuckled from the other side of the room.
I jumped and spun in a gasp to find a woman, tall and shapely, with waist length silver hair braided to her waist, her eyes were the clearest blue I'd ever seen. Her mouth, a smile on her lips, was wide and her nose small and straight. She had an air around her that was calm and amused. She sat on a chair made from what looked like stone. No, not stone I realized. It looked like it was made from silvery mists, clouds? I couldn't tell.
The room I stood in was gilded with a four poster bed, the very one I'd lain in, a small vanity with a stool, the floor was soft, like plush carpeting. I'd never seen such elegance, such luxury. I almost forgot the woman a moment until I heard her speak.
"You like? I have often thought of changing this room, but every time I do, I can't think of a thing to change." She said, her voice like honied velvet. "I suppose you can't improve upon perfection."
I turned back to her my heart racing. "Excuse me, but where am I? How did I get here? Where is my cell? Where is Aggie? Who are you?" I let out all in a rush. I felt my cheeks warm with embarrassment when I realized how rude I must've sounded. "Please, forgive my rudeness. You see, I fell asleep in my cell and somehow I am now here."
"You are where I deemed for you to be my child. I am Celene, your Mother, your creator. And you are here, in my realm. In my very own room. I brought you here." She said.
"Mother? You mean, you're THE Celene? The Moon Goddess?" I stammered dropping into a bow immediately.
"Yes child. I am. But no need for all the formality, you are my child afterall. Call me Celene, Lisa. You've been through much. Your path has not been easy. But it has all been for a reason. I cannot tell you what, nor how, but it is all been for a reason." She took my face in her hands, make a small tsking sound as her thumb ran down my cheek. "Such cruelty you've endured. Such awfulness. Your face has been marred by it. This I cannot change, I can make it less of a scar, but it will remain. As will these other wounds. They must, for you must never forget the lesson they've taught you."
"The lesson?" I asked
"Yes my child. The lesson that you are stronger than they think. Than you think. Tonight you asked me for death. I will not grant you that request, as you have another purpose for your life, I cannot tell you now, but it will soon be revealed. I promise you, though life will get tougher still, you WILL survive it, and you WILL be better for it. You have only to trust your own heart and instincts. Look to the past to see the future clearly."
With that I woke sharply to Aggie shaking me. Her face was absolutely terrified when I looked at her. Her coffee eyes were wide and her lips were mashed into a tight line of worry.
"Aggie, what is it?" I asked her
"You… you were so still, I could hardly tell if you were breathing. I kept calling you. I've been trying to wake you for over an hour. Your breakfast's gone cold. I was so scared I'd lost you just as you seemed to be getting better!"
"I had the strangest dream. I guess I just couldn't wake up. I'm sorry I worried you Aggie. But the dream was just too real."
I told her about the dream as I ate the weak runny oatmeal, toast and one single boiled egg and the milk that had gone warm.
"Sounds like you had a genuine meeting with the Goddess herself there girl." Aggie said at a length.
I scoffed but I couldn't help but wonder if it really was the case. We pondered over the odd cryptic message I got from the dream before I woke. 'Look to the past to see the future clearly?' how odd. We wondered over it until our brains could no longer take another thought of it.
Later we overheard two guards talking. They were saying that the other packs were arriving for the ceremony in two days. Alphas their Lunas and Betas. Their guards and security details. They were being housed in the luxury houses in the town center, as having so many Alpha wolves under one roof was a recipe for disaster. To offset so much Alpha aura and energy, games were being held for the next day. A chance for Alphas and Betas to playfully spar with others, guards and warriors too. The Lunas and Beta wives had their own doings. Pack tradition was to have a brunch then each Luna and female Beta would sew a square for a blanket to be presented to the newly crowned Alpha and Luna of the pack.
The guards had no interest in the doings of the females though, they were too busy placing wagers on which Alpha would beat which and whose Beta and head warrior will be the champions in the end of the sparring matches. Their wages were on the Alpha and Beta of the Mooncliff pack. Sebastian and a man named Jasper.
For some reason, that name resounded in my mind. It bothered me but I couldn't figure out why. Eventually I put it down to it being an unusual name that isn't heard much anymore and sat on my bunk trying desperately to come up with something to do to keep from going crazy.
Later on at lunch, I noticed that Megan's fair skin had a particularly nasty bruise along her cheekbone. Her curly red hair was a mess and her green eyes seemed to be reddened as if she'd done a great deal of crying. I wanted to ask, but from the looks Aggie shot me, I had a feeling I knew exactly what and who gave her those bruises and messy hair. I silently gagged to myself wanting nothing more than for the earth to open and swallow Mace straight into the magma core and scorch him for all of eternity.
I was just stepping into the bathroom when a big rough hand caught my arm. His fingers so large they wrapped around my entire upper arm and held firmly and tightly. It hurt and I let out a startled yell. It earned me a slap.
Mace. His big body blocking the door. He was built like a drum. He was wide and had a beer belly like a keg. His closely shaved blond hair made him appear to be bald and his brown eyes were yellowed in his chubby bearded face. His teeth were browned and crooked. He wad not an attractive man by any standard. I revulsed. Then fear hit me.
Mace had me. I was alone and Mace had me. I panicked and tried to free my arm. Wrong move. He slapped me again and pinned me stomach first against the stone wall. He kicked my legs apart and growled in my ear.
"Such a young, interesting piece you are, don't fight me sweetheart and I can make your stay here a little more comfortable." He said, his breath smelling rotten and terrible.
I flinched away.
"Please, no, don't let this happen to me!" I silently prayed with all my might.
I don't know what came over me but I threw my head back and connected with his nose. He responded by yanking a handful of my hair backwards and delivering a vicious blow to my ribs and a kick to my knees. I fell to the floor where I was given a kick to my abdomen and then dragged back to my cell by my hair.
I felt a small satisfaction that his pig nose was possibly broken and was trickling blood. His massive hand came up and landed across my cheek. Pain exploded where my ravaged skin split back open and I saw stars and landed face down onto my cot.
Aggie looked murderous. She rushed to me as the door slammed violently shut and she called out behind him in a long line of curses and swear words. She took my face in her hands and turned it slightly dabbing a cold wet cloth over the bruising bleeding skin. She swore him a dickless sociopathic asshole and tried to staunch the bleeding but it flowed like a torrent out of my ruined skin.
I am not sure how long I bled for, I was so weak and I ended up passing out at some point. I know I lost a lot more of the blood my body struggled to make after losing so much before. I felt like I was floating, and I could hear Aggie begging me to hold on.