Kassi

My head felt fuzzy and my stomach was rolling

I tried to move my arms but they were heavy

When I cracked my eyes opened I saw that my arms were heavy for a reason.

I was freaking chained to a chair!

I tried to open my eyes wider but they were just too heavy

I tried to kick out my legs but they were chained down too!

"Oh good" A grumpy voice said from the corner of the dark room "You're up"

I looked up through heavy lids and blurry vision and squinted at the dark figure coming towards me

"Who the hell are you?"

There was a prick in my neck before a burning sensation.

A minute later, my eyes were less blurry and my limbs felt almost normal again

I blinked my eyes a few times before focusing on the figure

"Old man?" I cussed at him "What the hell did you stab me with?"

"Atropine" he said, putting the contents down on a nearby table "It counteracts the Aconite by stimulating the Nervous system again"

I looked around the room and saw another figure tucked in the corner

"What the Hell is Aconite!" I yelled "And why in the hell did he drug me!"

I let out more profanities and Orion huddled farther into the corner

"Stop hollering girl" the old man said "And stop cursing or else I'll wash your mouth out with soap"

"Do that and I'll bite all your fingers off" I bared my teeth

He glared "Stubborn girl"

I tried to move to attack him but the chain held me back.

I screamed at him "LET ME GO THIS INSTANT YOU PSYCHOS!"

"Or what?" the old man mocked "You're going to run and tell your adorable Alpha boyfriend to beat me up?"

I glared at him "I don't need anyone to beat you up. Let me go and I'll kick you in the dentures myself"

I paused and then swiveled my head toward Orion "You rat. I can't believe you've been spying on us just to feed information to him!"

Orion looked down "You don't understand" he whispered

I laughed sarcastically "What don't I understand? My kidnapping, drugging or you being a rat?"

"He's not a rat" the old man crossed his arms "He's just a man trying to protect his family"

"Sorry" I sneered "But your definition of a rat is completely different than mine"

He sighed "Would you just be quiet and listen please?"

"Why should I?"

"Because you need to hear this" Orion said

"I don't want to hear anything that comes out of your lying mouth"

"What if it has do something with your mother? Would you listen then?"

I paused "What?"

"Answer the question"

"You already know the answer to that" I sneered "Of course I would listen"

"Then be prepared to listen"

I glared and then slightly lifted my hands "Care to unchain me before story time?"

"No, we'll untie you after we've said what we had to say"

I sighed and sat back, making my chains rattle "I'm not going to run away if that's what you're thinking"

"Gramps can't we just..." Orion started

The Old Man sighed "I won't run after her if she bolts"

Orion smiled "I got her Gramps"

Orion stepped forward and put his thumb on my chains

A moment later they popped off and crumpled to the floor

Orion put his thumb to his mouth

"What kind of chains are those?" I asked, rubbing my sore wrists

"Specially made Hunter chains to keeps Wolves from shifting"

"But I'm not a Wolf" I paused "Are those the same ones you had on?"

He nodded

"Yes you are" the old man said, addressing my first question "Your father was a Wolf and your brothers are Wolves. It would be highly impossible if you didn't turn out to be a Wolf too"

"Then why haven't I shifted yet?" I stood and walked to the window, looking at the moon

"Because you're the Princess of Wolves"

I turned toward them "You know, I've heard that term multiple times already. I think it's time I find out what that actually means"

The old man smirked "I'm assuming your father told you the story of how Wolves came to be?"

"How did you know that?"

The Old man walked back and forth in the small room "It's common for all Royals to tell their children the Creation story by the time they are teens"

"And how do you know that?"

"I think you know the reason"

"I would like to hear you say it"

The old man sighed "I'm a Hunter Kassiopeia"

"They exist?"

"Of course we exist" he laughed "Just like Werewolves and all other mythical creatures exist"

"And my mother..."

"She was a hunter" he looked away

"Was?"

He sighed "The moment she met your father was the moment she stopped being a Hunter"

He waved me off when I opened my mouth to ask more questions "Never mind that right now. I'll answer all your questions when I'm done explaining"

"So, I'm assuming your father did tell you about the Creation story?"

I nodded "And?"

"Well it's important to know that when the first Werewolves were created, your ancestors, the Moon Goddess Selene underestimated the number of females in the tribes. Because of this, Selene quickly realized that without females, her newly created species would not survive"

"Why weren't their a lot of women in the first place?"

He gave me a "Are you stupid" look

I glared at him "What? I never liked History and I don't particularly think we learned about Greek Goddesses turning Humans into Wolves at my Public High School in New York"

"What do all civilizations have in common with regards to how few women they have?"

I gave him a look "Death?"

"Death, the Plague, Colonists pillaging tribes, etc..."

"So then, if there wasn't enough females in the first Pack then how did the Wolf Species survive?"

"Well, Selene wasn't the Goddess of Fertility so she couldn't just influence the new generation to have children" the old man stated "So, she made the ultimate sacrifice"

"Which was what?"

"Her children"

I reared my head back in surprise "She had children?"

He nodded "She had fifty daughters with her lover, Endymion"

"Wait, hold up" I jumped up "I thought Zeus erased Endymion's memories of Gods and Goddess the moment Endymion was turned"

"He did" the old man replied "But that didn't stop Selene from being with the man that she loved"

"But fifty kids?That seems a little excessive, even for the Gods" I made a face "Plus, there's the small fact that he must have been really old to still have been making babies"

I shuttered

Orion chuckled

"Well, anything's possible regarding the Greek Gods" the Old Man said "Take Athena for example. She walked right out of Zeus head as a grown woman dressed in Armor"

"Well if Zeus erased the guy's memories, how were they able to fall in love again and have 50 kids?"

"The same way everyone falls in love" Orion said "You meet them and hit it off"

"But wouldn't have Zeus caught on to what Selene was doing and punish her again?"

"Zeus found out" the Old man said "But he was unbothered by it because he knew the human man didn't have much longer to live"

"I don't like the sound of that" I said grimly "What in the hell did he do?"

"With every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction" the Old man explained "The reaction always is equivalent to the action"

Light Bulb Moment

"Zeus influenced Endymion's death" I looked at both of them "Didn't he?"

They nodded

"But I thought he granted Endymion a peaceful slumber?" I questioned "Why would he do that if he ultimately killed him?"

"Who knows why Zeus did what he did" the old man said "Hell, who knows the motive behind why any of the Gods or Goddesses did what they did"

"So I don't understand how this ties in with Selene's ultimate sacrifice" I stated

"Her children were the only thing left connecting her to Endymion after his Death"

"Okay..." I stated "But it's not like they died or shared the same fate as he did. Weren't they considered as Demigods?"

"No, but in order to keep her newly created species alive and thriving she had to sacrifice her daughters"

I looked at him warily "When you mean sacrifice, you don't mean..."

"No" the old man said "She didn't literally sacrifice her daughters"

"Then what did she..."

"She Mated 49 of them off to the surviving members of the Pack" Orion said "After she Mated them, she sent them to different parts of the world to produce even more wolves and strengthen the Wolf line"

"Many of the Packs that still live today come from one of the daughters line"

"Wait" I said "I thought you said she had 50 daughters?"

They nodded

"Then why were only 49 Mated?"

"Just like with any family there is no child that perfectly embodies an equal amount of both their parents. Some take slightly more after one parent than the other, whether it be in their features, personality, or attitude" the old man said "And Selene's children were no different"

"Well, that was true until her last daughter was born" Orion said before looking at me "There was no child ever born in history that was a perfect balance of both her Mother and Father"

"Not to mention there was no child, born of Human and Goddess, that exhibited the same amount of power as her mother"

"So what happened to this daughter?" I asked "Did Selene eventually Mate her with another Wolf?"

"We don't know" the old man admitted "But we do believe that she must have at one point"

"Why do you believe that?"

"Because Kassi" Orion said "Gramps believes that the Dimitrious are direct descendants of her line"

I looked at him "Really?"

He nodded "Think about it. You have all the powers that Selene would have over her species if she was roaming earth. Her daughter matched her powers too so it's not hard to believe that you are apart of that lineage"

"I only have one power" I stated "And I don't think that qualifies as God status just quite yet"

I paused "Wait a minute, why I am the only one with powers"

I looked at Orion "Can you do anything crazy too?"

He shook his head "Nope"

"Because Selene only had daughters" the old man said "And since it was her daughter that inherited her Powers, it makes sense that another woman in that line would too"

"So you're telling me that every woman in my family had powers just like me?"

"Not every woman" Orion said "Just the fiftieth daughter born into the Dimitriou family"

"Why..." I paused again when they gave me a look "Nevermind, I understand"

I took a moment to let everything sink it.

And trust me, it was a lot of information to sink in.

"Can I ask you something?" I looked at both of them "How does my mother fit into all of this?"

Both of them looked down

After a few moments, the old man spoke "Have you heard of the Wolf Moon?"

I stiffened "Yeah, you mean the Moon that's trying to kill me?"

"Yeah," he said "That one"

"What about it?"

"Well, every 50 years the Hunters hunt down members of the Dimitriou family in order to have them participate in the Wolf Moon Ceremony"

I gaped at him "They hunt down my family?"

"It wasn't just your family" the old man said "Up until a few weeks ago, the Hunters would hunt down all of Selene's daughters descendants, but yes, their main goal is to hunt down members of your specific family"

"How many members have they killed?" I asked, bracing myself for the answer

"Surprisingly, since the last Wolf Moon, not that many" he said "I believe it was mainly do to your other Grandfather and his very meticulous escape plans"

"My Grandfather died when I was three" I pointed out "And surely since the new Wolf Moon is vastly approaching there has been many more deaths"

"Yes" Orion answered grimly "Many deaths by Hunters but some by their own accord"

"People sacrificed themselves?"

He nodded "Yes, our Aunt Minerva sacrificed herself two weeks ago"

I winced "How bad is this Wolf Moon that people are willingly killing themselves to escape whatever the Hunters have in plan for them?"

"We don't know"

I threw my hands up "Really? You guys have all the answers to everything else except to what we really need!"

"It's not my fault" Orion exclaimed "My parents weren't even born, let alone thought of, for me to know anything!"

I looked at the old man and raised an eyebrow "And you? I definitely know you were born for the last Wolf Moon"

He glared at me "I was sixteen at the time and wasn't allowed to come anywhere near where the ceremony was held"

"But you must have heard something about it"

He shrugged "Not really, the old timers were really secretive when it came to stuff like that. No one ever truly knew what when on that day"

"Nothing at all?"

"All I know is that whatever they planned failed"

"And how do you know that?"

"I know that because I heard my parents whining about it during breakfast the next morning"

"Okay..." I said "That helped me know a little more about the Wolf Moon but I still don't know where my mother fits into all of this. Am I missing something?"

"When your mother was eighteen she found her Mate" he grimaced "Your father"

"Okay..."

"Because she was Mated to the Prince of Wolves, the Hunter Association found her to be a very valuable asset to our cause. In exchange for her cooperation, they offered her something that she's always wanted more than anything in the whole world" he looked at me "Freedom"

I smirked "I take it she didn't appreciate their meddling?"

He chuckled "No, she did not. In fact, I'm pretty sure she told them to stick their deal where the sun don't shine"

We all chuckled

"So then, what happened?"

"She ran away from home and eloped with your father"

My mouth gaped open "And you were okay with that?"

"No, I was absolutely furious" he sighed "I was a different man back then. Less accepting of change and disgusted by everything that had to do with Wolves"

"Well then, what changed?"

He looked out the window "I changed the moment they murdered my Wife and told me it was an accident"

I gasped "What?"

"I said some horrible things to my daughter" he said, sorrow in his voice "Things I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from saying. However, with that being said, my wife was the complete opposite of me. She was kind, loving, and supportive of Carrie and every decision she made"

"What happened..." I whispered

"My Lily was never a Hunter, just a regular person that knew nothing of our world prior to marrying me . I married her because I loved her, not because her family had something to offer mine" he looked at me "The Hunters like to arrange marriages between other Hunter families to not only strengthen the Association but to lessen the chance of mixing species"

He looked at the floor "One night, during a really bad storm, my wife was coming home from her studio. Normally, she was home early but with the storm raging, she decided to leave when it calm down. After a few hours, with no calls, she still wasn't home so I decided to go find her. What I found was something I never want to relive again"

"They said it was a robbery gone wrong" Orion grimaced "But we knew better. The smell in there was undeniable"

"What did it smell like?"

"Hunters and Wolves"

The old man sighed before looking at me

"Remember when your mother dropped you off here?"

I nodded

"And remember the guy you knocked out, David?"

I smirked "Yeah I do"

"Well, before we found out that Carrie was Mated to your father, she was in an arranged marriage with David's father"

"WHAT!" I exclaimed "You literally just preached about finding love with someone who wasn't a Hunter! How could you marry your daughter off to some guy she didn't even love!"

The Old man winced "I told you, I wasn't always a reasonable guy"

I glared

"I said I'm sorry for what I did in the past" he glared "I atone for my sins and am willing to face the consequences"

He sighed yet again "Anyways, the moment she dropped you off was the moment David's father just so happened to come here and tell me about the next Hunter meeting"

"You're still apart of this cult!?" I asked in disgust "After is they killed your wife?"

"I have to be"

I snorted "Its not like anyone's holding a gun to your head"

"True" he admitted "But I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have a child and grandchildren to think about. Leaving would mean that they would do a full investigation on why I left and I can't have that. Not when I have you four to protect"

I looked at him "You're doing this for us? You're risking your life for creatures you once despised?"

He gave me a fraction of a smile "Now that I'm older I realize that the things I once thought were for the greater good were actually for the good of one group, not the entire world"

I looked at him, impressed by his answer but not fully believing him.

"So is this your way of atoning? By helping your own grandchildren?"

"No, helping your family shouldn't be something you're obligated to do"

"Then why are you doing this? There has to be a reason?"

"I'm doing this because I was foolish enough to take my family for granted the first time" he said "I'll never do that again"

"Gramps and I have been taking care of nosy Hunters and Wolves"

"By taking care of you don't mean..."

Orion's grimace told me all I needed to know

"I still can't believe that any wolf would help the Hunters, let alone Packs of them" I paused "Is this the reason why my mother hasn't called me back?"

The old man nodded "The moment David's father laid eyes on Carrie was the moment her fate was sealed"