Lucky's life was getting stranger every day, and that said a lot since, in recent times, she turned in to a wolf unexpectedly and killed a bunch of evil humans. So this cop knew they were werewolves all along? She was getting tired of the constant turmoil caused by these seemingly chance encounters that turned out to be entirely non-coincidental.
She returned the pointed look the officer was giving her. "A favor? And what do you mean you know who we are?" She didn't want to beat around the bush. "Somebody just tell me what's going on!" Her anger rising, she refused to back down.
"Fine, I will just tell you the truth. I am the Alpha of Desert Moon Pack." He told them. He extended his hand, which they both shook. "Alpha Jacob Redfoot. I'm also a police officer for the humans part time. Some of them know, others don't. It's a matter of security clearance. But, Lucky, we were able to piece together what we think happened in Las Vegas. We think that some traffickers unknowingly abducted a werewolf, unfortunately for them, and for the poor she wolf. We believe this werewolf was you, Lucky. And nobody is mad at you. You reacted like anyone in your situation would have. It was self defense and you are in no danger of being charged with a crime." He took a drink. "Besides, you already made a scene, and we want to keep things on the down low."
"Okay, so, what are you asking me?" Lucky was confused. "What is the favor?"
"We have been investigating what we think is as large scale human trafficking organization, operating out of locations hidden in remote areas around the southwest. A lot of girls and young women have disappeared without a trace."
Lucky felt a pang of guilt, she knew there were others, even in the same hotel she had been in, she had heard things she would give anything to unhear. Those poor women were truly trapped. Unable to escape. Tears stung her eyes, and she heard a soft, melodic voice in her head. She thought she might have imagined it.
"Destiny will never stop calling you," the voice was beautiful, the message was cryptic and haunting.
"Can I shut off the notifications for those calls?" She said aloud, earning her a strange look from Traven and Alpha Jacob. Then she froze, her body going stiff and her pupils dilating. It was as though she had left her body. She floated in some place that was OTHER, wondering what was happening.
For a short time she heard familiar voices saying her name, but then she was drawn to a figure in the distance, a light source in the unsettling darkness. A woman with long white hair began to move toward her, Lucky felt no fear. She knew who this was. She wasn't sure how she had gotten an audience with her, but she knew it was the Moon Goddess.
She was ethereally beautiful, her hair covering her face. She didn't make direct eye contact with Lucky, she wore a long, sheer white gown and seemed to glide more than walk. "Hello, my child," she greeted Lucky in that melodic voice.
"Hello," Lucky replied. Something about the woman made her feel at peace, at least for the moment.
"You are very unique. There are only a few recorded cases of werewolves who learned what they were only when they shifted."
"Yeah it's a bit of a shock,"
"I'm sorry, my child, Fate serves Destiny and I am, at best, a mediator. I cannot interfere, I can only act as a guide." The Moon Goddess came closer, "I am glad your wolf was there for you. Everything that you went through, it wasn't for nothing. You are destined to bring change, you will have to fight, overcome your fear."
"I don't want to be afraid anymore,"'Lucky said, a hint of defiance in her voice. She just wanted to live a peaceful life.
The air in front of her began to ripple, and suddenly she was looking at a large rectangular room full of cots, row after row. It looked like a dilapidated warehouse. The lighting was dim and the walls were concrete, making the place seem even more desolate.
She wanted to close her eyes, knowing she was not going to be able to forget what she was about to see. "No, please, no," she sobbed, her anger at the Moon Goddess became overwhelming. "Why are you doing this to me?"
In each of the cots was a human woman, all of them appeared to be drugged and most of them had fading bruises on their naked bodies. Some had fresh bruises, others marks that looked like burns.
As she watched in horror, a door swung open and a woman was dragged into the room, the cloth in her mouth muffling her screams. Several of the women woke briefly from their drug induced stupor, and looked at the new arrival with a mix of pity and resignation in their eyes before passing back out. As Lucky sobbed uncontrollably, one of the men stabbed a needle into the screaming woman's arm. She quickly went limp, and they tossed her body on to a cot. They removed her clothes, and handcuffed her to the metal side of the bed frame.
"WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME THIS?" She screamed, and suddenly the vision disappeared. The Moon Goddess, tears rolling down her cheeks, reached for Lucky's hands. Lucius's jerked away, furious.
"I showed you what is really happening, as we speak here. I thought you might want to stop it." The Moon Goddess said sadly.
"Me? How can I stop it?" Lucky didn't know a whole lot about the deity of her kind but she thought the Goddess might be a little bit insane. Or maybe a lot insane.
"By fulfilling your destiny." She replied. "You will know, the path will reveal itself. You just have to stay strong. You are stronger than you know. You always have been. You will learn, my child."
"I want to help I really do I just don't know how," Lucky said, sadly.
"Yes, you do, dear. Never forget how strong you are, and how strong your wolf is. Nyah was bonded to your soul for a reason. Your wolf is special." She began to fade and the voices calling her name became louder.
"Wait! I still have questions!"
"Your destiny will reveal the answers you seek. Go to Midnight Moon," Lucky felt the world tilt, and suddenly Traven and Alpha Jacob were standing over her as she sat in her patio chair, they were staring at her like she had grown a third head.
"What?" She asked them, momentarily disoriented.
"I don't know it's like you went into a trance," Traven told her, concern written in his features, his blue eyes bright. Lucky felt a sudden pang of desire, but quickly suppressed it. This was not the time or the place.
Clarity soon returned, and she shook her head and slammed her hand on the table. "No," she said, angrier than Traven could ever have imagined seeing her. She had a wild look in her eyes, if she had been anyone other than his mate he would have been scared shitless. Her eyes seemed to glow, radiating sadness, anger, and a helpless feeling Traven sensed through the mate bond.
She looked at Traven and Alpha Jacob, and what she said surprised them. "The Moon Goddess is a lunatic!"
"You just saw the Moon Goddess?" Alpha Jacob asked, awed, looking at Lucky with reverence. She rolled her eyes. She had a bone, more than one actually, to pick with the Moon Goddess. Showing her that nightmarish scene, when she could do nothing to stop what was happening to those women. At the very least there should have been a trigger warning. G
"I did. And she's crazy." Lucky was angry. Traven put his hand on her shoulder, calming her nerves. She sighed. "She showed me things I didn't want to see and started talking about destiny and my wolf and all kinds of cryptic stuff that apparently I am supposed to be able to figure out."
Alpha Jacob still had a stunned look on his face. "Lucky, not every werewolf can talk to the Moon Goddess. Do you have any birthmarks?" Lucky looked at him like he had not only grown three heads but ten eyes. What had gotten in to these people? These werewolves? And Goddesses? She felt like there was a conspiracy attempting to rob her of her sanity.
"What do my birthmarks have to do with this?" As a matter of fact, she had a small, crescent shaped birthmark, on the back of her neck. No one noticed it, as she had always worn her hair long.
"Answer the question, Lucky," Traven urged her, and she sighed with resignation and lifted the back of her hair. She heard them both gasp.
"She's marked, she's chosen," Alpha Jacob whispered, "I knew I found you for a reason."
"Marked? Chosen? What the fuck is going on?" Lucky yelled, losing her patience. Suddenly panic seized her heart.
"Where is Flappy?"
The lab was gone, vanished without a trace.