Selina gasped for air, her heart racing as her body involuntarily thrashed in her sleep. Her indigo eyes flicked open wide as she choked back a scream. She looked up into Liam's worried face as he wiped away the beads of sweat forming in her brow with a damp cloth.
"Lina, this was the longest one yet. Your whimpering and thrashing woke me about 36 minutes ago and you were already covered in sweat." Liam told her, his voice heavy with concern as he glanced at the clock. Liam ran his hand through his hair. "Please tell me you remember something this time." He asked, almost pleading.
Selina shook her head while sitting to look out the window. Over the forest, the orange pink hue of the sunrise was starting to appear. Selina breathed deeply as she tried to recall something, anything other than the emotions she experienced during her dreams, but as usual, she was unable to. Some dreams were comforting and made her feel warm. Those dreams involved a blonde-haired man with green eyes. The other dreams, much like the current dream, left her full of despair and fear or left her feeling just plain empty. Usually all she could recall of those dreams were fire or blood.
Liam stood up, muscles tense as he raised his arms and ran both hands through his thick black hair again, grabbing a fistful which he let fall back as he spoke, "Maybe she was wrong. Or maybe the prophecies were wrong. Maybe we really are Moonglow and not Lunaria. I don't know." Liam sighed deeply, sitting on the edge of his bed and turned to face her again before continuing, "Lina, your dreams are getting worse, and time is running out. You haven't dreamed of him in months. We don't know anything, not really. We just have mom's fairy tales. It's been ten years, maybe our memories are wrong. I... I just wish we had some guidance, something firm."
An image of an attractive man with a square jawline, full red lips, deep green eyes and chin length shaggy blond hair flashed through Selina's mind. She inhaled deeply before speaking, "He's Valentino. We need to get to Red Lake Pack." Her eyes closed as she recalled her mother's words, the evening before their 8th birthday.
"Selina your dreams will lead you to him. By your 18th birthday you will know who he is, and you must find him. He is the key to unlocking your abilities and saving us all. Trust in your dreams and yourself. Follow your instincts. Above all else, never reveal that you a Lunaria, not even to your mate until he proves himself worthy of you. No one must ever know that you are a direct descendent of the Moon Goddess. Remain a Moonglow as long as possible to stay safe. Good night my loves." She stated before kissing each of them goodnight. Their mother's voice was soft and firm, full of hope and reassurance. That was the last time she and Liam had seen her.
As Selina wiped away the tear and looking back at Liam, she thought to herself, one day we will shed the safety of the Moonglow name and become the Lunaria of the prophecy... She knew this was the truth. More than that, she felt it with every fibre of her being. Wishful thinking wouldn't change that. Selina glanced around the sparse room. All it contained was a bed and side table for each of them and one wardrobe. At least there wouldn't be much to pack, she thought.
"Well Liam Moonglow, we might as well get started. We know the who and where now even if we don't know the why or how to do it." Selina sighed while she looked at Liam, forcing a small smile. Liam just stared back, stunned, with his mouth open. Selina looked down at the floor and looked back up at her brother before speaking in a soft voice, "I had two dreams tonight. I didn't wake you after his dream. I was hoping you could get one more full night of peaceful sleep before fate forces us away from here. I know how much you hoped this wasn't real. I'm sorry."
"Lina," Liam said while taking a deep breath as he stepped towards her, wrapping his sister in his comforting arms, "I hoped this wasn't real for YOU. It's YOUR destiny, I'm just along for the ride. I'll be with you every step of the way." He kissed Selina's forehead then proceeded to grab his duffel bag from under the bed. "Don't forget WHAT! It's part of the set. Who, what, where, when, why. According to my math, we are 2/5 of the way there." Liam chuckled. "Wanna take bets on how we spend our birthday?"
Their 18th birthday would be in exactly 7 days. Liam would meet his wolf and would shift for the first time that night. Her wolf would remain bound until she met her mate and accepted him or chose another. Selena felt a flash of envy which was quickly replaced with a longing she didn't understand
Liam and Selina were identical. Both had black hair that often seemed dark blue, like a cloudless moonlit night. Their skin, a pale porcelain color that never seemed to tan, like the glow of a full moon. Both sets of eyes were indigo as if they belonged in a rainbow. Their last name, Lunaria, was very fitting. Liam Lunaria was 6'4" of well-defined muscle and hair cut just long enough for him to grab a handful when frustrated. Selina Lunaria was much smaller at 5'4" with curves that she hid under baggy clothes, trying to avoid any attention. Her soft luxurious hair, always styled in a braid, hung down to her waist. Their hair and eye colour marked their ancestral line as Lunaria. She wondered if anyone they encountered would make that connection. Would he make that connection?
He was several hundred years old, at least. He must have known something about the Lunaria family. He was beautiful with that dark blonde hair and green eyes. Though, he seemed cold now. His smile didn't reach his eyes. Could he possibly be cruel and heartless? Selina was starting to wonder what her mother meant when she spoke of accepting her mate or choosing another. Selina had always assumed they would be allies and would work towards the same goal. Maybe not. None of this was straight forward. Her and Liam were pretty much grasping at things in the dark to understand this prophecy.
Selina was lost in thought. She was sure that she and Liam were the last of the Lunaria bloodline. About 400 years ago (perhaps longer), her ancestors were hunted and slaughtered to prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled or by those wishing to take the prophesied powers for themselves. The few Lunaria family members that survived were forced to change their name, relinquish all pack and social bonds and live separately as lone wolves. This was when their family name became Moonglow.
Is that what happened to her mother? Had someone discovered who they really were? They didn't know if she was alive or dead. Their mother just vanished when they were 8 years old. One morning, just before dawn, they were awoken by a frantic knock on the door and their mother was gone. At the door they found an old lady claiming to be their grandmother. This old woman explained that in the middle of the night, their mother had to leave to keep them safe and would not be able to return. This "grandmother" then led them through a day's journey and left them at a log cabin, with the assurance that they they would be safe here and a reminder to never reveal their true name of any of the knowledge of the prophecy to anyone. A thought occurred to her if they truly were the last of the Lunarias, who was this so-called grandmother and how could she have known what she knew.
Selina's thoughts were interrupted when something soft hit her cheek.. Looking down in the direction whatever it was fell, she saw a pair of Liam's brown socks. "Eww gross, those better be clean!" Selina choked out followed be an overly dramatic gagging action.
"Hey, dirty or clean, my socks never stink." Liam chuckled as he tossed another pair of clean socks at her. "How else am I supposed to get your attention when you're daydreaming about Mr Green Eyes?" Liam questioned as he turned back to his packing. "Like I was saying, let's make some breakfast. We can eat and say goodbye before we head out." He picked up his socks and finished packing his single duffle bag before setting it on the floor and turning to leave their room.
"His name is Valentino, and I wasn't thinking about him. Well, maybe I was, just a little bit, at first." Selina smirked before grabbing her own bag and chucking his socks back at him. "You start breakfast, I'll help after I'm packed." She picked up her phone, turned on some music and began to hum and dance lightly while packing her bag.