"About twenty years ago, there was an Alpha. He was kind, just, righteous, compassionate, and he cared for his pack in a way that was rare. His kind heart was open and welcoming to all manner of life. Even rogues. If rogues trespassed onto his land in a non-threatening and non-malevolent way, he would take them in and let them join his pack.

The moon goddess is the one who watches over all of the were-shifters. The moon goddess is ours, who we pray to for strength in times of need, who we thank for our good fortune, who we worship with every phase of the moon. One day, the kind Alpha did something that caught the moon goddess's attention, causing her to fall madly in love with him.

The Alpha had saved a rogue from a neighboring pack with which he had an alliance. The rogue's crime was trespassing and hunting on the pack's land, but it was an honest mistake. The rogue wasn't aware where the borders between neutral and claimed territory were. The Alpha of the neighboring pack tried to execute the rogue, deeming him a threat simply because of what he was. Had the kind Alpha not been there visiting his dear Alpha friend, the rogue surely would have died a gruesome death, but the kind Alpha stepped in and stopped the execution. The Alpha had saved rogues before, but had never needed to risk his own life to save one and this act was deeply moving to the moon goddess.

The kind Alpha brought the rogue back home with him and nursed him back to health before giving him the option to join his pack. The rogue eagerly accepted and was finally happy as he had a family to love and care for and to love him and care for him in return.

The next day, the moon goddess revealed herself to the kind Alpha. She announced her feelings for the Alpha, for his kind heart shone as brightly as the moon. He was enchanted by her kind words, her beauty and power and also fell deeply in love with her. As the moon goddess is the one who blesses each of us with mates, she was able to mate herself to the kind Alpha.

Over the next year or so, the pair became incredibly close. Never straying too far from each other, as mates do. Unfortunately, her relationship with a mortal werewolf was taboo among the gods and they sought to end their relationship, planning to go as far as killing the Alpha if need be. So, when the moon goddess discovered she was pregnant, she fled, hiding herself away from the world and more importantly, from the other gods. She rejected her bond with her mate, separating them permanently, and continued to carry out her duties as a goddess from a safe location. Every decision she made was to protect her lover and her unborn child.

Nine long months later, a beautiful baby girl was born, and as much as the moon goddess wanted to keep her, she knew it would be too dangerous, for herself and her baby, so she did the only thing she could think of. She took the child to the Alpha's house, bundled in a blanket to protect her from the cold. With a final kiss, and a spell to seal the child's powers and her wolf, the moon goddess left her baby one the doorstep of her lover's home.

The Alpha found his daughter along with a note. My love, I am sorry we can no longer be together, but fate had other plans for us. This is our daughter, watch over her and keep her safe. Love her with all your heart. The Alpha broke down sobbing, clutching the baby to his chest, holding so tightly onto the last piece of the moon goddess, of his love. Over time, he had tried to be a good father but he was filled with so much rage and sorrow over his loss of love. Eventually, he broke, killing several members of his own pack, starting with the rogue he had saved. He blamed the rogue for everything that had happened, for his heartbreak. Thankfully, the Alpha never took his anger out on his daughter, but as much as he loved her he also hated her for reminding him of what was lost.

His pack, or what was left of it, abandoned the Alpha, fear driving them away. The Alpha was disgraced and his pack no longer loved or respected him, only fear and hatred could be felt from the pack towards their Alpha. He was alone with his daughter of seven years and felt a presence on his territory. Leaving the child alone, he investigated the presence, hoping it was his long lost love, but what he found ended up being his undoing. The rogue he had rescued all those years ago and then killed in turn had family, it turned out. Two sisters and a brother. They had all been separated after being hunted by an Alpha from another pack and when they discovered what had happened to their dear brother, they came to get revenge. They murdered the disgraced Alpha, killing him brutally just as he had done to their brother.

The seven year old child was lost to the cruelty of the American government, being thrown into the system, pushed and pulled between foster homes and orphanages. Yet, ten years later, she was found, so much closer to home than anyone could have thought," Cole's voice trailed off as he stared at me. I had been so entranced by his story and so moved that tears were running down my face. But as he spoke more of the Alpha who was disgraced, I noticed some similarities between Cole's story and my own life. My eyes widened with realization and Cole noticed me putting some of the pieces together and he nodded at me.

Tara stood up, walking over to the tv stand and rummaged through a drawer, pulling out an old envelope. She slowly approached me, holding out the envelope for me to take, which I did with great care. The paper was yellowed and crinkled, it smelled of age and earth. I pulled a note out of the envelope and read it, recognizing some of the words. My love, I am sorry we can no longer be together, but fate had other plans for us. This is our daughter, Stella Dea, watch over her and keep her safe. Love her with all your heart. The only thing that was different was that the note had my name on it, which Cole had omitted from his story initially.

"How?" my voice cracked, unable to properly form words. I couldn't believe any of this, even though deep in my bones I knew it was true. Cole had literally just explained how everything was possible yet I still had trouble wrapping my mind around everything. Tears flooded down my face even more as I thought of all of the hate I harbored for my mother for abandoning me and my father, but now I knew she didn't really have a choice. I sobbed for the lost possibilities and for the wasted hate that had been rotting my mind. I cried realizing that as much as my father loved me, he also hated me. I cried for the lives that were lost because of me. If my mother had never gotten pregnant with me, then more than likely she'd be able to stay with my father and he wouldn't have killed anyone.

"The remaining wolves from your father's pack joined our pack and we became the Mooncrest Alliance Pack or MAP for short," Cole finished telling me.

"Well, what happens now?" I asked timidly, unable to meet anyone's eyes as I still stared at the precious note I held in my hand.

"Well our Alpha is dying. His son is getting stronger as his father weakens as he prepares to take over the pack. Alpha was the friend of your father from all of those years ago, so they both want to meet you, sweetpea," Cole answered. All I could do was nod.

"Stella, you are the only daughter of a lost Alpha, who was extremely powerful at that and the daughter of the moon goddess. The gods have not procreated with mortals in thousands of years so the extent of your power is unknown but you are simply powerful beyond comprehension and you are starting to come into that power. It's how we were able to find you. We could sense you, even if you hadn't begun to feel any changes yet," Tara said, grabbing my hand and rubbing her thumb over the top soothingly.

"Changes? Would that be like my hair and nails growing extremely quickly and long? Or my teeth getting longer?" I asked, perking my head up. I was still having trouble wrapping my mind around this. Werewolves existing and Cole and Tara being werewolves was weird enough, but easy enough to learn to deal with. But me being a werewolf? That was too much for my fragile mind to bear. Not to mention that my birth mother was the very being that every werewolf and were-creature worshiped.

"Yes, actually. Those are some of the signs that your wolf is getting ready to make herself known," Tara said.

"That means she will probably shift within the week, then," Cole whispered to Tara with wide eyes. The whisper was quiet enough that I shouldn't have been able to hear it but somehow I still could.

"Wait. Shift? What the fuck does that mean?" I jolted up to my feet, the panic rising in my voice, but somewhere deep within me, I already knew the answer. Cole and Tara shared a knowing look before also rising up to their feet to match me.

"Most werewolves shift when puberty hits, so between thirteen and sixteen usually. However, your mother placed a spell on you to stop the maturing of your wolf or your powers. She wanted you to stay human as long as possible. I think she had a sneaking suspicion that your father wouldn't be able to rise to the challenge she laid before him," Cole said.

I took a couple of steps back, leaning against the closest wall, my breathing became erratic. I was hyperventilating and I couldn't control myself. Before I knew it, hot tears had started rolling down my face. My chest got tight and started hurting horribly, as if I was having a heart attack and my vision blurred a little.

"Oh, my god. Oh, my god. I can't do this. I can't go to school. I can't leave the house. I'm a monster," I cried and sobbed between uneven breaths, my chest heaving and loud ugly sounds escaping my throat. "Oh, god. What if I kill someone? What if I can't control myself? What if- what if I snap like my father did and go on a bender and just kill people?"

Cole wrapped me in his arms, pulling me close to him as he led me back to my reclining chair. He sat down and pulled me onto his lap, he hugged me and rocked me, soothing my panic. He petted my hair and whispered several shushing sounds until I calmed down and regained control of my breathing.

"Do you think we are monsters, Stella?" COle asked me with a serious look on his face. I shook my head no. "You aren't a monster, either."

Tara kneeled next to me and Cole, grabbing my hand and holding it again.

"Also, to put you a little more at ease. There are no humans at Mooncrest unless they are mated to a werewolf and fully aware of the situation. So the teachers and school nurse would be able to help you. All of the town is like that too. We are all wolves or humans mated to wolves," Tara said. Her words eased some of my concerns but not even close to all of them.

"Your wolf has her own personality, her own identity but she is still a part of you. Not quite like having two souls inside of you but more like two halves of the whole. Your human self is who you are now, your rational self. Your wolf, who will probably have a different name, is your instinctual self. You have the control in your human form for the most part and your wolf will have control in your wolf form for the most part, but it's a give and take. Make an effort to get along with her. She will be your sister, your friend, companion, and champion. Once you shift, your wolf will probably take over for a few hours until she tells you how to shift back," Cole added a lot of relevant information. When coming from Cole, it soothed me far more.

"Will it hurt?" I ask meekly.

"Yes. But only the first couple of times, after that it's a rather exhilarating experience," Cole whispered. A lot weighed on my mind but I allowed myself to sink into Cole, as he continued to rock me gently.