Servant of the Moon #1 - unedited draft
having nothing

While they were waiting to change planes in the Big Apple, Esther got a caramel apple from a vendor for breakfast, while Delilah had gotten a sensible meal. Delilah had made a rude remark about her sister being a sugar addict. Esther still wasn’t speaking to Delilah as they landed in Quebec City. The Montreal pack sent an escort of warrior wolves to meet the Servants and the Delphi at the airport. The 18-year old brother of their lead warrior never took his eyes off of 16-year old Delilah.

Later, Essie walked out of the gift shop with several packages of cotton candy. Once they were in the cars to take them to the Moon’s Gate, Essie ate the cotton candy packets very slowly, constantly crinkling the cellophane wrapping while Delilah was reading petitions brought from the provincial pack escorting them. Every new package Essie opened and crinkled, made Del more twitchy as she tried to concentrate on her duty as an oracle.

Finally Del slammed her hand on her papers. “Must you do that?!?”

Essie smirked at her, “You told me to enjoy the cotton candy.”

Del just rolled her eyes and looked back down at her papers, mumbling under her breath.

The warrior whose name was Luca Dolbeau, reached over the seat and snatched the next package from Essie, tossing it out the window. “Whey are ju distressing l’oracle? Whey are ju even here?”

Essie stared at him is shock. “I’m her doppelganger, Goddess forbid something happen to her.”

“But ju look nothing like ’er.” Luca gawked at Essie. Del looked up then.

Essie snarled. “What the fuck is wrong with your eyes? We’re identical twins.”

Luca looked over at his brother Leon who was driving, “Ils sont jumeaux? (They are twins?)”

Leon laughed, “Oui, jumeaux identiques. (yes, identical twins.)”

Luca snorted, “Pas possible, l’oracle est beau, l’autre est une harpie, (Not possible, the oracle is beautiful, the other is a harpy.)”

Leon snickered. “Ils sont identiques mais vous voyez que votre amant. (They are identical, but you only see your mate.)”

“Dudes! If you’re going to talk about us, at least speak English or Lycaeon,” Essie snapped.

Leon glances at her, his accent is not as thick as his brother’s, “My brother es enamored weth your sister, his mate, and sees you as an unattractive winged female with claws.”

Del laughed as Essie gaped at the brothers. Essie realized she missed something big while she was busy ignoring her sister. It hurt that Del had not told her immediately that Luca was her mate. Once they shared everything, now they shared nothing. Because Esther had nothing, she reminded herself. Envy and bitterness replaced the mixture of happiness and sadness she felt toward her sister.

Essie turns to Del with a vicious sneer on her face, “Guess you have everything now, baby sister.”

“Esther, don’t start. Nonna told you to be careful of your choice, ‘one will grieve you, one will relieve you, it is your choice, regret neither.’ Remember? She said to remind you,” Delilah said tiredly.

Esther growled at her. “If she wants to tell me something, she can tell me herself... oh wait... she can’t.”

Delilah bared her teeth at Esther, “She and mother would speak to you, if you would listen to something besides your petty jealousy, dear sister.”

Luca grinned at the twins, and turned his head slightly to Leon. “Ils sont en désaccord, comme mon jumeau et moi, (They argue as much as my twin and I do.)”

Leon groaned, “Non, personne ne conteste autant que votre jumeau et vous, Luca. (No one argues as much as you and your twin, Luca.)

“Shut the fuck up,” Essie shouted at them.

“Don’t yell at them, you’re the one being a bitch!” Del accused her.

Essie gave her a malevolent glare, “I’m a werewolf, being a bitch isn’t an insult, it’s an innate talent.”

Del seethed quietly for a moment, then she smiled sweetly at her sister. “Does it go well with cotton candy?”

Essie shrieked and launched herself across the back of the limo at her sister. Leon pulled over quickly and Luca was out the door as soon as the car was stopped, dragging Delilah out of the back and away from her sister. Leon tackled Essie as she charges out of the Limo after her sister, half-shifting. The second and third cars had pulled over, and their grandfather was shouting at them both to stop, getting between them. After several minutes of Delilah and Esther screaming and clawing at each other, Eliazar ordered them put in separate vehicles until they reached the Moon’s Gate.

Esther sat, naked except for a large t-shirt in the third car, growling. No one even tried to make eye contact with her. Ahead in the limo, she could feel Delilah, faintly like she was a hundred miles away. Her sister was crying in her newly discovered mate’s arms and telling her grandfather that she didn’t know how to help her, as if Essie wanted any help from Del ever again.

Esther growled and focused on the meditations Margo had taught her. She refused to chant the Moon Goddess’s meditations or sing Her prayers any longer. She didn’t need the Moon or her sister with her perfect life, she just needed an escape.

After two hours more, they met up with four more large vans carrying the New Wemyss warrior wolves. The Montreal wolves insisted on continuing with them to the Moon’s Gate, since Luca was Delilah’s mate. The ancient Oracle Mealle Tiene, who insisted Del call her Mamó, rode in the lead limo with Delilah and Wanderer Eliazar. Luca had growled at Lyallfr MacGeallimir when he got in the front of the limo next to Leon, but bared his neck after a single hard glare from the New Wemyss Master-at-Arms. Delilah had kissed Luca on the cheek and asking him sweetly to check on her sister. He had reluctantly agreed. Esther insulted him viciously, and loudly refused to let him or anyone else ride with her. So Luca rode with the New Wemyss warriors and spent the rest of the trip longing to be closer to his mate.

Delilah had spent the whole car trip and boat trip talking with the ancient Oracle of the New Wemyss wolves. It was like she could not ask the old she-wolf enough questions. Oracle Tiene was as wise as she was old and the two oracles talked constantly in the ancient Lycaeon dialect used in the temples. Del only stopped long enough to change into her formal oracle’s gown, with its headscarf and veil.

When she stepped from the boat, Luca gaped at her and the Master-at-Arms Lyall laughed at the young warrior, taking him by the shoulder. “Ye be a lucky wolf, young Luca. But et tis a hard thing ta be mated ta an oracle, I know... An’ ye be mated to tha Delphi, at that.”

Luca grinned up at the giant blonde warrior sheepishly. “The Goddess has been very... uh... favorable? Por moi since mon... parents.. uh.. died.”

Luca struggled with replaceing the proper English words. Lyall nodded understanding, he had done done the same as a young man. Like humans, there were many different languages the wolves spoke in their skin, but in their fur, there was only one.

Lyall nodded solemnly, “Aye well ’ave meh son train weth ye, ye ’ave a great responsibility ta protect ’er.”

Luca stared at him with grateful eyes, bowing his head, “Merci, Master Lyallfr.”

Leon watched the exchange as he spoke to his warriors, he also looked forward to spending some time training with the famous New Wemyss warrior wolves. He noticed the Delphi’s sister lingered near two wolves that were a problem wherever they traveled, talking and sharing cigarettes.

Essie had gotten on the second boat that took them to the island that held the Moon’s Gate temple near the western side of the strange ring lake. Leon scowled, it looked like Renault and Michel had chosen a new young she-wolf with whom to share their joint ‘affections’. He would need to talk with them and with Esther. His uncle had put up with entirely too much from the mate-lost males. Leon did not wish for Esther to suffer the broken heart they tended to leave in their wake. He followed the Delphi and her group into the large house that housed the temple oracles and Servants.

Hours earlier...

The wolf driving Essie’s car, spoke only in French to the other who lit a human cigarette and handed it over. Even to Esther’s limited abilities, it was obvious that they shared a mate-bond like relationship. She had heard of same sex mates before, but it was usually a choice that sometimes came after true mates had been lost. She watched them quietly out of the corner of her eye. When one lit another cigarette, Esther reached forward and took it from his hand, surprised that he let her. She inhaled, and coughed. It burned, tasted bad, and made her eyes water.

They laughed as they spoke in French. The passenger lit another cigarette and handed it to the driver before he lit one for himself. He gestured at Essie to watch. She watched and he showed her how to take a long, slow breath. This time she didn’t cough, there was a slight feeling of calmness and the buzzing that was always in her brain seemed to retreat a little.

Michel did not speak English and Renault spoke only a few words, Essie didn’t speak any French so it was a long and interesting ride as they pantomimed talked to each other. When they asked why she was not like her sister, Essie was quiet for several minutes then she held up her hair along the scar. Michel’s fingers were gentle as he traced it, the look in his eyes was very emotional.

“Qui vous a fait ça? (Who did that to you?)”

Esther stared at him confused until Ren, who spoke a few words of very broken English. “Michel ask... whom?”

Tears welled up in Esther’s eyes and she leaned back in the seat. “My sister,” she whispered so softly only wolf ears could have heard her.

Ren stared at her in the rearview mirror in disbelief. “Your sister?”

Essie nodded as tears streamed down her face. Ren spoke rapidly to Michel, who responded in equally shocked tones. She didn’t listen, just stared at the window, seeing nothing but her own reflection in the glass. Her fingernails bit painfully into the backs of her arms as she clutched herself tightly, trying not to cry in front of her new friends. She did not realize the car had stopped until Michel got in back with her. Ren sped to catch up with the caravan.

“Notre Belle,” Michel whispered and pulled her into his lap.

For the first time in a very long time, Esther let herself feel something more than her resentment and anger. She sobbed into his chest as he whispered soothing things into her hair. Ren reached an arm over the seat and held her other hand. She poured out her pain in words she knew they wouldn’t understand but it didn’t matter, they cared. They cared about her, and not because she was the Delphi’s sister, but because she was someone too.

She fell asleep, exhausted from the past four years. She woke slightly when they boarded a boat, Michel had wrapped her in a blanket and carried her to a cabin with a pair of bunks attached to the walls. When she woke later, her bags on the floor by her bed. She dressed then went up on the deck. She could see they were following another boat. Ren was standing at the rail, smoking. He lit a second cigarette and handed it to Essie, who immediately took it. After the second breath, the buzzing in her head retreated.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“Essie, you... do you ’ave... ’ave non friends?” Ren struggled to replace words, but she could feel him enough to understand.

She shook her head, “I have no one, non ami, Ren.”

He squeezed her hand, “Ren and Michel be vos amis. Your friends, oui?”

She smiled, “Oui, I’d like that.”

Michel came toward them carrying three cups of steaming coffee, he handed her one. It was bitter and sweet at the same time, like her life. She’d never been allowed to have coffee before. She stayed on the deck, standing between them for the rest of the trip.

When the boats docked, she got her bags and waited to be shown to her quarters, but no one spoke to her.

Delilah was the center of attention as usual, in her long gown and hooded cloak. So Esther trailed along behind her sister’s group and picked a room at random at the far end of the hall from her sister. The bed wasn’t even made. Esther tried to replace linens in the room or a linen closet in the hall, but there were none. Angrily, she stomped around the large building until she found the kitchen. She was making herself a sandwich when Leon found her.

“You did not come to your room, Oracle Esther,” Leon announced.

“I was never shown a room and had to replace one for myself,” Esther snapped, slamming her plate on the table. His eyes hazed over and she knew he was speaking to someone.

“My apologies. It seems the staff here was not aware that you would require a separate room from your sister. They will prepare the room across the hall immediately. It will...”

“Don’t bother, I found a room, I’ll replace some sheets and blankets. Last thing I want to hear when I go to sleep tonight is your baby brother fu cking my baby sister.” Essie sneered before she took a bite of her sandwich.

Leon’s eyes narrowed as he growled at her, “You should show more respect, we both have younger siblings who will be more than us. It is the Moon’s choice, not ours.”

“No, it was my sister’s choice to keep me alive and useless. You wouldn’t understand, you are one of those blind wolves who think she’s perfect.” Essie growled back.

Leon sighed heavily and ran his hand over his face. If he wasn’t so annoying and biased, Esther might actually replace him cute. But his next words soured any thought she might have had of being kind to him. “Do you really hate her so much or do you hate your blessing, the second chance the Moon gave you?”

“It isn’t a blessing, it’s a curse,” she hissed.

He muttered something in French and headed toward the door. He paused in the threshold. “Your room will be ready when you finish eating. A servant will lead you back. And Esther, do not do anything foolish. Renault and Michel only like to pass their time with others, they care for no one but each other.”

Esther glared at his back. She would do whatever she wanted, Ren and Michel were her only friends here.

A young girl led her to the room across from her sister’s, all her things had been brought in and put away from the first room she had chosen. She just wanted to leave and go home, but they didn’t have a home anymore and she had never felt at home at the Eye of the Goddess.

That night, Esther used the ancient silver-backed mirror to see what she could see as she meditated. The only vision she had was the same one she had been having for the last two weeks, since she looked in the broken mirror.

Fire and snow dancing as the clock of the stars turned to the north. The scene changed under the stars. The ground painted with ashes and blood, then the temple was burning around her as a frighteningly beautiful blonde alpha vowed to keep her as his concubine until death parted them. His claws digging into her arms as he marked her. Her true mate was her enemy, rejecting her, but refusing to let her go. She could surrender and suffer or fight and die.

She came back from the vision, sweating and terrified.

Delilah had a perfectly handsome, attentive, and loving mate, but like everything else in Esther’s life, her mating would be the stuff of nightmares. She wept herself to sleep.

The next morning Esther stared at the melt cliffs along the water. She decided that if a hateful mate was her fate, she was going to have fun now. She had nothing, so she had nothing to lose.