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My half-brother gave a small nod. “I’ve made a few calls this morning. Nic did the same,” he added, nodding to my — our — father. “We haven’t got any details on the Crescent Moon Pack yet, but hopefully someone will know something. If she has any family left, we should reunite them, but it not…” He sighed heavily and shook his head as he trailed off, looking down the hallway.
I was certain he was thinking of his own children. It must be unimaginable, having to hand off your child to a perfect stranger. It only spoke to whatever horrors were happening within that facility, if Bella’s mother had resorted to that in order to get her daughter out.
“Actually…”
I looked up as Fiona piped up, raising a brow. Once she had everyone’s attention, she continued.
“I don’t much believe in coincidences, so I think it’s worth noting that Crescent Moon is the name of one of the ancient packs. So, either there is a new pack that decided to take on that name for some symbolic meaning…or Crescent Moon has existed out there all this time.”
I frowned, distracted enough to accept the muffin Luna handed me from across the coffee table. I hadn’t eaten much in days, and my stomach growled loudly as the smell hit my noise. “Ancient packs?” I asked, absently peeling the wrapper away. I tore off a chunk and shoved it in my mouth.
Fiona frowned back, shifting her gaze to my father. She arched a brow. “You never taught your son about the ancient packs?”
My father actually looked a bit sheepish, shrugging back at the woman. “My parents never went into much detail, either,” he said.
Fiona rolled her eyes and shook her head before turning her attention back to me. “A long, long time ago, there were no shifters. None at all. Only men and women — and shamans. Witches. There were clans and families, and power shifted constantly, as it does even now. In those days, it was easier to wipe out entire clans, and those with less power usually found themselves in worse and worse positions.
“One family in the far north came to one of the witches and begged for protection. ‘I will do anything to save my children from this,’ the mother said. The witch, who’d lost her one and only son, felt sympathy for this woman. ‘I will help you. But first, I will speak to my sisters and my brothers,’ she said. The woman fell to her feet and wept, begging still, but the witch could not — or perhaps would not — do anything without consulting her coven first.
“But her idea was not such a small one. It was not a simple hex on the clan tormenting this woman’s family. It was not a simple protection spell. It was much bigger than that. Big enough, in fact, that her coven decided it must be addressed by the council.”
“The council?” Luna piped up.
Fiona frowned, looking at her daughter-in-law for a moment. “Does no one teach their children anymore?” she asked, sighing. “I suppose I’ll be the one to make sure the twins hear this story then. But as it were — yes. Witches have always been few in number, and there was a time that they worked together. Each region had a leader. These leaders would meet once a year. Not in person — travel wasn’t like that — but through a looking glass. A magic pool, really. So this witch and her big idea — she was brought before many witches — and she shared with them what she had thought up.
“She would offer a power to this family, but they must swear loyalty to the witches in the area, too. This family would protect themselves and the witches because witches were hunted even then, feared for what they could do…or what humans imagined they were able to do. It was always the powerful ones.
“To her surprise and delight, this council agreed; they would do this in all their regions. There were not so many people then, and not all witches in the areas got along. There were ten representatives at this meeting, so there were ten witches to choose ten families. On the next full moon, they would all perform a ritual with the help of their coven. It would take more than one witch for magic this powerful. And this is exactly what happened. Ten families were given these powers, but what the witches did not consider was that these humans had never had power or magic or strength like this before.
“Many of them went mad, attacking one another or the witches. Many witches around the world were killed that night. Many of the new shifters were killed, too, driven only by the violence and panic and animal fear that came with this new spirit bound to them.
“It took years for these newly made shifters to come to peace. Some say they did it on their own. Others say some of the surviving witches were able to help them learn with this wild magic. Either way, it did happen, eventually. These chosen clans became these first ten packs.”
Fiona paused to take a breath, and I found myself at the edge of my seat, my muffin already gone as I waited for her to continue. She took a sip of her tea and continued her tale.
“Now, the Crescent Moon Pack was one of the ancient packs founded in North America. There are several rumors debating exactly where each pack existed, but most packs place Crescent Moon in the great plains, though some argue they originated in Canada, and others argue they originated as far south as Louisiana.”
Remus frowned. “Louisiana is Gith’s territory,” he grumbled. “Wouldn’t he know?”
“Hush,” Fiona said, waving a hand at her son. “Let me finish.”
He might have heard this story before, but Luna and I had not.
“Now, there have always been rumors about these packs — whether they still exist or not. The Aurora Pack up north, for example, is not an ancient pack, but could trace its lineage directly back to one of the packs founded in the Arctic Circle. Technically, all packs can trace their ancestors back to these first ten clans, but some are much more distantly related than others.
“The Crescent Moon Pack has also had splinters, as do all packs, but there were rumors it has been maintained all these years. There was perhaps one in mainland Europe…well, rumored to be, I should say, though if Bella is truly a Crescent Moon wolf…” Fiona trailed off and shook her head, clearly trying to keep herself on track. “Anyways. There have always been rumors that some of these packs have persisted. Perhaps I should have put a bit more stock in them.”
I frowned for a moment, tipping my head. “Even if this is all true, why would the facility want that pack?”
“And how would humans even know about it?” Luna added.
Fiona gave us a wry smile. “Well, if we have legends about it, who’s to say families of witch hunters don’t as well?” Before I could ask more about the matter, she continued. “As for Crescent Moon, well, some of the rumors surrounding that pack were of their riches. Perhaps that’s why they persisted. Many insisted the pack had some buried treasure somewhere. Some said gold, others said jewels. Others still spoke about ancient relics. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these stories of treasure were leaked to humans in hopes of finding the families. You know how treasure hunting can drive some people mad.”
She hummed and shook her head. “Regardless, there is a rumor that all Crescent Moon shifters are born with a moon-shaped birthmark.”
Luna paused for a moment, her brows knitting together. “Like a crescent?”
Fiona shrugged. “I couldn’t say. They’re only stories.”
