Finding Shadow BOOK ONE
Royals

The moon was at most, an hour away from itś highest peak, and in the clearing on the Northside of Blakewood forest, hundreds of naked figures stood silently waiting.

The air was alive with electricity and racing heartbeats, the smell of hope perfuming the night air as each wolf present hoped this year would be the year they returned with a fated mate.

Each pack had its own space, members standing side by side according to age and rank, with the Royal pack on a stage above everyone else.

This year four young Royals were looking for their fated, sending many a heart aflutter at the thought of being tied to the strongest wolves in the kingdom.

Slowly, one of the royals broke free from her family, gracefully moving to the front of the stage, about to address all who gathered.

All wolves knew the members of the Royal Lycan clan, their blood was the strongest and most pure of all the wolf bloodlines, and the old King and Queen had been blessed by the Moon Goddess, giving birth to seven males and three females.

Delvina Marcello was the youngest Royal Princess here tonight.

Her oldest brother Raphael reigned as the current Alpha king and had recently married his fated mate, Luna Wilhemina, who was expecting their first pup in the Spring.

Nash and Lukas Marcello were happily married to their chosen mates, and Artemis was killed in a horrible tragedy resulting in the Elemental cleansing wars eighteen years later.

That left Tibarn, the fifth born Lycan brother, standing off to the side with Kai, Delvinaś twin, and Kafei the middle born daughter, all looking for mates at this years Howling.

Bishop, the youngest Prince, was not yet of age to attend the gathering, and Phaedra, the royal Princess, was a surly thirteen-year-old, also too young to attend.

Delvina radiated Alpha authority as she stared out into the masses, her expressive hazel eyes gentle and kind as she raised her hand for silence.

¨Buonasera fratelli e sorelle, sono la principessa Delvina Marcello e stasera ci uniamo le mani e chiediamo alla dea della luna di condurci dal nostro compagno!¨

(Good evening, brothers and sisters, I am princess Delvina Marcello, and tonight we join hands and ask the Moon Goddess to lead us to our fated mates!)

Delvinaś voice flowed like a soft cloud over the wolf community, cocooning them in a peaceful bubble. She was born with an extraordinary gift for healing. Her voice alone held the power to put the most traumatized war veterans into the sweetest periods of sleep, and she was well known for her pure spirit.

The Lycan community adored Delvina, and whoever the Moon Goddess had blessed her to was a very lucky wolf.

The next Royal to speak was the complete opposite of his younger sister.

Tibarn Marcello had a cruel look to his features, and his voice when he spoke was harsh and filled with Alpha dominance, causing the younger wolves to bow down, submitting to the Royal Prince like the commoners they were.

¨Stand up!¨ Tibarn roared with impatience, ¨I have neither the time nor the inclination to pander to your weaknesses tonight! When the moon is at itś highest point, in accordance with the Elder's rules, my brothers, sisters, and I will phase, setting our wolves free to begin the ceremony. Once the last of the Royal pack howls, you will all phase together, and each pack will answer, one pack at a time. If you hear your fated, find them and enter the woods to begin the mate run, those of you who are left behind will be given the opportunity to announce your intention to take a chosen mate,¨ The Prince paused, his dark, angry eyes boring into the crowd, ¨If you catch your chosen once the unmated begin their run for freedom, you MUST claim them before they reach the clearing on the south side of the forest, where the royal council waits to record the mating pairs if you fail and they leave the woods alone, you will leave here unmated for another year.¨

Tibarns voice deepened, announcing his wolfś presence as he made his final statement to the waiting crowd, ¨If one of my family finds their Fated, NO ONE is permitted to interfere with the mating process or challenge for claiming rights, the punishment for disobedience will be a swift death.¨

The silence was deafening as Tibarn returned to his spot on the stage. Every she-wolf present was secretly hoping they were not cursed to be mated to the ruthless Prince.

Tibarn was the head of the Royal enforcers, a position that was earned through a series of brutal competitions, undertaken over several days without rest or sleep.

The last wolf standing at the end was the winner, and in ten years, Tibarn had never lost.

It was a relief when Kafei, the middle-born Princess, took her place at the front of the stage.

¨Benedicendo i meie compagni lupe, sono Kafei Marcello ed e un onore iniziare questo viaggio con te questa sera ho, pregato la dea della luna chiedendole de conciderci tutta láltra meta dele nostre anime in modo che possiamo continuare in questi tempi senza la solitudine di non essere piu accoppiato, spero che se il mio compagno e que stasera,che sara felice con me come un compagno come io saro grato per lui.¨

(Blessings, my fellow wolves. I am Kafei Marcello, and it is an honor to begin this journey with you this evening. I have prayed to the Moon Goddess, asking her to grant us all the other half of our souls so that we may continue through these times without the loneliness of being unmated anymore. I hope that if my mate is here this evening, he will be as happy with me as a mate as I will be grateful for him.)

Kafei had attended the annual Howling each year almost as long as her brother Tibarn, many unmated male wolves feared the Royal Princess, but not because she was a cruel wolf, far from it, but even now, Kafeiś tiny hands lay hidden ensconced in special black gloves; Kafei was the Royal hands of death, her touch skin to skin killed instantly.

The last Royal to speak was young Kai; the excitement staining the air as she-wolves of all ages hoped to be the lucky one to claim his heart.

Kai looked a lot like his twin, both had the same hazel colored eyes, flawless skin, and graceful movements, but when Kai spoke, instead of peace and tranquility cocooning those who listened, the young Princes voice invoked fear into the hearts of all who heard him, he possessed the voice of the demons causing panic whenever he uttered a word.

¨Good evening brothers and sisters, and thank you for your hospitality; I am aware that my voice causes disturbing emotions, Iḿ sorry but I can not switch it off, believe me, I've tried,¨ Kai grinned boyishly, transforming his face into an artists masterpiece, ¨It would appear that the Moon Goddess was having a bad day when she created me, or perhaps she gave Dalvina so much purity, it was only fair to balance things out?"

The royal Prince appeared relieved when a few chuckles could be heard amongst pack members, and as he glanced up, Kai saw that the moon was in position, and it was time for the Howling to begin.

The Marcelloś stood, facing their subjects, proud and strong as they began to phase. In complete unison, bones were heard breaking, limbs stretching, and faces elongating before black fur exploded from the Royal family members as they completed their transition.

The giant wolves made the stage look tiny as they shook out their midnight fur, the females only slightly smaller than the males in height, bulging muscles rippling majestically through their bodies as they stood tall.

A white crescent adorned each forehead, signaling that the wolves were the Royal family, and in one fluid movement, they lifted their snouts to the sky, letting out howls so loud the ground shook, and lightning flashed through the sky...The Howling was underway.

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